Hi all, welcome to room 13's learning log. This site has been established to provide a log of the learning experiences that occur in the classroom and as another communication tool between home and school.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Syndicate Assembly Week 8

Sports
·      Table Tennis
Semi Finals will begin this week.  Supporters are welcome BUT need to remember that they are there to support and not distract

·      Inter-zone cross country
It’s on!  Tuesday 25th June @ Sladdin Park

BP Challenge
·      Make sure you turn up for the scheduled meetings on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  The team to compete, at the BP Challenge competition in Wellington, will be selected by the end of this week.

Extension Art
·      This Friday is the first Year 5 Art extension class.  If you are interested in attending these classes, meet in Room 14 at lunchtime on Friday.   The Year 6’s also have their final art class at lunchtime on Thursday.

Theatre Sports
·      Ms. Berry is keen to start up a Theatre Sports club.  More information about this will be given soon.

Mr. McKay’s message
·      It is important that you let the peer mediators help to solve any issues you are having.  They are there to support you!

Mr. Bird’s Messages
·      Look after each other
·      We need to know what’s going on so let us know!
·      Laptops – Need to look after these NEW ones!!
·      “WORK HARD FOR YOUR FUTURE”
·      “Work so what ever you do or are doing is better than the time before”
·      “In everything you do…do it well”

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

You're a dendroid...

FACT:  The word DENDROID means " branching in a tree like way".  This is why the receptacles
 and transmitters are called 'Dendrites'.


 

Today we began by recapping.... the children had to model and explain a neuron to a pair from another class.

Because we think Neurons are so amazingly beautiful we are going to immortalise them in a triptych artwork. 


Lastly today...The children looked at the four lobes of the brain.  We created an Acronym to help us remember... FPOT...Frontal, Parietal, Occipital, Temporal...  We wore our brain caps...



The Hand Dance in action




Monday, June 10, 2013

Syndicate Assembly Week 6


It’s Brain Awareness Week @ Muritai School

·      Things will be a bit different this week with all classes focusing their learning on ‘THE BRAIN’

Taking Responsibility

·      IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CHOICES YOU MAKE.  THINK BEFORE YOU ACT.  "THE PRICE OF GREATNESS IS RESPONSIBILITY."— WINSTON CHURCHILL

Road Patrol Team

·      REMEMBER to be on time for your duty…
-arrive at school at 8.15am to set up in the morning and on patrol by 8.25am
-leave the class at 2.30pm to set up in the afternoon and on patrol by 2.45pm
BP Challenge

·      Meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.  A 4-person team will be selected to compete at the BP Challenge in Wellington.

CZ Cross Country Team

·      CZ Cross Country Championships on Tuesday @ Boulcott School
·      Meet in the library at 8.40am on Tuesday

CZ Football Tournament

·      Well Done!  Muritai School placed 2nd overall

Table Tennis

·      The round-robin competition continues

Netball

·      The Y5 girls netball team are invited to attend and help out with the Y3 girls netball team at lunchtime on Wednesday

Brain Week

Today we kicked off Brain Week with a presentation from Neuro Scientist Pascal Saker. He talked to us about the brain, how it works and the different parts it has.

We then further explored the parts of the brain by building our brain caps.

During literacy as a brain energiser we tried to follow the "Hand Dance" video trying to make as few mistakes as possible. Give it a go. How did you do?

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Waka Visit


Tomorrow some students get to visit the waka 'Te Matau a Maui'. The students were chosen because they have shown a passion for and commitment to our schools Enviroschools and Kapa Haka programmes. 

The waka was recently one of seven waka that spent close to 2 years sailing the Pacific Ocean - from NZ to Hawaii, California to Cocos Islands, the Galapagos to the Solomons – spreading a message of the need for a sustainable future within and on the Pacific. This journey and their message is currently being made into a film called “Our Blue Canoe”. See the trailer below:


There is also an opportunity for the public to see the waka at Chaffers Marina. 
Waka tours will be available on:
9th June 10am-12.30pm
15th June 11.30 - 12.30pm, 1-2pm and 2.30 - 3.30 pm.

Harbour sailing trips will be available on: 9th June from 1.30 - 2.30pm and 3.30 - 4.30pm. 

Monday, May 27, 2013

Syndicate Assembly Week 3



Shoes and Slippers
·      Remember to put your shoes and slippers on the racks.

Corridors
·      Stay clear of the corridors at morning tea and lunchtime, especially the entrance door.

Library
·      The library is open at 1pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  You need to enter the library through the ‘outside’ door (the door by the playground).

Art Class
·      The Y6’s art session will be today instead of Friday.  The Y5’s art class begins next week.

Table Tennis
·      The competition continues…

Waterpolo
·      Practice in hall at lunchtime today.

Camp DVDs
·      These were handed out today.  If you still want a DVD, see Mr. Chadwick ASAP.  He will take some late orders.

CZ Soccer – Tuesday 28 May
·      Teams are required to assemble at Sladden Park at 9.15am for a briefing about the tournament organization. The first game will then commence at 9.30am with the last game finishing at 12.00pm. The tournament concludes at 12.30pm with a 10-minute prize giving. We will be leaving school at 8.45am. Please be at school at 8.30am on the day of the tournament, we will meet in the library. 
The postponement day for the tournament is Thursday 30th May.
Jackets
·      We are continuing to collect jackets this week.  If you have any jackets at home that you can donate, take them to the office.  We will be donating all of the jackets to a school whose students are in need of some winter warmth.

