Going the extra mile...

Today for wacky hair day we managed to raise over $1000 and as a result the locks had to come off. So for the first time in 9 years I now have a respectable hair cut. As part of our efforts to raise money for Ferndale School we had a couple of students who pledged to support me through my recent traumatic hair removal. Here is a little movie showing the before and after shots:

Raising money for Ferndale special needs School

Burglars have broken into a Christchurch school (Ferndale), a school for students with special needs and stolen thousands of dollars worth of equipment from the students struggling to come to terms with Saturday's earthquake.

So we are going to raise enough money to pay for some of their loss, by having a wacky hair day and a gold coin donation for the school. Mr Chadwick is even going to raise money by cutting off his dreadlocks, which he has had for over 9 years, if we can raise at least $1000. This occasion is going to take place at Muritai School on 24 of September 2010.


We are hoping to raise at least 1000 dollars which will hopefully pay for some of the equipment stolen. We are also hoping people throughout the community will join in and help us get to our mark.

Here is the link to the video created by the herald about the burglary:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_cid=1&gallery_id=113812

Cutting some shapes on the dance floor

Today Muritai School was lucky enough to have the Royal NZ Ballet Company come and perform two shows to the students. The dancers were incredibly talented individuals who put on an amazing display of what it takes to be in the Company. Their flexibility, strength and dancing ability was breath taking. Makes me want to get out my dancing shoes...

Oh to be literate...

You a big reader and unsure of what to read next? Then check out the following book reviews by the students of room 21 and 23 and maybe you'll find your next all nighter.

If only...

Has your wish been to be green? Then try http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/365024
Are you a super hero in disguise? Then try http://marvel.com/create_your_own_superhero
Always wished to create your own lego character? Then try http://devbook.com/charactercreators/lego/
Wanted to be the character in a game? Then try http://devbook.com/charactercreators/sonic/

I've always wanted super powers...

Silent Scream!

Can you feel her terror? What could she be afraid of? What happens next? Read on to find out what some think happens...

The Eyes of Terror

As I was staring into the eyes of hell my heart started to pump faster, faster, faster. Then it stopped. There in the shades of the room there was a scream. The lights turned on. She was gone! Just as I was turning around I heard a whisper, "you are going to die tonight". I quickly ducked to the ground and turned to face the voice there was no one there! I was breathing heavily now and I couldn't hear anything it was too quiet to quite be true then the lights went off...

By Brodie

Building up a sweat

As a finale to this week we have had the opportunity to participate in an indoor sports competition. This involved students being mixed into teams and competing against each other in a variety of different indoor sports. It was fantastic to see all the students running around and participating in the wide array of available options.

Kicking up a storm..

Tuesday the 10th saw an exhausting afternoon of rivalry and cooperation as students battled against each other in the Sportzone organized football competition. With all students getting stuck into the spirit of participation, it was clear to see that this was a highly successful event. See below for the tongues out concentration required to take and save penalties and the scenes of celebration.

Riley music

In Room 21 this week we have had a nimble bunch of students that have knawed away at learning the choreography for their production dance. For the Riley group this has required dexterity, coordination and boundless amounts of enthusiasm...and that was just from the teacher. If you are in this ratty group and want to use the music, it can be located at http://www.box.net/shared/ls73bdju0q

Singing a powerful song!

Last Friday the year 7/8 students began to practice the song "Life of Riley" for assembly. This song will also be used during our upcoming production "The short but incredibly happy life of Riley", which is a book by Colin Thompson. Check out our musical talents and feel free to sing along:

Who's got the power?

This terms Big Idea in inquiry is: In order to function and be a happy contributing member of society it is important to understand the value and power of the 'word'. Through exploring the idea of 'owning your words' the students will become more aware of the impact that words - negative and positive - can have on peoples well-being, society, religion, politics and in particular advertising.

In class today we were looking at the Big Questions:

• What 'words' influence you?
• What influences your choices?
• What words do you use to boost another person up?
• What words do you or others use to bring someone down?
• Who do you listen to the most?
• How do you respond in different situations?

What would your answers be?

Celebrating Matariki

Last week (Monday 14th June) saw the start of Matariki, the Maori new year. To celebrate this the students who attended kapa haka on Wednesday participated in a range of making activities and learnt how to play whai (string games).

The year 7/8 students made tukutuku panels using the traditional materials of raupo and harakeke. The year 3 and 4's learnt whai and the 5/6's learnt how to weave putiputi (flowers).

This was yet another fantastic opportunity for the year 7/8 students to be leaders and teachers of the juniors. Check out the photos above of all the cool activities that the students were involved in.

Run run as fast you can...

Yesterday the year 7/8 Hutt Valley Interzone Cross Country finally took place on a slightly soggy Trentham ground. As always this event was only possible with the help of the parents who provided that much needed transport.

