Shell | by Sofia

It's small like a ring.
It's got a touch of pink glitter, and
all around it is white.
It's like a white feather
all around the pink.
It feels flat and then
it goes up
and flat again.

The windiest day | by Peta

My face turns white
there's no snow or ice
but an Autumn breeze is freezing cold;
I think there's a frog in my throat.

What am I...? by Cody

1.

I am oval-shaped.
I have seeds.
I have a green outside
and a green and red inside.
What am I...?!

2.

I am a circle shape.
I have seeds.
I have a red floppy outside
and dark red juice inside.
What am I...?!

1.

red kiwifruit!

2.

dragonfruit!

The Dark Crystal | by Harry

The rock is shining
in the sun
is it a rock
or a crystal?

It has black shiny bits
all over it
they are cold and sharp
and this is all connected
to a rock.

Volleyball

After learning how to set, dig, serve, pass, spike, and rotate round the court over the last five weeks, we played a series of games last Wednesday.

Paper-scissors-rock was a good way to decide whether or not someone was out if it was unclear!

Volleyball is awesome.

Thanks to our great tutors, Matt (Mattjician), Stefan (Stufendous), Des, and Camilla.

The Shell | By Brendan

As the sea goes swish

and the air goes whoooo,

sea goes up

then drops down

giving sand gifts

any size

big or small

but the sand always wants more.

Malcolm has 24 pegs - solution

A few weeks ago we talked about a problem, Malcolm has 24 pegs. Amy made an Explain Everything clip to begin solving the problem.

Now Laila has created a solution to the Malcolm's pegs problem. Check it out!

Ireland | by Niamh

Ireland

The dusty blankets feel cosy. Old photos of guns and little girls rest on the wall. From downstairs I can hear laughing. I wonder when I can meet my aunts, uncles and cousins.

I was excited and shy at the same time. The house was creepy. The curtains shook and the wind howled.

In the morning

The sun shone through the windows. I got dressed and went downstairs. The house was quiet and I walked in to the living room. I snuggled up in my grandad’s armchair. Suddenly I heard a thumping sound. Someone was coming down the stairs. It was Thomas with a game of monopoly. He won.

I put on my jacket and went outside. It was a small garden (it wasn’t really a garden) and only the little plants made their way through the cracks in the concrete. I stayed out there until Grandma came down to make breakfast. I sat up at the table and ate my pancakes.

It was 4 weeks until we left Ireland and I wanted to make the best of it. In those 4 weeks I fed horses, met my extended family and had fun. Then it was time to go. I hugged my aunts and uncles and hugged them again. I can’t wait to meet them again.

By Niamh 

Literature circles | Passage picker

Today the Brown Kiwi reading group shared their ideas about the passages they'd found interesting in 'A Vanishing Art', an article about making Tapa cloths in Tonga.

Amy got out some real tapa cloths for us to feel and look at. Joe made a connection - when we looked at the back of one of the tapa cloths, he thought it looked like Mali mudcloth (which Gretchen taught M13 about on the last Art Day).

Francesca read out part of the article:

     Tapa's main function is to be a gift that's passed on again and again at weddings, 21sts, funerals , and other important events. In this way, it binds communities and forms links between past, present and future.

She also made a connection; Francesca thought this was like the marae because the marae also supports people who died because the ancestors are on the walls and the roof. We've done this in our class too - another connection!

Our writers' circle

Every Wednesday we start the day by writing observations in our Writer's Journals.  Today, at Tama's suggestion, we sat in a circle outside afterwards to share our writing with each other.  We always give each other feedback at the end - today we really liked each other's descriptive writing.

Spiky

The spiky feeling you get when you touch it...

You look closely 
it's a nut
spiky and crumbled, 
sharp.

It tastes like vanilla
and feels like a knife
poking you hard

and it looks like a spiky brush!

By Cody

The nut

It looks like a hedgehog
but it is a nut.

