Japanese Update

We have been working really hard to improve our pronunciation and confidence in Japanese.  To help us remember the Japanese language, we had a group competition!  It was a fun way to revise our Japanese vocab.

Here are two short videos of Alexander, Elen, Nelly and Olivia D who are growing in confidence to hold conversations in Japanese:

 

Watch out for Miss Campbell at lunch times. She will be expecting to have conversations in the playground with you in Japanese this week.

'The Lost Thing' - Shaun Tan

Earlier this week, we read 'The Lost Thing', by Shaun Tan and viewed the film online.  This picture book is not exactly typical - it is full of symbolism and deeper meanings. 

We discussed some of these concepts before tapping into the most creative, quirky, original and unique parts of our brain - we had to create our own 'lost thing'!

Yellow Day - Daffodil Day

Today we dressed in anything and everything yellow to celebrate Yellow Day!  Students also brought along a gold coin to donate to the Cancer Society.  It was so exciting to see the weird and wonderful way people dressed, as well as seeing their fabulous dance moves in the parade.  We are pleased to announce we will donate $300 to the Cancer Society.  Well done team!

Colouring Competition

"Are you too old for a colouring competition?" asked Miss Simpson.  "Nah!" replied Room 6.  The mission:  to use our creative brilliance to colour in the Daffodil Day daffodils.  The fact we only had 10 minutes to do the job added to the challenge!  Here are the winners:

South Makirikiri Exchange

Today we hosted South Makirikiri School in a winter sports exchange.  Despite the icky weather, we got stuck into our games.  Here is a summary of each game:

Football Report:
The Halcombe Football team won 5-4 against South Makirikiri. It was a great and challenging game and they were a tough team to face. We scored the first goal but we were neck and neck all the way to the end. The highlight was when Jago scored a header goal which was crossed in from Brett. Another highlight was when George saved a very difficult goal in the bottom left corner.  It was a very hard game and we are glad we won.

Rugby Report:
Before the game we were a bit nervous about how the weather would turn out.  Even though it was a friendly match, we still played hard.  South Makirikiri had only five players so we placed them in separate teams.  Stefan started the match with a run-a-way try and conversion.  The weather turned for the worse and it started to rain.  Everybody scored, whether it was a try or a conversion.  We didn’t keep track of the score but we know one team smashed the other.   

'A' Netball Report:
Before the game, we started off with our usual Monday night warm-up which went really well. We also eyed up our opposition and talked about what kind of passes we should/shouldn’t do. We noticed that our defenders were really tall. The game went really well, however we made lots of silly mistakes with the basics. We communicated really well. Our shooting was a bit off in the first half, but it improved in the second half. The wind didn’t help.  The final score was 26-6, to us.

'B' Netball Report:
We were nervous that our game was going to be cancelled, because it was drizzling.  We felt the pressure building up as we saw the other team warming up. They were about the same height as us so that was a bonus, but they looked like a great team. In the first quarter, we were doing real well and worked really well together as a team.  The other team looked like they had a lot of pressure on them as we scored our second goal.  We won our game 16-0 and we all enjoyed our game.

Thank you to all our supporters and to Mrs Henderson, Mrs Baker, Mrs Short and Mrs Brett who helped organise our afternoon tea.

School Website

Have you checked out our school website lately?  Mrs Otter does such a wonderful job of keeping it updated - thank you Mrs Otter!  Click on the link below to take a look:

CLICK HERE FOR HALCOMBE SCHOOL WEBSITE

There is a page for the Green Team too!  Click on the link below to take a look:

CLICK HERE FOR GREEN TEAM PAGE

Street Art

This week, one of our creative challenges is to create some street art around our school.  We found inspiration by looking at loads of awesome examples of street art from around the world - people are so clever!  Today we scoped out possible locations for our art... stand by for extreme awesome-ness later in the week.  Can you work out where this street art was done?

