Seniors are studying buildings and structures

 

 

For all of you who are studying famous buildings, structures, and bridges over the next few weeks there are already a number of websites just waiting for you to explore.

On the library menu bar you will see “Hot topics”. Click on this link. Click on “Library bags” and there are all the  hot topic sites.

Click on Buildings and structures and 9 sites drop down for you to investigate. Some of them are very cool and you can make your own virtual bridges, test your own theories of force on buildings and bridges.  Or you can take the shortcut here

Have fun

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Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Wonder

By R. J. Palacio

Room 9 have just finished reading this powerful novel. Everyone loved it and there were even some tears. If a book can move you that much then it is a sign of quality writing.

In fact the novel has been a huge success globally. One result of the book is that there is now a growing movement called Choose Kind. It is a way to stop and think about making choices in everyday situations. Choose to be kind – a great incentive to stop bullying.

Read the story of Auggie and how he goes from home-schooled to public school. Not that difficult normally but  Auggie is different. His facial deformities scare people off, some even run away screaming. This really is a powerful book about acceptance, about being different and fitting in. This really is a book to put at the top of your list.

 

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Roald Dahl Day

 

September 13th is international Roald Dahl Day. He is always a favourite here at school.

His books are both a little dark and a whole lot of fun.

If you want a good laugh then come and grab one of the many Roald Dahl books we have.

And of course there is a heap of fun right here on the official Roald Dahl website.

 

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Websites for fun and learning

  Not just for fun

 

We have been exploring this new search engine kidrex which is great for doing research. Many of you are doing special topics so it is worth checking out as I know you will find something useful here. It has been checked as ‘kidsafe’ and that means it is a safe site to use. Remember however, that at any time you are on the Internet whether at school or at home, if you leave a page, sometimes you end up where you don’t want to be. Remember your digital safety rules and tell an adult and close the page immediately. I’ve added a few favourites as well.

Remember also that these links and heaps more can be found on the “Homework Page”. The link is at the top of this page.

Kidrex

National Geographic for kids

Christchurch City kidsblog

The Christchurch City Library kids blog  is great and has competitions all the time. One special competition is a chance to win a book on ‘Free book Friday’.

Do take a look anytime but especially Fridays if you want to try and win a book. During book week we had a special visit from Zac who read a number of books to the juniors and middle teams. Well, Zac manages this kids blog so you already know him.

 

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Arts festival and the FOS World of Wearable Arts

Arts festival

 

This fortnight we are celebrating all things art. Dance, painting, and a wonderful World of Wearable Arts festival.

In front of the library tree are Emily and Ruby-Jak wearing their design creation called The Magical World of Books.

What a great creative outfit.

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This moose belongs to me

This moose belongs to me

By Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers always writes and illustrates wonderful picture books. They are funny and also very thoughtful. Watch the trailer and maybe make a comment or come and tell me if I should buy this book for the library.  We have heaps of his books already in the library and I think this would be a great one to add but do come and tell me what you think.

 

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More dream makers

Marc Ryan

 

New Zealand cyclist Marc Ryan shares his Olympic Games medal with Xavier, Alex and Will proving hard work can make dreams come true. As great team players their effort  resulted in a wonderful bronze medal.  Thanks for sharing your photo, Alex.

 

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2012 Olympic Games Medalists living the dream

Olympic heroes

Many of the year 5 and 6 students waited on the corner of Clyde Road today to catch a glimpse of some of New Zealand’s best sports people as they were driven past on double decker buses. The students performed an arousing, impromptu haka as the 2012 Olympic Games medalists went by. I’m not sure who was more thrilled; the children, at seeing the Olympians or the medalists seeing the children perform.

Our focus this fortnight is on dream making and these special people have worked hard all their lives and dedicated themselves to their sports in order to make their dreams come true. Perhaps, some day you too can be up on those double decker buses.

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Online games for science and literacy

I have updated our homework page with two new sites. They really are fun sites and have been checked out as safe for our children.

Online science games have been promoted via the BBC so we know they are both fun and safe. Aimed at the junior and middle school but I know seniors will enjoy them as well.

The literacy shed is a fantastic way to encourage creative writing and get the ideas flowing. There are little film clips with heaps of activities and ideas underneath. One I really enjoyed was Alma in the Ghost story shed. Great for all levels and a fun thing to do for  those many rainy days we have been having.

Do take the time to view as I know you will enjoy them as much as we do here.

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Book week. What a wonderful week!

