Thursday 27 November 2014

Habitats

Can you guess which habitat we built?
Is it a Wetland, New Zealand bush, Savanna/Grassland, Rainforest, Jungle or Desert?

Monday 17 November 2014

Bell F, Neela and Mia's Inquiry on The Little Spotted Kiwi

Charlotte's Inquiry about the Flamingo


Abby's Inquiry Information on the Meerkat


Alligator and Crocodile Inquiry by Lyquan



Sam, Katie and Leticia's Inquiry Information on the Cheetah



Platypus Inquiry by Bella M and Ayaana



Spider Monkey Inquiry by Baxter and Jay



Orangutan Inquiry by Kade, Liam and Jack



Red Panda Inquiry by Franklin and Oliver




Isaac's Inquiry on the Siberian Tiger




Monday 27 October 2014

Cleo's Speech

Cleo's speech today was on the Tailorbird. 
Well done Cleo, I like the way you prepared some interesting facts and wrote them on paper. You used a clear voice that everyone could hear. Room 18 enjoyed learning about the Tailorbird.

Tailorbird

Today I am going to talk about the Tailorbird and a special adaptation that comes along with it. So you might think I’m talking about physical adaptation, like when the giraffe probably started off with a short neck but over time it grew a longer neck so it could reach the leaves high up in trees. But no, today I’m talking about behavioural adaptation.

Behavioural adaptation is when an animal has to change its behaviour so that it doesn't have to get into fights. So let’s say there are 30 birds fighting over two pieces of straw to build their nests, but the the Tailorbirds have changed their behaviour so instead of making their nests out of straw or mud, it decided to make its nest out of spider webs, one big leaf and soft materials - such as string and wool. So while the other birds fight over straw and things like that the Tailorbird can make its nest without all the fighting and competition. The Tailorbird uses the spider webs to glue the leaves together.
By Cleo

Nest in India
File:Tailorbird.jpg

Wednesday 24 September 2014

Koanga Festival 2014

On Saturday 20 September the Kapa haka group attended the Koanga Festival hosted by Farm Cove Intermediate.

We all had a fabulous day and were proud to represent Sunnyhills School.

Well done to, Bella F, Bella M, Neela, Ayaana, Katie, Leticia, Charlotte, Abby and Lyquan.

Monday 22 September 2014

Egg-citing day in Room 18

Egg-sitting Challenge

As part of our Keeping Ourselves Safe Unit we have become chief babysitters for an egg!
We are going to be responsible for our egg for four days and we are caring for it at all times.
We have all named our egg and made houses and beds for them to stay in.
The aim of this activity is to learn to look after ourselves and others.
Unfortunately we have already had some eggs broken. We must all take egg-xtra care and look out for rolling eggs!

  

Tuesday 16 September 2014

South Africa by Karina and Issey

We chose South Africa for our Inquiry. Did you know that in South Africa many people eat Ostrich eggs!
I would rather live in New Zealand than South Africa because at school there can be over 60 children in each class! Karina
I would rather live in New Zealand than South Africa because in South Africa there are too many children in each classroom. Issey



Scotland by Jay and LIam

We chose Scotland for our Inquiry. Did you know the thistle is the national symbol of Scotland, that is why it was the mascot for the Commonwealth Games.
I would rather live in New Zealand than Scotland because New Zealand has yummy food like rice and chicken and in Scotland they sometimes eat haggis, yuck! Jay
I would rather live in Scotland than New Zealand because in Scotland they have animals like the Golden Eagle. Liam



Singapore by Kade and Baxter

We chose Singapore for our Inquiry. We found out that Singapore's education system is one of the best in the world. Teachers are paid very well and are respected!
I would rather live in New Zealand than Singapore because every house in Singapore is an apartment with no backyard to play in! Baxter
I would rather live in New Zealand than Singapore because you can't make your dream home in Singapore because there is not enough space, but you can in New Zealand. Kade






Canada by Charlotte and Bella

We chose Canada for our Inquiry. We found many interesting facts like Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia.
I would rather live in Canada than New Zealand because it snows in Canada and it doesn't snow in Auckland. Charlotte
I would rather live in New Zealand than Canada because I love New Zealand and the special places it has like Rotorua and Taupo. Bella





