World Maths Day - 1 March

Did you know that March 1st is World Maths Day?  This year all the Room 14 children are registered to take part in the event through the following website  http://www.worldmathsday.com/

During our ICT time tomorrow (Tuesday) we will play some maths games on that website and compete against other students from all around the world live!  Each game we play will take 60 seconds and we can play up to 100 games and earn points as we go!  The World Maths Day official competition runs for 48 hours, for as long as it is 1 March somewhere in the world.  (You can play the maths games at home too as long as you have an internet connection available.)  There are prizes to be won, including gold medals for the top mathematicians in each age range!  That's worth competing for I think!

Parents, if you are interested, you too can register (it's free) for World Maths Day!  There is an age range for you - 19-119!  Go on!  Have a go!  Go to http://www.worldmathsday.com/ and click on 'register' - but do it fast because 1st March will be over before we know it!



Watch out!  It is World Spelling Day this Thursday, 3rd March! 

Supporting Canterbury

Today we wore some special badges to show that we are thinking about the people of Canterbury who are suffering after the catastrophic earthquake hit last Tuesday.  As soon as we started wearing our badges out on the playground at morning interval our schoolmates and other teachers began asking us why we were wearing them.  We were able to explain that we were feeling sorry for people down in Christchurch.  Some of our friends in other classes wanted us to give them a badge too! 

Miss B made the badges using the Canterbury colours - red and black.  On the back there is a map of Canterbury showing the city of Christchurch and the neighbouring towns.  This is to help us see the towns, rivers and lakes in the Canterbury region.  We noticed that there were two towns on the map that started with 'wai' - Waimakariri and Waimate.  I wonder if anyone can tell us the meanings of those names.

Miss B asked us to wear our badges wherever we go on the weekend and to think about all those people having a hard time as a result of the earthquake.  We should remember that there are many families who have lost loved ones, others have lost their homes, cars and properties.  There are yet others who are working desperately to find people who are trapped or bodies stuck inside collapsed buildings.  We will wear our badges at school next week until the rescue mission is over.

What would you like to say to the people of Canterbury?

Christchurch Earthquake

We wanted to discuss the Christchurch earthquake today.  Most of us had seen television reports and graphic images of the destruction caused by the quake.  We were particularly saddened by the story of the mother who died while clutching her baby.  We think that little baby is so lucky to have survived.  Another story that touched us was the one about the international student who was trapped in a building and had to have his leg amputated in order for him to be rescued.  What a sad story.  We feel so sorry for all the people affected by this tragic disaster.  Our thoughts and prayers are with them all.

Here is the report we wrote today about the earthquake:

Christchurch Earthquake

On February 22nd there was a massive earthquake in Christchurch.  It measured 6.3 on the Richter Scale and occurred at 1pm when people were having their lunch break.  Many buildings collapsed and more were damaged.  Lots of people were trapped inside buildings when they collapsed.  Sixty five people are known to have died and many were rescued but some people are still trapped inside buildings and cars.

We painted pictures to illustrate the devastation caused by the earthquake.

LG's picture shows that buildings have collapsed, buildings are on fire and people have been damaged too.  Helicopters have been flying around and ambulances are going in and out. 

RD's picture shows the buildings that collapsed in Christchurch as a result of the earthquake.

 JA's picture shows the many damaged houses in Christchurch city. 

Some people died because some buildings fell on them.

JT's painting shows people who have been hurt, buildings which have fallen down

and a helicopter that is being used to look for people that are trapped in the rubble. 

The roads have big cracks in them too.

KT's picture shows a police car being used to drive the injured to hospital. 

There is a damaged house.  See how it is tilted to the side

and notice that many bricks have fallen off the side of the house. 

AR's picture shows a traumatised person following the scary earthquake. 

All the buildings are falling down.

AM's picture shows someone falling out of a high-rise building after the Christchurch earthquake.

Everyone who was inside a building tried to get to safety outside. 

Some had to climb up to the roof of buildings to be rescued by helicopters. 

DO's picture reminds us that many cars were damaged when parts of buildings collapsed on top of them.  Some people were killed in their cars when they were squashed by falling debri.

