Christmas Float

Float Movie from Pam Thomson on Vimeo.

Slippery Slide

Watch our movie at this link.

Rock This Party

Today, we did a dance called Rock This Party. Kate taught us a lot of moves. It was fun.

You can see us on our class blog at stproom4.blogspot.co.nz

The Jesse Tree

Alex from Pam Thomson on Vimeo.

Saint Francis and Saint John the Baptist

Pictures in the Mind

I have been learning to use words that give readers pictures in their minds.

On 14 November, it was Athletics Day. I was super pumped for this day.

When I did sprints on Athletics Day, I lined up with the ten year olds. I ran with Drew, Richard, and Cameron. The people that I were racing looked like they were faster than me. When the gun went off, it sounded like a rifle gun. I started running. I sprinted fast. When I was running, I felt like I was running as fast as a cheetah. My tummy hurt but I kept running. It felt like it had beetles crawling around in it. There was still far to go but I kept going. When I was half way there, I noticed that I was coming third so I stopped and walked only for about 3 seconds. When I got to the finish line, I was puffing like a steam train. I noticed that Richard and the rest were puffing too.

I felt great because I ran a hundred metres and could still walk. If you want to know how far a hundred metres are, it is not that far but it is enough to make you puff.  

Great improvement in telling the events and using words to give your readers pictures in their minds.

Tau Ke Night

We drove last night to school for Tau Ke night. 
When we got there, Peggy tattooed my chest. Next, I got changed. 
After a while waiting, we went into the school kitchen then we waited some more for our time to shine. 
When we got called up to do our class performance, I was so nervous I nearly wet my pants, but I got through it ok. 
When we performed our rakau sticks song, Flynn was my partner. 
After a while,we did our Kapa Haka performance with Room 5. We sang a whole lot of songs, then the boys did the haka. We were very loud. 
I saw my mum and dad and, when it was over, I was very glad with myself. It was a great night.
You can see our performances at this link.

E Papa Waiari

Rory Alex E Papa Waiari from Pam Thomson on Vimeo.

Athletics Day

A Kitten in Mittens

Once there was, and still is, a kingdom in a not-so-far-away land. There was a pair in a cottage. Two people lived in there (one was a cat). The cat was called Doomer. He always wore mittens because he was a bald cat. He had sharp claws (His claws went through the mittens).  His body had a bunch of scars. You could see his blue veins because he was very skinny. One eye was blue and the other was brown. His skin was pink. He looked like a raw chicken. Doomer was turning 7 in 40 days and he was curious. Mrs Annie was his owner. She was 102 years old and she was a little poor. She was very wrinkly. She was always in town so Doomer was always alone. He did not actually mind that.  

One day, Doomer wanted to have some fun so he jumped at the door, digging his claws in so that he could stay in place. He tried to open it but his bald paws were too small. Luckily, the window was open so he crawled out that.

When Doomer jumped out the window, he could smell a lot of yum things. He could even smell the king's feast from the castle. 
He wandered around the village, then he saw it. Something furry - something with cute, but creepy, eyes. Something blackish, brownish. You guessed! It  was a possum. 
When Doomer saw the possum, he thought it was another cat so he followed it. The possum ran so he chased it. 
When the possum ran up a twisted, old, hollow tree, Doomer climbed up with his claws. When he got up there, he figured out that he wouldn't be able to get down. The possum ran down and looked at him as if it was laughing.
The poor cat was very worried. He was too scared to go down because he only knew how to climb up with his claws. He thought he might have to stay up there until somebody saved him. Nobody did. 
After two and a half weeks, of munching on apples, (It was an apple tree.) he heard Mrs Annie calling for him. That made him really want to get down so he looked off the tree and saw a pipe - not an instrument type - the type in the ground. It was standing up and it was his size so he jumped in. He went out the other side with all the water but the other end was on an angle (not the heaven type) so, when people looked up at the moon, they saw a cat fly past it.
When he landed in soft, icky, slimy, brown, swampy mud, he landed right behind his cottage. 
When he got up on the roof, he climbed up on to the house and down the chimney (ho ho ho). When Mrs Annie found him in their cottage, she said, “Where were you?” then she said, "Eww! You are all muddy and dusty. You need a bath."
“Oh boy!” he said.    
Well done, Alex. You have used your imagination and your sense of humour well. You have set out your narrative correctly - orientation, followed by events leading to the problem, then events leading to the solution. You have used descriptive words to show us what Boomer looked like, what the possum looked like and what the mud looked like. You could tell us the kinds of smells that came from the castle and what the apple looked like, as well. I can't wait to see your picture.