Samoa by Mia and Neela

We chose Samoa for our Inquiry. We found out that in Samoa it is tropical with lots of rain between October and March. Temperatures range from 21 degrees to 31 degrees and sometimes there are storms such as cyclones and typhoons.
I would rather live in New Zealand than Samoa because Samoa sometimes has cyclones that wipe out houses. Mia
I would rather live in Samoa than New Zealand because the White Sunday festival is for children and in New Zealand we don't have a special festival just for children. Neela


England by Rubie and Leticia

We chose England for our Inquiry. We found out that fish and chips originated from England.
I would rather live in New Zealand than England because I love all the beaches and the housing is better in New Zealand. Rubie
I would rather live in England than New Zealand because it snows in England and it doesn't snow in Auckland! Leticia





Fiji by Abby and Amelia

We did our Inquiry on Fiji. We found out many interesting facts like there are 333 islands that make up Fiji which all have beautiful beaches and rain forests.
I would rather live in Fiji than New Zealand because there are a lot of dolphins in the sea around Fiji and I love dolphins. Amelia
I would rather live in New Zealand than Fiji because in Fiji in some of the schools the girls have to wear pink dresses! Abby




Papua New Guinea by Zara and Cleo

Here we are presenting our Inquiry on Papua New Guinea to Room 18. 
We found out many interesting facts about PNG, for example, if someone kills a pig they can be put in jail as it is illegal to kill pigs.
I would rather live in New Zealand than PNG because in PNG they have Cassowary birds which are very dangerous because of the big horn on their head. Cleo
I would rather live in New Zealand than PNG because I love eating bacon! Zara




Wednesday 10 September 2014

Congratulations Baxter

Baxter represented Sunnyhills School in the Year 4 Boys team at the Champion of Champions for Gymnastics today. 
The team was placed first and received a gold medal each. 
Well done to Baxter, Mathew, Lewis and Mathew!
  


Baxter proudly wearing his gold medal


Room 18 congratulated Baxter when he returned to school and had lots of questions!

Jamaica Facts by Lyquan and Jack

Here is our inquiry on a Commonwealth country.  We chose Jamaica because we like Usain Bolt and wanted to learn more about where he came from.

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Tonga by Ayrton, Oliver and Ryan

Here is our Inquiry on a Commonwealth country. We chose to inquire about Tonga. We hope you learn some new facts about Tonga.


Monday 8 September 2014

Australia by Ayaana and Bella

This is our inquiry into what Commonwealth country we would prefer to live in. We chose Australia to inquire about. We hope you learn some facts about Australia.

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Nigeria Facts in Thinglink by Franklin and Isaac

This is our inquiry into what country we would prefer to live in.  We decided on Nigeria.  Please click on the various links in the picture of Nigeria below to find out more information.  We hope you learn some new facts about Nigeria.


Wednesday 11 June 2014

Grandparents Day

We were very lucky in Room 18 because some of our lovely Grandparents came to visit to read a story as this week is Literacy Week at school. We also read our class narrative "The Day Cookies Crumbled and Other Things Happened" to the Grandparents which they all enjoyed . There was a lovely morning tea provided by the PTA for Grandparents to share in the hall with their grandchildren.


Thursday 5 June 2014

Auckland Library Trip

On Thursday the 29th of May we visited the Auckland Central Library with Room 15.

We liked the design of the children’s area which is based on a Taniwha. It has cool seating and interesting spaces to sit and read.
  
We took an escalator to the second floor of the library to the George Grey Specialist section where we saw the smallest book and the oldest book that the library has.
  
We went down into the lower levels of the library where lots of books and maps are stored as they cannot all fit on the shelves up in the library. Librarians work there to collect books when people request them and send them up to the library using a machine called a tally lift which we saw operating.

We also did a quiz and a rebus and Mrs Venville read us some stories.


 

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Letters to Miss Small

In Written Language we wrote letters to our Principal, Miss Small to thank her for our amazing new classroom.

To write our letters we used the Kagan strategy All Write Round Robin where in our groups we took turns sharing ideas and then we all wrote down each idea that was shared.

We delivered them to Miss Small and she sent an email back to us and said, "I was very touched by your beautiful letters. Thank you for taking the time to write me such interesting letters. Your appreciation has meant the world to me!"


17 The Crest
Sunnyhills
Auckland


14 April 2014


Dear Miss Small,


Thank you for working hard to redo Room 18 as well as the other classes.


