SafeSparks Article

Hi I'm Bianca and I'm Mathias.

We are here to tell you about the SafeSparks programme.

On Wednesday last week a man called Bob came from Unison to talk to us about how to be safe around electricity.  After we had finished with Bob we went to Room 3 to have a chat with Anna and she talked to us about how to be safe around power boxes, power poles, substations and transformers. We learnt by watching a video. She also asked some questions that Bob had told us the answers to, so we had to think back and give HER the answers.

We learned...

* ... if you have rubber boots on, electricity can't conduct and go through the boots and give you a shock or anything. By Ana

* ... if a tree is touching a power line you're not aloud to climb the tree. By Paige

*... if there is a power pole on a car after an accident and there are people inside the car, don't touch it because the wires might be live. By Jack

*... when a bird goes on a power line it cannot get electrocuted but if it goes on a transformer it gets a shock. By Wyatt

* ... that electricity can go around the world 7 times in 1 second. By Grace

* ... never throw or kick balls at power boxes. By Tyler

*... never throw your shoes on power lines because when it's windy, the line will tear. By Rama

*... look up and check before climbing a tree because if there is a power pole close to a tree you might get electrocuted. By Jordan

*... if you get an electric shock and you are holding something you cannot let go. By Ezrah

* ... never fly a kite by a power line. Fly them at the park or on a field because there are no power lines there. By Bostyn and Leo

* ... never sit on power boxes. By Sharnika

*... you're not allowed to touch power boxes because you might get an electric shock. By Julie

*... do not throw stuff at power boxes because they might go BOOM! By Destiny

*... if something electrical happens call 0800 2 unison. By Bianca

*... if there is a bird on a power line, then it touches a transformer, it will get electrocuted. By Presley

*... birds can go on power lines and not get electrocuted. By Evangelina

*... you should look up if you want to climb a tree so you do not get electrocuted. By Aradia.

* ... linemen wear a lot of protective gear when they are working with electricity. It's so important to be safe around electricity! By Mrs Perry

Great learning Room 10!

Bob from Unison talked to us

Mmmm - Who is this mysterious person?

Great rubber safety boots!

Thanks Anna!

Blogger of the week...

The prize for the last two weeks has gone to... BIANCA! Well done Bianca. You are great at commenting on posts, giving feedback and asking as well as answering questions. Who will it be this week?? Get commenting everyone and it might be YOU! Commenting is a great way to stay connected and develop your writing skills using the 'language of success'.

Bianca chose mini mentos as her prize

Super Strumming - Magical Music - Ukulele Festival 2014

Bianca and Paige

Great to see an enthusiastic bunch of ukulele players at the Opera House on Friday night. It was a BIG day after the trip to Cape Kidnappers. It's such fun being part of a big ukulele orchestra. I found some of the songs a wee bit tricky. How about you? What was your favourite song? Mine was definitely 'Midnight Special' - I just love that one. Share a ukulele song that you enjoy playing - it doesn't have to be a festival song...

Still Colouring Our Worlds!

Look at these super 'Colour My World' presentations completed with Miss Pierson yesterday. We have been learning what similes are and writing examples so that we can use some in our writing. Some of these presentation use similes. Similes are when two things are compared using the words 'like' or 'as'.
Why do writers use similes?
Writers use similes to explain things, to express emotion, and to make their writing more vivid and entertaining. Discovering fresh similes to use in your own writing also means discovering new ways to look at things you are writing about. Similes make stories fun and interesting to read.
Check out these great presentations...
Challenge: Comment and share a super simile of your own!

My Favourite Number 8 by Bianca

8 is my Favourite number

Because it is shaped like two jellybeans joined together.

It's also like one big snake.

It looks like two running tracks.

It tastes like two boysenberries in my tummy.

8 is like a double cake. 

It makes me feel happy!

Photographed by Bianca

Star Wars Princesses

Looking gorgeous!

More Golden Runners...

Well done Ezrah who was our Golden Runner for Thursday. He maintained a good pace and really tried his best. Very commendable as he has been unwell. Great role modelling Ezrah!
Bianca was today's Golden Runner. She had a great attitude and put on sprint to finish. I am really impressed with the way Room 10 support and encourage each other during training runs. What a truly awesome bunch you all are!

Freaky Friday Disco Fun

Freaky Friday Disco! on PhotoPeach

Super, Fantastic, Marvellous, Wonderful, Amazing, Clever Sentences!

Bittern

Before we visited Pekapeka, Room 10 students completed an imaginary writing task. They had to think about all the information they had learned about wetlands and imagine what it would be like when they were about to step onto the boardwalk. What would they see? Hear? Smell? Think?
Check out these little snippets and you will see why Mrs Perry and Mrs Mac are really thrilled with the class writing. Here are some of the super, duper sentences...

When I stepped onto the boardwalk...

