Cool Kids Kapahaka

Room 8 Cool Kids performed their Kapahaka for the Junior School today. Throughout Term 3, Room 8 practiced their Kapahaka with Whaea Davene during lunch-breaks.
Mrs Raman is very proud of Room 8 for sacrificing their lunch-times to learn Kapahaka. Congratulations on your success my dear Cool Kids. You make me proud even though I am no longer your teacher.

THANK YOU Whaea Davene for your dedicated efforts in teaching our children these wonderful dance movements and songs. Please continue with the awesome work you're doing.

PS. Thank you Whaea Elaine for the photo.

52 Character Building Thoughts for Children

By Leah Davies, M.Ed. The following quotes may be used in a variety of ways by both teachers and counsellors. One idea is for a thought to be posted, read, and discussed at the beginning of each week. It could then be read daily with the students. At the end of the week ask them what they learned or how the thought applied to their lives or activities during the week. Have the children give written or oral examples, or have them draw a picture to illustrate their ideas. How I look is not as important as how I act. I treat others the way I want them to treat me. I am a good sport; I follow the rules, take turns and play fair. It is okay to laugh at funny things, but not to laugh at others. I do not gossip; if I cannot say anything helpful, I do not say anything at all. When I am sad, I help myself feel better by thinking of things that are good in my life. In order to have friends, I must act in a kind way. I believe that I am someone who can do important things. What I say and how I say it tells others the kind of person I am. I appreciate my family, my teachers, and my school. I treat everyone with respect. When I listen, I show others that I care about them. I am being a good citizen when I volunteer to help others. I think for myself and make smart choices that are good for me. Each day offers a new start to do my best. I try to understand what my friends are feeling. Everyone makes mistakes, so instead of getting angry with myself, I try to do better. I do not give up; I keep trying until I can do my work. Sharing with others makes me feel good and makes them feel good too. I work out my problems without hurting myself or others. I am being polite when I wait for my turn and say please and thank you. When I smile at people, they usually smile back. I encourage my friends to do their best. My values guide me to do what is right. I am honest; I do not cheat or steal. When I am angry, I use self-control and do not hurt others. I am being creative when I dance, draw, paint or write a poem or story. I say, "No!" to things that could hurt my body like tobacco and alcohol. When I do what I say I will do, I am being responsible. I am grateful for what I have, so I share with others. I try to learn something new each day. When things do not go my way, I stop and think of what I can do to make them better. I do not make fun of other children because I don't know what their life is like. I feel successful when I do my best. Everyone has good and bad feelings. I take care of myself by eating healthy food, exercising and getting enough rest. I am being punctual when I am on time and do not keep people waiting. When I cooperate with others, I get more done. I follow the rules and try to make my school a better place. I like to get to know children who are different from me. Since I tell the truth, my friends trust me. I look for what is good in others and I say what I like about them. I buy only what I need and I save my money. When I use my time wisely, there is usually enough time to do what I want to do. I think before I act; how I act affects how others treat me. Using manners helps me keep my friends. I have courage to stand up for children who are teased. Before I do something, I ask myself, "Is it safe?" I am me -- I do not try to be like someone else. I care about living things on earth so I recycle and do not litter. When I write down what I think and feel, I learn about myself. I plan ahead and think about what I want to do when I grow up.   For more ideas, see our archived article, Encouraging Thoughts.

Space Mission tokens for Cool Kids from USA

Here is an email from one of our readers, Mark Shultes, senior dimensional inspector for Ball Aerospace (America) who is sending Room 8 Cool Kids some patches/pins from the Space Missions.

Kree,
(Please forward this to the new teacher of the Cool Kids of Room 8.)
I finally got the shipping materials for the small tokens that I want to share with the Cool Kids. It is not much, but all I have at this time.
I will ship it on Monday. The shipping label shows your name for delivery, and mine as sender.
It will include the DVD of "Comet Collision", which shows my companies work on the Deep Impact mission.
This video is a little intense, and should be reviewed by the school administrators before showing to the kids, but I see that it is on YouTube already.
Thank you so much for your friendship, and keep in touch.
Mark Shultes and family
Colorado, USA

 

An earlier email: 1 August 2009

Hi Kree,
My name is Mark. I live in Colorado USA and work in aerospace.
I saw one of your comments on the NASA channel and checked out your class room website. You seem to be an outstanding teacher.
I hope that you have received some replies from the astronauts.
I tend to get a few pictures, patches and pins for the space missions I work on.
If you have not received any, I would be willing to send you some of mine.
Mark

 