It's got razor-sharp spikes
to protect it from getting eaten.

It feels rough.
It tastes like vanilla.
It smells like toast.

By Quinn



Tree sap

Glowing in the sun
see through 
once golden-brown
with bubbles of goo
shining in the sun

By Eve



It flows off the pohutukawa tree
it fades and loses its colour
then lies still like sand
but it can still travel the world

By Meline



A knot tied of prickles
they're the colour of corn
burnt on fire
black streaks

By Peta



Lumpy crusty shell:
it tastes like paint
it has a gloomy shadow
pink green blue orange and silver
it brings the sea with it.

by Peta



Freezing white shell
sitting on the sand.
The wind swaying 
from side to side
forcing the waves to crash 
and wash the rocks.
The shell still sits there.

By Jamie




In the city 
a poster of a shell
shines in the light
glistening till night-time

By Jamie

Our massage circle

This week we're learning about Te Taha Wairua: the side of the spirit. We're thinking about ways to keep our minds calm. We had a massage circle and talked about how we felt before and afterwards. A lot of us felt calm and relaxed afterwards.

Check out our massage circle:

The Storm | By Dot

Icicles drip down the window
as lightning strikes
and thunder roars.
Rain pours on the roof
like boulders.
The fire burns
and cinders shake.
Stars are sewn
on to a blanket
that's black
and covers the sky above.

Can you guess what this is...? | By Francesca

Sharp spiky rocks form up
from the hard surface.
A dark black path
leads beneath the hill.
At the front it looks like
a giant snail shell
crawling across the rocky sand.
A slim pokey stick
sneaks out the back.
It's like a mini
microphone!

The shining rock | By Quinn

The rock shines so much I can't see
because it is so sparkly.

It looks like a crystal
it could be marble.

I wonder if it's a crystal
or marble?

The Autumn Winds | by Niamh

The wind brushed
against my face
not as strong as yesterday,
as the day before,
just soft.
It whistles in the breeze;
it blows the leaves of the trees.

I love Autumn
and its wind.

Guess how many visitors we've had to our blog so far...?

On Friday, Amy added the Clustermap to our blog so we could track where our visitors are coming from. She also emailed her friends who live around the world and asked them to have a look at our learning.

This morning we were looking at where all our visitors have come from: Malawi, Paris, Nagaland in India, Fiji, Bled in Slovenia, Finland, Cambridge in England, Cambridge in Massachusetts in the US, Luxembourg, Vannes in France, Colorado, Delhi, Vienna, Malaysia, the list goes on! Many of them have left comments too, which is so cool.

Sofia said that one of the other classes were going to have a party when their blog reached 150 visitors; Amy suggested that we could wait for 1000 visitors. So we went and had a look at the blog statistics to see how many people have visited and guess what?

It's party time :-)

Ratu at Te Papa | by Tama

Wow! I didn't know you could take a look, a peek inside, taking time back, seeing what they saw, like mice with thousands of eyes staring down at us, daring, ready to make sure we didn't steal what was theirs.

Waddling away, staring at the empty white eyes, I gulp thinking, a mouse, a cat, a target.

My name is Tama. I gulp again, trying not to stare. I move out of the pataka (storage house). I know it's Tuesday but it feels like Ratu. I sit down thinking and start drawing. I wonder why everybody else is so calm. Suddenly I'm worrying. I look behind me and I see a bunch of tourists. I turn back around but my gut and my instinct are still worrying and then I realise that the class is going to the marae.

I run ahead to keep up with the class and go to the marae.

     "OK class, I-- blah blah blah..."
I start to fall asleep.
     "Tama?!"
     "What did I say?"
     "Um," I say, suddenly jerked to life.
     "You must've been off to fairyland."
     "I guess so, yeah."
     "Start drawing!"
I start drawing. I'm only halfway through when the teacher says to the class:
     "Lunchtime!"
     "Yay!" all the kids say.

After lunch we go back to school and then go home.

