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.

Margaret Mahy

Margaret Mahy had three sisters and one brother. I can relate to this because I have a brother. Her mum was born in New Zealand and her dad was born in England. Her mum was a teacher. Margaret Mahy loved swimming and she liked school. She inspires me to be good at PE. She had toys and a doll house. She was an author. Her favourite story is a Lion in the Meadow and that's my favourite story too. Margaret Mahy is good at writing. By Erika.

Owen's Broken Ankle

Owen is back in class with us today, but yesterday he had the day off because he had to be extra careful of his ankle. On Wednesday Owen took a trip to Kenepuru hospital to get an x-ray of his ankle after he had a nasty fall. A bone in his leg is broken. Owen was very brave. Since Owen has a broken ankle, he has to use crutches for 12 whole days! We hope Owen recovers quickly!!

My Trip to Red Rocks

Last week my family went to Red Rocks for a walk. We walked for 2 hours but we didn't get very far because we kept stopping to look in rock pools. One rock pool was really lively. It had lots of animals in it. I saw snails and hermit crabs and anemones and seaweed of course. I told my family lots of things about the rocky shore, like if you find a cushion star that's bulging in the middle then it's probably eating a small crab or snail because those are its favourite snacks...definitely different to my favourite food! By Anna.

Billy's Control Panel

I made this control panel at home last night. I put gadgets and lightbulbs on it. I used power tools and nails and hammers. I put it all on wood. I shared it for news. Everyone thought it was really cool.

John McBeth

A couple of weeks ago, before the Olympics started, my Grandad John came to our assembly. It was called Room 4's assembly, but we think that it should have been called the "McBeth Assembly". John is a commentator and at the Olympics he is normally in charge of the swimming. He has been to many different Olympic Games. John told us some very interesting things about the London Olympics. He talked about the Olympic rings. He talked about many of our athletes who have been to past Olympics and some who have been competing in these Olympic Games. For his job, John makes announcements and needs to know how to pronounce hundreds of athletes names. Thank you Grandad John for coming to our school. Love Lauchlan and all of Room 4.

Margaret Mahy

Margaret Mahy liked school. She liked writing and reading. She wasn't so good at maths and swimming. She has one brother and I can relate to this because I have one brother. Her mum was a school teacher. Outside her house, she doesn't have a beach, she has a mud pool. She goes swimming all the time. This reminds me of my cousin because he goes swimming all the time. My favourite Margaret Mahy stories are "A Lion in the Meadow" and "Down the Back of the Chair". Margaret Mahy inspires me to be a better writer. BY BILLY.

Regan’s Artwork In the afternoon Regan and Ben go into the hall to do some artwork. They really like their art. Here is some of Regan’s work.

Trip to Island Bay Marine Centre

The NED Show

Check out the Ned Show website by clicking here! Today we went to the NED show. NED stands for "Never give up", "Encourage others", "Do your best". Some of it was VERY funny! Some people thought that he was a magician. He was really good at doing different tricks with the yo-yo. Some of the tricks he performed were "around the world", "rock-a-bye baby", "7-3", "walking the dog" and "ski lift". We really liked it when he put the ripped up tissue into his mouth and then pulled it out and it was a rainbow paper chain. It was so long...it went on and on and on! The rainbow paper chain ripped and then he said "mama".

Plimmerton Rocky Shore

John on the Saxophone!!

I really enjoyed it when my dad played the sax in Room 4. (Meg). My favourite part was playing "We Wish you a Merry Christmas." (Abbey). I liked it how John could play 3 different types of saxophone! (Lily). John played heaps of other instruments when he was younger. (Lily). It was really fun watching John play the saxophone. (Cassey). My favourite instrument was the soprano saxophone. (Riley). I like John's music. It sounds really different. (Madia). I enjoyed it how we measured the different sounds. (Matthew). I really liked John's music because it was fun and relaxing. (Faith). My favourite saxophone was the tenor. (Luana). I really liked the baritone. (Jason). I enjoyed asking John interesting questions. (Joseph). I liked measuring how high it went and how low it went. (Owen). I like the big instrument - the baritone. (Anthony). I enjoyed all the songs the same amount. They were all great. (Brandon). I liked all the songs because they all had a wonderful tune. (Jacob). I liked hearing the different sounds that the different instruments make. (Lehlani). I think John is the best musician ever! (Jakson). I think Meg's dad is very good at playing the saxophone. (Anna). I really really liked the baritone because it was really tuneful. (Lauchie). I really liked the baritone because it was the most relaxing. (George). I liked all the instruments he played. (Billy). There were different types of saxophone. (Kevin). My favourite part was when we sang really really fast. (Erika). My favourite part was touching the saxophone. It felt smooth. (Sofia). My favourite instrument was the baritone. Jazz music makes me want to relax. (Angelina). Thank you John. (Regan).

What Now

On Sunday I went to Wellington city. It was windy and dark at 7 o'clock in the morning. We met Adam from What Now. There was lots of gunge in bottles and buckets. I played ready steady. It is a game that has people who go towards the buckets and pour the gunge in. My team didn't win. At the end of What Now I went to the playground. I saw Miss Wooles at the playground. by Jacob Click here to see me playing seaweed!

Check out Jason - our very own Tony Hawk!!

Watch me by clicking here!