Email: 2 August 2009

Dear Kree,
Wow! The two youtube links of your cool kids questions (and answers) were great! What an honor!
Four of the astronauts from STS-125 came to my work this past Thursday for lunch and a presentation. I did not get a chance to speak with them, but just seeing and listening to them in person was AMAZING!
Very few people get the experience that these astronauts do, but many thousands of people get to help them achieve it. I am so proud to be able to contribute.
The Engineers, Technicians, Machinists, Software experts, Electricians, Inspectors... and the list goes on, are incredible people.
I am a senior dimensional inspector for Ball Aerospace. We work very hard to make sure that the parts and components are the best that can be produced.
It takes a world of people to make these things happen!
Keep up the great work!
Best Regards,
Mark Shultes and family

Tree Planting – 11 September 2009

View Full Album

Teacher’s Farewell Message

Dear Principal, Board of Trustees, Staff, Students & Parents of Kelvin Road School:

The day has finally arrived...my journey at Kelvin Road School has come to an end.

In my 20 years of teaching this has been only my 2nd school and I would be happy to have stayed here forever! However, there is another exciting challenge awaiting me, so I am off...following my heart. This feels right, like it did when I left South Africa 7 and a half years ago.

I can't THANK YOU all enough for your help and friendship throughout my stay at our cool school. I have learned heaps and Kelvin Road School will be forever engraved in my heart.

If I said or did anything to hurt or upset you, kindly forgive me. I hope that you will remember me with a smile :) All the best.

I am sure that my Cool Kids will continue with their awesome work and I know that they will keep in touch via Gmail, Twitter and Blogger. Remember your "Wish Upon a Star". You CAN achieve your goals and dreams if you work hard,  and "Be the BEST that you can be!" Reach for the Stars!!

Love always,

Kree Raman
Room 8 Teacher
Mobile: 0272967094
Skype: kreeraman
Twitter: kreescoolkids
Youtube: kree12

Gmail: kree4sai@gmail.com
Class Blog: http://mrsramanscoolkids.blogspot.com/

Comments from Mrs Raman’s Ex-teachers

Dear Ms Raman
Please read this to your class and post it online.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to share the accomplishments
of such a great group of students from your class. Their blog is exciting and  very heart warming. The blog clearly made us experience  their voices and feel the dreams in the hearts of your students.

We wish you well in your new school and even though you  are in another location , the magic of technology is only a 'twitter away'. You have given your students a deep sense of  pride in themselves to face the challenges and be humble in success which will help them to forge ahead in their study and pave a meaning
full life as contributing citizens not only of New Zealand but  as global citizens.

Congratulations!

Warmly,
Dr Mogi Nayagar & Mr Sonny Nayagar

Hong Kong

(Mrs. Raman’s Ex-teacher & Lecturer from South Africa))

Hubble's Recommissioning Process

September 9, 2009: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, ready to uncover new worlds, peer ever deeper into space, and even map the invisible backbone of the universe.

Putiputi - Parent-helpers: Whaea Emma & Whaea Philomena

Healthy Eating: Pasta with Watties Salsa Chilli-beans

Recipe: Pasta with Chilli-beans
Watties Salsa Chilli-beans
Spiral Pasta (or any sea-shell pasta)
Little oil and salt

1. Cook pasta according to instructions on the product.
2. Heat a little oil, add chilli-beans and salt, cook for 15 minutes. (Add any spices of your choice if you wish, but it is fine without)
3. Stir pasta into chilli-beans or drop a spoonful of chilli-beans over a bowl of pasta. Eat hot.

Yum!!

Speech: Taking Care of Animals by Kaiya

Do you take care of animals? Taking care of animals is top priority. The reason why we take care of animals is because they produce many different kinds of foods for us such as milk and meat. We also have animals to keep us company like our pets.

My favourite animal is a dog. Have you ever wanted a pet? Well if you get a pet you have to take care of it. I have pet dog. We always take him for walks. We take care of him all the time. Always let your pets be free sometime in the day. They are soft and very playful. Some dogs are guard dogs. There are many different kinds of animals. At the S.P.C.A. there are farm animals, birds, cats, dogs and many more.

We keep animals safe, healthy and clean with the five freedoms. Do you have a pet and do you practice the five freedoms? I do. The five freedoms are exercise, love, vet care, shelter, food and water. We go for a run with our pets so that they keep fit. We cuddle and love our pets because if we don’t love our pets they will feel left out and alone.

We take animals to the vet because they might have had an accident and broken a bone or might even be sick. They might get sick from the rain. We give our pets shelter because if we didn’t then they wouldn’t be very happy. We prepare food for our pets because that is how we keep our pets healthy. It’s good to practice the five freedoms, it really is. Sometimes, when you take your dog for a walk always remember this; put a leash on your dog and if you have a cat, hold it in your arms so it doesn’t run away.

