Big Night Out Auction

Hello all

We have completed our art project!  Mr Ted and Leonard have helped out a lot with layout and cohesion, as well as my pottery tutor Chris, so thanks to them.

Here is the finished product, all going well many of you will come to bid on the piece on the night of the do.  If you can't make it, all art works will be available near the office during the week prior to the auction for viewing and bidding.

The symbols are: a tulip, a tree, a tadpole, a balloon, two koru, a bird, a rain drop, the moon, a stream and the ocean, Rangitoto, the silver fern, a smiley face, a tiki, a sunflower, two leaves, a rainbow, a diamond ring, a heart, a cat, a wave, a butterfly and a shooting star.  That is a lot of positive symbols in one place!

Collective art for the art auction

We have made some lucky touchstones for our piece of art to auction at the Big Night Out, our major fundraiser this year.  All going well, the finished piece will look beautiful enough to adorn any wall!

Here is the back story:
When the train tracks were altered a couple of years ago at New Lynn, I went along to collect some of the clay they dug out. This clay was one and the same as used in Crown Lynn pottery, and the factory was on the site by the railway.

We have used some of this special clay to showcase the symbols we like and think are important to make us feel happy.  We aim to bring good luck and cheer to the lucky bidder!

Here is what we have so far...

These are bisque fired and ready for glazing...

Here the touchstones are on the batt, glazed with a celadon glaze named 'ching pai'. 

It looks pink, but don't panic, it will be nearly clear once it is fired!

 

Once glazed, I will glue them to a woven flax backing and frame them.  If anyone has any expertise in this area, I would appreciate some assistance, otherwise it is a job for No more Nails...

How time flies! Parent help roster...

Hello everyone
I sent this note home yesterday, and Mahad asked if I had put it on the blog yet, so here it is!  All going well we can get some regular help to make our learning times more effective and enjoyable for all:

20 August 2013

Dear parents and caregivers

We have been working hard in Room 1 to develop our self-management skills, and complete our own levelled work independently.  This is quite tricky to do on our own, so we are hoping that some kind parents will be willing and able to support us in our learning. 

On the table below, the shaded areas are the times that would be most beneficial to our learning to have help.  The help would mostly be keeping our groups on task while Ms Werder is teaching small groups, with reminders and encouragement to keep on trying, and doing the right thing at the right time. 

If you are able to help at a set time, Ms Werder will set up a roster for parent help.  Please email her on gretchenw@parnell.school.nz  or send this back to school.

Thank you very much

Room 1 and Ms Werder.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
9-10	writing	maths	maths	maths	maori, drama, inquiry
10-11	reading	reading	reading	reading	poetry, publishing
11-11:30	Playtime
11:30-12:15	maths	writing	writing	writing	ict
12:15-1	phys ed	topic	library	topic	topic
1-1:45	Lunch
1:45-3	assembly (even) syndicate (odd)	science	buddies spelling	art	developmental

Please add your name and time available, or if you are able to be contacted for special events.

Name ___________________ Contact_______________________

Time able to help:­__________________________________

Thanks!

Ancient Egypt

The year 2 classes will be learning about Ancient Egyptians as the global aspect to the school's Taonga theme.

We have begun to use technology in order to learn more - we have a wealth of information around us if only we know how to access it!  Please find below a website from Manchester University.  We have used this in class today, and have had a good introduction to a number of exciting aspects of life in Ancient Egypt.  Have a go at home!

http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/history/egypt/

I hope it works!
Ms Werder

dirty knees...

It is the season for mud and rain.  The kids in Room 1 love to run and play, however, the grounds are muddy...

So, what happens is that the children come in with filthy, little, smelly, muddy, dirty revolting knees.  Here is a picture of some knees on a not too dirty day but still pretty muddy:

We need to bring extra long pants to cover our shorts when we go out to play on the grass.  This is how we can respect our school envirnonment. 

Don't play on the grass with just your uniform shorts because when we touch things in our class they will get dirty.  We could get books dirty, the carpet will get muddy as well as our other furniture.  Our class will smell like mud, which is not very good. 

Thank  you for bringing extra pants!

Going bananas!

Hi everyone!  We are nearly at the end of Term 2, and we are working hard on maths and reading, and our written language has moved on in leaps and bounds.  Many children in the class are beginning to group ideas together and include more specific and interesting detail.  This is establishing the idea of paragraphing, which the children are familiar with through their reading.  Brilliant stuff, I am very impressed.

On the banana front, we have some dangling from our ceiling beam.  Giselle calls them "banana chandeliers", which is perfect!  There is a good harvest this year, with five good sized bunches - one of which is still growing.  A couple of years ago we had someone sneak in on the weekend and take them, so I didn't want to leave them all out for too long.  Mr Ted and Mrs Franklin-Smith cut them down for us. 

All going well they will ripen at the beginning of next term, and we can do some baking. Banana recipes, anyone?

 

We also have a great time with our buddy class, who are now coming on Wednesday afternoons.  Here are some photos of what they do after the spelling test is over...

Rain by Hone Tuwhare

Rain

I can hear you
making small holes
in the silence
rain

If I were deaf
the pores of my skin
would open to you
and shut

And I
should know you
by the lick of you
if I were blind

the something
special smell of you
when the sun cakes
the ground

the steady
drum-roll sound
you make
when the wind drops

But if I
should not hear
smell or feel or see
you

you would still
define me
disperse me
wash over me
rain

Hone Tuwhare