Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Elf Update #5

Well it was time to say goodbye to our elf friend Sugarplum Coco. She has made notes and taken her report back to Santa Claus in the North Pole. I'm sure Santa will be pleased that every child from Kereru is on the 'Nice' list.
The last thing Sugarplum wanted to do before leaving was to watch the Kristkindl gift giving.

Farewells and Kereru Auction

Phew! What a crazy afternoon in Kereru Class on Thursday! It was the annual 'Kereru Auction' and we had a blast! Bids were flying left, right and centre and some students were desperate to get their hands on certain items.
All students 'bought' at least two items and left feeling pretty happy :)
Before the auction began Mr Dorman presented three of our wonderful students with their Leaving Certificates.
Jack, Blake and Emma we will miss all three of you very much.

Waiting patiently for the auction to start.

Blake & Finn trying to outbid each other.

Bidding is serious business!

Broadgreen House

On Tuesday we visited Broadgreen House to experience what a Victorian Christmas was like.
The house has been decorated in the style it would have been in 1850.
The family had lots of yummy Christmas food to eat but the servants only got a few treats such chestnuts, strawberries and Christmas pies.
We also learnt some traditional Victorian Games and had our lunch in the beautiful Rose Garden.
Here is a slideshow of our visit.

Elf Update #4

Sugarplum loves to play Twister and Cops and Robbers (with her buddy Darth)

Climbing Christmas trees is a popular Elf activity.

Last Week of the School Year!

What a busy last week we are going to have!

Monday:

Kristkindl starts.

Swimming after morning tea.

Tuesday:

Thank you Liturgy @ 10.00

Visit to Broadgreen House (leave school at 10.45)
Music w/Mr Philipps in the afternoon

Wednesday:

Christmas Crafts

Thursday:

BIG end of year auction in the afternoon!

Friday:

Kristkindl gift giving in the morning.

End of year Mass @11.00

HOLIDAYS!

Countdown Production

HUGE congratulations to all of you Kereru Kids. You all did an awesome job in the school production. Everyone put in 100% effort and you all played your parts (hippy/soldier) really well. Extra congratulations to Andrew and Savanna. You two had a big responsibility playing such important roles and you were both outstanding!
Ms Hampson is super proud of you all!

 

 

Production Rehearsal.

We spent all day Wednesday at Garin College rehearsing for our School Production "Countdown'
We've all been rehearsing all term and have worked really hard on our dances. It's looking fantastic and we can't wait to perform to a big audience.

Elf Update #3

Sugarplum played a trick on the class on Wednesday by turning all the names and jobs upside down. On Thursday she played Hide and Seek. It took ages to find her but Holly found her and the candy cane!

                                                                

    

Elf Update #2

Sugarplum enjoys reading Christmas stories.

Her note reads;

I found a pile of books

too interesting to leave.

So I sat down to read just one

instead I read all three!

The Science of Christmas

Have you ever wondered if Rudolph's nose really glows? Why don't we see Santa delivering presents or flying through the sky?

Here's a scientific explanation of some of those unanswered mysteries of Christmas.

Elf Update #1

This morning we arrived at school and found our elf in the bath! (at least she's hygienic!)
It seems that Sugarplum likes nothing better than a bubbly soak in the tub after a long trip to the North Pole and back.

Sugarplum Coco Arrives!

Well, what excitement in Kereru Class yesterday!
Our Elf on the Shelf arrived. We were in Tui Class practicing our production dance when the box was delivered. We held our breath as we opened the box and looked inside. We found a note from Santa, some tinsel, our own copy of the Elf on the Shelf book and an adoption certificate......but no elf!

When Ms Hampson was reading the letter, it said that our elf was already in our classroom keeping a watchful eye on everything! We all bolted back to Kereru Class to find her. Joel found her hiding behind some containers.
We kept looking at her and some of us whispered our Christmas list to her so she could tell Santa when she flew back to the North Pole.

                                             

             

Sugarplum Coco!

We're Getting an Elf!

This morning Mr Dorman came into our classroom looking very confused. He found a letter on his desk addressed to Kereru Class. He knew it must be important because the return address was the North Pole (and it was still cold!) so he rushed it over to us. He said that he had turned around to do something and when he turned back the letter had appeared as if by magic!
We were sooooo excited and couldn't wait to open it and read it. Once Margeaux started reading the letter we thought we had missed out on being selected for an elf but....... read for yourself!!