 I'm going to tell you all about my picture.  In Christchurch people were having their lunch break at 1pm

when all of a sudden an earthquake came.  It was a very big one at 6.3.  Some people were crushed

under buildings and some people fell down and couldn't get up!  Buildings had no roofs. 

People were worried if they could survive or not.  I feel very sorry for all the people in Christchurch. 

(KL, Year 3)

HG's picture shows an ambulance carrying an injured old man to the hospital.

There are many broken buildings.  Bricks litter the roads and footpaths.  It's dangerous to drive in the city.

AD reminded us that there have been many aftershocks following the big quake.

SC's picture shows a church collapsing on a car. 

Unfortunately some people died in their cars when things fell on them.  The roads broke too.

Synonyms

Today we were working on synonyms for commonly used words.  Here are some synonyms that we discussed:

Another word for children - kids  (We learned that kids also means baby goats!)
Another word for leave - depart
Another word for wet - damp
Another word for jump - leap
Another word for tiny - microscopic

Since we had a bad earthquake today in Christchurch, let's see how many synonyms we can collect that we can use instead of the word 'bad'.  Leave your suggestion in the Comments box below.

Earthquake Shock

At lunchtime today there was a massive and severely destructive earthquake in Christchurch city measuring 6.3 on the Richtor Scale.  We are very worried about the suffering of people down there at the moment. 
Click on the following link to see some graphic photos of the damage caused by the Christchurch earthquake http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/christchurch-earthquake/index.html

What a scary thing it would be to live through an earthquake.  What do you think it would be like?

Highlights of Week 3

We've been so busy these days doing tests, swimming, learning to use our new computers in the ICT Room and have been making goals for the term.  We haven't been able to do much else!  We did manage to squeeze in some practice on our item for the school assembly on Friday.  Miss B taught us how to sing the famous Bob Dylan song 'Blowing in the Wind' accompanied by autoharp.  We really love singing the song - especially the chorus which is so catchy.  They lyrics are quite tricky to understand but we've been discussing how sometimes there are difficult questions in life.  See if you can figure out the meaning of the song:

Blowing in the Wind

How many roads must a man walk down
Before they call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
How many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they are forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

How many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
How many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
How many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
How many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

I wonder if any of you could tell us when Bob Dylan wrote that song and why it was written.  You can leave your comment for us below.

During the week Miss B had to give some students a Numpa test.  While she did that some students played with the Clicko and created some fantastic designs.  You can see them here.

That's all for Week 3!

Roses Are Red - Part 2

We loved writing our Roses Are Red poems this week but we've started to be a little more creative with our thinking now!  Here's an example...

Roses are red,
Clowns are blue.
I will give you the glue
And you give me the clue!
(A D, Year 4)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
What do I want?
I want you!
(K, Year 3)

Rose are red,
Violets are blue.
What's my colour?
Light, light blue!
(K & R, Year 3)

Check back later to see more of our poems!



Well, our funniest poet, AD has been working hard at home to come up with some hilarious poems for you!  Hope you enjoy his latest poetry!

I see you in the ocean,
I see you in the sea.

I see you in the bathroom.

Oops!  Pardon me!

There was a cat who looked at a rat.
There was a dog who rode on a log.
There was a bear who changed into a pear.

Days of the Week in Spanish

These days we really love singing a song that is helping us learn the days of the week in Spanish.  We have been watching a video that Miss B found on YouTube.  You can see it for yourself here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5WHgkjL3kE

lunes  Monday
martes  Tuesday
miércoles  Wednesday
jueves  Thursday
viernes  Friday
sábado  Saturday
domingo  Sunday

Did you notice that the days of the week in Spanish aren't not written with capital letters? 

Valentine's Day in Room 14

Today we learned how to cut a heart shape from a piece of folded card.  It was quite tricky for some people, but everyone managed to create something cute to take home for someone special.  Take a look at some of our cards!

Roses are Red!

This morning we made Roses are Red poems to celebrate Valentine's Day!  Enjoy our poems!