Kapa Haka Practice

We are practising the haka for our concert.

Athletics Practice

We are learning athletic skills. 

This is me with the class practising the discus throw.

Cross Country

Huckleberry Finn

I dressed up as Huckleberry Finn for our Book Character Dress Up Day.

My Speech

Alex from Pam Thomson on Vimeo.

My Dad is the Best

Do you want to hear about the best dad in the world?  Sometimes he plays the Wii with me.  We like to play Teenage Mutant Ninjas Turtles.

 He goes hunting a lot and he brings back rabbits, deer, possums and pigs.  We eat them.  I like pork more than rest.

My dad works as a mechanic.  He fixes cars and I get to go into the office.  He gives me a cookie and I sometimes get a coke.  

I Saw It First

MAQ00003 from Pam Thomson on Vimeo.

My Wonderful Mother

My mum is wonderful because when I am good, she buys me cool stuff, like once, I was being real good and did not make as much noise, so, one day, Mum brought me an android. Too bad the charger was too small.

My mum is wonderful because she gets me very cool Christmas presents, like one Christmas, she got me the smart globe. It is a lot of fun. She sings songs with me and she passes me my presents. She bakes yum stuff that I eat straight away.

My mum is wonderful because her friend had a stroke which is sad but she still visits her. She lets me come sometimes. She lives back at her home and out of hospital but we still visit her.

Raccoons

Raccoons are small animals about the size of a fox. They live in trees or on the earth. They are nocturnal animals. They sleep during the day and wake up at nightfall.
What Raccoons Look Like.
Raccoons have thick fur and have a bushy tail with  black rings on it.

Raccoon Homes.
A raccoon’s home is in a den or sometimes in a tree or in a hole among rocks. It may be the old underground home of another animal, such as a skunk. The den is a safe place to live.  On a warm day, a raccoon may climb into a tree and lie in the fork of branch or in an abandoned bird’s nest. A raccoon likes to sleep in the sun.

Raccoons In Autumn.

While it’s autumn, raccoons eat lots and lots of food.They become fat and move slowly. When winter  comes and food is all gone, the extra fat helps them to stay alive.

Raccoons also grow a very thick coat of fur to keep them warm.

Raccoons In Winter.

Raccoons that live in very cold parts of North America, sleep in their den for long periods during winter, and only come out in warmer days.

Raccoon Babies

When it’s spring, a mother has two or six babies. Raccoon babies are called cubs. When cubs are born, they are very small and blind. At about seven weeks old, the cubs leave the den for the first time. When the cubs are older, their mother takes them hunting with her. She teaches them where to find food and how to catch it. Mother raccoon and her cubs keep in touch with each other by making all sorts of noises. They can hiss, growl, purr and grunt. Cubs are very good at climbing trees

Hunting For Food.

Many raccoons live in woodlands, very near some streams and lakes, where food is easy to find.

When it is dark, the raccoons wake up and leave their dens to go hunting. Sometimes they hunt for mice, earthworms and grasshoppers. They wade and swim to find fish, crayfish, tadpoles, frogs and turtles. Raccoons use their front paws to catch moving fish. They can open mussel shells with their strong fingers, and feel  for frogs hiding in the mud.

