Water Safety Fun

Another great week of water fun (except for getting rained on walking down to the pool one day) has been had by Room 6. This week we did not only swim our lengths to improve our swim fitness, but we also had fun on the kayaks in the pool, learning the vital skills of climbing back on without touching the bottom, to simulate a real kayaking tip. This had a lot of students laughing so hard that they fell off anyway!

We also had a swimming race with life jackets on - students were heard saying "This is so easy"....well it wasn't! There was a lot of arm action and not a lot of movement! We really enjoyed these experiences, it's a great skill to have. Students also took turns at being a conscious and unconscious swimmer being rescued by others and towed to safety. These skills are so important to have, especially with summer just around the corner.

The end of the week saw students dress in their pyjamas and then swim two lengths of the pool. Those who bought their 'onesies' found this hard going! Those furry pyjamas because very heavy, very quickly. Students were then required to tread water and remove their pyjamas. Why? Because when you fall into a body of water fully clothed, the experience is a lot different to swimming in your togs. Clothing becomes water logged, heavy and hard to remove. It was a struggle for some, but all students eventually got their extra clothing off and to the side of the pool. Well done Room 6!

Maths Games to Start Term 4

Welcome back!!! Term 3 was so hectic and Term 4 is shaping up to be another one where our feet barely touch the floor! We have two weeks of swimming and the Year 7/8 Social AND the Year 8 Supper - just to mention a few items!!!

At the end of Term 3 we were working on our Maths Games to share with younger students and to help our class and the younger students with their fractions. Room 6 were given a criteria to meet and they had to select a Maths Stage to target their game at. Then they set out, with their partner, to create a game. They were only allowed to use a manila folder as their board and they needed to draft, write rules, practice their maths, ensure all the answers were correct - and then present it to the class.

WOW!!! I am so excited by the levels students went to. I have seen some great games (and played a few too!). Students were so enthusiastic that at the end of Term 3 I was asked daily if they could continue with their game production! Today we launched our games in Room 6. Each pair of students had to put their game up for testing. Each game was tested a minimum of three times by other students and then critiqued. It was tough for some students to receive the feedback, but after careful consideration, most have seen it as a way to improve their game. Students were also asked, after they received their feedback, to critique their own games. They are much harder markers than I am!!!

We have had a great time making games and cementing our own learning in the process. Now we look forward to sharing them with others. Room 6 are loving the opportunity to complete Maths projects like this, alongside traditional book work. I am so proud of their efforts and fully intend to try ALL the games!!!

Production......What an Event!!

We did it .... it's taken me a week to recover....but we did it!! With the expertise of Mrs Penn, the Year 7 and 8 Production went off without a hitch (well, except for a certain person falling OFF the stage!) It was a great couple of nights, and the students performed brilliantly. We have had several comments from parents, emailed in, saying it was the BEST production they have seen - this is GREAT!!

We had too many highlights to mention them all, but for me, as a teacher, the highlight was seeing the beaming faces of our talented students as they came off the stage from their scenes. They were smiling and happy and excited. Their acting skills keep on improving, lines were added, ad lib, and the laughs got louder and more hearty from the crowd.

There are so many people to thank for helping with production - and I am sure we will forget some, but please, accept this as our thank you - from Room 6 to you all - THANKS!!! A special thank you to Mrs Karen Sinclair and Mrs Gail McElrea for helping me knit leg warmers - an essential part of the 1980s!!! Also to the lighting man and the stage builders - without you guys we'd have been lost! A special thanks to Mrs Penn for her coaching of lines and to my prop builders and painters - all of you, despite the mess you kept leaving me, did a GREAT job!!!

Here are some photographs of the night - ENJOY! We sure did (but I am glad it is only once every 2 years.....we are all exhausted!) All students have access to a range of photos from the night (thanks again Mrs Sinclair!), so are able to share these with you from their Google Drive.

Delusia and her Minions

Ethan staring as Rumpel

Caitlin "singing" to the trees

Jess as the cookie munching 'Red'

Sarah as 'Snow' with Shania as 'Delusia'

Prince Charming (Brooklin) with Delusia and Cindy (Latoya)

Too many stars to mention!

A lovely pair of Princesses!

Volunteer Army Complete Their Task

The Volunteer Army, Year 7 and 8 students, have completed their task with the help of the rest of the Rosebank School community. Our Year 7 and 8 students took on the challenge to gather goodies to put into Compassion Boxes, and then send these out to people in the community who might have fallen on hard times, or might just need a boost.

When we started this project we thought we would be able to make 6 or 7 boxes, however, with the generous support of our community, we were able to put together 15 boxes! These boxes contain lots of different items including toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand lotion, tinned food, pasta and pasta sauce, snacks for lunch boxes and lots of other little bits and pieces. It was so good to see the enthusiasm of the students as they painted their boxes, sorted items to put in to it and then wrap the boxes.

With the help of Mr. McLaughlin, these boxes will be distributed to those people in the community who are struggling or who need a boost. We wish them well, and hope they enjoy the goodies and the thoughtfulness put into these boxes.

Volunteer Army - stand down!

A few of Room 6 with some of the boxes before wrapping

Some boxes waiting to go !

Maths with a Twist

Maths is not a lesson every child enjoys, so we decided to try something a little different to get a grasp on the concepts of area and perimeter, adding and subtraction of decimals, money and budgeting. The task was to design a tiny house, furnish it and make sure everything fits in. Students needed to ensure they had the basics; an oven and hot plates, bed, cupboards/storage and a bathroom.

I can honestly say I have a classroom full of great shoppers! Shouts of "Yes!!" were heard every time the students got to "shop" online and find a bargain. Parents should be excited at the skills these students have - they are great shoppers and fantastic bargain hunters!!!

With a home measuring 7m x 3.5m x 3.5m not a lot fitted in, so decisions had to be made about what to insist on and what to give up on. Budgeting skills were fine tuned and the results were great. At the end of the unit, I asked the students to fill in a survey to see how they enjoyed this project, and I'm pleased to say than more than 90% of students not only loved doing maths this way and wanted to do it again, but also said they felt like they learned more doing it this way - GREAT NEWS!!!

Oral Language - Science Experiments

For Oral Language this term, students have been performing a science experiment to the class. Each day we have a student who prepares and presents an experiment and then discusses the science behind the experiment. This week we one that stood out - it was well prepared, very well presented and left a lasting impression on many students. These experiments don't need to be complicated, the idea is to give the students something to talk about, to give them the chance to do something WHILE they are talking and as such, take their minds off the fact they are speaking in front of the class.

This particular experiment is Jess Sheppard's "Walking Water". Jess presented this very clearly to the class, and it was so vibrant and interesting, that I wanted to share it. Try it at home....it is easy to do.

Fill 3 of 5 glasses with water
Add different food colouring to those three glasses
Between those three glasses, place 2 empty glasses.
Using paper towels, folded and trimmed to fit, place one between Glass 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4, 4 and 5.
Leave for as long as you can (ideally 1/2 day or overnight).

The results are amazing..all glasses should have the same level of water and the two empty glasses will be filled with coloured liquid. The colour will depend on what colour the two glasses either side of the empty glass were.

Our Class is Shrinking

This past week has seen two of our class members move away. We said farewell to Jade last Thursday, as he has moved away to Dunedin. I will really miss Jade's presence in the classroom and his quick wit. This Friday we bid farewell to Daniel Barber too! Daniel is heading a little further afield, across to the West Coast to Westport. Daniel is a really awesome student, and I will miss our early morning conversations and hearing about the latest book series Daniel is reading. Good luck to both of you boys, and keep up to date with our class via our blog!!!