The last week of the year!

This week we have been busy finishing our writing publishing and doing end of year activities.

We had a look at some amazing creations displayed in the hall. Ara Pakeke have been busy making 3D playground models. Wow, they were amazing! We could see that the children had to find the tools, equipment and design the playground while working together in a group. Ka pai Ara Pakeke!

Today... we had the class party. And oh what a spread! Thank you for all the delicious items. Room 24 filled their tummies while watching Kungfu Panda. We had a ball!

Party Party Party

Dear Room 24 children,

You are invited to the Room 24 Party on Wednesday 18th of December. Please bring a plate of food to share (healthy if you have time). We will be watching a movie, playing games and having fun!

Bring along a game if you'd like to share.

Fleur Tuck

Parent Teacher Interviews

Kia ora,

What wonderful weather to finish the school year. Check the new post on our end of year Room 24 party. Bring along healthy food to share, yum yum.

Please book a time with me for Parent Teacher Interviews on Monday and Wednesday. You may like to discuss your child's learning, report or ideas for home learning over the holidays.

We had a great time completing our bee unit by looking at the Sustainable Living Centre's Bee Garden. We loved playing at Olympic Park with Olympic sized playgrounds! Come into class and have a look at the beautiful flowers we sketched.

Monday swimming next week

Due to our class trip being on Thursday next week, we have swapped our swimming time with Room 19. We will now be swimming on Monday (just for next week, then it's back to Thursday).

New swimming time: Monday 12:45 - 1:45.

Thanks
Fleur Tuck

Bee Garden Walk

We are walking to a bee friendly garden next week with Year 2 on Thursday 12 December.

Some children have told me they have not received their bee notice, so I will send more home today. I have also pasted the notice under the "Newsletters" page. Please return your signed bee garden notice to me by this Friday. Thank you:)

Thank you
Fleur Tuck

Swimming starts this week

Swimming starts this week. We have a Thursday time slot, 12:45 - 1:45pm, for the rest of the year (not long to go).

Please remember to bring in yours togs, towel, goggles, swimming cap (if you have one) and a swimming bag to keep everything in. Make sure everything is labelled.

Please let me know if you are able to take a group at this time.

Thanks!
Fleur Tuck

Highlights of the week

Anna Harrison is a trained New Zealand sign language teacher. She was very kind to come in and teach us how to sign a few things like, the "Happy Birthday Song." We learnt about sign language because that is what bees use in the hive. We found it fascinating!

Check out our pictures of:

• Room 24 learning sign language
• Oliver the beekeeper
• Playing elastics, "England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, inside, outside, donkeys' tails."
• Playing on the fabulous new playground
• A baby bird that visited us

Fancy Feet Day!

We had a wonderful day today, all dressed up in our fancy feet. Walking and scooting to school is fun and anything that's good for our fitness and the environment is something to be proud of! Congratulations to Room 24 -you were very creative dressing up your shoes.

Everyone had a different idea for their shoes and had put a lot of effort into decorating. A big congratulations to Paige for being chosen as one of the best for her elf feet.

Marshall (with snake feet) and Celestia (surfing feet) got all the way to the final five children for Ara Teina. Celestia took out the overall prize as the number one design for Ara Teina! Now that's amazing, Celestia!!

Also, thank you Marshall for sharing your prize with Paige. That was very kind of you.

An overview of the week

Furry visitors, robotics, honeycomb, a new playground and beautiful bee paintings. A week that was... in Room 24.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parent Teacher Interviews next week

Please book in a time for next week if you have not had an interview about your child lately. The booking system is on arahoe.school.nz and is up and running.

Thank you

Fleur Tuck

Helpers Afternoon Tea

An afternoon tea invitation is coming home to all helpers of Room 24 (filming, trips, taking groups etc.). We would love for you to attend. Please RSVP to me or my email fleurt@arahoe.school.nz by this Monday 11 November.

Buzzy Bee Disco this Frday

Get your dancing shoes on kids because this Friday is Ara Teina's disco at 5:00pm.

We are having a "Buzzy Bee" theme. There'll be prizes for best outfits. Don't worry if you don't feel like dressing up, there'll be prizes for best dancers as well!

If you would like, bring along some coins to buy things from the tuck shop like drinks and chips.

We will bee having a buzzy bee time.

Bee Pantomime

Today there was a play starring Mrs Tuck and Mrs Makani. Mrs Tuck told us she loved bees and Mrs Makani said she didn't because she got stung! We had to teach her to love them.

In Mrs Tuck's basket were baked beans, tomato sauce, flowers, honey and strawberry ice cream and they all had help from bees! Bees pollinate flowers that help make things like strawberries or beans or tomatoes.

Binoculars were also in the basket. Can you remember what birds do to help bees?

Hats, hats, hats

For Term 4 (and Term 1) you need to wear your school hat:

• to school
• at break times
• going back home

We have the strongest sun rays in the world in New Zealand, so please remember your hat every day. No hat = no play.

If you have misplaced your hat, you may temporarily wear a cap or wide brimmed hat until you find your school hat.