Some dogs get treated badly or even hit and don’t get the five freedoms. If they don’t get given the five freedoms they might be at risk and that is the reason why we have to take care of animals. When the Look at me Now children visited the SPCA we watched a video of a little puppy who was abandoned in a house. When the owner was moving out the puppy was left there for 2 weeks so the owners failed to give it the five freedoms. When the new people moved in the house they found the puppy and it was starving and ready to die because it had scabs and it was sick. So they tried to feed it but it wouldn't eat or drink anything. They took it to the S.P.C.A. and there they fed it and gave it medicine to make it well. It grew nicely and got better. In a few years it was good and some people came and adopted him and took good care of it.

I really like animals. They are so cute and cuddly and all they want is to be loved and petted. When I grow up I want to work in the S.P.C.A. and take care of animals.

Speech: My favourite sport by Jyris

I like soccer because you can tackle the ball, dribble the ball, score goals and kick the ball as far as you can. The rules are to not hand ball it. Don't be in front of the goalie when your team is passing, no pushing other players. The best thing I like to do is to dribble the ball around the players so they don't take the ball off you. You can take free kicks and kick the ball as far as you can. You can take corner kicks goalie kicks. Only the goalie can hand ball the ball in the square. You cannot do off-sides when the other person is attacking the ball of you and then you pass it. If you want to be in a soccer game, you need to have some shorts, some shin pads and some soccer boots. When all of the soccer games are finished you might get a trophy or a medal. When the goalie is in the square and the ball is out of the square and it could be a free kick all I like to do is to run up the side and score a goal so my team can win. This year we played in the KRS world cup. We won three games and we drew one and one another game. This year I won two medals. One was bronze and the other one was gold and it says player of the tournament. When I grow taller and taller I am going to be like David Beckham so people can write about me an I can be on magazines, news papers and books. Soccer is one of my favourite sports ever. When my playing career ends I am going to be a coach, for New Zealand’s White Socks.

Speech: Friends by Justice

Do you have a friend? I met my best friends in Room 14 last year. My best friends are Kaiya and Memory. They were very nice to me and still are. I know everything about them. Memory’s favourite colours are green, blue, yellow and grey. Kaiya’s favourite colours are light blue and yellow. Kaiya’s favourite food is butter chicken and Memory's favourite food is macaroni and cheese. When I started at Kelvin Road School I was happy to be in the same class as Kaiya and Memory. My friends and I signed up for gymnastics. We learnt lots of skills like forward flips, shoulder stands and back flips. I'm not really good at back flips. Every morning we go on the computer and chat to each other. We go on our on Gmail. We even write things about what we are doing and other stuff. My friends like having fun. We play nicely and are friendly with each other. My friends and I catch up after school. They ask if they can come over to play. I think friends are important because they might feel sad and lonely so it is nice to have someone to talk to. My friends do lots of things for me because they are my best friends. Best friends always help each other and stick together. What I like about my friends is that they are kind and caring. I like friends that are nice to each other. My best friends like soccer which is their favourite sports. That's my favourite sport too. Me and my friends are really kind to Mrs Raman. My friends always help Mrs Raman if she is struggling to find things. Kaiya’s job is to select the litter monitors. She has to give a rubbish bag to the one who is responsible to pick up rubbish. My best friend Memory collects the lunch orders and our fruit and takes the bucket back to the hall. She does that twice a day every day. My job is to pick up litter a few times in the term during lunch time and morning tea. Every Tuesday Whaea Erena does awesome things with us for taha Maori. My friends and I enjoy it with Whaea Erena. On the 14th of August we had a book parade. We had to dress up as our favourite book characters. Kaiya and I dressed up us the three little kittens that lost their mittens. Some of the parents came along to watch. Monday the 17 th of August we went on a train trip with room 18. My best friends were in my group. We took turns using the camera and we finished all our work in the train booklet. Friends are really important and can make you have a lot of fun. I really enjoy school because of my friends.

Speech: Sport by Kimball

Sport helps you get fit to become stronger as you grow older. I took part in three inter school sports this year. I took part in swimming and gymnastics. I’ve always liked rugby. I’ve played rugby for four years now. My goals for rugby are to get the player of the year award. Sport is a good way to be fit and healthy. Any type of sport is good for you. Out of all the sport, soccer is the most popular sport. People always play soccer. That’s why soccer is the most popular sport. Gymnastics is the best way to get fit so is running. Running can help you build muscles. Running is good for you. You should get out of bed early in the morning and go for a run for about ten minutes a day. The best days to run are on Saturday and Sunday because you have more time. Running helps people lose weight. At home you should do fitness every day for ten minutes. Fitness is really important if you want to be healthy. Every day you should eat two or three fruit a day to be healthy. You should go on a diet for at least one week. Every day you should eat healthy if you want to be strong. Sport and healthy eating is good for you. I love sport as a way to keep fit and healthy.