Tyler's Street Art:

Positive Sideline Behaviour - Applaud

Today we discussed the issue of negative/abusive/angry people in sport.  We've all seen and heard some pretty unpleasant things  - some from people we know!  Using the New Zealand Rugby Union APPLAUD resource, we discussed different scenarios and how we could/should react in that situation.  We also read a cool little book outlining the impact of negative/abusive/angry parents on their child. 

Key messages were:

• If you hear negative comments from your opposition, rise above it and set a positive example.  Don't lower yourself to their level.
• If you hear negative/abusive/angry comments from the sideline, do something about it!  By doing nothing, you are accepting the behaviour.
• You have the right to have fun - it isn't fair if people stop this from happening.

Speeches

'NEW ZEALAND IS THE BEST

COUNTRY IN THE WORLD'

That's right, it's that time of year again... speeches!  Today we brainstormed a whole bunch of ideas related to this topic.  Now that we've decided whether we agree or disagree, we need to write our speeches. 

Deadline:  Be ready to present your speech at the beginning of Week 7!

Garden Update

We've been working hard in our garden this week.  Our lettuces are nearly ready to eat, we moved some flowers into another garden and we planted strawberries and a whole heap of onions.  Yum!  Thank you to our keen gardeners, especially Jasmine, Victoria, Tyler, Tammy and Olivia C.

 

The Green Team had a very busy lunchtime today.  They planted HEAPS of plants (thank you to Vicki for the awesome donation).  It was hard work, especially trying to dig holes in stony the ground.  The last few plants were planted rather quickly, as it started to pour with rain!

 

3D Hand Art

We've been working on this 3D Hand Art this week.  As you can see, it is a really simple but effective wee piece of art.  These people have finished already:

Halcombe vs Halcombe!

The Swordfish faced the Makos in Flippaball at the Makino Pool tonight.  We had been looking forward to this game for weeks!  Both teams played really well, with the Makos taking out the match.  Well done!

Tech

Check out this cool farm scene Tyler made in Hard Materials!  Nice one Tyler!

Baby Face Project

We used to be so cute...

 

Go All Blacks!

 

Doodle For Halcombe School

After entering the Doodle4Google competition, we were inspired to Doodle For Halcombe School.  We had to think about things that are special/unique about our school and incorporate them into a sign.  It was awesome to see the wonderful creativity and care people took with their designs.  Here are the top seven:

 

A Fine Looking Bunch!

While we were out picking up rubbish on the roads around our school, we spied this massive pile of stones... we couldn't resist climbing up and posing for a photo!

Creative House Writing

Here are some wonderful examples of our creative house writing - as promised!

House Writing - Olivia D
Don’t you just hate noisy neighbours? Well, that won’t be a problem with this highly secluded, secure home. It has a breath-taking forest right on your doorstep, absolutely perfect for nature lovers. Plus the size of this two storey house, with a spacious attic, is very convenient for large families.  The large windows invite maximum sun into the hose, which compliments the natural air-conditioning. Have you always dreamt of a large house with a balcony? Well then this peaceful home meets your requirements. With its exceptional views and earthy charisma, this dream home really is the full package. Call today to secure this unique and original property.

House Writing - Kyle

If you have just retired and don’t like neighbours then this is the house for you. This spacious home is brilliant at night with an amazing view of the stars with a beautiful skyline. This house is a renovators dream and with free air conditioning, you’ll never be hot again. With a big outdoors area for kids and animals to run around, there is plenty of space for motor bikes and to play sports. There is no electricity bill to pay either. With no annoying neighbours, it’s good to sit out in the shade and relax.
 

House Writing - George
Love adventure?  Then this is the home for you!  You can experience outdoor living in a back-to-basics manner, with no electricity!  This is a handyman’s dream, with spacious areas and plenty of room to renovate to your liking.  Noisy neighbours won’t be a problem in this remote, peaceful house.  This house is perfect for a large family and growing kids.  Gathering firewood will not be a problem, because you are surrounded by nature and many trees.  This sunny house is certain to impress nature-lovers.