When we get back to school I say to Grandad, "can we go to Te Papa?"
     "Um," says Grandad.

Karakia and waiata | By Dot

Every morning, unless it's raining, our class M13 and M10, M12, M14 and M11 do a karakia (blessing) and waiata (song) outside before we start the day. 

Our waiata is called E Tu Kahikatea.

E tu kahikatea

Hei whakapae ururoa

Awhi mai awhi atu

Tatou tatou e

Stand like the kahikatea (tree)

To brave the storms

Embrace and receive

We are one together

(This version has a few extra verses but it helps with the tune):

  Our karakia says:

Whakarongo ki te tangi ā te manu i runga i te rangi - Tui, tui, tuituia!

Tuia i runga, tuia i raro

Tuia i roto, tuia i waho

Tuia i te here tangata

Ka rongo te ao, ka rongo te po

Tīhei mauri ora!

Listen to the call of the bird up in the sky - bind, bring together, bind, bring together.

Bind the things above, bind the things below,

Bind the things inside, bind the things outside.

Bind all the people together.

Listen to the sounds of the day, listen to the sounds of the night.

Sneeze, the breath of life!

Noho Marae at Pipitea Marae | Friday 4th - Saturday 5th of April

Kia ora parents and caregivers,

The whanau group has decided to rebook Pipitea Marae (Thorndon) to hold our annual Noho marae (sleep over) and we are inviting any interested families to come and enjoy the fun.

We will learn Marae Tikanga (protocol and etiquette) and share a fun-filled evening at an inner-city marae. The experience will be fantastic! Below is the scheduled itinerary.

Island Bay School Noho Marae: Friday 4th to Saturday 5th April (Term 1, 2014)

What’s happening: A marae sleepover
Who can come: All interested Island Bay School families
When is it?  4-4:30pm (Powhiri at 4.30), Friday 4th April to Saturday 5th April, 12:00ish

Where is it? Pipitea Marae, Thorndon
How much: $20 per child -$25 per adult (except infants), and $50 for a family to cover food and koha

Saturday Timetable (draft)

This is just a rough outline of our Friday night:
4:00 Meet at Marae. If you have not been welcomed on to Pipitea Marae before, there will be a powhiri for you. Please wait in the car park.
4:30 Powhiri
5:00 Afternoon tea
Settle-in time, unpack, sort kitchen, play.
6:30 Mihi Whakatau for any more people coming on, allowing for those joining us after work.
7:00 Shared dinner. Please bring a healthy contribution for a shared evening meal.
8:00 Maybe a visit from Luke Crawford to talk on Wellington & Marae korero/games

9:00 Supper supplied
Kids' bedtime. Adults bring guitars/ukulele and cards.

Saturday
7:00 Breakfast 

9:00 Kapa Haka / mihimihi

10:00 Morning tea

Ko te rourou maa teenaa, maa teenaa ka ora te manuhiri.

10:30 Discussion for all re IBS and Whanau Group business, IBS protocols.
11:30 Poroporoaki
12:00 Home time /clean up etc

Kai for Friday/Food

Each family is asked to bring a pre-prepared healthy food contribution for the evening meal, your preferred choice of breakfast cereal and any special foods you require. The basics will be supplied (tea, coffee, milo, milk, juice, sugar, bread, butter, spreads, biscuits and fruit).

Those with personal food requirements please BYO dinner and let Maria know.

What to bring:

·   Healthy food contribution for evening meal         

·    Your preferred choice of breakfast cereal

·    Sleeping bags or bedding

·    Pillow cases

·   Toiletries / medication

·    Torch  (if needed)

·     Earplugs

·     Change of clothes

·     Warm clothing

·     Guitar/ ukulele/ cards and slippers for inside

Please fill in the form or email the form back to mariawhiting@islandbay.school.nz . More information will come to you shortly.

