A Roly Poly Lunch Time

This week on a warm and windy lunchtime, the Juniors were feeling in a playful mood and organised Roly Poly races down the bank.

On your marks, set...

GO!!!!

The Plant Fair 1st of November

WDS  children showing off the vegetable seedlings that are ready to sell at the plant Fair on the 1st of November. Thanks to Jean Timms for helping the children sow the seeds at the end of last term.

Athletics Practise

On the 4th of November we are going to Memorial Park in Mosgiel  for Athletics Day. We think we are going to be really strong and competitive against the children from the other schools.We have been practicing our events every afternoon this week.

Charlie and Michael are sprinting as fast as they can by weaving around the cones, ready for the agility poles activity at the sports.

 

The School Van

In the school holidays Charlie's Mum organised a signwriter to put pictures on the school van. Now the van represents our school by letting everyone know there is a school in Waihola. The design on the van has the new WDS logo on it, with some children playing, yachts on the lake, and the Waihola Hill.
Madeleine

We think the van is awesome and we feel proud to ride in it.

Proud children pose for a photo. L to R - Beatrice,Tylah, Dorothy, Madeleine, Brooke, Evie, Charlie & Michael.

Highlights from Term 3

 Term 3 was a busy time with plenty of interesting and fun learning experiences. These are only some of them.

We are having drama with Evelyn. We worked from the story of Peter and the Wolf.

We are making mountains,hills, and rivers in the sandpit as part of our learning about the "changing land"

Ms Voice took us for music and we played and created music

with all kinds of instruments.

 

 

Out and about with Room 1! We are learning about how the waves change our seashore at St Clair beach.

We made parachutes out of plastic and string with a plastic block for a weight and dropped them from the adventure playground.

This term Waihola School are training really really hard for the Athletic Sports on the 4th of November. We have worked to do running, jumping and throwing. We will have some photos of our practices soon.
Jack And Max

WDS Cross Country

We have been practicing for weeks for our own WDS Cross Country, and the Taieri Schools Cross Country being held next week. 
This week we had a lovely winter's day for our race. The sun was shining and we had many parents along to support & cheer for the children. One of our parents was brave and fit enough to run with the children! We all noticed the commitment, effort, and encouragement for others shown by the children.

Year one place getters.

Year 2 place getters.

Year 3 & 4 place getters.

Maths and Symmetry

Room One have been exploring lines of symmetry in pictures, shapes and patterns. Symmetry is part of a child's environment, in mathematics, and continues for the rest of their life. You could help your child find objects, pictures etc that have a line or lines of symmetry at home.

Evie's blob  picture, made by painting on one side of the fold and folding over to make it look the same on the other side of the fold.

Michael's picture made by folding the paper in four and cutting shapes on the folded sides. Open up and reveal a lovely symmetrical pattern!

 

Museum Trip Rock Solid

Last week we had a great trip to the Otago Museum and took part in two programmes. The first programme was rock solid where we watched our Museum teacher, Kate show us how to make a volcano with food colouring ,baking soda and vinegar. 



Our teacher Kate makes a print in sand from Dorothy's hand and then pours in 'plaster of paris' to show how a fossil would be made millions of years ago.

In the second programme we found out from our museum teacher, Kim that ancient vases told stories. She told us an exciting story about a vase. Then we looked at the other vases and made up our own stories!



The Man and the Bird

Three Men and a Woman



The FMS Challenge at Forsyth Barr Stadium

Madeleine
I am hitting the balloon into the air with a wooden bat.
 

Max
We went to the challenge in a costume. I had to go in a sack for the sack race.

 

Jack
We were put into all sorts of animal groups. In this activity one person had to kick the round ball and then run and get it and put it back on the cone.

This is James and this photo turns him into "Super James"!

Our whole class are excited to be learning about rocks and fossils. Already we have a rock collection for the science table.

 Welcome to Term 3 - from Room One

Term 3 has started with our highly engaging topic, Digging up the Past, where we are finding out about landforms, what makes our land change over time and what is under the earths crust.

The Museum Trip Term 1 2015

Last week the whole school went to the Museum to find out about the very early explorers to New Zealand, the Polynesians.

We looked at the large map to see whereabouts the places were that the Polynesians came from. We were interested in the different kinds of boats.

We listen to Kim talk to us about the migration to NZ. The children go on a quest to find materials & food required for the trip and for survival in a new land.

Traps for catching eels.

Hooks for catching fish.

We search for tools that would help us find food for our group.

A spade for digging.

Room One Sail the South Pacific Ocean!

Jack M, Jack G, Beatrice and Evie are fishing for food.

Yesterday Room One made pretend sail boats out of classroom furniture because they were learning about how the first Polynesian sailors came to NZ. Children split up into 3 groups and made a boat each. They used drama to explore ideas, thoughts and feelings in response to a story that Mrs Lunn told about how the Polynesian settlers made their way down to NZ.

Preparing to sail.

Lets make a plan for traveling to a faraway land.

Sailing on the South Pacific!

The Giant Pumpkin

Last spring our favorite school friend and neighbour, Jean, who helps us with our gardens, challenged the families and the school to see who could grow the largest giant pumpkin. Madeleine, Elsie and Beatrice's family brought their pumpkin along to school to be weighed. We had great fun weighing ourselves and then the pumpkin to see who was lighter, heavier or the same as the pumpkin. The pumpkin weighed 21.2kg and Evie was the closest weight to the pumpkin!

Elsie, Beatrice and Madeleine, proudly show off their giant pumpkin.

Elsie, Mrs Timms Madeleine and Beatrice with the giant pumpkin which unfortunately can't be eaten.

Making Boats

Max, Ben and Dorothy are busily constructing their boats.

We are 'Tuning In' to our Inquiry, Sailing the Seven Seas, by making our own boats and then testing them to see if they float.

Jack G, Evie, Jack M, & Beatrice are on task and absorbed in their work.

My boat is called Zombie Striker. I made my boat water proof. My sail is yellow and my boat is pink.

Charlie

My little boat fell over in the water when we floated it. I made a colourful sail.

Beatrice

My boat tipped over because the mast was too heavy but it still floated.

Evie

I made a pirate ship and the cannon is going to fire at another boat.

James

This is my boat and it is a pirate ship. My pirate boat is going to sail the seven seas.

Dorothy

I am happy that my boat floated.

Michael

I made a boat with Jack G and I hoped it would float but it didn’t because it had a small hole in the back of the boat.

Jack M

The pirate is driving the ship to the treasure.

Ben

Welcome to Term 1 2015!

 We hope you enjoy reading about our cool learning on the  Blog.

This Term, our Inquiry learning topic is " Sailing the Seven Seas".

Our Big Question is:

How has ocean & water travel, and exploration affected people's lives?

We will be learning about some of the early sailors and explorers that came to New Zealand. Also, we will be thinking about how boats are made, and how they and other objects float and sink.

Room 1, 2015, holding the produce from our EE garden.