Welcome to Week 6

We're churning through the term and will be half way through the year before we know it! Here is a heads up for what's on this coming week.

• This week we're going to start character description in writing. A character description is a piece about a person that the author knows really well and means a lot to them. We'll be describing what they look like, the sorts of things they say, the sorts of things they do and any funny or interesting anecdotes about them. Please have a chat to your child about a person of significance to them that they may like to write about. If you have a photo, I can photocopy it for them so that they have it there while they write. It can also be a good idea to jot some ideas down with them so that they come to school prepared to write.
• We'll also be writing letters thanking the helpers at the Marae last week. It was an awesome day and the students had a wicked time. 

Rock On,

Mr M

A Slice Of (Mid-Term!) Life From Room 5

Last week some members of the Motupipi School Rock 'n' Roll Choir sang at the Playhouse as part of an evening put on by the Golden Bay Choir. It was an awesome evening. Great job Gabriel, Chloe, Carmyn, Max, Aliana and Aurora!




We've also been leaning about cyber safety. This week we did some online readings and one from the School Journal about what a digital footprint is and what you should and shouldn't share online. Here are some DLO's created by the students talking about how to keep yourself safe online. We're all still in the process of learning how to make our videos look really slick, so enjoy the effort these guys have put into preparing and presenting their information.



Rock On,
Mr M

Motupipi School Rock 'n' Roll Choir Perform Saturday Night!

1

Welcome to Week 4 - Managing Self in Room 5

Kia Ora All,

Over the past couple of weeks we've been focussing on strategies that help us stay on task, organise ourselves and achieve BTB (Better Than Before) in our learning. Something we've been working on is using a rubric I put together using SOLO Taxonomy (feel free to click the link and have a look if you're interested in an overview). In a nutshell, it's a way of assessing how sophisticated we are in our thinking, and what we have to do to get to the next level. I've made up a rubric based on Managing Self, which is our school-wide focus for the year. Basically, the better the students are at achieving the goals on the rubric: the more time I spend teaching, the more time they spend learning and the less time I spend running around after them finding pencils, reminding them what the next task is and having other non-learning type conversations.

• You could touch base with your child and have a chat about where they think they are on the rubric, and see if they can come up with some ideas about how to get to the next level.

• Also, please return the ICT agreement I sent home at the beginning of the week signed on Monday.
• I'm still on the hunt for catering sized tins (empty) for a project this term. Looking for about 15 of them. If you can help out, please let me know.

Rock On,

Mr M

Pre-Term Preparation

Kia Ora All,

I hope everyone has had a super holiday and you are all feeling recharged and ready for another term. Here are some things you need to be aware of to be on the front foot for the first week.

Writing

• I'll be asking the students to do a recount of their holiday for a writing sample which I'll use for assessment purposes. Could you please talk to your child about their holiday experiences and jot down some ideas with them prior to returning to school on Monday so that they have a solid idea about things that they could include. This doesn't need to take long, but does help with making sure students are prepared with ideas that they're excited to include in their writing. 
• Some ideas include: top 3 things they did, people they saw, a funny thing that happened, funny or memorable things that may have been said (to help them include dialogue in their piece), places you may have gone or activities you did that they might like to write about, something scary they did or any other similar holiday related stuff.

Museum Visit

• The Motueka Museum visit was postponed to Wednesday of week 1. We'll be heading off at 11.00 for the1.00pm session and will retrun after the busses have gone. 

Catering Tins

• I'm looking for around 12 of the really big tins that caterers or restaurants buy containing fruit etc (empty) for an activity later in the term. Please let me know if you can help out.

Maths Home Learning

• Please view this video about some ideas that you can do this term to work on your child's maths. I'll aim to do 2-3 more videos this term with different maths strategies as we cover them in class.

Max also did a neat video demonstrating a similar strategy. I'd recommend clicking here and checking it out for further ideas.

Rock On,
Mr M

Max's Maximum Maths

Kiyo - Making Huts

Making  Huts       
Most of all we liked making huts. We made huts at school, we made huts in the bathroom. Each day the huts got more interesting. Massive long huts that we could live in sometimes we made huts in to mazes. We made huts in the bush.