 

 

House Writing - Jago

Have lots of energetic kids? If so, this is the place for you. You and your kids will never get too hot as the air conditioning which is installed in every room, changes automatically depending on the type of day it is. You and any visitors will love the immaculate, fresh, rural air. There are plenty of places to build tree huts and the property has no loud neighbours. The lawn has a wild sort of look to it and if you are a gardener you will love all of the landscaping opportunities available to you. The house is very spacious on the inside for it has no inner walls. This also means you can see what your kids are doing wherever you are in the house. If this sounds like the house for you then ring us now.

Gymnastics Highlights

Our PE focus has been on gymnastics for the last few weeks.  We have worked really hard to achieve our goals and improve our technique in all areas.  Check out the video:

Turbo Time!

Molly and Nelly have entered us into a very special competition!  They have written a letter to Property Brokers explaining why we deserve to become Junior Bucketheads - we might win tickets to a game for the whole class!  Fingers crossed! 

Here is the letter they wrote:

Dear Property Brokers

We are a group of 25 Year 7 and 8 students from Room 6 at Halcombe School, near Feilding. We love rugby and many of us already go to the Turbo’s games, as we are all keen, dedicated fans!  We love the Bucket-Heads and have even made our own for school events.

We play a lot of rugby and rippa rugby at Halcombe School.  Each year we enter the Rippa Rugby tournament and often have games and mini tournaments at school too.  We have recently played rugby against Bulls School, where we won 67-47, in a winter sports exchange and will face South Makirikiri School next week.  We can’t wait to tackle this game with enthusiasm and will hopefully win!

In 2011 most of our class went to watch the Rugby World Cup game when Argentina played Georgia, in Palmerston North. Everyone enjoyed this and we had a lot of fun cheering for both teams!

When there is a big rugby match on, our class places friendly bets on the score. There is always an awesome prize for the winner!  This encourages everyone to watch the game and get involved.  At the moment we’re all deciding what we think the score will be in the All Blacks vs Australia game on Saturday.

We all would love to win the prize and it would be a great opportunity to show the Turbo’s and their supporters how enthusiastic and dedicated we are towards a good old game of rugby.

Yours Sincerely,
Nelly and Molly
(on behalf of Room 6, Halcombe School)

Daffodil Day

Bulls Winter Sports Exchange

Wow, what an awesome day in the sun at Bulls School!  Facing them in netball, rugby and soccer, all teams played extremely well - our hard training was worth it!  We won all the games except Junior rugby and showed excellent skills and sportsmanship.  Thank you to the parents who provided transport and our other supporters.  Well done everyone!

DISCO!

Congratulations and thank you to the Student Council for doing such an excellent job of hosting both the Junior and Senior discos.  Everyone had a lot of fun showing off their best dance moves!

An Earthquake Strikes!

At approximately 2.35pm today, we experienced an earthquake at school.  It was a fairly decent sized quake, enough make the heart beat pretty fast for sure!  Miss Simpson is extremely proud of most of us for the way we reacted - especially the Year 7's who had to make some really mature decisions on their own.  It certainly reinforces the importance of all those earthquake drills we do! 

From www.stuff.co.nz

There was a real buzz of energy after the quake, so we thought we had better write down our thoughts and feelings!  This writing was done about 15 minutes after the earthquake:

I was in the hall kitchen stacking drinks.  I was looking out the window when the blinds started moving.  I heard Miss Simpson say, “Get under a doorway”, so I ran under the pantry door.  I was so amped up and scared that it would never stop and the buildings would fall down.  I feel like I am high on energy and never want this to happen again!  ELEN.

I don’t really worry about earthquakes, they don’t frighten me, especially if they are only little.  I’m glad everything is okay for the disco and that everyone is fine.  GRACE.

