Santa sent us a parcel!

Wow... today we were bing bonged by the office as there was a very special parcel waiting for us there.  Mrs Rova sent two runners to collect it... and when they returned we were super excited because it was a package from SANTA!!! 

We wrote to him last week and asked him how reindeer could fly? And today he sent a package back to us. Inside was a special letter which was from the North Pole. The package also contained some oats and some special magic flying dust.  

With Tash's help, we got to make our own bag of reindeer food to sprinkle on our drive way on Christmas Eve.  It was all very exciting and even magical.

We took the bag of reindeer food home to place near our Christmas tree.  Perhaps you could write a letter to Santa if you have any questions about Christmas

Ladybugs and beetles

Mrs Stone and some of the children created a sustainable game of "Ladybugs and beetles". They used some rocks and the top piece of a cable drum. This game is played just like naughts and crosses. The children are enjoying the challenge and Mrs Stone remains undefeated.  We have the game set up in the classroom and it is proving very popular.  So much so that we took it out into the playground for others to enjoy. The children are learning the importance of taking turns and also trying to make a line of three in a row.
If you are in school please come and visit Room 13 and perhaps you could challenge Mrs Stone to a game...

Magic wands

We read a story in class called "Winnie's magic wand".  This story generated a lot of discussions. The play revolved around magic wands and what super powers they each may have.  Some of the children created some magic wands using sticks they had collected.  We got out the glue guns and a variety of fabric, fluffy balls, googly eyes and coloured match sticks.  There were a lot of different models generated.  
Have you made a magic wand before? 
Perhaps this is something you could try at home too.... 

Collecting the eggs

The class were very excited today to go on a little adventure over to the hen house.  Once there, they each took turns to go inside and collect the eggs. Some of the children even got to pat a chook.  Lots of learning about where the eggs had come from and also about how we enter the hen house.  We had to walk quietly and use little voices so not to scare them. We counted 13 eggs in total and can not wait to use them to create something edible.
Have you been over to see the chooks yet? 

The chickens have arrived!!

Room 13 were very excited this morning to go over and meet the new school chickens.  Our job was to feed them some silverbeet. We were talking about their feet and also the comb on the top of their head.  
Do chickens have ears?  Do they have lips inside their beak? What about eyelids? Are they roosters?
Mrs Rova and Mrs Stone are going to have to learn a lot about chickens to be able to answer all these tricky questions.

Next time you are in school please come and see the new feathered friends.  A special thanks to all the business and family members who sponsored a chicken for the school.

Technology - Robotics

Today we went for a walk to see the Robotics session for Technology.  Our school holds technology on site and there are a variety of different activities to choose from.  The class got to watch them being built and also have a turn at controlling the ones that were built.  Lots of fun!! Especially the ones that shoot things out of them.  The class thought it was a little bit like lego but with little motors.

Pirate chest

On Friday Mrs Rova found a treasure map on her chair.

The class decided to follow the map around the school......

It led to the sandpit....

and there was a MASSIVE pirate treasure chest and it was full of loot and gold.

We took the chest back to the class and shared out the treasure.

A very exciting day had by all.

Perhaps you can make a treasure map at home and have a go at hiding a treasure?

Happy birthday Karlos

On Friday we celebrated Karlos birthday together as a class.  Karlos mum Stacy has been very unwell so we decided to have a class celebration.  We invited Karlos family to join us - Mum, Dad, Destany and Phoenix. The cake was a pirate and full of M&Ms.  YUMMMY

Mrs Rova would like to say a special thank you to all our class parents and whanau for the lovely food (and also the gifts - they were a highlight  for Karlos)  Certainly a nice reminder that we live in a very loving and caring community and your kindness was most appreciated.  Arohanui xxx

On that note - Mrs Rova has set up a special group on Facebook called 'SPS Care group'.  I have a variety of things in place for any family at our school who may be facing some hardships - dues to illness, bereavement etc 
If you are interested and would like to join this then please send Mrs Rova a request.  