We like the fans and the heaters. The heaters will keep us warm in the winter and the fans cool us down in the summer. We like the whiteboard because it’s nice and big (Mrs Poole likes it because she can write on it easily). The sink is great because it is high and we can store all our art stuff (e.g. paint brushes, art shirts, e.t.c).


Thank you for the lovely Room 18. We all love it.


Yours sincerely,


Kagan 7
Mia, Bella, Jack and Isaac




17 The Crest

Sunnyhills
Auckland

14 April 2014

Dear Miss Small,
Thank you for the new classroom.

We really enjoy the new orange wall it looks like the sunrise. Room 18 thinks the fans are spectacular and the sink is so clean and is high enough for Mrs Poole to reach.The carpet is as soft as a marshmallow. The lights are as bright as twinkling stars.We’re really excited about getting new storage.

Room 18 loves the new classroom, we think it’s awesome.

Yours Sincerely

Kagan 2
Baxter, Neela and Jay 



17 The Crest
Sunnyhills
Auckland

14 April 2014

Dear Miss Small,

Thank you for giving our classroom a makeover.

You have given us a lot of money to get our classroom a makeover. We enjoy the clean and unique carpet. We like the orange, bright, soft wall.The cold air from the two,powerful fans are very refreshing.The long, clean whiteboard is very useful. The sink is exactly the right height for us, which makes it easier to wash our hands. We are looking forward to the new storage and the  clear speakers. We haven’t used the heaters yet, but we are sure they will be cozy .

We love our new classroom and we can’t wait to try out the new heaters for winter.You are the best Principal in the world!

Yours sincerely,
Kagan 5
Lyquan,Bella,Amelia,Franklin.



17 The Crest
Sunnyhills
Auckland

14 April 2014

Dear Miss Small

Thankyou for the awesome new Room 18 and all the other classrooms.

We love the soft orange wall it looks like the sunrise. Room 18 enjoys the sink because it is clean and high. The whiteboard is big and helpful to Mrs Poole. Our new fans keep us cool in summer and warm in winter.

Thank you Miss Small for our makeover.

Yours  sincerely

Kagan 1
Issey, Ayrton, Rubie, Liam.


17 The Crest
Sunnyhills
Auckland
14 April 2014

Dear Miss Small

Thank you for the fantastic new room 18.

We like the lovely new carpet that is very clean and has a lot of fancy patterns. We really enjoy the soft orange and blue walls. We’re very grateful about the white fans that keep us cool, and warm in winter. The shiny new silver sink that is just the right height. We are really excited about haying new storage on wheels. The beautiful bright lights are great because we are able to see without the power of the sun.

We love our new classroom, thank you for the makeover.


Yours sincerely
Kagan 4
Ayaana, Sam, Kade and Oliver


17 The Crest
Sunnyhills
Auckland

14 April 2014

Dear Miss Small,

Thank you for our new room 18.
We like our new, large and nice whiteboard which is attractive. We also enjoy our new walls that are soft and fluffy. The fans are super because they cool us down in the summer and will keep us warm in the winter. You spent a lot of money buying our new colourful, patterned carpet which is nice and clean. The speaker is cool because we can hear the messages loud and clear. We like the new sink because it is higher and very shiny. The new bright lights shine upon us and light up the room. We are looking forward to the bigger and more storage.

You are the best Principal in the whole world! Again, we thank you for all your hard work.


Your sincerely,
Kagan 3
Leticia, Karina, Ryan and Charlotte



17 The Crest
Sunnyhills
Auckland

14 April 2014

Thank you for our new classroom. Thank you for getting enough money to redo our classroom.

Thank you for the big fluffy orange, sunset wall. Thank you for the new fans that cools us down in the hot summer and will warm us up in the cold winter. Thank you for getting new carpet with black patterns.

Once again thank you for saving up every bit of money to build our new class.

Yours sincerely

Kagan 6
Zara, Cleo, Abby and Katie












Monday 14 April 2014

A Visit from Charlotte's Grandad

Charlottes Grandad, came today to talk to room 18 about his family’s Korowai. Their Korowai was made by an aunty of their family and was given to a nephew who is the Kaitiaki (caretaker) for their family. The feathers on the Korowai are from a cock pheasant which is a wild game bird.

He also told us that a Korowai is a very important piece for someone to wear as it signifies the importance of the person wearing it. He said that the feathers on a Korowai make water ‘bounce off’ the cloak and so it will never get soaking wet and some short Korowai are used for raincoats! Prince William has been given a Korowai by New Zealand and has worn it while he has been visiting.

