Knowing You Better!!!

I thought it would be an easier means to learn more about my students before the start of the year by creating this survey. There are only seven quick questions to complete and remember I’m the only one that can see the answers.

Students please fill in the survey, you may require parent help.

I have already learnt something new this year in creating this survey !!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Welcome- 2012

Kia Ora,

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays as I am. I am starting to look for some new exciting games to improve our blog. Here is logic game. The idea is to use thinking skills and logic to move the colour balls into their matching containers.

Here is the link http://www.mathplayground.com/logic_civiballs2.html- Give me update how far you have gone. Remember enjoy the prime weather we are having first and play the game later.

Use thinking skills and logic to direct the colored balls to their matching containers

Merry Christmas- Enjoy the Holidays

Last Friday Room 2 finished for the year and a new class will be returning early February. For a lot of families in New Zealand it is time for barbecues, beach and camping.

We would like to thank everyone that contributed to blog around New Zealand and the world. Room 2 and Mr Thurlow wish you a merry Christmas and a safe holiday.

Mission Impossible- For the 4th Term

After everyone returns back from holiday our focus will be on experiments that especially focus on Chemistry. I have created you a challenge that you may want to investigate before you return to school. Watch the movie and good luck!!!

Coes Ford- Tree planting

Burnham School- Coes Ford

On Friday the entire Burnham School got rid of their school uniforms and turned up to school in their gardening gear and gumboots to get ready to complete their quest of planting 300 natives plants at Coes Ford.

Other activities that we ponder as we sat in the bus in readiest for the day ahead was harakeke (flax) weaving and what aquatic and terrestrial bugs we would likely to discover.

The awesome response and enthusiasm of parents to muck in and learn beside their siblings was the major highlight of the day. Both students and parents all contributed in completing the quest and their success will be there for furture generations.

Another highlight was Mike Bowie passing on his passion about terrestrial bugs to the children. Some parents weren't so keen about his passion for Weta especially when he brought an actually live one!!! Others children made links between the activities when planting native trees they discovered giant native worms!!!!!

At the Harakeke weaving , we saw the importance of Harakeke being taught and the custom of weaving the Harakeke. With guidance from Ngai Tahu elders the students were able to make extraordinary fish and flowers made from the Harakeke.

A special mention to Steve(Head Chief) and his apprentice Mr Clarke, whom pulled through and delivered 368 cooked sausages on the barbecue on time. The year ⅞ stepped up organised the distribution of the sausages to the hoards of their peers and parents who were hungry after participating in three rotations

Many thanks must go to lots of people in making this day so successful these include, Jen Rodgers from EnviroSchools, Jason Arnold from Ngai Tahu, Brooke Turner from Kakareke Trust, Steve Brailsford and Adrienne Lomax from the WET Trust - Waihora Ellesmere Trust.

The outlook is to further develop this event annually and continue to strengthen our links with the community and the local environment.

Modern story about the Three Little Pigs-

Hope everyone has had a cool holiday, especially with the snow!!!

Below is a movie about the "Three Little Pigs” but with a difference. This term in writing we are looking at “discussion” or argument.

I want you to watch the movie then express an opinion on the questions below. See if your opinion is the same as mine or different. It is always cool to have an opinion but you must support your reason or reasons.

• Was the Mad Doctor smart, mad 0r upset?

Mr Thurlow- I thought the Mad Doctor was smart because she created a robot wolf to catch the pigs. The doctor must of thought about how to defeat the brick house because he designed extra powerful lungs to blow down the brick house, so she need not go down the chimney!!

• Are there any other reasons why the Mad doctor invented the Wolfinator?

Mr Thurlow- In my opinion the Mad Doctor invented the robot to become rich. If the robot worked she could have built and sold many more. The robot could be sold for other uses like blowing air into sails on boat to save on petrol.

Invitation

New Spelling Programme "Word Builder"

Kia Ora,

I have discovered an online spelling programme that may lessen the stress of spelling homework for both students and parents.

Your child has been given a list of words to be learnt as normal by Friday. However on the top of the each student's individual list is a grade and the unit of the words that a student is learning.

You may want your child to learn the words in a normal manner or go onto this link ( this link is also on the righthand side of the blog). The program is a self -directed learning for your student to learn their list of words.

Your child only has to click on the grade and the unit to find their spelling words. He/ She follows the instructions to help them reinforce the spelling of their list words, which is done by completing the online game.

Hopefully this will reduce some stress around spelling. I would appreciate that you still test your child once and sign their spelling words before Friday.

