Chinese Dining Day

8GMc just got back from their Chinese Dining Day. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and behaved pretty well. I know at my table the students ate most things put in front of them, although there were a few chicken feet left. Best quote of the day came when the chicken feet came out, 'Mr McKay, they look so realistic'. A great bonding experience with the class.

Art/Pottery

Some completed work from Art and Pottery. These are the results of nearly two terms of hard work. You can see how proud they are, and they should be. These look amazing!!!

More Grease

Technology

8GMc were hard at work in the technology room today making products to sell at the upcoming Market Day. They will be selling their products to keen year 5/6/7 pupils who will each get $25 Southwell money to spend. Some products are coming along nicely - others will hopefully get there in the end. Stay tuned as we are currently looking into advertising and I will be sharing their adverts/posters as they are completed. 

8GMc Drama

In drama 8GMc are working on their Grease production. In the video below you will see what they are up to and possibly be presently surprised by the amount of co-ordination by the majority of the class. Can't wait to see the finished product at the end of the term!!!

da Vinci Mechanics Museum Trip

On Tuesday we headed off to the Hamilton Museum to explore the da Vinci Mechanics exhibition to set us up for our innovation topic this term. We saw some amazing inventions and art and found out that da Vinci was one brilliant person. It makes you wonder if he was alive now what he could come up with.

Cha Cha Slide

Over the next couple of weeks we are looking at 'Happiness'. To start off with the whole class learnt a new dance called the 'Cha Cha Slide' without knowing why. Judging by the looks on most of the students faces I think it is safe to say that dancing makes us happy! (and we may also need to work on our left and rights) 

What makes you happy?

Created with Padlet

Art and Pottery

Once again 8GMc were busy in Art and Pottery today. If you look at the above slide show you will see what amazing art work the students are producing. Not so many pictures of Pottery at the moment but as we get closer to making our caravans we will definitely be sharing more. Stay tuned for more updates in the upcoming weeks.

Library

Today we sorted some new books and had some quiet time reading. We are pretty lucky to have such an awesome library!

Writing Process

Wonderings and Writing Ideas

Art & Pottery 15th March

Once again 8GMc amazes me. I can tell you they are producing some excellent art work and pottery. Hopefully I can keep getting down during their time in the arts and get more photos to keep you updated. Hopefully some kids will start taking pictures of their work each week and provide updates on their blogs.

Synchronised swimming club opens in Hamilton

If you look closely at this picture you will see a student from 8GMc. Maybe we will see her at the Olympic Games one day representing NZ!!!

Click here to read article.

Art/Pottery 8 March

Today I went and checked on 8GMc in Art and Pottery and was blown away by some of the work I saw. Mrs Wing always amazes me with the art she manages to get out of the students and this year is no different. A New Zealand theme this year and from the photos above you can see we have some pretty talented artists!

Ms Wathen is no different in pottery with what she gets out of the students. Unfortunately when I showed up most students had finished their pottery on the wheel but I will be sure to get down earlier in the coming weeks to give you an insight into what they are doing in pottery. I have talked to Ms Wathen and she has some pretty awesome ideas about what they will be completing this year.

Stay tuned!!!

Blog Commenting

one day i went to the shop and bought some lollies and then i went to my friends house and plyed on his xbox with him and we played fifa and i was england and i bet him by 5 goals as he was so useless. after that we went to my other friends house and we played on the trampolean and we got burnt as the sun was shining so hot and we had no sunscreen on and the tramp wasnt under a tree and there were no clouds so we ended up red as. i did not sleep much that night as i was saw.

Science

Just popped into science and the students that aren't on fixture are carrying out an experiment on what clothing is best suited for the Tongariro Crossing. Get them to explain it to you - it is pretty cool. Looks like they have it under control.

Camp Video

Letter Checklist

Features of a letter	Text _______________________
Is the letter formal or informal?
Is the address in the top left hand corner of the page?
Does the date of the letter come underneath the address?
Does the letter start with Dear… or another type of greeting?
Is the reason for writing clearly given in the first paragraph?
Is there a clear beginning, middle and end?
Does it keep the reader interested -using well chosen words?
Has the letter been signed off correctly eg. Yours sincerely, yours faithfully etc.

High Ropes Pictures

Last Day

What a great last day of an awesome camp. Tihoi is just stunning for those who have never been. The students amazed me with their risk taking, bravery and support for one another on the high ropes course. All students went on the flying kiwi and also got up on several other obstacles.
After that we split into two groups for abseiling and mountain biking - another great afternoon.

Overnight

Another fantastic day! Just got on the bus to return to camp to go rafting. What an amazing night though. All of us survived, everyone had a fantastic night, and everyone managed to cook there meal to eat for dinner. I tried most meals and I can tell you some were impressive but others - well let's just say interesting. The swimming hole was chilly but we quickly warmed up singing and telling stories around the camp fire. Hopefully today will go as smoothly.

Conquered

What an amazing day! Today every member of 8GMc powered their way over the Tongariro Crossing today making me pretty proud. It was tough at times, pretty chilly at times, but that didn't stop us from completing the 19.4km trek. Everyone should be stoked with their effort and achievement. Afterwards we managed to get to the pools for a half hour soak before heading back to camp for dinner and an early night. Another busy day tomorrow as we venture into the Waipakahi Valley for our overnight - my favourite day of camp.

Nearly There

Half way up and going strong. Stunning day - weather is great - just a little cloud cover now which is great as it is pretty warm. Everyone going strong.

Penny Stoves

Last year the students of 8GMc made penny stoves in technology. With the theme of camp at the moment they had the opportunity to try them out in a controlled environment. Sausages and bacon were on the menu which turned out pretty tasty. No one got burnt so a great session all round! Looking forward to camp next week - it is going to be amazing!

Buddy Class

On Fridays of even weeks we will be working with the year 2s. Today we just got to know them and find out what they like. It is awesome seeing the year 8s interact with the year 2s and how the little kids take everything in. Should be a fun year!

Rain Shadow Effect

Camp Skits

Over the last couple of weeks we have been busy learning about river crossings, giardia, hypo and hyperthermia and the rain shadow effect (plus other things also). Today we had to get in groups and perform a short skit showing the main points of one of these topics. All groups did a fantastic job and enjoyed performing on in the auditorium. Sorry about the quality of some of the pics. 

Making Damper

On Friday in technology we learnt how to use the camp cookers and make damper. This is something we will make in the Waipakahi Valley. All of 8GMc managed to make something edible - although some took a little longer than others. In a weeks time we will be able to put our skills to the test on camp - can't wait!!!

Team Building

Today we carried on with some team building games. It took a while to get the hang of it but eventually we made progress. What are the most important things to think of when working with others? Comment below.

Hypothermia and Hyperthermia

Camp - 2016

What are you looking forward to most on camp?

In Week 5 we will be heading to Turangi to enjoy the best camp ever! We will take on many challenges and make many memories that will stick with us for our entire lives. Below in the comments write what you are looking forward to the most at camp. This only needs to be a sentence or two.

Library Time

Today 8GMc had their first session in the library for 2016. We learnt about book care - the dos and don'ts - and also heard about some new books and other new books that will be making their way into the library throughout the year. This year each class will also be having 4 librarians. This is to free up the adults to ensure the students get plenty of time to pick their brains about what they might want to read. All students who are interested in being a librarian need to write a letter to Mrs Huggins and Mr McKay stating why they would make the perfect class librarian. 

How we learn . . .