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
We're going to the zoo!
Would you like to come too? 
(D & T - Year 4)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I see a cow.
What does it do?
(L, Year 5)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Here's a clue -
"Moo, moo, moo!"
(R, Year 3)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I feel sick.
I have the flu'.
(J, Year 5)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I went to the zoo
And I saw YOU!
(J, Year 5)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Put on my shoes.
I'm going to the zoo.
(U, Year 4)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
The sea looks good
And so do you!
(A, Year 5)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I'll give you a clue -
It's about you!
(A, Year 5)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
You see me
And I see you!
(S, Year 3)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Let's go on the train,
Choo, choo, choo! 
(L, Year 3 & U, Year 4)

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
You're the best!

I love you.

(H, Year 4)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day

Miss B wants all the Room 14 children to know that she loves you!  She's so glad that she can spend today with you. 

What words can you see hidden in this heart? 

Who Am I?

I like swimming.  I love to read books and I like to be a leader of the class.  I love to eat French Toast.  My favourite thing to do is to help my mum wash the clothes.  My favourite thing to do on the weekends is to jump on the nice, soft trampoline and have a squirt with our green hose.  When I grow up I would like to be a doctor, working in Auckland Hospital.  I was born in Letuanu'u, Samoa.  My birthday is on November 13th.  I was born in 2001.  I like drinking apple juice, and I love to eat Coco-Pops.  The colour of my hair is black and it is short.  My friends are A, L, U, Sh, S, D and T.  I also love animals.  Who am I?

Highlights of Week 2

Room 14 is a fantasic class!  Miss B thinks we are special and have potential.  She would love to see us all striving to learn and succeed. 

The highlights of our second week at school are:

Swimming -
We are busy working to improve our swimming techniques.  Miss B said that Panmure District School is one of the few schools in Auckland to still have an operating swimming pool.  This means that all of us must take advantage of our opportunity to become better swimmers so that we can enjoy the water safely. 

Writing -
We have been writing descriptions about ourselves.  Miss B asked us to use lots of adjectives to make our writing interesting.  We hope that when people read our descriptions they will be able to guess who we are!  Miss B will let us type up our writing next week and we will add a silouette of ourselves to it as well.  We'll add some pictures to show you shortly.

Spanish -
We had our first Spanish lesson on Friday.  Miss B downloaded some videos to show us to help us to learn the days of the week in Spanish and also the colour names.  We asked Miss B if we could play the songs over and over again so we could see the funny mouse in the video as well as to learn the new terms.  H (Year 4), who comes from the Philippines, said that she knew many of the Spanish words because they are the same in her language! 

Spelling Test -
We have done our first spelling test for the year.  We have got some very good spellers in our class!  We have a Year 5 boy who is spelling like a 10 year old!  Our best Year 4 student is spelling like a 9.9 year old and the best Year 3 speller is K who is not far behind.  She spells like a 9.4 year old!  Aren't we a clever bunch?

Maths -
We have been learning how to expand and contract numbers.  Some of us can expand 3-digit numbers and some of us know how to expand 5-digit numbers!  Contracting numbers is becoming easier for us too! 

Assembly -
We had our first Assembly on Friday.  R, Year 3, was awarded a Merit Award for her drastic improvement in swimming!  In Week 1 she couldn't even float!  Now she is gliding confidently.  K, Year 3, was given a Merit Award for her excellent writing about Waitangi Day.  Our class was awarded the first Environmental Award for the year because we are the first class at Panmure District School to have their own blog!  We are pretty excited about that!

Well, we have had a busy week.  We will be learning more, so check back later to see what else we've been doing.  We'd love you to leave a comment too. 

To post a comment on our blog, click 'comments' at the end of this entry, type your message in the box, select the arrow button and press 'anonymous', then post your comment.  Miss B will need to authorise it before it goes up on the blog.

See you later!

Favourite Numbers

Miss B asked us to think of all the numbers that were important to us.  We had to tell her why they were special numbers.  This is what Miss R, Year 3 made for the class display.  I think she was clever to think of using zero in her work.

Another student Miss L, Year 5 wrote down her favourite numbers:

2002 - The year I was born.

13 - My birth-date.

97 - My mailbox number.

14 - My classroom number.

3 - Last year's classroom number.

9 - My age.

6 - The number of people in my family.

1 - My number one teacher.

5 - The year I am in.

4 - I'm the youngest of 4 children.

What is your favourite number and why?  Let us know!