Parade day with Eve, Georgiana, Lily and  Gabby enjoying the competitions in the library.

Thank you to everyone for making book week such a success. Parade day was a real highlight with so many children running around in wonderful costumes.

The competitions are being assessed at the moment and results will be ready soon.

We sold over $7500 worth of books which is brilliant. The commission we earn will go towards setting up a senior fiction area and new library books.

We loved all the visitors to school who came and shared their stories. We had All Black and Crusader Andy Ellis reading stories and showing us his World Cup medal. Bob Docherty came and reviewed books for the seniors and Zac Harding from Christchurch City Libraries came to read to everyone else.

A great week with everyone sharing stories and reading,  so well done. Thank you from all the book team.

Bailey with storyteller Zac.

 

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Some wonderful stories from Room 15

These are the last of the stories we will be sharing online but you will be able to read more in folders next to the tree in the library.

 

The Library Tree

There is an amazing tree in our library…

Up the top it is hollow so the people that live

there have a home.

Down near the bottom there is a toadstool and a

little glass lake  by The Haunted Tree, don’t go round

the other side in case there’s a grumpy old bear

reading in his hut.

Snakes are everywhere to guard it from rival

community trees, and the spiders form an early

warning system. The grumpy old bear in the hut is

also head of army, and is continually looking for

plans to defeat them in defense and attack. The

spider webs are used as jails.

The fairies and frogs are peace keepers, but when

it comes to fighting the frogs use crossbows and

the fairies use longbows. The witch is also a

night guard.

by Corin – Year 3

 

The Haunted Tree

In the library there is an amazing tree! It looks

like it goes out the roof but it doesn’t!

If you open the door there is a big brown bear

hibernating, reading a book. The moon is shining

brightly. The witch is riding on her long

broomstick.

There’s water like glass with frogs on green lily

pads. Green leaves are all around it, and there

is a bear sitting on a piece of wood. There is a

white owl sitting next to his nest.

There are snakes slithering down the rope. On the

swing is an evil looking creature.

by Natalie – Year 3

 

The Tree in the Library

On Wednesday Room 15 went to the library and saw

A TREE GROWING!!!!!

I named it Spooky because it’s spooky, and has 4

snakes, 2 of them holding a tyre with some kind

of monkey in it, and Spooky also holds a witch and

lots of spiders. I freaked out because I thought

it was real, and also I thought the tree went

through the roof, but it didn’t.

But the part that wasn’t Spooky was the Disney

characters. And another scary thing is….THE TREE

HAS A FACE AAAA!!! But it didn’t say anything.

I asked, “What kind of tree are you?” The tree

replied “I’m a… I’m a Face Tree.” He smiled.

“Never heard of that before” I said to myself.

“OK” I smiled back.

And the sweetest sweetest thing about Spooky is

that every single day for 1 hour a bear reads the

fairies a book.

by Oscar – Year 3

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More stories about our amazing tree from year 3 students in Room 18

The Library Tree

There is a colossal tree growing in our library.

It has all the Disney Picstar characters like

smurfs. It was built by Mr Walker, a very good

artist. Fendalton School is grateful to him. It

is made of papier mache! There is a snake holding

the tyre swing. I hope he does not eat the

mouse.

by Conor

 

The Illusion Library Tree

The library tree is fantastic. There are fairies

and smurf houses. I see Harry Potter’s favourite

owl Hedwig. The library tree is like a dream. I

thought the spiderweb was real because the spiderweb

looks real to me. I saw a teddy bear reading a

book. I always see a spooky, haunted, scary witch

saying “Boo!” I see a real plant that Desna needs

to water.

by Maggie

 

 

The Big Tree

There is a humongous tree growing in our library.

There are snakes slithering, there are spiders

spying and seeking. There are smurfs that are

hiding from the witch. The bear has woken up and

is reading a book to the mice. He also reads a

book to the smurfs.

by Ryan

Thank you Room 18. And Maggie I will water the poor plant.

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Insects

 

Thanks to Will H for the latest display in the library.

it is very timely too as many of the juniors have been studying bugs and insects.

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Homework help page updated

If you want some fun maths or literacy activities to do online then check out the Homework page on this blog.

It has just been updated with some new sites aimed at encouraging both maths and literacy skills. Great for all ages.

Do check out Funbrain. You can even read Diary of a Wimpy kid online through Funbrain.

These sites have all been recommended and tried out by teachers, librarians and some students so do have fun.

