2000 HITS!

Wow, in less than 3 months we've reached 2000 hits on our blog!  We're starting to get hits from all over the world but most of them are from you guys using the blog everyday at school and then visiting it again at home with your friends and family.  Thank you for all your comments too, it's really nice to hear how much you're enjoying using the blog for fun and learning!  Let's keep making it bigger and better together!

Also, I've just checked the STUFF website and they have announced the winner of the Ultimate Rugby Stars competition.  The winner is a very cool design called 'Decimal Dagg'.  He has air conditioning to stop him overheating and a tiara to prove he's the 'king of rugby'.  It's sad that we didn't win but it's very cool that so many of you were finalists, well done! 

Check out the winning entry HERE!

Athletics Day UPDATE

Hi guys, you may have read in the M Block Midterm Newsletter that the Totara Park School Athletics Day was scheduled for Tuesday 27th September HOWEVER this has recently been changed to MONDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER.  The postponement day is still Thursday 29th September.

The event will be held at school this year due to Maidstone Max getting a makeover.  All parents, caregivers, and extended family are invited to join us on the day.  We hope the change of date hasn't caused any difficulties for those planning to take time off work to attend.  We look forward to seeing you all on the big day dressed in your house colours!

Reboot our Rugby Stars

Hi guys, I was really excited today to discover that some of our ultimate rugby star designs are finalists in the Reboot our Rugby Stars competition!

STUFF asked Kiwi kids to help create the ultimate rugby team to ensure New Zealand wins the Rugby World Cup.  Entrants aged 13 and under were asked to use their imagination by decking out their favourite players with all the accessories they need to win. 

STUFF will reveal more finalists over the coming days and announce the competition winner on Friday - just as the All Blacks get set to take on Japan.  The winner will receive a match ball, hot off the pitch from an All Blacks Investec Tri Nations match, plus a year's supply of Weet-Bix, the official breakfast of the All Blacks.

Well done Macy, Vincent, Nathan, Caley, Erin, Fraser, Isaac, and Kaleb!  Check out the finalists HERE!

Ooh la la!

Hi guys, it was fun learning some French today!  Keep practicing at home so we can learn some more next week, you can practice the 'Numbers Song in French' HERE!  This what we have learnt so far...

Hello - bounjour
Please - s'il vous plaît
Thank you - merci
Yes - oui
No - non
Goodbye - au revior

One - un

Two - deux

Three - trois

Four - quatre

Five - cinq

Six - six

Seven - sept

Eight - huit

Nine - neuf

Ten - dix

Keep checking our FRANCE page for updates too.  I added some photos that I took when I was in France... can you guess where they were taken?  Visit our PICASA WEB ALBUMS to check if you guessed correctly!

What's going on in room 6?

Hi guys, well the Rugby World Cup 2011 is almost upon us and we can't wait!  We're halfway through another busy term in the middle syndicate and it doesn't stop here, we still have HEAPS of fun and learning ahead of us!

Term two was such a busy term - Mr Appleyard took over in room 5, we had two weeks of swimming lessons at H2O, there was the downhill trolley derby, the market day, and the golden day, AND there was heaps of learning!  Keep posted for photos from term two coming soon!

Thank you to all the parents and caregivers that came to the 3 way conferences last week, your children's education is all about the partnership between home and school and we're lucky to have such supportive families.  If you couldn't make it last week please get in touch with your child's teacher, they will be more than happy to arrange a time with you.

This week we sent home a midterm newsletter with all you need to know about what's going on in M block throughout the rest of the term.  You can read more of the important updates from our midterm newsletter by reading on OR you can download our newsletter by clicking the link below, please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns.  PS. COME ON ALL BLACKS!

Download M Block's Midterm News HERE!

This term's learning focus

Each term the focus for each curriculum area changes. During term 3 your child will continue to work on the following topics:

Numeracy - Fractions, forwards and backwards counting, place value, and basic fact recall

Literacy - Personal experience writing, narrative writing, reading fluency, and comprehension

Inquiry - Rugby World Cup 2011: France - Our Adopted Country

Physical Education - Athletics skills (running, jumping, throwing)

Children will also be working hard to achieve the reading, writing, and maths goals we set during the 3 way conferences last week. Please talk to your children about their goals and help them to achieve them by practicing them at home too.