The Elf on the Shelf

We watched a short video this afternoon about The Elf on the Shelf.
Every year Santa sends out special Scout Elves to boys and girls in homes and classrooms around the world. Each night the elves return to the North Pole to report back to Santa about how naughty or nice the children are.
The elves always return to the classroom before the children get there (and sometimes they have been a bit mischievous and playful and get up to all sorts of tricks)
We have sent a letter to Santa telling him that we will be on our best behaviour and will look after the elf if we get one. We are REALLY hoping that our class is chosen to have our own Scout Elf sent to us from the North Pole. Only a few classes are chosen each year from schools all around the world so hopefully we will be one of them!

Inter-School Athletics

Wednesday is Inter-school Athletics Day. If you are participating please come to school in your PE gear. You may wear track pants as it can still be a bit cool in the morning. 

Here is a reminder of what else you will need:

-Sneakers
-School Hat
-Sunscreen
-Drink bottle (water)
-Lunch and snacks
-School Polar fleece or Jersey
-Wet weather gear (raincoat)
When: Wednesday 3rd December 2014 (All day)
Where: Saxton Track

Parents, families and friends are welcome to come along and enjoy the day.

Ministry of Inspiration Summer Camp

The Ministry of Inspiration is once again pleased to announce that we are offering a summer Science/Engineering camp and Computer Science camp. Both will be held at Garin College in Richmond Jan 19-23 from 9 am to 3 pm for the low cost of $250. Space is limited and will only run if a minimum of 10 students sign up for each camp (max. 20 in each course). Students cancelling their registration within 10 days of the event will be charged a $50 processing fee. 

The Science camp will include: lab safety skills, chemistry experiments/topics, physics topics, dissections, microscope work, bridge building, and electrical challenges. The Computer camp is designed for beginning to intermediate programmers using the SCRATCH programming language, a free drag and drop programme. In addition, students will be using Spheros, a small robotic programmable ball. For this portion students will need a hand-held device with specific programmes downloaded on it. Hopefully, as long as the shipment arrives prior to camp, students will also be building and programming their own robots. 

Both camps are designed for Years 4-8 and are taught by senior level students along side registered teachers. To register, go to ministryofinspiration.org

Groovy 60's Art

We have been learning about how turbulent life was in the 1960's but we’ve also looked at the peace movement, music, hippies, symbols and some of the fun things about the decade.

Last week we did some watercolour artwork. We chose patterns, colours and symbols that we thought represented the 1960’s. We painted patterns in watercolour on the background and then cut out symbols from the era using black paper and glued these on top of the paint.

Here is a sample of some of our work.

St Paul's School Athletics

Next Tuesday is our school athletics day. Come to school in your PE gear. You may wear track pants as it can still be a bit cool in the morning. 

Here is a reminder of what else you will need:

-Sneakers must be worn
-School Hat
-Sunscreen
-Drink bottle (water)
-Lunch and snacks
-School Polar fleece or Jersey
-Wet weather gear (raincoat)
When: Tuesday 18 November 2014 (All day)
Where: Saxton Track

Parents, families and friends are welcome to come along and enjoy the day!

Christmas Hamper Appeal

                                 The St Vincent de Paul Society is appealing for donations of 

Christmas themed goods that would assist families in the

Richmond area over the Christmas period.

We are asking each family to donate non-perishable food items suitable for 

celebrating the Christmas season. (please- no gifts).

The appeal will take place during November and the hampers will be presented at 

Mass on the First Sunday of Advent. (30 November)

Some Suggestions: Christmas cake, fruit mince pies, chocolate biscuits, tinned fruit, dessert sauces (chocolate, fruit) savoury sauces (cranberry, apple, sweet chilli) pickles and chutneys to accompany meat, salad dressings, nibbles (nuts, crackers, chips, dried fruit) specialty tea and coffee, fruit juice, truffles, liquorice, chocolate and lollies!

Thank you. We appreciate your support!

First Aid

This morning Kathryn from St Johns came to teach us some basic first aid.
We learnt how to identify an emergency situation and what to do. We also learnt how to manage nose bleeds, put a injured arm in a sling, dress a wound and help someone who is unconscious.
Hopefully we won't ever have to use our new skills but now we'll be better prepared if we do.

Dressing an arm wound

                    

Making a sling

Kathryn explaining what to do if we find someone unconscious

Practicing our skills

Listening for breathing

Helping a patient into a better breathing position