Prize-giving 2017: The Year 5 Item

After all that practice, it was time for the real deal at prize-giving last Thursday. The Year 5 Item for 2017! What a fantastic performance from everyone. Ka mau te wehi!

My Mihi Maker Coding - by Esther

mihi maker is awesome!
Making your own mihi by coding!


At Learn Code.org

Hour of Code 2017

We were so lucky today. Nathan and Mikayla from OMGTech! came to share their expertise with us and host an Hour of Code in Rooms 9 and 10.  Everyone chose an activity to explore from Minecraft to Moana and many more. It was wonderful to see the concentration and thinking as code was created and problems were solved.

Thank you, OMGTech!, for supporting us to take part in this special event.

Making Kindness Go Viral!

We try to be Cybersmart and kind every day but it was an extra special mission today! To help us, we watched Room 18's movie, Make Kindness Go Viral! We were learning to write kind and positive blog comments using POWER words to make them kinder and more descriptive. It was challenging thinking carefully about the words we could choose.

As well as writing kind words, we were positive and encouraging to each other while we sorted ourselves out with buddies and while we were coming up with ideas for words and creating comments.

We are kindly sharing a link to our padlet so it's easier to read the words.

Make Kindness Go Viral!

Friday Afternoon Musical Madness

We were so excited to create some musical madness in Room 9 yesterday afternoon. We took turns to explore and experiment with different musical instruments, learn the basics of the recorder and learn more about the instruments in an orchestra using our Chromebooks.

John did a fabulous job conducting his band after watching the conductor of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at Kiwi Kapers.

Term 4 PENN: Musical Madness

What fun we've had creating Musical Madness in Room 9! This term we've made instruments, been on a trip to watch an orchestra and recorded nursery rhymes together as the audio for our animations.  Here are a few examples of the animations created by students in Room 9.  Enjoy!

Kiwi Kapers

On Wednesday all the Year 5 students went to the Aotea Centre to watch a concert by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. Acrobats from the Dust Palace performed mime and tricks while the music was played.

We have been imagining what it would be like to be a musician or acrobat at this event.

Here is Elizah's writing:

I am an acrobat I will be using a cyr wheel. And a hand balancing because it looks cool when we look from the audience. But on wednesday we went to the  theatre to perform for some schools. When I looked from the front I felt nervous because there was heaps of kids. I was balancing on the stands.  I tried to not look at the audience because I felt nervous in case I failed. The music helped me focus. I completed my tricks and I felt happy. I was tired after when I did my tricks.

Here is Jazzelle's writing:

At kiwi kapers i was the conductor that had to tell the band to play so i waved my stick so the band can play and then when i stopped waving my stick the band stopped playing then i waved it gently so the violin can play then i waved the stick at the double bass to play then the school and people started cheering at us then when i finished i said to all of the band to play then i finished it off with the violin then they all stand up even with me we said thanks for visiting the kiwi kapers and also said thanks for coming to watch us and then we bailed and went off stage.

Farewell, Mr Eze

Mr Eze has done a wonderful job working in Rooms 9 and 10 over the past few months, helping and supporting us all. Sadly, it was time to bid him farewell yesterday, although our sadness is tinged with excitement and pride as he heads off to pursue his rugby dreams. What an outstanding role model! 

Still Dancing with the Stars!

With so many wonderful movies created for the Manaiakalani Film Festival by all the different classes at Point England, we weren't able to watch every one at Hoyts Sylvia Park on the day of the film festival.  Today we held our own Film Festival in the school hall to celebrate these 26 movies on our own big screen.

Just as they did at Sylvia Park, Tepaia and Jedida did a marvellous job of introducing our Room 9 movie to the whole school.

Māori with Whaea Saf

As we near the end of the year, we had fun practising our mihi, whakapapa and pepeha with Whaea Saf today. Quincess did an amazing job remembering every detail that she needs to share.  Way to go, Quincess!

