The Wonky Donkey and other interesting things.

Another famous author visited Bradford last week.  This time it was Craig Smith, the author of The Wonky Donkey and Willbee the Bumblebee.  He sang some really funny songs as well as singing along to these two very funny books.  We helped him out and joined in for some of them.  

We got a sneak preview of his new story Kaha the Kea.  Summer from Room 3 was very lucky and got to show us Kaha  while Craig sang us the story.  

During this song we had to make all kinds of movements and funny faces then freeze.  Some of us have some very funny expressions!

Counting in Tens

Ngā porowhita kōwhai (The Yellow Circles) maths group has been learning about place value by counting in tens.  Kahnye the photographer got some good shots on Thursday of maths buddies showing off some new skills.  Here's a photo showing how they were doing it.

Isaiah pointed to a 2 digit number.  Nika and Josh collected that many beans.  This number is 50 so there are 5 containers of 10 beans.

Talking Tins

Yes - you read correctly.  Tins that talk.  They have all sorts of uses.  This week one of the writing groups used them to record ONE idea at a time before they wrote it in their books.  
You record the sentence then you can play it back as many times as you need to write the sentence. After you have written the sentence, you check that it has a beginning capital letter and a full stop.  The dolphins wrote some awesome stories last week.  The sharks will get to use the talking tins this coming week too.

Caleb and Sora loved using the talking tins.

Star of the Week

This week's star has great self management skills.  He often likes to work and learn by himself.  
This year he has been developing his abilities to enjoy working with a small group and now he rather likes it!  He's also really good at encouraging others to participate. 

Tigue - a star at relating to others.  

Don't tell anyone, but there are only two more weeks in Term 2.   Shhh!

All sorts of fun.

Welcome to Week 7's blog entry.  There were so many visitors at Bradford last week.

We had a visit from Kyle Mewburn.  A really, really cool author who wrote the books Kiss Kiss Yuck Yuck, Hill & Hole, Duck is Stuck, Ants Pants and some other funny books.  He was hilarious!  He also shared about how he writes books.  One of the most important things is to have lots of ideas in your head and another is to keep working on a story until it is the best it can be.

We also had a visit from some student dental therapists.  Whew, those are big words!  There was a furry fellow with big ears there as well.  They talked to us about how to brush our teeth properly and reminded us to do it twice every day.  After breakfast and before bed are great times to brush your teeth.

Gracie from Room 3, Isaiah and Tom helped out by being dressed up as a dental therapist and a patient.   

Gracie wasn't too keen about putting the mask over her mouth and nose so Tom helped her encouraged her by doing it first.  Thanks Tom!

Check out the cool dark glasses that protect Isaiah's eyes.

Dr Brushwell was rather keen on hugs!

They also helped us out with some 'wonderings' we had about mouths and teeth and toothpaste.  Briah wondered how teeth get wiggly.  Here's what one of the therapists shared with Briah and the rest of us. 

The root of each baby tooth slowly disappears as the adult tooth starts growing deep down in the gums.  When there is no more root to hold it in the right place, it wiggles all the way out!  Then the adult tooth grows up in the same spot. 

Maths in action in Room 4

Luke and Tigue are learning how to use pairs of numbers that add to 10 to add up lots and lots of numbers.

Salesi and Briah are identifying 3 digit numbers by s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g the hundreds, tens and ones out.

Nika, Josh & Kahnye are playing 'Shoot' to help them instantly recall basic facts.  You have to be really quick to get to keep the card when these two are playing!

Lastly, here is Room 4's latest Star of the Week.  She is a star at the Key Competency of Thinking. 

Caitlin has been using great thinking skills in her writing and her questioning.  Go Caitlin!!

Bits & Pieces from Week 6

We had an awfully busy week last week.  On Wednesday we said a final "Farewell" to Annashay.  She and her family are on their way to the Gold Coast to live.  We hope you enjoy the trip and find a really great school when you get there.  We'll be thinking of you this week when it snows in Dunedin!

During our reading sessions in Room 4, we have some tasks we have to do and some we can choose to do.  Here are some photos of some of us enjoying various ways to extend our reading skills.

Kerrianne and Nika are playing Battleship.  This game helps readers to read phrases (groups of words) easily and fluently.  It's a lot of fun.

Thomas and Caleb are enjoying some of the activities that go with our story of the week on Sunshine Online.  It's especially fun on the Active Board!

Dylan, Lindsay and Sora are enjoying Sunshine Online too.  

On Friday we had an ABC (That's an Awesome Behaviour Celebration)  We got to choose from a range of activities and games for half an hour.  Plus we got to enjoy a lollipop!  

Steven, Matthew, Caleb and Isaiah are playing Shuffleball.  You have to be really accurate when rolling the ball along the board.  Isaiah was really tricky and managed to shuffle one ball into another and push it into the next point zone!!

Finally, here's our new Star of the Week.  She has a fabulous 'can do' attitude and is really rocking Room 4 with her determination.

You Rock Kerrianne!

Star Circle

On Friday afternoons we have Star Circle.  There are two really important things about Star Circle.  One is that we show our 5 good listening skills all the time.  The other is that we never comment or laugh at anything that our classmates say.  This helps us feel safe to share our feelings and opinions.

This week we shared how we feel when someone compliments us or says something cool about us.  We shared feelings like awesome, happy, confident, happy as and nice inside.