Speech: Taking care of your pet by Memory

Have you ever had to take care of your pet? If you never had a pet but you want one listen up. I'm going to tell you the proper way to look after your pet and why. To start with, you should never abandon your pet. If you are going overseas you can just ring up a friend to come around and pick up your pet or you can ring the S.P.C.A. and drop your pet off. Whatever you do, do not forget your pet. All they ever want is for someone to love them and care for them. Whether you love pets or not, your pet will always love you no matter what. Even if it is not your pet it will still love you. If you come across a fierce dog stand still and don't look it in the eye then it won't bite you. I think you should treat God’s creation the way you treat people. If you lock your dog or cat in the house and leave it in there it might die. Be careful if you're visiting someone’s house because some people make their dogs like a guard dogs. They might be vicious and dangerous dogs. Some people even starve their dogs so if anyone was walking past the dog would bite them. When cats are abandoned they become stray cats and live in the bushes and eat scraps. They have babies and when the mother dies the babies have to be like their mother living on the streets and eating the scraps. If you have a pet your pet needs the 5 freedoms. The 5 freedoms are (1) to make sure that your pet has shelter (2) to take your pet for a run or exercise (3) to always love your pet and care for it (4) to make sure your pet has food and water and (5) to take your pet to the vet care once a year so your dog is not sick. I have a cat and I give him the 5 freedoms. My mum makes sure that I do. My kitten’s name is Kitty Boy. We play with him properly and take him for walks. There is nothing better than to love your pet. That is why if think taking care of animals is very important. Please treat your pet as part of the family.

Speech: Why I love computer games by Ben

Have you ever played computer games? I play computer games every day. They are really addictive and a lot of fun.

There are different types of computer games like action, educational, adventure, puzzle, arcade and many more. Just one click of a button and you’re on to it. You will love them like I do. If you’re feeling down you can just get onto your computer and play some games then you will be happy in ten seconds. There are educational games like math games, reading games and spelling games which can increase your knowledge. Computer games are not just about action adventure. There is learning included as well. Most of my ideas come from action and adventure games.

These computer games actually make you think a lot better. The action and the adventure make me feel like that’s me on the computer screen. I become a part of the game. You can use multiplayer games so you don’t have to play by yourself. I love playing multiplayer because I can play with people all around the world. I love online games because you can chat with people all around the world. One time my brother and I versed someone online. It was a fierce battle but I won. You can explore on different game levels. Sometimes you can get in vehicles and control the vehicle according to your command. My favourite online game is Sherwood where you take the life of a warrior in the year 1604 where you defeat monsters, spiders, skeletons and men as well. There is a game called Moon Base which is really fun. You travel into space on the moon’s rover and use your jetpack to fly around in space. You can fly to earth but it’s a bit smaller than the real one. My other favourite game is called Martian Club. You get the life of a human being. You have and olden day sports car. You get clothes and get all kinds of colours. You can make your own music and add a colourful disco mode. Another cool computer game which you have to download is called Prototype. It’s about a guy who was infected with the power to shape shift and glide in mid air. The humans are infected with the virus. The Military is against you. You can shape shift into people like the Military and hunters and a lot more. You can heal people or take their lives. My favourite game is On the Run. It is about an evil corporation who try to kill you because you know something that you’re not supposed to know. They will stop at nothing to get it out of your head. You can drive around and the evil corporation tries to destroy your car. Your mission is to get to safety and to get out. You would really like this game. It’s like an action packed car adventure computer game all in one. Now you might understand why I love computer games. It’s one of the best inventions of the 21^st century. When I grow up I want to be a game technician.

Speech: Friends by Taylah

Are you a good friend? Having friends is just like having pets. I've got pets and friends. Firstly my pets would have to be dogs because they are playful.

Secondly my friends would have to be girls. Sometimes we have problems like fighting with each other and being mean to each other but then we're friends again.

If you have friends that's good because you can ask them to drop you off at home and they will. My friend Makayla does that all the time. Your friends could be older than you or younger. You can have a friend from high school, primary school or intermediate. There is no age limit to having friends.

Your friend can be a boy or girl. Most of my friends are girls. Your friend can be a Chinese, Indian, Cook-island, Maori or Pakeha.