Mad Science

We're really enjoying hearing about all the mad science going on around Upper Hutt.  If you haven't started your project yet DON'T PANIC, you've got plenty of time!  We would like to have completed projects in by Friday 30th Spetember so we can have them on display in the hall throughout week 10.  The official science fair will be on the evening of Wednesday 5th October so that families can attend.  Keep your eyes open this week for more info coming your way.

France - Our Adopted Country

Our school has been selected to represent France for the up and coming Rippa Rugby Festival.  All the Upper Hutt primary schools are competing in celebration of New Zealand hosting the Rugby World Cup 2011.  France is our adopted country and will be the focus of our inquiry unit.  Our task is to help the French team feel welcome in New Zealand by learning about their country and their culture.  Once we've learnt all about France children will need to prepare and contribute to our 'France Day'.

Upcoming events and dates

Role Model Visit - Gareth Kean (New Zealand representative swimmer)
Monday 5th September

Blackout Day / Rugby World Cup 2011 starts - All Blacks v Tonga
Friday 9th September

France Day (day before All Blacks v France)
Friday 23rd September

Totara Park School Athletics Day
UPDATE: Monday 26th September / Pp. Thursday 29th Sept

Rippa Rugby World Cup Festival (TMP)
Tuesday 4th October

M Block 'Mad Science Fair'
Projects due Friday 30th September / Families invited Wednesday 5th Oct

M block is blogging!

Now you can keep up to date with what's going on in M block via our classroom blogs!  We're using our blogs to keep an on-going diary of our learning and to create an interactive platform between home and school.  On our blogs you will find news and updates, photos, samples of our work, ideas and links to help with homework, and links to cool websites (for kids and parents).  You can even leave comments and ideas for us with just the click of a button.  All you need to do is click on the 'comments' link (under each post), post your message, and select a profile (if you select Name/URL you can just leave your name and once we've moderated your comment it will show up on the blog) it's as easy as that!  Keep visiting to keep up to date and find out what's happening.

Click on our links to visit our blogs:
Room 5
Room 6
Room 7

Our message for Happy Feet

Hi guys, our message to Happy Feet is now on the website!  Here's what we wrote...

Goodbye Happy Feet,

We'll miss you so much!  Good luck getting back to Antarctica, we hope you have fun with your friends and family.  Please don't come back (even though we would love to see you again), New Zealand is not a place for penguins!  Stay safe - look out for sharks, orcas, and sealions.. AND.. don't get lost again!

From Room 6, Totara Park School, New Zealand

You can read our message and messages from people all over the world HERE!

Goodbye Happy Feet!

Hi guys, it's just 12 days until Happy Feet leaves New Zealand!  The famous Emperor Penguin has been getting looked after at Wellington Zoo since he got a little bit lost and washed up on Peka Peka Beach in June but now he's all better and ready to go home to Antarctica.  Happy Feet is going to get a ride on a special Antarctic explorer ship and when they let him go he will carry a satellite tag so we can all trace his journey as he heads south.

If you visit the website below you can write a farewell message for Happy Feet!  The cool people at the 'Our Far South' project will print your message, name and suburb on his giant farewell card and send it with him on the boat to the Southern Ocean.  Your message, name, and suburb will also appear on the website!

You can write your farewell message for Happy Feet HERE!
And you can read messages from people all over the world HERE!

School closed!

Hi everyone, how cool is this weather?!  There's so much snow and ice today that it's dangerous and so we've had to close the school!  The courts are covered in ice and very slippery and the playground has a thick layer of snow all over it!  Lots of people can't even leave their houses!  Stay tuned to Newstalk ZB or visit the website below to find out when we'll be open again, if this snow continues it could be a couple of days!

Now... homework... I want to see photos of you building snowmen, having snowball fights, making snow angels, sliding down hills, and just having fun in the snow with your friends and family!  Bring them to school (once we're open again) or send them to our class email and we can put them on the blog!  I will post some of my favourite photos soon so keep checking the blog for updates.  Stay safe, stay warm, and have fun!

NewstalkZB: 89.3 FM / 1035 AM
Website: Newstalk ZB
Class email: mrchalmersclass@gmail.com

We're back!

Welcome to our blogspot for 2011! We are Mr Chalmers year 3 and 4 class at Totara Park School in Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. Soon we will have more news and updates, photos and video, samples of our work, downloads, links to cool websites (for kids and parents) and maybe even our very own podcasts! Keep visiting to find out what's happening, we hope you have fun exploring our blogspot!