Friday
·      Remember: This Friday is a TEACHER ONLY day

Friday, May 24, 2013

Our Big Bang!


Muritai school has enjoyed a super science week this week with teachers and students involved in science experiments and investigations every day! To celebrate the final day Mrs Ryan and Mr Macmillan organised aGeyser Tube Challenge for the whole school.

Every class chose a student - (we chose Rosie) to pull the pin on a tube of mentos which then dropped into a bottle of coke


The resulting acid/base reaction shot a geyser of bubbles as high as 15 metres into the air! 





Congratulations to the winners - Year 5&6!

A very busy term

Term 2 is off to an amazing start!  Here are just a few of the exciting activities the children have been involved in over the past 3 weeks...

Inquiry - Our Changing Earth... The effect of Continental drift on the Earth's crust.

Firstly the children explored what is inside the Earth.  We found out that the Earth is likened to an Egg, in that it is made up of layers of different material.  The inner and outer core, the mantle and the Earths crust. Heres a rap that we listened to that explains it all:





When we understood what is inside the earth we began to explore what is happening on the layer that we live on... the earths crust.  We watched a short BBC film about continental drift, tectonic plates, the layers of the Lithosphere and what happens when plates colide.  We also found out that the continents used to be joined together, this Mega-Continent was called "Pangea" or "Gondwana land".

To further understand how plates move above the mantle we did a couple of experiments. The first experiment we boiled water, dropped in a handful of peas and watched the peas and how they moved. 



Our second experiment further explored how plates can move by demonstrating the scientific process of convection currents using red and blue dye. 



This video shows the same experiment:


Lastly we used slices of bread to represent the tectonic plates and explored the different ways they interact with each other. And that is just what we have been doing for inquiry learning!!!! PHEW.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Syndicate Assembly Week 1


Camp DVD of photos
·      Order forms were given out last week and need to be returned to the office by Friday.
·      If you need another order form, see your teacher.

Peer Mediators
·      There will be a training meeting on Tuesday at morning tea.  ALL peer mediators are to attend.

Road Patrol
·      A BIG thank you to all of our road patrollers for your work in term 1.  Keep up the good work!

Y6 Art Class
·      The art class will be on this Friday and next Friday lunchtimes in Room 14.

NO shoes inside
·      Remember to take your shoes off before you come inside AND to put them on when you are back outside.

Inside play
·      There will be more days spent inside during morning tea and lunchtime because of the winter weather.  Make sure you choose your ‘inside’ activities wisely.

BP Challenge
·      Mr. McMillan will LAUNCH the BP Challenge this Friday. 

Cross Country
·      The school cross country is next Tuesday @ Williams Park
·      The Y5/6 cross-country race will be run in reverse this year.  This means that you will run up the ‘switchback path’ and then down the walking trail.

Table Tennis
·      The Central Zone tournament has been cancelled
·      Mr. Chadwick will set up a school competition that will run throughout the term.

CZ Football
·      The boy’s trials are on Tuesday at lunchtime.

Waterpolo
·      Practice will be in the hall each Monday lunchtime.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Lest we forget

In the holidays many students from Muritai School attended ANZAC day celebrations to remember those soldiers who have passed away. In Eastbourne the Muritai Kapa Haka Roopu (group) was responsible for welcoming the parade and finishing the ceremony using haka and waiata. This years group were fantastic!

Callan, Harry and Willis perform Ka Mate.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Syndicate Assembly Week 11


New student
·      Welcome to Sasha, who is a new student in Room 11.

Best Syndicate Award
·      Well done to those from our syndicate that were noticed for doing ‘the right thing’ during assembly on Friday and therefore earned the Y5/6’s an extra 10 minutes play today.
·      Unfortunately there were a few students who let themselves, their class and the syndicate down in assembly BUT gratefully it didn’t impact all of the good work by most of the Y5/6 students.

TAKE NOTE:
“You are the older students on this side of the school, so the expectations are high” (Mr. Bird)

REMEMBER:
Make good choices!
“A true hero is not someone who thinks about doing what is right, but one that simply does what is right without thinking!”
(Kevin Heath - Ceo More4kids)

Sport
·      Cricket:
Congratulations to the Y5/6 boys team on their win against Dyer Street School on Thursday.   It was also good to see all of the support for team at lunchtime.  The Y5/6 girl’s team will play their game against Dyer Street School on Thursday; practices will be on Tuesday and Wednesday.
·      Hockey:
If there is anyone who is interested in playing Saturday morning hockey, please see Mr. McMillan ASAP.  The competition begins in May (Term 2).
·      Table Tennis:
We are in need of a table tennis table so that we can run a tournament and trails for the Y5/6 teams to compete in a zone competition. 

Library Award
·      Congratulations to Georgia Barrand for receiving the library silver award and for being the top Y5/6 student for the library.

ANZAC Day
·      If you are going to be in Eastbourne on the 25th April (ANZAC day) it would be great if you could be a part of the Haka and/or singing groups to perform during the ANZAC service.