Learning about a balanced meal - our healthy butter chicken

We learned about a balanced meal with all the food groups represented. We enjoyed tasting it too.

Over the last two days, the year 6's have been baking for the “how many veggie can you get in a cake” challenge and then we decided to send it to  the people of Kaikoura since they have no home after the earthquake .

Although we have been baking, we have also been doing lots of maths. here is the maths that we have been doing

• fractions - doubling, tripling, we halved the recipe, we read the fractions and divided the fractions.
• counting,
• Measuring - We have been using cups, spoons and . we put the heat on to 180 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Statistics - we rated what we made, so we could compare to see what recipe is the best.

Keiran A, Keiran H and Justin

The Senior Room practising their Te Reo, they love doing role plays!

School Council

Our School Council members have been organising and successfully running lunchtimes games. Great to see these older students encouraging younger ones in their own time.

World War 1 Trench story by Bryce King

The smoke filled air was inhaled into my lungs, rats swarmed the trench along with spiders and mice, bullets flew through the air, my ears rang like a fire siren.

The bodies stared at me, guilt filled my body like water in the ocean. My finger gripped the trigger, goosebumps and butterflies swarmed my body like moths to a flame. Bullets swarmed the air like bees at a beehive there stingers aimed at me. One hit. Game over.

My finger began to go numb, it clutched the trigger, slowly moving forward “boom” my whole body couldn't believe what I did. A man fell to the ground, my body shook with fear, imagining the news to someone's family that there brother, father or son is dead. “Boom!” I lay lifeless on the ground, my last thought was I deserve this.

Moment in time writing

A new life for both of us.

Written by Aaron.

Tick,tick,tick,tick. It just sat there, watching me, with its black eyes not making a single move. A black demon, I thought. Holding the key to my future. But its shadow, it danced across the room, like it had purpose, not like the empty shell of its companion.

What could it be, is it a sign for something? Is it trying to tell me something?  Is it telling to get my life on track or you'll turn into something like me? It had a meaning but what was it?

My head spun with all these thoughts. The eerie silence in the room was broken, by a loud juttering crow. The cheerful dancing shadow disappeared and with that the wind picked up and started howling and screaming.

It’s eyes light up with a fiery yellow. It looked like it had found its hope within the time I had been there. When it started to soar across  the room, I had a smile across my face. I had given it purpose and now it flew with hope.

The crow flew over top of me with the shimmering key, snapped in between its peak. His peak slowly opened and the key to my next life, fell through the air onto the table next to me. I reached for the so important key as the crow turn around to snatch it away from me. My hand reached the key as the crow that has now betrayed me, snapped its peak around it.

Science starter

You will be pleased to know that most of the Senior Room follow this basic hygiene practises. What else should they be doing do you think?

Welcome to 2016 - Key info

Senior Room 2016

Homework: Given out on a Friday and due back the following Friday. It will be a maths sheet and always reading for 20 minutes a night which must be logged in the reading diary.

Morning programme.

This covers Maths, Reading, Writing and Maori. In each subject, most days 2 teaching groups will occur. Each student receives 2 group teaching sessions per subject per week, except Maori which is taught as a whole class.

Each student has an individual timetable containing independent activities to support the group teaching. It is expected that this is completed by the end of Friday’s morning session.

Students are encouraged to make appropriate choices as to where  and who they sit with, whether they work in silence or not. At times, the whole class will engage in discussion or will work in silence.

Each student has their own google account and is expected to access the Google Classroom site to find the given resources for their learning. This can accessed at any time at school and at home.

Assessments

Information is collected informally from teaching sessions all the time. Formal assessments such as IKAN, AsTTLe, Spelling testing will take place at least once a term. STAR (reading assessment) will take place in March and November. Once a student reaches a reading age of 15 +, running records will no longer be used.

Afternoon

The first 15 minutes after lunch are dedicated to Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) to allow transition from play back into the classroom.

Science, French, the Arts, PE and Health and Social Studies will be covered throughout the year in the afternoons.

This year for year 7 and 8’s we will trial a Science assessment that is an equivalent to the STAR reading test . This will provide information to continue to improve our teaching to assist the transition to High School.

I endeavour to provide ongoing communication as to what we are up to via the Newsletter, emails and letters when necessary and through the class blog site at http://seniorroomdiptonschool.blogspot.co.nz/

Important dates so far

Technology

Term 1 22nd Feb to 25thFeb

Term 2 16th – 20th May

Term 3 1st – 5th August

Term 4 14th – 18th November

Camp  21st March to 24th March (just before Good Friday)

Life Education Bus

DARE programme