Athletics

Our Year 5 girls demonstrated their phenomenal skills and sportsmanship at our annual Athletics Day on Friday. There was plenty of fun and laughter as well as some friendly competition when it was time for the competitive events. What a fantastic effort, girls!

A Movie Marathon

Rooms 9 and 10 were awesome buddies to our lovely Year 1 learners when we journeyed to Hoyts Sylvia Park for the Film Festival yesterday. After being mesmerised by the fantastic range of movies on the big screen, we returned to school to enjoy many more movies on the big screen in our learning space. A movie marathon! We're looking forward to posting quality blog comments to share our excitement and feedback about these wonderful movies over the next little while.

Dancing with the stars

The annual Manaiakalani Film Festival takes place at Hoyts Sylvia Park today. We are so excited about seeing our class movie on the big screen.

Guardians of the Galaxy was our inquiry theme in Term 3. What's out there in the solar system? What is special about each planet? Is there anywhere else in space where we could live?

We worked together to create our animated movie to share some of the things that we discovered.

Because we're happy ...

What do we think about when we listen to music? What do we imagine? What do we visualize? During a busy week of testing, we spent some time listening to different styles of instrumental music. First of all we used Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov to get our imaginations fired up ... bees buzzing above yellow sunflowers on a hot summer's day! A calm and relaxed oasis was later created through some happy guitar music which prompted the drawing of many calm and happy pictures.  Great job, Room 9!

Let's dig!

Renée from Kiwisport is teaching us how to play volleyball this term. Today we were practising digging the ball a short distance to each other. It was pretty tricky hitting the volleyball softly to our buddies. If the ball wasn't coming straight towards us, Renée said we had to scuttle like crabs towards the ball to get ourselves in the right position to make that volley.

Smiles make a difference!

Now that the weather has warmed up and the bike track has dried out, everyone is loving the chance to race around on the bikes at lunchtime. With limited bike tickets available each day, Neveah was so excited when it was her turn today. 

Musical Madness: Body Percussion

Who needs musical instruments? We created some musical madness in Room 9 yesterday using our bodies (and a couple of chairs!) as percussion. After exploring a four beat pattern, we worked together in small groups to create some music of our own.

Making pan pipes

It was musical madness in Room 9 yesterday morning! Everyone got the opportunity to make pan pipes using straws, cardboard and sticky tape.  Once we had checked out the sounds we could make, we enjoyed writing about the experience. Here is Shania's writing:

A bird's breakfast - by Roshaan

We have been solving problems with fractions.

Term 4 Immersion Assembly - by Sione K

Term 3 animation - by Farah

We wrote a story about finding somewhere else to live in space because we had destroyed planet earth. Here is my animation about finding a new planet to live on.

Fishing for flounder

This morning the whole school walked down to the Tamaki Estuary to support our students and manuhiri as they went fishing to catch baby flounder for our Flounder Project. Our beautiful singing brought blessings and good luck as many baby flounder were caught in the net. They have been transferred to our flounder tank to grow into healthy adult flounder that can be returned to the awa when they are ready.

Writing an email - by Jazzelle

We have been learning about writing a formal email this morning. Here is my slideshow.

Duffy would be proud!

Yes, Duffy would have been so proud if he had come across Room 9 this morning. SSR in the sunshine! While our library monitors finished off their jobs, it was wonderful to catch everyone engrossed in their latest library books before we returned to class. Ka mau te wehi!

Shrinking the solar system

As part of our learning about Guardians of the Galaxy, we read a Connected article called Shrinking the Solar System.  To get an idea of how enormous the solar system is, some students at Karori West Normal School in Wellington pegged the "planets" along a 60 metre long rope to show the distances between them to scale.

We decided to do a similar learning activity on a beautiful Friday afternoon.  Using a 100 metre rope on the school field, we worked together in different groups to explore the distances between the planets in the solar system.  We worked out that if we pegged the sun at one end of the rope, the Kuiper Belt would be 100 metres away using our scale.  The sun, Mercury,Venus, Earth and Mars are all in the first four metres of the rope - that's four big paces.  It's a very, very long way (about 25 metres using our scale) from Neptune to the Kuiper Belt.

