This morning in the hall Anton and Lucy came to play the drums with us (Tessa). There was so much banging that it made the floor shake a little. I felt a little sick (Anna). For awhile Anton didn't talk, he just drummed (Luana). The drums were as hard as a rock and made my hands go red (Riley). Before they ended the show, Anton told us what kind of drums they are and Lucy told us what her drum was made out of - cow hyde!!! (Lily). Anton gave us some words to say to remember the rhythms he taught us (Abbey). We followed what he did (Meg). While we were drumming Riley and I used our elbows and heads to hit our drums (Lehlani). I really liked the coo rhythms he showed us (Billy). At the end Anton and Lucy taught us some dance moves (Anthony).

My Skiing Trip

Since Mum and Dad have been saving up money we've been so lucky that we got to go skiing for a whole week. We started to head off and it took four hours. By the time we got there we unpacked our bags, got our togs and went for a spa. We stayed there for about 15 minutes and when we got back our cousins, the Hudsons, and the Andersons were there. By the time the Andersons got there we put on the fire and started to relax and have dinner. We had nachoes and mince and beans and sour cream. The next day we hopped in our suits, got in the car, but we couldn't go because the car was frosted. When we got to the mountain we signed up for skiing. We got our suits and boots and poles and skis. Then we went to the ski school room for an hour. We went up the Park Lane chair lift. Our instructor was waiting on the ski field. He taught us some games like Train Tracks which means you go side to side to help you slow down. One of the other games was Stuck in the Mud. We had to stamp in the snow when the snow was thick. On that day there was a "white out" and we couldn't see so we decided to have half a day. On all the days we had lots of races against my brothers and friends. We went right to the top this year and Dad filmed us. We can't wait to go back again next year.

My Bunny

I have a new pet bunny. I just got her on Sunday. My brother has a brown rabbit, I have a blonde one and Mum and Dad have a blonde one too! Their names are Bunny Brine, Cutie and Tropsy Popsy. Bunny Brine always scratches me. The bunnies always escape from the box they sleep in when they have time in the house. In the photos you will see the hutch that my brother and his friend and I built. Cassey.

My Mum Came to Visit

My mum helps people's bodies to not be sore any more. She is a physiotherapist. Today she came to my class and taught us some good things we can do for our bodies so that we aren't sore. Brandon.

Lise told us to warm up our bodies. Anthony. She showed us exercises to do. Lehlani. She showed us a spine. Lauchie. She held the spine model up against Brandon's back - from the skull to the pelvis. Jason.

She taught us how to activate and open our bodies instead of slouching. Matthew. She taught us an exercise when you rub your collar bone. Faith. Lise gave us good advice on keeping warm in cold weather so that we don't tense up and close our bodies. Luana. She told us one leg is stronger than the other. Angelina. We had to see how far back our arms went and then we rubbed our ribs to help us be more flexible and open. Lily. Lise taught us exercises called "The Foolish Man" and "The Wise Man". Tessa.

I learnt that there are over 600 muscles in my body. Jakson. Today I learnt that there are 3 different types of muscle. They are cardiac, smooth and skeletal. George. I learnt that if you slouch it takes ages for messages to go down your spine. Billy. When Lise taught us the different exercises it really helped. Meg. Our spines are really long. Madia. If you bend over for too long you might just get stuck like that. Owen. I learnt the Harry and Larry game. Jacob.

Anthony at the Rugby

Last week Anthony very kindly invited me to watch his rugby game. It was a chilly morning so I wrapped up warm and left home early so I could be there for his warm-up. When I got to the park it was tricky to spot Anthony because everyone looked so stripy and they were quite far away. Luckily Anthony's mum, Angela, had told me to look out for his gold rugby boots. Anthony trained hard before the game and led his team onto the field. It wasn't long into the game before Anthony scored a try. His team was on fire! They all just went for it and should be very proud of how hard they all worked. Miss Wooles.

In Rugby you can score tries...you can tackle people...you can stop people...you can have a run at the ball...you can kick the ball...you can pass the ball...you can coach (like my dad)...there are rucks and mauls...sometimes you even get chocolate!! Anthony.

Learning through Literacy EXPO

Come and join us for morning tea afterwards!

Margaret Mahy

Margaret Mahy was born in Whakatane, Bay of Plenty. Her mother was born in New Zealand and her father was born in England. One of her hobbies was writing. I can relate to this because writing is one of my hobbies. She has three sisters and one brother. I can relate to this because I have three sisters. She was clumsy and slow. This reminds me of Riley except Riley is clumsy and fast. She went to Whakatane High School. Margaret Mahy started publishing stories at university. She lived in Governors Bay. This interests me because I've never heard of it until now. She can also speak French, but she speaks it badly. My favourite Margaret Mahy story is the Lion in the Meadow because it's really cool. I like her writing, it's very interesting, she's a very good author. Margaret Mahy inspires me to be brave and strong all through my life. She also inspires me to be persistent and follow my dreams. By Faith.