No reira, thank you. Maria Whiting J

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Island Bay School Noho at Pipitea Marae: Friday 4th - Saturday 5th April 2014

We are interested in attending: Number ____

Names:__________________________________
Adults ____

Children_____/other_______________________

Class___________________________________________________ Class___________________________________________________Class___________________________________________________

Payment: Child $20, Adult $25 and/or Family $50 (please hand into office/ or Maria asap)

Food requirements______________________________

Health needs/allergies____________________________________

Email:_________________________

Our poem of the week: Windrest

Each week we have a poem of the week. On Fridays we handwrite and illustrate it. This week our poem of the week was Windrest, by Laura Ranger, a young New Zealander who had a book of poetry published when she was 10 years old. She wrote this one when she was 7.

Here are Noah and Jet's illustrations of Windrest:

WINDREST

At Windrest cottage garden

the wind has a holiday

from blowing.

It rests in the summerhouse

while the sweet birds sing

and red roses clamber

up the fence.

I walk barefoot

in mud and grass

past the waterlilies

and flowerbeds.

Shhhhh the flowers

are sleeping

and the hydrangea

is night blue.

I find a small

treehouse

where sweetpeas

tiptoe up the wall.

The wind is homesick

and feeling faint.

She arrives home sighing

in the garden.

A dovecote sways

in the olive tree.

Laura Ranger, age 7

Peer editing

Today we were talking about editing.  There's an author called Dave Eggers.  Amy loves his books and she heard him speak in London.  He said that when he gives his writing to his editor, he has to do it again and again and again (this is called re-drafting or editing).  He says sometimes he has to do this SEVENTEEN times before it's ready to be published.

When we edit, it doesn't mean our writing isn't good; it means it's good but we want to make it excellent.

We agreed on some rules for peer editing:

1. sit next to your buddy
2. shut your writing book when it's the other person's turn (you could sit on it if you like; don't fiddle with stuff)
3. when your buddy is reading, look at their writing, to check that it makes sense
4. use a green pen - the author holds the pen (not the buddy - they just talk)
5. don't be a bossy buddy - be encouraging
6. at the end, give your buddy two stars and a wish (stars are things they've done well and a wish is something they could improve)
7. then, the author shuts their book and you swap and open your book!

The rapid winds | by Saoirse

The rapid winds rock me
from side to side.

I urge my feet
through the force field
but all the little wind people
are too strong
for my little feet.

I feel like I'm going
to bang in to
the big green pole.

By Saoirse

Malcolm has 24 pegs...

Last week we spent time thinking about a whole lot of different maths problems to figure out what we already know and understand, and what we need to learn.  The questions came from Gloss, a maths interview that helps teachers understand what to teach the kids in their classes.

One of the questions was:

Malcolm has 24 pegs. 

He uses 2 pegs to hang out each item of clothing.

How many pieces of clothing can he hang out?

Here's a clip that might get you started on thinking how to solve the problem:

Malcolm has 24 pegs #1 from Amy Austin on Vimeo.

Can you think of another strategy we could use to solve the problem?  Stay tuned for more clips...

Our multiple intelligences

Today we were thinking about the health of our BRAINS.  We looked at a whole lot of pictures of kids doing different things, and discussed what we think they might be good at.  We wrote these ideas in yellow.  As we placed the pictures on our poster, we thought about how these talents might be connected, and tried to place and group similar talents together.  Then we talked about Howard Gardner.  He has done a lot of research on how we think and has come up with a theory of multiple intelligences, describing how different people's brains work in different ways.  When we looked at his list of multiple intelligences we found that it was very similar to ours.  We stuck his words (in white) alongside our own ideas.

Howard Gardner says, "All of us have the full range of intelligences; that is what makes us human beings, cognitively speaking. No two individuals—not even identical twins—have exactly the same intellectual profile."

Our intellectual profile is a way of describing which intelligences we feel more or less confident in.

Tomorrow we're going to think more about our own intelligences.   Which do you think are your strengths?  Which do you want to develop more?