As it says in the Connected article, there's actually a whole lot of nothing out there!

The stars of the show!

The stars were twinkling at Stardome as Rooms 9 and 10 learnt more about the solar system and life beyond earth yesterday. As well as finding out information by reading and looking at the displays, we were treated to John's expert knowledge of the planets and their moons before we sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the show in the planetarium!

Times Tables - by Jarreka

Jarreka is learning her 3 and 4 times tables at the moment to help her solve multiplication problems. She decided to create this presentation to help her.

Kawa of care - by Lennox

This is how we take care of our Chromebooks at home and at school.

Cycling with Rochelle

Rochelle Young from Avanti recently visited Point England to help Rooms 9 and 10 learn some new cycling skills. We helped each other fit our helmets correctly and carry out the ABC bike safety check. We were finally ready to ride …

Here is a movie we created about this visit which was shared with PES on PENN today. As you will see, we had so much fun!
 

My astronaut suitcase - by Trinity O

Walt:  write our ideas using complex sentences.







Description: This was my suit case of my stuff I am going to take to space
and somethings that describe it. I also wrote things that are important to take and that are things that you can do if you are board. 

Description: This activity was to do sentences about what you should take to space in a suit case. We also had to write sentences about complex sentences of why you might need them. We had to do one sentence for each  word.

Cross-country

What a beautiful afternoon for the annual Point England cross-country event. We enjoyed the sunshine as we watched others run and then took our turn to run the 1.5 km course around Point England Reserve and the school field. It was wonderful to see everyone trying their best in the muddy conditions.

We also had heaps of fun this morning helping Miss Va'afusuaga by checking that the course was free of rubbish, sticks and tree branches. In the end we found more puddles and mud to explore than rubbish to pick up!

Our ballet trip

A few lucky learners in Rooms 9 and 10 were part of a group of PES students who attended the school matinee performance of Romeo and Juliet by the Royal New Zealand Ballet at the Aotea Centre in the city this afternoon.  As well as the trip into town on the very plush bus, everyone was blown away by the magic of the set, dancing, costumes and music.

Solar eclipse - by Deelani

What is a solar eclipse?

Introduction

A solar eclipse happened in America this week. It turned dark in the middle of the day.

Paragraph 1

What i know about the sun and the moon is that the moon was in front of the sun .  So the  moon stopped the light coming to earth.  Then the sun came back out.and it was daylight again.

Paragraph 2

This happens because the earth orbits the sun and the moon orbits the earth..

Conclusion

The next total eclipse in new zealand will be on 22nd july 2028.

Blasting off at Maker Space

George and Izaiah have been busy making a rocket at Maker Space.  After a lot of effort pumping to increase the air pressure, they were able to launch it into space on the basketball court. They looked pretty impressed by how far they were able to make it travel.  Fabulous job!

Adding numbers - by Lennox

I have been learning to add by breaking up a number.

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike

We had so much fun practising our cycling skills with Rochelle Young from Avanti yesterday. We showed how we could cycle in a straight line through the cones and stop using our brakes instead of our toes! It was trickier as the cones were moved closer and closer together. The most challenging activity was trying to keep straight as we cycled along a length of an old flattened firehose.

We're so looking forward to cycling on the bike track again once it has dried out after all the rain.

Rallying ahead

We are learning to play tennis with Kiwisport this term. Now that we're able to smash those forehands around the hall, we're learning how to hit a backhand. We're hoping that the weather is kind so that we can practise our skills outside on the courts next week.

Life Education

Lynn and Harold have been visiting Pt England School over the last three weeks and it was our turn to hang out in the Life Education caravan for a second time this afternoon. Lynn asked us to think about the kind of decisions we have to make and how other people may feel based on what we say and do.  She showed us some cool videos to help us think about making appropriate choices and decisions as we go through Years 5 and 6.

