Favourite sites and downloads

Hi to everyone, before the holidays arrive I would like to add links to some favourite sites and to some good downloads.

story on line - a story telling site, where famous actors read the books
http://www.storylineonline.net/

For internet safety for all children
http://hectorsworld.netsafe.org.nz

A photo editing free program that the children use at school
http://picasa.google.co.nz/

from here you can download photostory, which is what we used to make the "three little pigs" story that we shared
http://www.microsoft.com

Junior Dance Celebration

On Friday 27 November the entire Junior School assembled at a local hall and presented their terms worth of dance. It was glorious. The children all danced beautifully, remembering all the dances and managing to go where they needed to, when they needed to. The children of room one did especially well as they are only 5and 6 year olds. As an extra challenge we learnt a new Jump Jam and then taught it to the other two classes. So we had a small group of girls and boys who stepped up to the challenge and were able to stand at the front of three combined classes and teach the new steps and moves. No small feat if you're so young. Well done those children. We danced four folk dances from around the world, two line dances and two Jump Jam and finally at the conclusion of the dance all the children had to pull an adult down onto the dance floor. They then danced with their moms, dads, nanas, grandads and complete strangers to the Bird Dance. All the children's faces shone with their joy and it was great to see many laughing parents. It was a fabulous success and I know that we all enjoyed it.

Junior Athletics

What a busy week we had last week with Junior Athletics pulling in children from across the Mackenzie Basin. It was a beautiful day, a little overcast, which meant that we didn't get too hot like last year.

The morning activities were a lot of fun. The parachute was a popular event with many parents and preschoolers having a go to bounce the balls off the side. For those who haven't seen one it is a huge multicoloured circle with handles around the outside. Everyone takes a handle and they start creating waves across the surface by lfting and lowering it. We threw balls on it so the children needed to work as teams to throw it off the opposite side. Other activities we had were sack races, gumboot throws, egg and spoons races, ball skills, 3 legged races and mini hurdles.

The day ended with sprints, which the children enjoyed and they all did well, as it was a long day for everyone. It was great to see so many laughing children and to have the event attended by so many parents. A big thank you from me to all the children who gave it their best go and had fun.

Clinger

Last week we had a small visitor come to class by the name of Clinger. He was a young possum that had been discovered while one of our class members was out hunting with Dad. We were thrilled to meet him as many of the children and myself had never seen a possum up close before. He was very cute with his long face and short fur. We were especially amazed at his paws, with the sharp claws and his long curvy tail. Unfortunately despite all efforts to look after him Clinger has not survived. We all think fondly of him and have decided as a class to post this short piece about him.

Poem Writing

This term we have been learning how to write poems. It has been a lot of fun and we wanted to share one we wrote as a whole class. To write this poem we watched a video of lambs playing out in the sunshine and talked about what they looked like and how they moved. The children are enjoying this form of writing.

Firemen Visit

On Friday last week we had the pleasure of the company of two firemen, who came to talk to us about what do if there was a fire in our homes. Kevin Donaldson from the Fire Service and Dwin Bishop from our local Fire Brigade visited with us. They talked about the importance of having a safe meeting place in case of a fire. We watched a short DVD that showed how fast a fire will spread from an unattended candle under some curtains. The children were amazed at how fast the fire spread and how the cutain melted.

We have been learning about fire safety all week and this helped the children understand how important it is to have a plan just in case. It was a great visit and we all learnt alot.

Welcome to Room 1's Blog

Welcome everyone to Fairlie Primary School Room 1. We are excited to share what we will be doing over the rest of the year with you and hope you enjoy reading about our learning journeys and adventures as they unfold.