Warm Fuzzy Celebration...

Yipee ... our warm fuzzy jar in E7 is filled to the brim.  After much discussion, the children decided they'd like to celebrate with a pyjama party and a pizza lunch.

The children in our class have worked so hard over Term 2 and 3 to fill the jar ... working towards individual learning goals, taking pride in and ownership of their work and being a cooperative member of our class (it’s these things they ‘earn’ warm fuzzies for).

What a nice way to end Term 3.

Funny faces on Warm Fuzzy Day!

Full to overflowing ... 

Way back in May we estimated how many warm fuzzies we
thought might be in the jar when it was full...

We grouped our warm fuzzies by colour, then skip counted in 5s.
There were 84 in total. 

Nicholas got the closest guess with 86.

We had pizza for lunch.  Even Theodore ate some!

We designed our own Warm Fuzzies

Junior Football Tournament...

We had so much fun in the sun today with our junior football tournament, hosted by Tony Morrison from SportZone - Little Dribblers.

For many of us, it was the first time we'd played football.  For others, it was a chance to practice our fancy footwork and ball skills.  

Check us out...

Community Consultation Hui...

Tuesday 14th October 2014

6.00pm to 7.30 pm - School Hall

(Term 4, Week 1)

Everyone is welcome to have your say in the future of Eastern Hutt.

Facilitated by Lesley Moffat.

What do our students need to be successful in the future?
If you were to walk into Eastern Hutt in 5 years time, what would it be like?

This is an opportunity to have discussion with other parents and have your say in the future direction our school.  This is a chance for your to share what you believe is important in the education we provide for your students over the next 3-5 years.

A notice will be sent home in the last week of school term.  Supper and child-minding will be provided.  Please mark this date in your diary and we'll see you there.

Super-Duper Sunflowers...

Today marked the start of our school's entry into the Great Sunflower Growing Competition 2014/15.  Each class has been given 4 sunflower seeds and a biodegradable pottle.  Today we planted the seeds and have found a spot on our windowsill where the pottle will get lots of light and air.  We have watered the seeds and because of the warm weather we've been having, we've put a bit of water in a tray so the soil will stay nice and moist.  

We will be watching the sunflowers' progress closely, predicting and measuring how tall it will grow and how big the flower might get.  Some of us think our sunflower will grow taller than us and bigger than our heads ... but then we noticed that some people have got different sized heads.  Mmmmm...

You can follow the progress of our sunflowers on our Sunflower Diary (see tabs above).

Pirate Polly...

Each week we read a big book in class.  We love our big books and are lucky to have lots of titles to choose from.  Over the last few weeks we have been taking a close look at the characters in these stories ... what they look like, what they do, what they're like.  We have been thinking of what they remind us of, and how we can include these similes in our character writing.

This week we read Pirate Polly.  Pirate Polly is a cool, calm pirate who appears to be nice and friendly. We like her groovy outfit, her drum and her ability to make things 'vanish'.

Today we used our green thinking hats to think creatively about her different features, and what they reminded us of in real life.  Take a look ...

Then we wrote our own stories about Pirate Polly...

Pirate polly has a hat as dark as they night sky.
Her cape looks like golden treasure. 
She looks as happy as me eating icecream. 
I like Pirate Polly.  She is pretty.  Really pretty. 

Pirate Polly has a jacket like red tomatoes.
She has skin like chocolate.
She has a happy face, a red face.

Pirate Polly has a jacket like the colour of a red tomato.
She has a hat like a black bear.  Her lips are like strawberries.

Pirate Polly has a barrel like the colour of a piece of chocolate.
Pirate Polly has buttons like peas.  Pirate Polly has lips like a tomato.
Pirate Polly has a top like a stripy snake.

Music coming out of our ears...

We have a busy couple of weeks further exploring sound and music.  We have been learning all about instruments, planning how to design our own and making our own musical instruments.  Also, we have been really lucky to have had two special guests show us their own special instruments.

Firstly we had Mrs Campbell come and show us a variety of instruments she has collected on her travels from all over the world.

Instruments from all over the world...

Next we had Ryan, Scarlett's Daddy, come in and show us his electric guitars.  It was very cool - we even got to try and play them.

Playing Ryan's electric guitars and using his sound effect pedals...

Rory said, "I liked playing with the pedals.  It was fun.  I liked it.  It made me feel good."

Dehan wrote, "Today I got to try Ryan’s guitar.  It was an electric guitar.  It feels good.  I listened to the music."

Jerome said, "Today Scarlett’s Dad came to our classroom.  He brought four guitars.  He played them.  I loved it."

Scarlett wrote, "Today my Daddy came to our school.  We sang lots of songs.  I also went to the front (we sang the Wiggles one).  Me and my Dad sang and E6 and our class E7 sang too.  I felt happy."

We have also been making our instruments (following the plans we have written over the last week)...

How to make a Pan Flute

Our buddy class A7 helped us make our pan flutes...

How to make a Tin Drum

We love our colourful drums...

How to make a Shaker

We've got mail (more of it)...

We just love receiving mail in E7.  This week we've received cards from New England and Arizona, in the United States (thank you Randall Family), Ireland (thank you Flanagan family) and Australia (thank you Melody).  We now have 21 postcards and have sent out almost as many...

Calendar Art...

Every year the children at Eastern Hutt get to don their artist's hats and create a masterpiece fit for the cover of a lovely diary, wall calendar or gift cards for their friends & family to purchase.

Order forms were sent home in student's yellow book bags today. These works of art are available for viewing in our classroom.  In the meantime (or if you are unable to get in to class), here is your child's art.  Orders and payment can be brought to school in week 9.

You may recall earlier in the term we had Book Week and E7's chosen book was Rainbow Fish.  We decided to base our calendar art on the same book.  Our work is done with pastels and dye, and is collaged.

Enjoy...