Writing sentences - by Sonnia

Here is Sonnia's presentation which shares what she has learnt about writing sentences of different lengths.

Space Follow Up Task - by Brooklyn

My favourite thing was going outside and holding hands so me and my two friends Lily Zamera and I was holding each other's hands so we can spin around.

Space - by Zane

We are creating animations about space this term - a story about how we have to look for another planet because earth is polluted.

Blogging's a blast!

Congratulations to our July holiday bloggers: Jedida, Tepaia, Trinity T, Brooklyn, Sonnia and Devontae. Rachael Williams presented each of them with a certificate at assembly today to recognise their commitment to blogging during the holidays. Whether it was blogging about the holidays or completing activities as part of the Winter Learning Journey, they all had a blast! Ka mau te wehi!

Guardians of the Galaxy: where do we begin?

What cosmic fun was had by Team 4 at our Immersion Day yesterday! This fabulous opportunity allowed us to explore what life is like for those who venture into space. Everyone had a chance to hear from a space expert via an audio link and learn about gravity while exercising at space bootcamp. After watching a couple of videos about preparing lunch on the International Space Station, it was time to sample some food that an astronaut might eat. It was pretty tricky trying to catch that floating dessert!

Guardians of the Galaxy

Earlier in the year we learnt about Kaitīakitanga i nga wā kātoa, being guardians of everything around us. This term we are exploring being Guardians of the Galaxy: What makes earth habitable? What's out there in space? Are there any planets that could support human life? So many questions and so much to learn about!

Thank you - by Aaliah

Reading Support learners enjoyed a fantastic trip to the Pump House Theatre earlier in the week where they were entertained by the sights and sounds of The Great Piratical Rumbustification. Shiver me timbers, it must have been an exciting show with such an exciting title!

Pump House Trip - by Donte

On Monday reading support went on a trip to the pump house. me and my friends were playing chatter box. And also we went past the city and over the harbour bridge.  when we got to the pump house, there were other schools there.  we had our own lunch then we went in the pump house. there was a house on the stage then we sat on the chairs then it started there was a teenage boy and his mum and dad. then there were pirates and they were having a pirate party then the pirate captain  shot his gun then fire works shot out of his gun. then all the pirates went to his house. when his mum and dad were at dinner then they were driving back from dinner. they went inside their house and there were pirates in there house. then we did a dance and then it was the end.

Making Matariki Stars

An amazing group of learners joined together in Room 9 last Friday to make Matariki stars out of salt dough for our whole school Matariki celebration. We rolled, shaped and cut the dough before it was baked. Some glitter paint has added an extra sparkle to our treasures.

Celebrating Matariki - by John

Sailing - by Zamera

I am doing an animation about how sailing technology has changed over time. A long long time ago maori people used to go in different wakas and travel around the sea to find other islands. Wakas were made out of strong trees. Also maori people carved into the waka to make patterns. Maori people use trees to make the waka stronger. 300 years later there were sailing boats. Those boats were really big boats and it kind of looked like pirate ships. The wind made the boat go by blowing the sails..They made the boat out of different materials. Captain James Cook sailed to New Zealand in one of these boats. 100 years later people invented speed boats they were different kinds of boats,big boats or small boats. In the boats they had engines that made the boat go.It was easier to go in a boat because you didn’t have to paddle like back in the days.

How things changed over time - by Farah

A long time ago people use to walk instead of taking cars. People used animals to go place. People used boats to go across the water. People had wheel’s for things that needs wheel’s. People used carriages and horses for going places. People had large ships for the water. Trains had been for the railways.

Fractions - by Roshaan

This week in room 9 we have been learning about fractions.

There are quarters, thirds and halves. I love doing fractions.

Welcome back, Raymond!

Welcome back to Pt England, Raymond! You have done an amazing job of settling into learning in Room 9 this week. You have caught up with old friends and are making new friends.  Ka pai!

We look forward to getting to know you much better during the year and reading all about your learning on your blog.