I just got straight under the desk.  It wasn’t too bad because it has happened before.  We told everyone to keep calm.  We stayed under the desk till the teacher told us to get up.  TREVOR.

My heart is still beating really fast.  I feel like it is still rocking, and that we are on a boat.  That earthquake was long, scary and powerful.  HILARY.

This was my first real earthquake experience at school and I kept wondering if it was going to carry on.  TYLER.

I felt worried for my family and friends, and worried for my own safety.  GEORGE.

I was so scared during the earthquake!  The first thing I felt was a big jolt!  I looked out the window and saw the netball post shaking.  I leapt out of my chair and into safety under my desk.  It felt like I was on a boat.  The shaking did not stop.  I didn’t know what to think.  Finally the shaking stopped.  Was it safe to go out?  It was all good in the end.  I just hoped my animals would be okay.  My hands are still shaking!  JASMINE.

This was an amazing experience, because I’ve never been in an earthquake before.  At first I thought Jago was shaking my desk.  I was amazed at how much the water in the pool was moving too!  CODY.

This is the biggest earthquake I’ve ever been in.  I feel like that when I stand, I’ll fall straight over.  I feel like I can’t even write.  DANIEL.

I felt dizzy when the earthquake was happening.  I also felt scared and tingly.  I felt like the desks were going to fall over.  I wonder if there will be another one?  HANNAH.

I was making sure everyone was safe.  I got under a desk and was holding the legs.  I was waiting for a teacher to come.  I felt scared while I was waiting for the room to stop shaking.

I’m scared there is going to be another earthquake. I’m hoping my family are okay, safe and not too scared.  I keep thinking that every little movement is another earthquake and I’m thinking of all the negative possibilities and outcomes.  The pool is now a wave pool!  NELLY.

I was working when Cody said that he thought I was shaking his desk.  There was then a monumental rumbling and the floor began to sway.  It wasn’t really shaking, it felt more like being on a boat.  I thought the lights were going to fall, but I knew we were safe because we got under our desks straight away.  JAGO.

I was really shocked when I noticed how much the glowsticks were shaking in the hall.  I’m worried there will be an aftershock.  I thought the earthquake streak was over, but apparently not.  JULIET.

I feel like I can still feel the earthquake.  My legs are like jelly.  My stomach is topsy-turvy.  When it struck, I felt sea-sick, like I was back on the Inter Island Ferry.  My eyesight seems funny, is it still rocking?  I got under a doorway and Miss Simpson joined me.  The pool is still rocking.  Both pools have overflowed.  ALEX.

I felt weird, fearful, wobbly, scared and confused.  I wonder where it was centred?  How big was it?  LOGAN.

That was freaky!  I don’t like earthquakes.  Is there going to be another one?  Why has it happened a month after the others?  OLIVIA C.

I feel proud, because I told everyone to get under the desks.  I kept people safe.  This was the first time I have felt an earthquake at school.  STEFAN.

It was a really rolling earthquake and I knew it was an earthquake straight away.  During the earthquake, I wasn’t that frightened, because I knew that being frightened wouldn’t help.  I dived under a table and just sat there waiting for it to stop.  Afterwards, once we were back in class, it was kind of cool to know how it actually feels when an earthquake happens at school.  MOLLY.

Scared.  I was really scared and freaked out about the earthquake.  I think I handled it okay, even if it took me awhile to realise it was actually an earthquake and get under the desk.  I am happy the earthquake is over and that everyone is okay.  My heart is still beating fast!  TAMMY.

I was scared.  I saw the windows rattling and the lights swinging.  We all got under the desks and waited calmly until the teacher came.  VICTORIA.

Tech - Rotation 3

Today we started the final activity of our Tech programme.  We are all excited about learning new skills and making great products.  When Miss Simpson visited Tech today, she found the Food Tech kids making macaroni and cheese and was able to sample a delicious jam biscuit, the Hard Materials kids were making fabulous wooden puzzles and the CO2 car group were in the process of researching how to make the baddest/fastest racing car!