Lyquan and Franklin thanked Charlotte's Grandad on behalf of Room 18 for coming in and sharing his knowledge and teaching us more about Korowai.










Tuesday 8 April 2014

AUT Millennium Institute Trip

Here are some photos of Room 18’s class trip to AUT Millennium Institute last Thursday. The focus for our learning was team building and water safety. 


Sunday 30 March 2014

What a Fishing Trip by Kade

What a Fishing Trip!

On Saturday 19th of March, Dad, Jaden, Gary and I decided to go fishing. We went near Waiheke island.

It was hard work to get the big boat out, I was soooo hungry like a gannet!. When we just started fishing Jaden caught about 7 fish already!!!!! I said to Jaden “catching too much fish aye”(all the fish Jaden had catched were too small so he was angry!).

About ten minutes later somehow Jaden and Dad called me, “you gannet” just because I just ate almost everything and I was so tired. All of a sudden Garys rod shook, I dived to and started winding the fish up, Jaden grabbed the net. 10 minutes later the fish finally got out of the water, Jaden caught the fish with the net. Dad got it and put it on the measurement and it was 43 centimetres!!!!.

10 minutes later Dad’s rod shook Dad ran to the rod as fast as he could run he skidded when he was at the rod. Two minutes later Dad finally got it up he put it on the measurement and it was 40 centimetres!!!!!.

In the end we bought back eleven fish and I caught the biggest Snapper. Dad and Gary finally drove the boat all the way to Half Moon Bay and Dad got out and got his car. I was tired and hungry as a gannet but I had a fantastic day.

First John Dory by Oliver

On Sunday I went fishing with my family out at Rakino. We went out because the sea was nice and calm that day.

Once we had launched our boat we blasted out to Rakino. Surprisingly it was quite bumpy. I was thrown around a lot. I could hardly stay on my seat. Finally we reached Rakino, I spotted a school of blue Maomao in the crystal clear water.

Dad put down the long line and then we motored over to the haystack (I forgot its real name and I have no idea how to spell it anyway). Then we baited the rods and let down the line. I wondered if there were any fish on the long line. Suddenly I felt fish nibbling at my bait, I started to wind in slowly. The fish were still attacking the bait. All of a sudden I felt a sharp tug and started winding in faster. I could tell that it was a big fish because the tip of the rod was bending like mad. I finally got the fish up after a hard fight. It was a good sized Snapper (not as big as I wanted) it was 39 cm long. A few minutes later Dad was hooked up with a big 59 cm Kahawai. Then I was hooked up as well but, I had a Snapper not a Kahawai. After five trying minutes Dad and I finally got our fish onboard. Into the chilly bin they went. After that I wasn’t having much luck but, Dad was. Dad put down his line and he had attached a little Snapper on the end. Soon after Dad noticed the rod end bending and started winding the line in. He said he had got the bottom but I didn’t think so. I was right, soon we had a big John Dory in the net.( I have to admit that it was quite an ugly fish).

After that we didn’t have much luck so, we went to pick up the long line. On the long line was three snapper, two were a good size but the other one was 27 cm long just a keeper. Dad wanted to keep it so Dad put it in the chilly bin.

We trawled for a bit  and after a few minutes and we hooked up with a Kingfish but lost it. Then we hooked up on a Kingfish again. Dad started to wind it in it jumped two times and flicked the hook out of it’s mouth.

I still can’t  believe that Dad caught a John Dory. So far, that was the best fishing trip yet!


Monday 24 March 2014

Room 18's Mihimihi

A mihimihi is a short greeting to introduce our self to other people in te reo Maori.
It is an important part of the process of meeting people for the first time.
Room 18's mihimihi includes where we come from, our nationality (iwi), our environment and landmarks: mountain (maunga) and river (awa), school and our name.
We have been learning to write, read and speak our own mihimihi in te reo Maori.
Enjoy listening to our mihimihi and learning about all of us.















































Monday 17 March 2014

Goodbye old Room 18!

Room 18 is getting a makeover!
It's getting new carpet, heaters, fans, sink, bench and a lick of paint. We all feel very lucky that Room 18 is having some renovations.
We are now in Room 9A (the old ICT room) and will be for approximately two weeks.


Goodbye Room 18!



The Activboard was taken out and out came an old chalkboard!

The dark blue wall coverings are coming down!


This is what Room 9A looks like.