Harold the Giraffe

Harold the Giraffe is visiting SPS for a few weeks.  Room 13 got to go inside the mobile classroom.  Harold showed us the special coloured lights.  Harold is a giraffe.  It was fun learning about our bodies and what we need to survive.  

Elise turns 5

We were a bit spoilt in Room 13 - when Elise started she bought in some yummy cupcakes to share with the class. Thanks Fiona they were delicious!

Live band..

Today we were very lucky to have George join us with his guitar. We have been using the stage a lot in our play so we held a live concert.  George played some great songs that we all knew and joined in with.  Was a lot of fun. We had some musical instruments and created some live music together.  
Perhaps you could try making some music together as a family over the weekend... 

Baked beans or spaghetti??

Room 13 children were collecting up Wattie's tins for the NZ wide iniative and this generated a lot of discussions.  One was around what our favourite between spaghetti and baked beans was?? 
Mrs Stone used this opportunity to introduce the class to tally charts and bar graphs.  The children had to vote by having a photo with the can they liked the best.  We printed these out to make a bar graph and then we discussed the most favourite option and the least favourite.  Because the children were so involved with this we opted to have a baked beans and spaghetti class party.  Mrs Stone and Mrs Rova bought in some baked beans and spaghetti.  

We opened, and heated these and also made a heap of toast.  Served nice and warm - this was a welcome treat.  We enjoyed sharing this with our visitors from Room 4.

Perhaps you can cook some at home together...

Book boats

The office ladies sent some boxes down to Room 13 that they thought we would find a use for... and that we did..... they had many different uses however the favourite for the morning was Book Boats... they enjoyed reading to themselves or a buddy sitting inside the boats.  However once the "Storm" arrived and the sea turned rocky they ditched the books and a fierce pirate battle ensued.  

Later that day we saw the boats turned into go-carts and they began racing each other around the grass track.  The boxes have been very popular and the variety of uses unlimited.

Have you got a box at home that could be used as something different?? Perhaps you could try putting a box out and see what it becomes .... 

Fresh water bugs

Special thanks to Bart Jansma for bringing in some fresh water bugs today.  They children loved observing and discussing what they were and how they moved.  They especially liked looking at the Mayfly as it had three tails. Another favourite was the tiny bug that lived inside a little stick.  

Perhaps you could find some fresh water bugs of your own to share with the class...

Taranaki Cricket Association visits

We had some players from the Taranaki Cricket Association visit the Junior syndicate.  They were teaching us some drills to enhance our throwing and catching skills.  To conclude the session they gave each of us a little bag filled with some goodies. They are offering a coaching skills session to the Stratford Community on a Friday night.  If you would like to sign up then head to the Cricket Club this Friday night.  It sounds like it will be a lot of fun.

Coach Mike

Here are some more action shots of another fantastic session with coach Mike.  Today we were focussing on relay games and working together as a team.  We had a lot of fun and are looking forward to next week already.

Halloween biscuits

Special thanks to Ruby's mum Jennifer for the lovely Halloween biscuits she made for the class. The children thought the shapes were pretty cool and opted to eat them without icing.  A well deserved treat.

Chicken house

Today we went for an adventure over to see the newly completed chicken house. The builders have been very busy over the school holidays.  Mrs Rova had her dog Paprika at school so she came for a walk too. It is very big and we can not wait for the new school chickens to be added. Perhaps you could ask your child to take you over so you can have a look also.

Incubator

Over in Room 12 we have set up the incubator again.  This time we are attempting to hatch a few chickens, turkeys and ducks.  The children enjoy going over and having a look inside the incubator to check if any are deciding to start 'peeping' out . If you are in school and want to have a look please ask and we can take you over there.

Kia Kaha Programme

Constable Jono is helping the Junior Syndicate deliever the Kia Kaha programme to the classes.  Here he is on Day One talking about when to ask for help and who in our community can help us.  He also talked about the role of Police Officers.  Most of Room 13 knew his main job was to help catch baddies. Perhaps you can chat with your children about who can help in your neighbour hood.

