Fabulous Friday

Good afternoon,

And what a lovely afternoon it is. We didn't end up going in the pool (no time), but then again, I suspect the water would have been quite cold, given yesterday's rain.

But I digress...

This morning we kicked off with the laptops...



...creating digital Galoops.


Then we had a sing song, a bit of free time...



...and a kinesthetic memory exercise just before lunch.


I find remembering this kind of stuff really hard!

After assembly we went back out for another Triathlon run down, this time with a slight change in the lay out in terms of getting on and off the bikes.


Feel free to pop round in the weekend to practice it if you like.





Just a reminder about the Triathlon, please have those bike notices back as soon as you can, and remember to bring the bikes to school on Tuesday. Practice putting those helmets on and off!

Have a great weekend,

Mr Grant

Exciting Thursday

Good afternoon,

Well, we had a bit of excitement to liven up our day today (like over and above the normal excitement that livens up our day...). Just as we were sitting down to write what we had just talked to each other about...


...we had a power surge that tripped the fire alarm. Just as well we had practiced the evacuation procedures. I was very pleased the way the Room 2 Writers filed out quickly and calmly to be joined by the rest of the class on the court from their various interchange classes. So, as the alarm couldn't be shut off for a while, we all had an early morning tea!

After reading, where Blue Reading Group (minus one) read today's book to us...


(Well done girls!)
...we had the laptops back in the room (indeed, they were kinda rained in - it's been too wet to wheel them back!), this time to learn to use the Fill and Text tools...



...and then to enjoy each other's work.


Tomorrow morning we will pull all of the things we've been learning to create digital Galoops!

We ended the day with another reading from our serial story Brave Mama Puss.


It's getting exciting!

On the triathlon front, no, we didn't trot around today, but we will be tomorrow (weather not withstanding), and please plan to bring the bicycles to school on next Tuesday. They will be kept overnight in the hall for practice again on Wednesday and then the big day on Thursday.

Bye for now,

Mr Grant

P.S. well done Grace for answering last night's question. Here's another...

What did Papa Puss hit the robot rats with?

By the way, we saw this clip at our Responsibility Assembly. Since Room 7, Room 8 and Room 9 have got it on their blogs, I thought...why not!

Missing Mass...

Good afternoon,

I arrived this morning with the idea of taking each of the children's photo with their ash cross after mass, but, what, with maths interchange, interval, and then reading interchange, by the time I had them all together again (PMP children not withstanding), their crosses had all but rubbed off.

Sorry, their photos would have looked great besides their Ash Wednesday pictures that they took home last night. Might try again on Friday...anyone got any palm leaves ashes spare?

Ah well...

The room next door is coming along nicely. The big excitement at morning tea time was the arrival of the concrete mixer!


Just before lunch (when we finally got together again) we had another crack at Windows Paint on the laptops, this time using the Ellipse and Curve Tools, making circles and smiley faces.


If you have a Windows computer, have the children show you how to use Paint at home. Depending on how you've got your Start Menu set up, click Start/All Programs/Accessories/Paint to open Paint.

After lunch we were Triathlon training again.






Right I've got a class description to start writing. "Room 2 are a bunch of rat bags..." :-)

Mr Grant

PS 100 pts to the first three people who can tell me what this photo has got to do with Brave Mama Puss

Tremendous Tuesday

Good afternoon,

Well, another fun day has been and gone here in Room 2. Maths, Reading and then some hands on ICT. During todays Topic lesson, we had our very first introduction to the OLA [Windows] Laptop Pod, and Windows Paint.



We will continue to play around with Paint for the rest of the week, with the end result of drawing digital Galoops on Friday morning. Cool!

After lunch, we continued with our Triathlon Training. Into the pool 'n all!






As for the R.E. pictures your children brought home tonight, please colour them in at home and bring them back to school. I'll put them on the wall along side the photos that I'll take of the children after Ash Wednesday Mass in the morning.

Speaking of Mass, you are all warmly invited to attend. Mass will start at 9:15 and will end before 10.

Oh, and those hearts that were taken home yesterday? Colour 'em in, cut 'em out and write on the back of 'em when you see your children do something kind and loving towards someone else. When they are thusly written on the back of, please send 'em back school, and I'll hang 'em on a Lenten tree. When I get a Lenten tree.

Like always, if you have any questions, please ask.

CU tomorrow,

Mr Grant

Lizard Loses His Tail

Good evening,

Fresh off the press here is Red Group's latest production Lizard Loses His Tail.

CU in the morning,

Mr Grant

Monday Madness

Good afternoon,

Sorry for the delay in getting out of school today, we had just finished Triathlon training, and it was madness!






Lots of running in between and around different cones. And that was without actually getting into the pool! Suffice it to say, the J Team will be more familiar with the process when we do it again tomorrow afternoon!

Earlier in the day we were entertained by Blue Reading Group, who read today's reading text to us Ten Little Men.


We also had our first Values Assembly (which we are integrating into our R.E. programme). It was nice to see some of you there. After assembly we came back to Room 2 to discuss what Responsibility actually meant, and what it might look like.


We even made up another chant...


...to go alongside our other Room 2 Responsibility chant.

I am responsible.
I look after me,
I look after you,
I look after OLA,
And all of Room 2.

If anyone can figure out how to say "And I make things right", but make it rhyme with "thing", please let me know.

Also, seven of the children will be bringing home another Internet Permission form to fill in. I seem to be missing some.
CU in the morning,

Mr Grant

How rude!

OLA Buzz

Good morning,

Jo (like, the principal. Mrs Earl to you children!) has just pointed us to this. Specifically, a comment half way down the page...

Love love LOVE OLA, the kids there seem so respectful and kind. We play them a lot in sports at Hagley, and the team spirit and good sportsmanship and even dignity in losing is incredible. Those kids represent their school beautifully.

Sounds like our Senior School are doing a great job as OLA Ambassadors. Well done guys!

Mr Grant

Anyone Got A Rat Cage?

Good evening,

Critter Kingdom, the pet shop on Blenheim Road, is closing down. Pity, they were a nice bunch in there. Well, they're getting rid of everything, including the last of their RATS!

Rats are cool, rats are clever, rats are clean and pretty easy to look after. They'd make great classroom pets...but we'd need a nice big cage first. (Don't ask me where we'd put it, I haven't thought that one through just yet.)

First things first...does anyone have a nice big cage that we could put a couple of 'toddler' rats into?

Mr Grant

Words Are Everywhere

Good afternoon,

Here is a wee poster that I have pulled together using photos Blue Reading Group took after reading one of their books last week Words Are Everywhere.

I was especially impressed with them finding that label on the playground!

Well done girls,

Mr Grant

Te Tio Bay

Good morning,

I've just added a Ministry produced audio file of Te Tio Bay to the ListeningPost Page.

I know that Blue Group read it last Tuesday, but, hey, better late than never! They will be listening and reading along to it again on Monday.

Have a great weekend,

Mr Grant

Newsletter for Term 1, Week 3

Good evening,

Here, fresh off the presses, is the newsletter for Term 1 Week 3.

Have a good weekend,

Mr Grant