By Kiyo

BTB Points Auction

Every term I run a BTB points auction. Over the term the students build up a bank of BTB points awarded for good behaviour, outstanding manners, great sportsmanship, excellent work habits and superb effort in their learning. At the end of the term the students use their points to bid for items donated to the auction. This is the call for donations of any small items that are no longer wanted for the students to bid on. In the past students have brought in old toys, stationary, books or other random items - any small inexpensive items you could send along will contribute to the fun of the auction. Please send along with your child by Wednesday.

Rock On,

Mr M

Lochie's Poem

My room is usual enough. It had a lego sky tower, a drum kit, a guitar, a ukulele, a lego ariport that I play with my aeroplane and limousine. I do what 8 year olds do: hang out with my friends, I draw army tanks, I play my drums and my guitar, I built a two story boat with my lego. Doing nothing important.

By Lochie

Emily's Poem

Water world

There were slides as slimy eels. The lights  as light as the sun. As the screaming kids come  crashing down. The scary black water slide twisty and turny. The screaming kids comedown coming off the screamer. Me and my friends do what normal friends do. Go on slides, we jump off the 10 m diving board. NO where we need to go.

By Emily

Trey's Poem

It was as usual as it always was in Richmond Mall. It had Maccas/Simple Indian/Game Store/Fresh Choice/Burger King. We got Mcdonalds hot cakes for breakfast/Groceries for Granny/Skidding down the hall with my socks on/Get a coffee with Dad.Then go home and do nothing important like we did.

By Treymaine

Louis's Poem

The skate park was usual enough. It had two drop in ramps, a rainbow, a grinding, bar a roller and a park beside it. I did any 8 year old boy would do. I dropped in a few times, I went to the grinding and grind three times, I got a lot of speed and went over the rainbow, I went down the roll in. Doing nothing important.   

By Louis

Carmyn's Poem

Hamner Springs

Hamner springs was usual  enough! It has shops, A sky over it, A church, A  hydro slide. My family did what family's do-like go to the water park, A church that we have never been too, the park that is really cool, ice skating. Doing nothing importing.  

By Carmyn

Hugo's Poem

The cool poem.

Myback yard was usual enough. It had a  trampoline,scooter grind,bikes,scooter\skateboards, rugby ball. Me my bros play on the  trampoline doing flips. We play on our skateboards\scooter.sun bathed on the trampoline.biking round Takaka Primary School and gardening with my mum. Doing nothing important.
the end.       

Aonghus's Poem

My bedroom was usual enough. It had a bed a cat, carpet, pillow, lego. My friends and me do stuff that boys do like play with my lego and build amazing things, we played with my cat we played catch my tail and sometimes we do wrestling.I would always win because she is a cat. Doing nothing important.

Teru's Poem

My  House

Was usual enough it has

Lots of awesome things .

Four mini ramps, a pool with a

Slide that goes into it,a big

Rope swing,also a mountain

Bike track ,a drum kit and

Bass guitar a trampoline,new

Tv . when I am there I did what

Most people would do I have

A skate sesh,then we do a few

Flips,play my drums/bass

Guitar and go down the bike

Track then I had a swim

I love my house

Sonny's Poem

The warehouse is usual enough it has games, clothes, furniture, toys, and art stuff. I did what 9 or 10 year olds do. Buy games and clothes, raced down the alley in a shopping cart, knocking over stuff and running off, playing around. And doing stuff that's not important.

By Sonny

Taylor Poem

My bedroom

      

My bedroom was usual enough. It had a quiet creek to it, the walls were almost bear, my stereo was a bit broken, it kept on turning on every 10 minutes, my bed was unmade, the corners had cobwebs on them. I did what all 9 year old boys do. Listen to my music, me and toby build cool stuff with my lego. I can play the darth vader tune. Doing nothing important.

By Taylor

Kiyo's Poem

My house was usual enough. You would see there my bed, my teddies, my ipad, and my tramp, my scooter, my ramp’s and a tv. I did what my family does. I played the playstation, I went on the tramp, I went to the skate park, I climbed the plum tree, I did gardening with mum. Doing stuff important.

By Kiyo

Yellow Submarine

Continuing the ukulele theme, here is a song you can play with your D, G and Aminor chords. 

Rock On,

Mr M