Kia ora
Fleur Tuck

Thursday is Nautical Day

Tomorrow is Nautical Day where we dress up as something to do with the sea. You may like to come as a sailor, a pirate, a fish or even a mermaid - it's up to you.

We are celebrating Richard Limbrick's 20 years at Arahoe School... and as you know, he's a keen sailor!

Bees

It was all about bees this week. We learned so much about the bee and even got to eat honey on toast. Airborne Honey sent us 11 different types of honey - yummy!  Each class got a pottle, our class got a fancy one, manuka honey!

Here are some photos of the week including:

• learning to mix colours (we will need this important skill for bee painting in Week 2)
• a massive spider we found
• and honey eating - thanks Airborne honey:)

Bee Power

This term we are studying the bee. Bees are amazing creatures and we will have a lot of fun learning about them and how they make delicious honey.

Go to 'Websites' to find new games and videos on bees.

Symmetry

For Term 4, we are going to be studying symmetry in objects for maths. Finding lines of symmetry is a really fun way of exploring the same shapes that occur in life.

To give your child a head start, you may like to show them symmetrical objects at home by holding a mirror up to them such as faces, pictures, leaves....

In preparation for Week 2 of Term 4, please help your child to find and draw three things from home that have a line of symmetry. For example, the table top, the bed, a flower or an egg carton.

It's movie time again!

The Arahoe School film of the history of New Zealand is coming soon.

I have been asked to set up the gold mining tent scene in the foyer of the movie theatre - so you'll get to see a close up of the film set.

Drama is a fun way to learn about history. Don't miss out at a chance to see Room 24's acting skills!

It's movie time

Tomorrow, for the last day of term... after our basic facts, spelling and art... we will get to watch an absolutely fantastic movie and eat delicious popcorn. I'll provide plenty of popcorn for everyone.

If you would like to bring something along, you are very welcome.

Happy holidays everyone!

Mrs Fleur Tuck

An imaginary germ... in your lounge

We're writing about an imaginary germ... come into class to look at our work.

Go Team New Zealand!

We are a nation of waka sailors and here is our story... check out this clip on Maui...

Fun timers

Would you like a fun timer to time yourself for basic facts?

Well, click here for fun timers!

Petri dishes

We are learning to write instructions. We are also learning about germs - we have been doing experiments on them. Have a look at the slideshow below... and prepare to be amazed!

Room 24 tested areas around the classroom for germs.

Materials:
dirty hands
clean hands
cotton buds
petri dish
sticky tape

 Method:
1. Dip dirty fingers in a petri dish.
2. Dip washed fingers in a petri dish.
3. Test other classroom areas with a cotton bud.
4. Seal the petri dishes with sticky tape.
5. Put the petri dishes in a warm place.
6. Watch bacteria grow...

 Thank you Chris, Edward's mother, for giving us all the petri dishes. 

We had a visitor

We were lucky enough to be visited by a member of the Armstead family, Gloria the bearded dragon. Bearded dragons are very trusting reptiles and will let you pick them up. They like eating mealworms, and like children, don't always like eating their vegetables. Gloria wasn't eating her carrots the day she visited.

Gloria's favourite food is.... cockroaches. She likes to chase them.

Calendars

The last day for calendar orders is next week, Wednesday18th September.

Library Books for Sale!

Hey kids! The library is having a book sale next week every lunchtime Tuesday - Friday. Books cost 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 cents. 

Have fun finding some books you love.

Great Term 2 knoweldge!

Room 24 loved learning about gold mining life in the 1800s. Eve's mother emailed me Eve's answer  to a gold mining question on stuff.co.nz

Well done Eve!! You have a great memory for interesting facts!

Yoghurt Coolers

Thank you Dakota for bringing in yoghurt coolers for Room 24! You can put your yoghurt in it overnight, either in the fridge or freezer. It'll stay nice and cold all day. Yum, yum.

Butterfly Competition

Click here to view Room 24 Conservation Week entries.

If you go to Butterfly Creek's foyer, you can vote for Arahoe School. They are on Tom Pearce Drive by the airport, click here for the map.

Science Alive!!!

Yes it's science alive alright in Room 24.

Today for 'Facetime,' we took swabs (with cotton buds) around the classroom to check which areas had the most germs.

We will discover what item is the most infected and why... and what we can do about it.

 

In the classroom we have antibacterial soap, detergent, clean towels and antibacterial lotion - so everything and every finger will be as clean as a whistle (but whistles aren't clean says Rm 24!).

Our team of scientists are growing colonies of bacteria from our swabs in petri dishes, kindly supplied by Chris, Edward's mother. Chris works in a lab at Auckland University.

 

 

Edward and his guinnea pig

 



Inside the petri dishes is agar - a hard gelatine like substance, perfect for growing stuff. The dishes will be sealed shut so we can never open them again. We can only observe the results with our eyes...

Today for a treat Jake, Mrs Baird's BEAUTIFUL dalmatian, showed us his fetching skills. He was as fast as a.../He was fast like a... (can you think of a great simile)?

'Groups of' Party

Today we had some lovely mini chocolate cupcakes delivered by Zayan and his grandma. They were all in rows - perfect for multiplication. We made rows of objects around the classroom to make 'groups of' maths stories.