Ethan - What is a comet?

Ethan informed me that a comet is a small ball of rock and ice. The comet's rock and ice melts when it come near the sun causing bright tail. A comet orbits the sun in space.

New Vegetable Ready for Matariki

An enormous thanks to Matua Joe for building and helping us place the new vegetable garden in today. The framing looks wicked and very functional. We are having the Burnham school's values craved into the framing of the gardens.

• Self-Belief/Strength- whakapono (believe) or wairua (spirit), tuturu (absolute belief)
• Respect-Whaikoha
• Responsibility- tikanga
• Achievement-angitu

I also would like to thank the students that help Joe, we couldn't have done it without you. Overall, Joe's dog was really impressed how everyone pitched in!!!

Update Earthquake, Burnham School.

Hi There,

Burnham school was very lucky indeed, all the children left safetly from school. The teachers and myself very proud how they reacted when the earthquake struck.

As the news filters through there going to be families who have lost love ones in Christchurch. Our school community will be affected by knowing someone. We need to look after our school whanau.

For the students of my class if you want to create post about the earthquake,remember go to blogger- put in bpschool2@gmail.com & password bpschool

My Family is safe.

Here is a link to photo's of the Earthquake

Parent Information

Kia ora,

I'm excited to have a new class with different strengths and ideas for the up coming 2011 year. Room 2's focus this Term is on the students developing an understanding of their place in the world and how they contribute to society.

The students and I will be involved in establishing classroom community norms and expectations of their learning.

Room 2's learning will involve four key areas as part of creating a dynamic classroom community. These are:

• Successful Learners
• Confident Individuals
• Responsible Citizens
• Effective learners

Within these four key areas are the Burnham School values of Achievement, Self-Belief/Strength, Respect and Responsibilityy.

Your feedback on our classroom focus this term is welcome. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like more information or to discuss this further.

A video that shows visitors around Escola el Rodenell school in Spain

This is a blogging partner of Room 2. Watch the video and compare the differences from Burnham School.

For our friends in Spain: Escola el Rodenell

Dalton is in the senior part of the school. I asked him to come up with a few English saying that the students from Escola el Rodonell could use

Problem Solving Maths

Expo- Recount

On Thursday evening Burnham School had a school "Expo". At "Expo" you show parents what students have learnt throughout the year.

At the start of "Expo" the junior school did a folk dancing performance. Most of the juniors felt nervous.

After that the parents looked in their child's classroom. Then we had subway for tea.

The most exciting part of the night was the " Terrible Tower" challenge. The challenge was to build a tower out of newspaper and cello tape. The towers had to hold an egg for 15 seconds. One of the towers was taller than the sun shades, and others were tiny.

Everybody had a great time and were very competitive in building their towers. Prizes were handed out and Xavier won a prize for the most creative tower.

Instructional Writing Resource

This term we are focusing on "instructional writing". I have found this resource that may help you to remember what is required in Instructional Writing.

Term 3 - Ready to Rock & Roll

Welcome back to Term 3. I hope everyone had relaxing time with their Whanau. Our Topic this term is 'Treasure", which encompasses "culture". For the first two weeks I would like the students to bring something from home that is very important to their Whanau. If the treasure is very precious or fragile please e-mail me a photograph or I will get the student to take the classroom camera home to photograph it.

I am hoping that all the students will speak about their particular treasure. In the classroom we will be looking at what are New Zealand's treasures from the students' perspective. Then investigate other countries' treasures. At present we are usings other classroom blog's around the world to obtain this information .

Room 2 really get a kick out from hearing from the wider community.If there are any ex-pats reading this blog, please comment on what "treasures" that you miss about Aotearoa. For the rest of the world please tell us what you believe are the treasures of your country.

Furthermore,I would like and appreciate if any whanau wishes to speak to the students about their culture or demonstrate an activity relating to their culture.

Finally, all running records were completed and all the students showed progress, congratulations!!! Thank you for your support with reading with your child daily. As I say prastise and prastise can only help an individual's reading .

See you Monday

Probability Game-

In the Third term for the first two weeks the children in Room 2 will be learning about " Probability. This game helps the students to become familiar with both the vocabulary and the concept behind "Probability"

Just click on the image( I have linked to the game)

Try this Virtual Deep sea dive on a Whale

This is Awesome!!! Ride on a whale's back and discover creatures of the deep. Then on the left hand side compare what animals you would see in the Antarctic to the Arctic. I know you guys at McKenzie School will enjoy this..

To start- click on the picture.