Check out these photos.  You can see that we are doing a superb job of showing the good listening skill of looking at the speaker.

Lindsay is passing our class mascot, Biff, to Koby.  The speaker is the person holding Biff and everyone else listens!

Dylan is sharing how that he feels awesome when someone tells him something cool about him.

Unfortunately, this week's Star of the Week wasn't here on Friday so he didn't find out that he is the next Star.  But it doesn't change the fact that this fellow is fantastic at the key competency of Relating to Others.  He speaks to friends and teachers politely and respectfully.  He shows great sportsmanship when playing games and encourages his mates.

 

 

Keep up the great attitude Isaac!

See you again soon.

Book Characters and wonderings

Friday was one of the busiest Fridays ever. 

It was Book Character dress up day, we had a mini expo to explore some aspects of staying healthy and we began wondering about what makes certain types of food and drink an everyday thing or a treat.

Health Expo

Room 4 joined Room 6 for some of the morning to wander around our expo.  We explored stations with information about sleep, relaxation, how much water our bodies need, how to take care of our teeth, fitness and a health website.  Room 4 explorers went around the expo with a buddy from Room 6.  We'll be doing some wondering about what we saw and heard.

Steven & Tigue are reading some information about water in different foods.  Thomas went round the expo with Krystal.

Dakota enjoyed the expo with Natasha from Room 6.  Caitlin is showing how much of her is water.  (It really is Caitlin because she lay in the box to have her outline drawn!)

Thomas & Krystal are finding out that if you don't have enough water your skin goes all dry & yukky.  Ask him what happens when you put more water back in your body. (re-hydrate)

Abby from Room 6 & Caitlin are thinking about some of the things you do that might stop you sleeping and some things you can do to help you sleep.

Josh, Annahsay & some girls from Room 6 are trying out some relaxing stretches.

Kerrianne & her buddy are looking at how water changes the amount of nutrients (food) your body gets from the food and drink you consume.

Book Character day

On Friday morning there were also a lot of strange looking characters about.  There was Spiderman, Harry Potter, Mr Twit, Zoe the fairy princess, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Russel the Sheep, Mickey Mouse,  Captain Hook and many, many more.  Not all in Room 4 but there are quite a selection of characters in Room 4.  Check us out standing up in Room 1.

You can't quite see everyone in the photos but we will be writing about the day soon so you'll be able to read all about it and see some pictures in your head!




Finally, this week's Star of the Week is a young man that has been actively demonstrating the key competency of Thinking.  He has been organising his thoughts to share them with others and thinking hard about the books he reads so that he can retell the story and understand what is happening and why.

Awesome thinking Steven!! 

Autumn in the air

Our lucky year threes joined the other year 3-6 children for the Kids for Kids concert at the Regent Theatre last Wednesday night.  Here are some photos of the rehearsal and a recount of the concert.

Bradford school went to the Regent Theatre.  We went to sing with Suzanne Prentice.  We went on Wednesday.  I was hot and tired.

by Kerrianne

While they were at the rehearsal,  the year ones and twos had a huge amount of Autumn fun.  I think the photos and stories from our authors say it all. 

I threw the leaves up with Room 4 last week.  The leaves were different shapes.

by Salesi

 I am throwing leaves.  Room 4 threw up leaves.  It was fun.  The leaves were dry.
by Isaiah

The leaves are tumbling.  I am throwing the leaves with Room 4. 

by Isaac

The leaves are falling down.  The leaves are awesome.  I threw the leaves up high.

by Tom

This week's Star of the Week has such a positive attitude to his learning.

Thomas is super enthusiastic and loves to learn new things.

A "Magic" Week

Kia ora ano

Week two was such a great week.  Magic even!  Elgregoe the magician performed for the school on Tuesday.  He performed a lot of funny tricks and taught us about bullying and how important it is that we don't bully.  He also showed us some strategies for dealing with it if it does happen. 

Here are some photos and cool stories from Room 4's fabulous authors.

Cameron's Funny Song
Yesterday I went to a magician.  It was funny because Cameron had big lips with a microphone.  And I laughed so hard.  I just couldn’t stop laughing.
by Briah  

Funny Microphone
Yesterday the magician did some magic.  I loved it and it was cool.  I laughed at the microphone.  The microphone had a lip on it.
by Steven

Elgregoe the Macigian

Yesterday Bradford watched a magician.  A puppet was holding a string all by itself.  The puppet stayed still like a statue.  The magician put his hand in the puppet and made him talk. 

He had a picture of trees and a bird.  And the bird flew out of the picture.  It was all magic. 

by Caitlin

Elgregoe the Magician and Ollie the Ostrich 

Elgregoe said, “hold on to the rope” and then he did hold on to the rope.  He got a surprise.  And then he was happy.
by Lindsay 

Poor Callum
Yesterday we watched a cool magician.  He burnt Callum's shoe.  It was cool.  It was fantastic.  I laughed at the tricks.
by Kahnye

Star of the Week
The new Star of the Week is taking responsibility for his own learning.  He listens carefully to instructions and uses his initiative to solve problems.

Congratulations to:

Isaiah

 Ka kite ano

ps - Room 4 are rather proud of earning the Best Class trophy at assembly last week.  We'll be working really hard on showing those same "5 great listening skills" all through the week.