Maramataka: an introduction to the Māori calendar

Maramataka: an introduction to the Maori calendar by Room 9. from Team 4 Pes on Vimeo.

As we will soon be celebrating Matariki, we have been learning about the Māori calendar with Whaea Saf.  She has taught us a song and actions to help us remember the Māori names for the months of the year.

Making a paper helicopter - by Farah

First of all to make a helicopter is to have 3 or 2 paper clips, Scissors and a paper. Then you cut the solid lines and don’t cut the dotted lines. After that you fold one piece in the front and one at the back and do it on the other side . Next you put one paperclip on the paper so when you're done you throw you’re  helicopter up also watch it fly down.

Coding - by Hope

Today me and my class did coding it was so much fun and I made it to level nine.

Digital Licence Assembly

So much excitement finding out about New Zealand's Digital Licence at our special assembly today! This online quiz has been developed for Year 8 and 9 students throughout New Zealand to make using the internet positive, constructive and enjoyable. Guests from Google NZ, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation and Netsafe were there as Dominic Bowden hosted a competition between teams of Year 8 students to check it out. The buzzers could hardly keep up with all their Cybersmart thinking!

Finding our way around school!

At orienteering yesterday we were learning to read a map of Point England School to find our way around: Which way is north? Where are we? What do those symbols mean?

We shared a map with a buddy and one of us placed a thumb on our map to show where we were.  As we walked, we moved our thumb along to track our journey around school.  Even though it was tricky to begin with, we were all pretty good at "thumbing" by the end of the session.

Our swimming - by Varnce

First of all we talked about boats and following off the boat with a lifeJacket and without a lifeJacket.Next we went to go for a shower near the Spa pool.After that we did our  falling off the boat with a lifeJacket and without a lifeJacket.we put our hand on our heads and our nose.Later on we did the chain holding onto our back of the lifejacket we were paddling backwards to the person at the back of us.In the end we huddled into a group like a ball and then we had free time. we had fun.

  

Thank you - by Esther

Learning about water safety

We enjoyed the last of our swimming lessons at GI Pools last week. Here are some of the highlights from our ten sessions at the pools. We had so much fun learning about water safety with our instructors, Kat, Jed and Jess.

Netball: Year 5 Minions

It's the beginning of the netball season for our Year 5 Minions. The girls showed skill and determination to win their second game of the season 8-7 on Thursday evening in windy conditions at the Auckland Netball Centre. What an awesome coach the team has in Esther, Efe-Lata's sister! It was fabulous to see so many whānau supporting the team at the courts too.  Good luck for the rest of the season!

Other ways of saying ... said - by Farah

Today we are learning about other ways of saying "said".

Dictation race!

On your marks, get set, go! We raced off to read the short story while our buddies waited with their Chromebooks at the ready. They had to type up the words that we told them. It was tricky reading and remembering all the words. There was lots of walking backwards and forwards between the reading station and our buddies because we had to tell them how to punctuate the sentences too. We did an awesome job of listening to each other and working together.

Once upon a time ... by John and Loseti

Once upon a time Loseti and John wrote a story about a Tongan king.

My Year 5 Mihi - by Aaliah

For our Mums

We spent time thinking about our Mums today and all the things that they do to care for and look after us.  It was fun these creating cards to share our thoughts with them.  Can't wait to surprise them on Sunday!

What is orienteering?

So, what's orienteering?  We had our first session with Leon from Kiwisport today to learn what's involved and what we will be doing.  We will be learning to find our way around by reading maps and learning lots of different symbols.  We'll find out more next week!

Thinking about ... water safety

Just keep swimming ... just keep swimming! Yesterday we enjoyed our first swimming session at Glen Innes pools. Before we climbed safely into the pool, we talked and thought about staying safe at the pool and at the beach. Our instructor, Kat, asked us why we should swim between the red and yellow flags at the beach. As well as the lifeguards being able to keep an eye on us, we learnt about the danger of rip currents at the beach. So much thinking!  So much swimming!  So much fun!