Coach Mike

The Junior Syndicate have Sport Taranaki working alongside the teachers to present the co-operative games module to the classes.  This programme will run for 5 weeks.  We were for fortunate to have Coach Mike deliver the first session. Most of the class knew him and were happy to be re-united. Here are a few snaps of what activities we joined in. 

Leaf cutter bee hive

The owners from Stratford New World kindly donated a leaf cutter bee hive to Stratford Primary School. This was a promotion in conjunction with the Little Garden plants that we also received. We had a presentation afternoon and Dan (from New World) came and gifted the hive and sleeping bees to Rooms 9 & 13.  Marlene created some gorgeous bee cup cakes and some yummy honey rice bubble slice - which we were all able to share together. The Stratford Press and Daily News were present and took some lovely photos of the afternoon.  Now we patiently wait for the bees to hatch out which should be in the beginning of November.

Bird house

Special thanks to Ian Abraham for taking the time to venture into Room 13 and help the children create a bird feeder house with everybody having a turn to assist.  We were very pleased with the final product and the class spent time outside trying to find an ideal location for it.  We have decided on a tree and are patiently waiting for Mr Kirk to hang it for us.  The tui's are going to be very excited about the new addition to the outdoor environment.

Little gardens

As part of the New World little gardens promotion our class received a whole set of plants to set up.  We each had a lot of fun creating our own plant.  Every child has been taking care of their plant and there has been lots of talk about who's plant is growing the quickest/slowest/biggest etc.

If you have any spare little gardens at home please send them in with your child and we can then re plant them into our school garden.  
If you are in school then please pop into Room 13 and see the plant growth for yourself.  We are using the worm wee's from our worm farm to assist the growth rate also.

Visiting Pipe Band

Today we had a school assembly outside on the red court.  We all got to listen to the pipe band.  The children were then given the opportunity to have a go on the drums or bag pipes if they wanted too. It was lots of fun.  
On our school Facebook page there is a video if you want to hear just how amazing it sounded.

Making waffles

Room 13 have been playing a lot in the kitchen.  There has been a lot of role play around writing lists and shopping for food.  Mrs Rova found a recipe to make waffles.  Some of the children helped to make a shopping list and then we made waffles in class.  Mrs Rova bought in her special waffle maker and also a special bottle of squirt cream.  Each child had the opportunity to be a part of the making process.  Then we shared the treat together.  Yummy!! Perhaps you can have a go at making these at home.

Charlie the lamb

We were very lucky in Room 13 when Ruby's nana bought in the lamb to share with the children.  The lamb was a boy and his name was Charlie.  We got to touch him and talk about how it felt.  We learnt that Charlie is covered in wool.  Ruby's nana showed the children how to make a nice warm bottle for the lamb and then we were able to take turns to feed him.  The lamb loved visiting and special thanks to Jennifer and her mum for sharing him with our class.

Bella and Charlie

Daniel was very proud to share his dog and new puppy with us today. There names are Bella and Charlie.  The class asked lots of super questions and we heard all about where they sleep, what they eat and how Daniel takes care of them.  Thank you Loren for bringing the dogs in and sharing them with us.

Taranaki Rugby Players visit the Junior syndicate

We were fortunate enough to have some of the Taranaki Rugby players visit the junior syndicate.  They joined in with some Go Noodle and then spent some time playing in Room 13. The dished out some very cool posters and some children were lucky enough to get a rugby ball.  Thanks TSB bank for supporting this visit.

Zella the blue tongue lizard

Brenda bought in a special pet to share - it was her blue tongue lizard called Zella.  Zella is 10 years old and has a blue tongue.  She was pretty cool and in the afternoon we got her out of her cage and we each had a hold of her. She felt a bit cold and leathery.  Zella stayed for the whole day. Thank you Brenda for sharing Zella with Room 13.  Mrs Rova has some super pictures of us each holding Zella so please ask if you would like a copy. 