They could live next-door to where you live. Your friends could even be your brother or sister. Your friend could have the same name as you. You could make a group up with your friends. That's what I did last year. So that's another thing you can try.

Also you can invite your friends to have lunch with you at the cafe or somewhere else or go to the movies together. You could have parties. That would be fun to. One more thing that you could do is to tell them to meet you at the pools after school or on the weekend.

If you don't have any friends ask some children if you can play with them. Or you can make up a game and go around the school and ask if they want to play with you.

That can make you have lots of friends. Friends help each other and stick up for each other. But when your friend does the wrong thing, don't be afraid to tell them how you feel.

If you join good company you will be a good person too so be careful about the friends you keep. Have good friends and be a good friend.

Speech: I have a dream by Kingi

Do you have a dream? I do. I would like to go to university and learn more about the earth and space. When I go to university I would like to discover a new animal and I would want to see a humming moth. I bet it would be exciting. If my dreams come true I would be rich and give money to the poor and buy a huge sunny house next to a beach. I would go to America then go to NASA. Later I could go into space and explore Mars and see all of the cool stuff. It would be even better if we could build a new world on Mars. What would you call it? It is my dream to make another space station like NASA. It would be on twitter so you can follow me. I have a dream that no people would litter so we wouldn’t have to buy litter bins. I dream that we would not have cars which create pollution in the world. The best way to stop pollution is not to have many cars on the road. Instead you can use a train or ride a bicycle to work. If it was up to me that is what it would be. I can be in a movie in Hollywood and make a print of my hands in Hollywood’s foot path. That would be exciting. I would like to go in the deep jungle to explore nature and to be free. Another thing is I would like to go on a vacation all around the globe from Sydney and back. Like I said I would like to go to university and learn all of those things. When I grow up I would be the happiest person on earth. I have a dream that I would be the boss of the paintball business because paint ball is both cool and sore plus you can use a shot. There is only one I like the most and that is to fire it. I think about my dream every day. Although I like to have all of those dreams come true there is only one dream I like the best and that is to go into space. If I believe in my dreams I could make them a reality.

Speech: My favourite sport by Marino

Do you have a favourite sport to play? My favourite sport to play is rugby.

I play for my team on Saturdays at 9.45.

I love the home games because afterwards we can get some food.

I am also very good at soccer and I played for my class in the Kelvin Road School soccer world cup tournament.

I was the player of the day many times.

We were the winners of the Plate finals.

But Rugby is my favourite sport.

I like to play rugby in the rain because we can get wet so we can slip and slide around the field with the ball and score a try.

My team has one more game to play. I cannot wait to give it all I’ve got.

We can win, I know we can.

Saturday 22^nd August is the last game of the season so we have to win.

You can come and support us on a Saturday.

We train on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4.30 depending on the weather.

If it rains we can’t play or train because the fields will be to wet so training will be cancelled.

My dad takes me to training and to the games. He likes watching me play and our team members play also.

Dad always tells me how proud he is of me. I know Mrs Raman is also proud of me.

When I won a player of the day certificate, my teacher also gave me a certificate at assembly.

Rugby is a cool way to meet new friends and to meet other people in our team.

I love rugby so I play my heart out. Rugby is my favourite sport.

My dream is to play for the All Blacks when I grow up.

Speech: I have a dream by Quinton

Do you have a dream? I Do. I have a BIG dream ahead of me. I dream about my future. My dream is to go to University and to become a Mechanic. When I grow up I want to be a Mechanic so I could help people who have car trouble. I will earn lots of money. I will be the boss of the garage and I will make millions of dollars so I could go to Hollywood and New York. I shall make lots of money to buy all the things I need. I shall travel to faraway places. I shall work out and be strong so I could lift heavy things. We shall fix motor bikes, cars, trucks, go-carts and electronic stuff. Dreams can help you do things in the future or in times when you think it's not going to happen. My Dream is to learn about things that are difficult. I want to be smart and have a lot of knowledge. I can be a Mechanic Legend in the whole world. I could be working for the government so I can be the best and achieve my goal. I can be anything I want. I will try to achieve my goals and be a mechanic in New Zealand. I will lift heavy car parts and put them back together so it can be working properly. I will work in my community fixing broken parts of cars, motor bikes or trucks. I have to reach to Mars. I would try to be the best mechanic I can be. I will buy my own tools and my own cars. I have to take responsibility and work hard to achieve my dreams. I want to be a mechanic because I want my life to be cool. If I believe in myself I can make my dreams come true. Mrs Raman has taught us to reach for the stars and to aim for Mars. Whatever I end up doing in the future I know that I will be the best that I can be.