Muritai had 23 runners brave the conditions and show what they can do. It was amazing seeing all the students achieving the best that they could be. Notably Georgia who came second, Kenzy and Clara who came 5th and lastly Scott and Ryan who came 8th and 9th respectively. Excellent effort guys.

The dirty truth about nappies

It's a $4billion industry in the USA and there are over 1000 patents on how they are designed and constructed.

Nappies are quite incredible.
Their ability to absorb and retain moisture is very clever. Using synthetic polymers, today’s state of the art disposable diapers will absorb up to 15 times their weight in water. This phenomenal absorption capacity is due to the absorbent pad in the core of the nappy. This pad is composed of two essential elements, a hydrophilic (water loving) polymer and a fibrous material such as wood pulp.

After a bit of research on the history, technology and science as well as an explanation on what polymers are, we experimented with nappies looking closely at the chemical reactions that take place when water meets nappy.

Exploring the final frontier

On Tuesday the Yr 7 & 8's trekked off to boldly go where no other School has gone before......the newly re-opened Carter Observatory. We were treated to an exciting workshop which looked in detail at the different conditions, and statistics of each of the planets in our solar system.. Did you know that Pluto is now called a dwarf planet? And there are at least 35 other dwarf planets out there which are the same size as Pluto!!

After the workshop we went into the planetarium, this is a high-fi digital movie theater where the ceiling is the screen and you feel as though you are flying through space! We looked at the physical stress astronauts go through when in space, and at our very own unique view of the night sky. The photos were amazing and the educators were really interesting. The kids came back buzzing with questions and debating the existence of extra-terrestrial life in the universe! Another knowledge gathering success!

Budding scientists...

Today as part of our Science fair scaffolding, Room 21 explored the question, Which bread is best? We created a hypothesis (a guess of what we think the result might be) and then we set about testing the bread on a variety of variables; What it cost, how long it lasted, how healthy it was, the texture and most importantly what it tasted like...

Exploring the unknown...

‘Becoming Meaning Makers’ - Term Two Science unit

Take a bit of the world….

Play with it, poke it…

Observe it - Watch it, listen to it, touch and smell it (maybe taste it)

Explain, discuss, examine and question. Predict and test..

This term’s unit is about ‘thinking with evidence’

Landy Lands

Today some of our year 6 and 7 students got the opportunity to go and listen to Derek Landy talk at Wellesley School. Derek is an Irish authour and very well-known for his series of books called ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’.
Derek was a fantastically funny speaker who kept the audience entertained for half an hour. He had us all laughing from the beginning until the end.
The students who took a book along to get signed also received a pack of game cards. The library was also given some great prizes. Sue is running a competition to win a great prize pack that includes a t-shirt and other super prizes!
To win the prize pack you must write an amazing recount about going to Wellesley to hear Derek speak. GOOD LUCK!!

Inquiry help...

Bibliography:

Books

• Te Tupuna Maunga o Parihaka: The Ancestral Mountain of Parihaka by Keith Tonkin

• Parihaka by Kathryn Rountree

Becoming inquirers of the future

Over the last few days Room 21 has been going through the process of our inquiry homework.
We started with exploring the success criteria to see what is expected and how to achieve to it. We then looked at how to create a 2 minute cover page and contents page and what is expected to be in the bibliography. We also looked at an example of what makes a level 5 introduction (below). As a class we will be creating and publishing our introductions on Monday/Tuesday.

You may use this as a guide for your own introduction. But remember you must use your own words, and you can add or remove parts that don't work for you.

"This Term’s Inquiry unit was called ‘Standing Strong’. The main idea in this unit was all about standing up for what you believe in through empathy and integrity.
Empathy means having an understanding for the ideas and feelings of other people. While integrity means sticking to your own principles and making honest choices based on what you believe.

We have talked about many different people who have had to fight to stand up for what they believed in such as Martin Luther King and Gandhi. Often standing strong can be really hard and cause many issues such as discrimination, mistreatment and often imprisonment.

As a New Zealand Example of Standing Strong we focused on the invasion and annihilation of Parihaka in 1881. The reason for using Parihaka is that it was the birthplace of ‘Passive resistance’ and the idea of non-violent protest.
This is a good example of people Standing up for themselves in the face of oppression, violence and injustice. It would have been easy for the people of Parihaka to fight the Pakeha, however they believed that acting in war would only bring more war upon the people of New Zealand. I will discuss the events at Parihaka more in section 2.

The intention of this Inquiry unit is to give us a better understanding of the importance of standing up for our beliefs and ourselves. It encourages us to consider the struggles of those who have gone before us in order to make our lives the way they are today. And helps have empathy for Maoris grievances about land confiscation and Parihakas huge loss of lives."
~By Ms Berry