"I might see some shags and some black swans and I think there will be some water. The pukeko is a native bird. I want to see a fern bird but they are very shy. They live in the raupo and they can be hiding somewhere." By Julie

"I saw a harrier hawk. It quickly flew down and grabbed a rat. I thought it was going to grab me! I saw another pukeko coming near me then as it got closer it turned away from me." By Paige

"I heard birds chirping, the breeze hitting the grass and I could smell yucky contaminated water." By Cairo

"I felt the wet, squishy grass. It was cool to see the dragonflies flying like an airplane up and down. There were snails slithering across the wet grass and the wet blocks of wood. I smelt the damp water." By Nina

"I felt the breeze making me shiver. I should have brought my jacket!" By Tyler

"Did you know that if you watch the bittern relax it will point it's bill up so it camouflages itself. The bittern is a carnivore because they eat meat." By Shekinah

"I saw some birds flapping their wings softly. I hear birds singing. It was a pukeko because it had a bright red beak and red feet. It's body was blue." By Bianca

"We might see a kingfisher eating fish, insects, frogs, crayfish, worms and rats. The kingfisher can eat a rat in one go and rest for 10 minutes." By Sharnika

"What can I hear? Little mice squeaking. What can I see? Little mice with their little feet running away. What can I smell? The cold air. What can I feel? Wet little mice in my hands." By Ana

"I saw a pukeko on the boardwalk. He flew away because he was scared of me and I was scared of him because I thought he would jump on me or scratch me with his sharp beak. He was blue. He had brown eyes with a quite sharp beak. He smelt like the grass. " By Bona

"I can feel the flax when I walk past. The pukeko has bright as legs and a beak. His feathers shine in the sun. When he is in the shade his coat of feathers turns dark blue." By Grace

"I saw the kingfisher eat a fish. It was cool watching the kingfisher swoop in the water and catch a fish." By Rama

"Then I heard a strange noise. I think it was a morepork, ready to catch some food for the night. What's that in the flax? Wow! It's a bittern, camouflaged in the flax. Ouch! Oh no! I think a midge just bit me! I'm going to have a big itchy bite!" By Ezrah

'The bittern looks like a stick. The bittern can sometimes be easily seen but sometimes it is not easy to find the Australian bittern." By Destiny-Paige

"I saw a bittern. It was very still and it looked like a piece of wood standing up on the green grass. Then I saw a fern bird flying around with it's long tail and a worm in its small mouth. Then I saw a sparkling frog with black and green stripes. Then I saw that frog again eating some beautiful dragonflies." By Reicoe

"On the way to the pukekos I saw a bittern. I was wearing green clothes so I got down into the grass and the bittern didn't notice me. I managed to get close enough to actually touch it. It's feathers felt like silk but it smelled like weeds. Pooh!!!" By Mathias

"I saw some insects distracting a black swan when it was relaxing in the nice hot sun on a branch. The branch was the black swans favourite place to relax, by her nest so she could watch her eggs." By Aradia

"When I stepped onto the boardwalk I could hear birds tweeting loudly. I could see a lot of different animals and birds and I went hmmmm, that looks like a pukeko!" By Bostyn

"I think I'll see a swimming black swan with a shiny beak and then I'll see a kingfisher jumping up." By Nicholas

"The first thing I heard was a chirp and I thought it was a bittern. They are really hard to find because they're really good at camouflaging themselves. I think I saw a small shadow behind the tree. I'm going to have a look behind the tree. Oh! It's a pukeko. Look at its blue and black and orange skin. Look at the way it walks. Oh! Is that a fern bird I see? Look at its long tail! It's huge." By Presley

"Then I saw blood in the water. I saw a rat then a caddisfly came down and killed it. I thought to myself, in wetlands, at Pekapeka, it's hard to survive." By Wyatt

"I travelled on but then I saw a bird called the fern bird. I knew it was called the fern bird because it was camouflaged and small with a long tail. It was amazing just being with nature." By Jordan

"I can hear the birds flapping their wings. I can smell the water making little waves and doing little flicks on me and getting me wet." By Cole

"I can smell the dirty water and bird poo. I can hear quacking and wings flapping. I can feel the wind and blowflies on my skin." By Jack

"I could hear the birds tweeting. I could smell the pukeko and it smelled like it needed a shower. I could see the fern bird but it saw me first. I felt the black swan. It was smooth." By Divaan

"Then I kept on walking and saw two pukekos in the water. Beside them I saw a kingfisher but the kingfisher had a kind of a sharp beak. The pukeko, fern bird and the bittern had funny feet and sharp claws to dig for food to eat." By Evangelina

What great writing Room 10. Tino pai, ka rawe!

WOW!

WOW!

Monday Meet-Up was extra exciting this morning! When we entered the hall we all saw the most amazing sight. This afternoon everyone wrote about what they saw and thought...

Bianca...
"When I walked into the hall I couldn't believe my eyes... there were bikes everywhere! I thought that the best sitter upper will get to ride them. They were brand spanking new."

Ezrah...
" I couldn't believe my eyes, the new bikes were here! I wondered what order the helmets were in. Then suddenly I saw they spelled the word WOW with a line under it. Mr Pearse talked to us about the bikes. Then Mr Pearse said "Should Miss Smith and I have a race?" Mr Pearse won. This week on Friday there will be an opening for our bike track. Fingers crossed for a sunny day on Friday!"

Sharnika...
"The new bikes are very shiny. I was so surprised when I walked into the hall because there were loads of helmets and bikes. Some people had stacked the helmets on top of each one to make the word WOW! My class got chosen to have a special photo. There is a ceremony opening for the bike track and Mr Pearse is looking for 35 kids to ride a bike for the opening but you have to be good."

Jordan... 
"The helmets were stacked up and made the word WOW. The bikes were in order. The bikes order was short to tall. The 4th one was the teacher's bike."

Nina...
"Wow! Amazing! I couldn't believe my eyes! The new bikes have arrived! The helmets were lots of different colours. I want a blue one. There were different sizes of the bikes. There was a teachers bike, there were little bikes, there were medium bikes and there were big bikes. We were really lucky we got to have a picture with the bikes with some other classes. I am so excited we are going to have an opening ceremony on Friday!"