Speech: My dad is the best by Brooklyn

Is your dad the best dad in the world? My dad always takes me to paradise ice skating every Friday after school because I'm always bored at home. Sometimes he takes me and my brothers to my nanas house. We always get lollies from my dad and sometimes he gives me money and also he helps us with our homework. My dad is the coolest dad in the whole wide world. He makes me laugh about jokes. He wants me to go to Australia to see my friend Sherry. He might take us to movie world. Dad takes me to Rainbows End. We went on the fear fall. After that we went on the roller-coaster then we went to the Gold rush. It was fun. Dad and I have lots of fun together but sometimes he growls at me, but that’s ok, it doesn't matter. My dad is the best dad in the world because he gives me loads of money. I spend it on clothes and books. Dad takes me to Papakura pools. He goes to the deep side of the pool and I try to follow him all the way but I know I will drown in the deep end. When we go home my dad makes a barbecue for dinner. Dad and I clean around the house. We clean inside too. Sometimes he lets us walk to Clendon. We always want to go to Auckland City and I want to go to the sky tower with my dad. My dad might sky dive off a plane. He wants me to go with him. Next year we are celebrating my birthday at home by having a hangi and a barbecue. I'm going to have a big party. When it's dad's birthday I'm going to buy him a skateboard, clothes, shoes, hat and a motor bike. My favourite thing I do with my dad is skating together. I'm going to ask my dad if he could bungee-jump off the Harbour Bridge. My dad is the best dad in the universe. We also go fishing together. Dad lets me fish for him. I like fishing with dad because he always catches some fish for dinner. When I am 12 years old dad's going to take me to America. We will go to Disneyland. Every day dad always gets up early in the morning to make my lunch. Sometimes he drops me off at school and he picks me up. On July 25th dad brought me some clothes, books, pens and chocolate. I like it when he buy's me stuff. That's my favourite thing about him. Soon my dad's going to take me and my cousin Harmony to Kelly Tarltons. We will see the penguins. After that he will be taking us to the museum. We are going to see the Mummy and we will play with the drums. I wanted dad to come to our train trip but he couldn’t. I got an mp3 from my dad and I liked it. I gave him a big hug. Mostly after school he takes me to Burger King then we do the shopping. Dad buys me heaps of lollies. On Sundays we go to the movies. Recently we watched Ice Age 3. It was fantastic. On Saturdays we go to my Auntie's house. She lives on a farm. Dad and I like feeding the lambs. After feeding the lambs we feed all of the other animals. Aunty makes us a drink of hot chocolate, coco or Milo. Sometimes we play on the play station 2. Dad always beats me. Sometimes we go to the Video Shop to get Some DVD’s and videos. My dad is definitely the best dad in the world.

Speech: My favourite sport by Nikita

Do you have a favourite sport? I do. I like netball, soccer, softball, swimming and ripper rugby. But my favourite sport is netball and my second favourite sport is soccer. I also like swimming. We all like swimming. Don't you? I love swimming and playing on the soccer field. Sometimes we play in the park. We go and play netball most of the time. For the inter-school we have to go and play netball at the netball court. Our whole class played a sport. I went with the netball team. We had fun. When we went down to the netball courts there were a lot of schools there. It is important to warm yourself up before you play any sport because you can injure yourself. In netball you have to do chest passes to your team mates to warm up. You are not allowed to run with the ball and you not allowed to bump into players. There are 7 players in a netball team. They are goal shooter, goal attack, two wing attacks, two wing defence and centre.

At the end of the netball matches they give out certificates. We lost one game but it was just a game. I really like netball because you don't need to run you can walk but you need to run sometimes. Sports are very important because it keeps you fit, active and healthy. When I grow up I want to play netball for the Silver Ferns. After I retire I shall be a coach for the Silver Ferns netball team. I really love sport.

Speech: My favourite sport by Shavanah

Do you play sports? I play many sports like netball, softball, touch, hockey, swimming, soccer, rugby and badminton. I enjoy playing softball the most because you have to field and bat the ball.

But with rugby, touch and hockey you run and chase the ball from one goal to the other. The only running you have to do in softball is when you're fielding the ball or when you are running the bases to get home and score a run.

I advise you to have a go because you might enjoy it just like me. Netball is another cool sport because in netball you cannot step or run with the ball.

If you run with the ball, the referee will pull you out for stepping. Netball is not just for girls, boys can play netball too.

Hockey is a sport where you use a stick to hit the ball. It is called a hockey stick. Hockey is a real good sport because you just use your hands and feet with hockey.

Hockey is a famous sport because nearly everyone plays hockey. Swimming is just the same as hockey but for swimming you do not use a stick. You just use your arms and your legs.