The Masked Bandit.

Raccoons sometimes raid hen houses and take eggs or young chicks. They use their front paws to open the hen house doors.

Raccoons will climb trees to find birds’ eggs or nestlings.

They will tip over birds’ nests to eat the yum seeds. They take fruit from sunny orchards and vegetables from gardens.

Raccoons In The City

Most raccoons live in or close to towns and cities. Because they eat different foods, they always find plenty of food to eat in rubbish dumps and inside garbage cans. When there is plenty of snacks, raccoons will eat as much as they can to fill up their chubby stomachs, then they will nap for a while, and then wake up to eat some more food. They do this lots of times.

Matariki

Subtraction Strategy

Alex Subtraction Strategy from Pam Thomson on Vimeo.

Adding Strategy

Alex Adding Strategy from Pam Thomson on Vimeo.

Slaters

Alex Slaters from Pam Thomson on Vimeo.

This is why we have slaters in our classroom.

Matariki

Zero Waste

It is important to reuse, reduce, recycle and compost so that we don't keep adding to the landfill. Every month,
NZ makes a rugby field long and 30 classrooms high of rubbish. We can reuse our old things that we don't need any more to make something else useful such as a bird feeder.

Elgrego's Magic Show

Yesterday, the whole school went into the hall to watch the Elgrego magic show.

When we were ready, Elgrego started his magic show by making birds appear. My favourite bird trick was when he turned birds into a rabbit. Elgrago had a box with nothing in it, then he opened it again and there was a bird in the box. We were surprised. There was another one. He took a bird out of the fire. I can't remember what he put the fire in but it was amazing.

Next, he performed a magic trick with fizzy raspberry drink. He put the glass in a box then he turned the box to the side then the other side then upside down, then he opened it and the drink was still in the glass. We were so surprised that we froze.

After the drink trick, we watched Elgrego talk with Seemore, the baby green dinosaur. Seemore told us about how other dinosaurs teased him because he was green. Elgrego was a ventriloquist. Those are people who talk for the puppet. The baby dinosaur sang The Rainbow Song from the Muppet Show because Kermit was green.

One other trick was when he put a sauce bottle into a paper bag. We all thought he was holding it in the bag but then he screwed the bag up. The crowd went wild.

Finally, Elgrego performed the brick wall trick. Elgrego had a brick wall. He stood behind it and he held up a blanket and walked through the brick wall. I think I know how he did that trick. I think he went around it.

It was a very cool show. I knew how to do some of the tricks but some were amazing.

Confirmation

Last night I went to Confirmation.

When Bishop Browne called me up, I knelt on the step. Bishop Browne called me Patrick because I chose Saint Patrick as my saint.

While I was kneeling, Bishop Browne put oil on my forehead. It looked like wax. I felt nervous but, when I went back to my seat, I felt proud of myself.

It was fun but very long. It reminded me of Reconciliation. 

A Fishy Tale - A Strange Sight

One sunny day, I was on fishing trip let me tell you about it.  

One day, I was fishing, as I said before. I didn't catch anything all day while Dad caught orange snappers.  

When I got a fizzy sprite, I went back to my rod, and it was wiggling like a worm.  

When I reeled it in, I caught a sea bear! It was wet and fluffy and it had the head of a bear and the body of a fish. Dad got such a fright he nearly fell in the water so I let it free. 
When I went to school the next day, no one believed me - only my best friend, Jackson, believed me. 
That night I was sad because no one believed me but Jackson, then I remembered that when Dad got a fright, I quickly took a picture. 
The next day, I took it to school and showed every one, then they believed me.