 

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Year 3 Creative Writing on The Library Tree

Year 3 children have been working on creative writing inspired by the fantastic tree in the library.

Do enjoy reading their stories. There will be more soon. Scroll down to look at the photo in a previous post to see the wonderful tree.

The Legend Tree
Once upon a time there was a little library, it
lived on 168 Clyde Road Fendalton School.
Once, Room 16 went there. I saw a magic tree.
I asked kind old Desna what it was doing. She
said that “Once when she left the library a long
time ago she dropped a seed and during the night
it sprouted a little.”
When she came back the sun was as bright as
Mars…and this time Desna saw it sprout, and a
mushroom had sprouted as well.
The next thing she said was, “The frogs found a
pond next to the tree and started to jump all over
it.” I turned around to see the tree and all of
this was so magical.
Then I turned back to Desna and she kept on
telling the story. “The next day she started to
take care of it herself. She read it stories, and
gave it water and before she knew it was all grown
up.
And now every night she works late in the library
to make sure the tree is safe. The end.”
When Desna was done everybody started to clap.
Sheena and the class said, “Thank you” and left.
by Kaitlyn

 
The Sparkle Glowing Tree
In the sparkle glowing tree at night the animals
come to life, the brown bear reads a book to the
fairies, and the fairies fly around him.
At night the snake slivers down from his tree and
sings a song to the sleepy, snoozing bear.
At night the witch went flying around the sparkle
glowing tree and tried to scare the little baby
spider to sleep.
by Jemma

 
The Library Tree
There is an amazing tree growing in our library. I
love the owl swinging swiftly, soundly upon the
tyre swing. The owl is purple and likes orange
fairies.
The toadstools are lovely colours and spotty. The
fluttery, flying fairies like to sleep in them at
night.
Lots of people like the big, brown, beautiful bear.
It loves to read books upon the tree trunk burrow.
All of the animals like to listen to the stories.
Witches that live in the library tree are grouchy,
and growny and of course they’re mean. I really
do hate the witch.
Some people come along to look at the tree but
when they look above them they scream because there
is a spider above them. That really scares me.
Our snakes always slither, slowly up the brown
trunk.
by Millie

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Faultine Fiction Fantatics

[dropcap2]W[/dropcap2]e’ve been at it again!  Check out the lastest podcast for New Zealand Book Month from Radio New Zealand and the amazing Fendalton students.

Click HERE to listen to the podcast.

 

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The Library tree

[dropcap2]T[/dropcap2]oday Room 10 went to the library and saw the new installation…a magnificent tree what is bursting out of the ceiling!  Here are our initial impressions:
Alice – I like how the heart is carved into the tree – it says FOS

Fletcher – Some of the tree is real and some isn’t.

Tom – I like how it looks like its bursting through the roof

Caitlin – I like how they did the spider weba dn the twig, with the spide in the middle.

Louis – I like how the owl was at the very top of the tree.

Lomond – I like how the bear is in the holoow of the tree and is reading a book.

Ella – I like how the mirror makes it look like a pond.

Luis – I like how parts of stories are actually on the tree.

Maddison – I like how the snakes join together to hold the tire.

Jamie – It’s really cool how the mirror looks like a pond.

Desna and Paul Walker – thanks for doing such an incredible job on the display 🙂

TOBY STOKES

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Our students on the radio for the NZ Post Book Awards

[dropcap2]T[/dropcap2]he Faultline Fiction Fanatics have been involved in the NZ Post Book awards.  Radio New Zealand called in to the school and recorded several students book reviews – some of which played last Sunday morning on the radio.

Click HERE to listen to the Picture Book Reviews.

Books reviewed include:

The Cat’s Pyjamas by Catherine Foreman, reviewed by Lucy O; Rahui (English and Maori version) by Chris Szekely and illustrated by Malcolm Ross, reviewed by Olivia C and Jason te Kare; Stomp! by Ruth Paul, reviewed by Maddison; and Waiting for Later by Tina Matthews, reviewed by Olivia H.

Click HERE to listen to the Junior Fiction Book Reviews.

Books reviewed include:

The Flytrap Snaps by Johanna Knox and illustrated by Sabrina Malcolm, Ruby-Jak;Just Jack by Adele Broadbent, reviewed by Emily; The Loblolly Boy & the Sorcerer by James Norcliffe, reviewed by Maddy K; Super Finn by Leonie Agnew, reviewed by Caitlin; and The Travelling Restaurant by Barbara Else, reviewed by Lucy.

By Toby Stokes

 

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