The best thing about swimming is doing the back stroke, butterfly and freestyle. I think that swimming is a good sport because it feels great to play in the water.

Swimming is a sport that has lots of good exercise. Netball can be a rough game because you play it outside on the concrete. Some people have fun playing netball especially scoring goals.

Rugby is an exciting game because you run and chase the ball and you have to tackle the player with the ball. The best thing about rugby is when you have the ball and when people chase after you.

For rugby you need a mouth guard and head gear. In rugby first you have to warm up. I think that rugby is really fun the only thing is when you get tackled you might hit your head on the ground.

I like rugby because it can make you fit and strong. Soccer is an outside sport because you have to use a ball for soccer and wear proper soccer gear like knee pads and soccer shoes.

Badminton is an indoor sport. You use a racket and a shuttle. Badminton has strict rules and you must follow them. I like it because if it is raining you can play inside.

The best thing about badminton is that it is fun. It is challenging too. Touch is a wonderful game because you just need shoes and a rugby ball. Touch is a wonderful game because it is good exercise.

Badminton is my second favourite sport because it is fun. Badminton can help you get better in softball by making your arms stronger. You have to hit the shuttle up above your head. But with softball you leave your hand down by your head.

I like playing sports so I think that you should start playing sports like me and my whole family. Sports keeps you fit and achieve. You should try playing sports in your spare time.

Speech: My favourite subject by Ariana

What’s your favourite subject? My favourite subject is math because it is fun, interesting and it is good for shopping. When me and my mum go shopping I always use math to count how much the shopping will come to. There are lots of reasons why math can be fun but some people don't know how much fun math can really be.

There are online math games, math board games and there are even books about maths. I love math because it is good for your brain and it can also challenges your brain too. Math is the study of numbers, measurements and shapes. That's what I like about maths.

Maths is good for you when you do your basic facts test. Math is fun because it makes you think and problem-solve. It is good when you go to College or University. Math is fun because there are lots of things in the world that involve math.

When you go on a road trip or on a plane you can do math because it will challenge your brain and it will be really fun if you do a quiz with any one that you go with. Math is fun at school when you are learning with the teacher in your math group. Math is fun if you make it fun with all your friends and family.

Math is used when you build a house because you need to count how much timber you need for the roof or how much you need for the sides. Math can also be used for banking and budgeting because you need to know how much to spend and how much to save in your bank account. Math is good for baking because you need to know how much ingredients to add and you also need to understand measurement.

In class I am in the top group for maths because I love math and I enjoy learning about math. If you want a job you need to remember everything especially your math. Math is great for sewing because you need to count how much wool you need to knit your jumper. You need to know how to measure and cut out your patterns to sew.

So you see math is important in our daily life. You can't do many things without using your maths knowledge. Maths is my favourite subject at school.

Speech: Computer Games by Karnvir

Do you like playing computer games? I love playing computer games because you get to do spelling, maths and reading. Reading is important because in most games on the computer there is lots of reading to do. There are many types of games that I like such as Runescape, cooking games and miniclip. My favourite games are Runescape and Miniclip. I love playing Runescape because you can chat, sell or buy stuff. I started playing Runescape last year after coming to New Zealand. I play free Internet runescape but you can become a member if you want to pay $11.00 a month. Members have more stuff than free users. Members can get their level faster than free users. I am level 86, my cooking level is 65, my attack level is 66, my hit points level is 70, my defence level is 66, my strength level is 74, my prayer level is 49, my total level is 864. Runescape is a role-playing game. You play as a certain character which is called an avatar. My name is chingchau. You choose and buy the armour to dress up in. I am now wearing the popular Rune armour which is blue.

I was swearing at people on Runescape so my account was deleted. That’s why I don't swear online anymore. I was muted for 3 days because I was asking someone for their password so that guy reported me. I don't like to get muted because if someone chats with me I can't answer them back. But mostly, I hate chatting online because some people ask me stupid questions. One day there was a guy who was asking my password because he wanted to steal my account. I have four accounts.

Do you like playing miniclip games? I also love playing miniclip games because we can play many types of games like fighting, shooting games, car racing and bike racing. There are paid online games and some of them are free. There are many games that we can't play because we have to pay for them. Miniclip games start from junior level. Seniors don't like it much. If you play computer games for over 2 hours you will get a headache. Whenever I play games or do my work on the computer for 2 hours hour I get a headache that’s why I play for 1 hour at a time. I never ever swear at people on online games because they will report me and my account will be disabled.

Playing online computer games are cool and fun. I feel that as long as I have a computer I will never be lonely. When I grow up I want to create my own computer games.