Fishing

The Loch Ness Monster

Holy Week

This week is Holy Week. In this week, Jesus rode into Jerusulem on a donkey.
He also had the last supper. When he was doing the last supper, he washed the disciples' feet and gave them bread and wine. He said, "Take this all of you and eat it. This my Body which will be given up for you." He also said, "Take this all of you and drink it. This is the cup of my blood; the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me." He gave his friends the wine.
We are doing Jesus dying on the cross today. I heard that Jesus fell over three times carrying the cross and a man called Simon came to help him.
When we did the play of the last supper, I was Jesus.
My favourite day is when he died on the cross. When he died, it was a sad time but he was not dead for long. After a few days, he rose from the dead.

My Birthday

​​Last year, I had a birthday at Rainbow Springs and Jackson and Richard came with me. ​
When we were on the way, we stopped at McDonald's. We got a slushy chips and a burger. I dropped my chip in my slushy and so did Richard. We sucked them out with our straws. We had a quick play on the play ground, then we got in the car and went to Rainbow Springs. ​
When we got there, Jackson and I were talking about the Big Splash while mum and dad got things from in the car.
"It's going to be a little creepy," I said.
"I know," said Jackson.
My favourite was the kiwi. It was hard to see them because darkness swallowed the room. When we did the Big Splash, the queue was as long as a snake.

St Patrick's Day

Swimming Sports

Yesterday our school went to the Ngaruawahia pools for swimming sports.I was about to step in the pool. My heart was pounding. It felt like the water was saying to me, "Come in, come in. I have cookies." Butterflies were in my tummy. Why did the crowd have to cheer for me? but I remembered what my mum said to me. She said, "Try your best and you will be fine." When Mr Emms blew the whistle, I started swimming. I came last, but I tried my best. In the end, it turned out the water was saying, "Well done, well done." I felt proud of myself. 
At the end of the day, we had free time. When I got into the pool, it was warmer. I was having so much fun, I felt like a lion about to pounce on an animal. I thought, “Hmm. I will jump in the pool on the jumping part.” It was pretty hard trying to find a clear spot to jump from but I found a clear spot and jumped in. I jumped like a jumping spider. It was so much fun. When I got to shallow part, I met up with Lara then the whistle blew. It sounded like this, “Hhhhoooo!” so we got out.

Proper Nouns

This morning, we learned about Proper Nouns. Proper Nouns begin with capital letters. If you don't know what it means, here is an example: The name of a dog Max. The name of a boy Alex. The name of a girl Rose.The name of a cat Possom. They are special names given to ordinary nouns. I enjoy learning about them.

Life in NZ Compared to Life on Kapo Island

Our donations to Caritas are used to help people on Kapu Island in Papua New Guinea.

The Poem of Me

Alex
Cheeky, playful, games freak and mischievous
Son of Keith and Eve  
Brother of Matthew
Lover of computer, Mum and Dad
Who feels happy, so happy or worried
Who needs Mum and Dad and Matthew  
Who gives love, happiness, and stickers
Who fears lions, bullies and onions
Who would like an Ipad, to be a Ninja and to have a palace
Who lives in New Zealand, on a hill in Ngaruawahia
Prendergast.  

Shrove Tuesday

Today, we had Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday. It is when we eat pancakes and burn palms for Ash Wednesday.
After swimming, Olivina, from Tonga, came to thank us for giving money to Caritas so that they could help people in Tonga.   

The Light House.

In the holidays, I went to the most eastern light house in New Zealand. 
First, we went to the camp site to stay. I made a girl friend called Alex. 
A few days later, we went to the light house. There were 700 steps to get to the light house! The wind was that strong, it was hard to walk then we went back to camp.    

Waitangi Day

Waitangi Day is a day when every human in New Zealand gets a day off. People enjoy it in different ways. It was when NZ became a country called New Zealand.
500 Chiefs signed the Treaty. It was signed on the 6th February, 1840, at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. The Queen agreed to let the Maori own the land, forests and rivers. The Maori agreed to let the Queen’s Representatives make the laws and be the government of NZ.
On Waitangi Day, this year, I went to my dad's friend’s place and had a sleepover on their farm and watched Clutch Powers.