Daffodil Day

 On Daffodil day we created a little science experiment using daffodils, food colouring, water, 2 jars and some scissors. We put red food colouring and water in one jar and blue in the other. We put three daffodils in the red jar and three daffodils into the blue jar. Then we cut the stem of three other daffodils into two. We placed one side of the daffodil into the red jar and one side into the blue jar.  We left the daffodils for a few days and then we were amazed at the results.  The daffodils in the red jar turned a bit red around the edges, the daffodils in the blue jar turned a bit blue around the edges too.  The daffodils in both colours turned red and blue around the edges like in the photo. 
Perhaps you could try this at home too?

Kale Chips

Today Cassius, Ruby, Kiarhn and Blake went with Marlene and Dylan to make kale chips. They picked the fresh kale from our school gardens.  They followed a similar recipe to the one we have attached below. They each had a role in making the tasty treat.  When they had finished they bought the kale chips to class and we all got sample some. Some of the class thought they were delicious.  Perhaps you could try the recipe at home?

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KALE CHIPS

Ingredients: 200g curly kale

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp sea salt Chicken seasoning

What to do:

1. Heat the oven to 140C. Wash the kale and pat dry.

2. Strip the leaves off the stems, and tear into rough bite-sized pieces. Arrange in a single layer, not too crowded, on two baking trays lined with baking paper (you may need to do two batches).

3. Drizzle with the olive oil and massage the oil into the leaves until coated.

4. Scatter with sea salt and chicken seasoning, then bake until crisp but not browned (keep checking after 10 minutes, it could take up to 15) and serve.

Discovery

Discovery is a great opportunity to try lots of language experiences on offer.  This week we had a variety of activities however the most popular being the frozen water balloons to play with.  After we had held them and passed them around we took to smashing them on the grass and then walking in it.  We also had face painting which proved a hit.  There was arts and craft activities with boxes, eyes and the glue gun and I am certain a few of these would have made it home. In Room 10 the children were making toast.  




James, Wera and Tukaha joined us from the Sport Taranaki Maori and Pasifica programme and had a heap of skills based games on offer. 

Ask your child about the frozen water balloons and perhaps you could give it a go at home?

Kale, cheese and bacon muffins

Today a group of students went with Marlene to do some baking.  They picked the kale from the school garden.  They had to chop up the kale into tiny pieces. Then they got to measure out all the ingredients and mix them together.  They each had a turn at spooning the mixture into the muffin tray. Once they were cooked they got to share the delicious baking with the class. 
Perhaps you could do some baking at home to show case the wonderful skills that Room 13 have! Mrs Rova would love to sample any creations :)

New sign

Have you seen the new sign yet?? Today we went on a little adventure and we watched the new sign getting put it.  We got to see and hear the post hole borer in action. It was fun. We love the new sign and were happy to pose for pictures.

Opussum

We were lucky enough to have two opussums visit.  They were eating apples and they hold their food like we do.  They sleep during the day and come out at night.  We have been learning about nocturnal animals. 

Weet-bix slice

Dylan made weet-bix slice to share with Room 13.  It tasted very yummy and was super crunchy. Dylan told the class what ingredients he needed to make it and how he made it. We have asked Dylan to come back and teach us how to make it.  
Have you got a favourite recipe that you could share?

Paprika

Mrs Rova bought her dog Paprika in.  She is a papillion and is 4 years old.  Paprika loved hanging out in Room 13 and the class enjoyed having her visit.  

Max and Angel

Makayla's mum bought in their pet chihuahua's - Max and Angel.  They had little knitted jerseys on because it was so cold. We loved having them to visit.  If you have a pet at home that you want to share with the class then please see Mrs Rova.

Sewing

We were given a bag of material to create some items for the dolls house.  The children made blankets and pillows.  Tom and Krishiv wanted to make a bag so they headed to Marlene to get some cotton and thread.  Marlene showed the boys how to sew by stitching the sides together.  They were so excited with their efforts.  Perhaps you could try sewing at home?