Origami Time

Miss Campbell taught us all about the art of Japanese paper folding today - AKA origami!  You need steady hands and a lot of patience to become an origami master!  Thanks Miss Campbell, we had loads of fun!

Number Plate Challenge

To celebrate the end of Maths Week, we faced off in a Number Plate Challenge.  Using the cars in the school car park, we had to work on our own to find the answers the following questions:

• Which car has the greatest total (numbers only)?
• Which car has the lowest total (numbers only)?
• What is the total if you add all the number plates together?
• If A=1, B=2, C=3 etc, which car has the greatest total (letters only)?
• If A=1, B=2, C=3 etc, which car has the lowest total (letters only)?
• Can you round the numbers of each plate to the nearest 100?

 

We all enjoyed working on this activity - we'll never look at number plates in the same way again!

 

Six Word Stories

Six Word Stories are.... stories told in exactly six words!  It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it, but once you get going, it is really fun to come up with clever wee stories.  In preparation for writing our own Six Word Stories, we had a bit of a practice today.  Check it out!

• Dog caught stealing by horse police.  Logan.
• “Don’t annoy me again, or else!”  Hilary.
• “Bite my tail, I bite yours”.  Alex.
• Dogs and horses really don’t mix.  Tyler.
• “Time to lose your fluffy tail”.  Juliet.
• “Get out of here, it’s my grass!”  Elen.
• Game of tag not so fun.  Miss Simpson.

 

• “Aggghhhhrrrr, I lost my eye patch!”  Jago.
• “What are you looking at punk?”  Cody.
• “It’s just one of those days…”  Olivia D.
• “Come on boy, take me on!”  Quaid.
• “Don’t dare touch my mane again”.  Hannah.
• “Mouth ache - dentist would be appreciated!”  Molly.
• “Darn it, Monday again, work stinks!”  George.
• “Let’s play wink murder, you’re dead”.  Hilary.
• “What’s up with the missus today?”  Elen.
• “Most definitely not a morning person”.  Juliet.
• “Wifey, just get off my back!”  Logan.
• “Found a lemon in a tree…”  Tyler.

Senior Team Mini Mathex

What an awesome maths session we had today!  The students in our Mathex teams organised (with the help of Miss Campbell and Mrs Simpson) a massive mini mathex competition for our team. 

After meeting in the hall and being welcomed by Juliet and Grace, we launched into the practical section.  To be successful, we had to communicate with our team and work hard to solve the tricky problems. 

Following this were the quick-fire questions - we had to answer as many questions as possible in 20 minutes!  This really put our maths brains to the test, but was loads of fun too!

A massive congratulations Hannah, Riley and Regan, the winners of the competition.  Thank you to the Mathex teams, Miss Campbell and Mrs Simpson for organising this awesome event!

Creative Writing - House Advertisements

As part of our focus on creative writing, this week we are writing advertisements for houses!  First we looked at examples of advertisements in the Property Press.  We talked about the kind of language and information used to advertise the property.  We also learnt about persuasive language and the impact this can have on a potential buyer.

Next we worked together to create an example, though the house we were advertising was rather unique!  Check it out:

We are moving on to writing our own advertisements, in attempt to 'sell' some particularly unique properties!  We look forward to sharing these with you soon.

Massive Maths Week Problems

The Challenge:  work out the answers to the eight questions below.  Keep your answers TOP SECRET.  You can work on these problems before school, at break times, or even at home!  There will be a wee prize at the end of the week for those who get stuck in and score 100%.  This challenge is open to anyone in Room 6 or in Miss Simpson's maths class.  Good luck!

Problems from www.cool4math.com

Problem 1

 

 

Problem 2

 

 

Problem 3

 

 

Problem 4

 

 

Problem 5

 

 

Problem 6

 

 

Problem 7

 

 

Problem 8