Speech: Michael Jackson – the King of Pop by Tyson

Did you like Michael Jackson? I am one of Michael’s biggest fans. He was the king of pop and the best musician that ever lived. Michael Jackson was the best dancer I ever saw in the world because of the moon walk and his clothes that he wore at his concerts.

He created the moon walk and also that movement when he pretends to fall forward and then backward. He has an enormous house as big as Disney land which is called Neverland like from the Peter Pan story. I like Michael Jackson’s house and cars and furniture. I liked Michael because he wore cool clothes and a cool shiny silver glove on one hand. He was the first singer to ever do that.

My favourite songs are Thriller, Beat it, You are not alone, We are the world, they are the best songs I ever heard. I like Michael’s Thriller video. In the video, when Michael and his girlfriend are watching a movie, she gets scared because of the werewolf and leaves the movie. Michael follows her out and then the song starts. I liked the dance moves, the costumes and the song as well.

The only thing is I did not understand why Michael wanted to throw his baby off the building. We will never know why he did that but I am sure he had a good reason. Michael would not hurt anyone, not even his own baby. I wonder what he was thinking and feeling? He also changed the colour of his skin. I think he should have left it the way God created him. In the end he took heaps of pills because he was in a lot of pain from all the surgeries he had.

It was with great sadness on Friday the 26th June, that I heard from Mrs Raman that Michael Jackson had died. Michael died at the age of 50 years, from an unexpected heart-related death.

Even though Michael is dead, his music will live on forever. He will always be the king of pop and the best musician of all times. I miss you Michael but thank you for leaving us all of your wonderful songs. Rest in peace Michael Jackson.

Speech: My future career by Chase

What do you want to be when you grow up? My future career is to be an en engineer because there are more opportunities instead of being a policeman or a pro-wrestler. I also want to build sky-scrapers taller than the sky so people can go to the top floor and look at all the buildings I made. I want to get lots of money to help the poor people in the world. I want to be an engineer because I like to build things and Mrs Raman suggested that I should be an engineer when I grow up. The first thing I want to make is a bridge because I want to know how to make a real bridge. I will build bridges all over the world. As I get better at building things I want to go into space and fix the Hubble space telescope if it needed to be fixed and stay up in space for a while in case it needs to be fixed again. I will fix or build anything anywhere in the world and if possible I will make a city on Mars and gardens for oxygen so people can breathe to be able to live on Mars. Before that I will find water and when I do I will build houses there so they can keep an eye on the water and make sure the water doesn't disappear. With engineering I will be able to design anything on Earth or in space. There are thousands of things you can build when you're an engineer. You can fix things too. The thing I want to build the most is a ship like the Titanic but I will make sure it does not sink like the first Titanic. To be an engineer I have to be good at maths and I need to learn more and go to university. First I will build small things then move on to constructing bigger things. When I make enough money I shall go to Paris for a Holiday and stay there for two months. Each holiday I shall work in different countries in the world. If you're an engineer you can build thousands of things. If you were a engineer what would you build and what kind of engineer will you be? My dad is studying to be a person who designs and draws the plans for an engineer. He is still learning in an adult school in Christchurch. I don't know when he will finish but I am proud. I am proud of him for going after his dream. I hope I become an engineer when I grow up. I will be very happy and I think Mrs Raman will be so proud because she was able to inspire me to become an engineer because of my love for building blocks.

Speech: My favourite subject by Euphrasia-Jan

What is your favourite subject? My favourite subject is reading. Reading is important to some people like me. I like reading because you can learn many hard and exciting words. You can also improve your reading and spelling which is kind of the same thing. You can read everywhere, like on computers, books, at school and at libraries. I like reading because you can learn all about the world, and other imaginary places. When you grow up you can become a teacher and read to all the kids at other schools in the country. But you don't have to be a teacher to read well. My favourite authors are E.B White, Joy Cowley and Margaret Mahy. I like them because they write cool and exciting books to read. There are words everywhere. When you talk, what comes out of your mouth? ‘‘Words'' when you hear things what goes into your ears? ‘‘Words''. That's why words are everywhere. Letters and words are everywhere because you can see, listen and understand what people say and write. You don't always have to write heaps instead you can read heaps. Chris Gurney is an author. She has published 3 stories called ''Cindy and the Lost Jandal'', ''Trev and the Kauri Tree'' and ''The Blue Duck''. ''Cindy and the Lost Jandal'' is already in the library. But the two other ones are coming out in a couple of months. I like Chris Gurney because she has written some fantastic books for little kids, both juniors and seniors. People borrow books from the libraries to learn harder words. Then they can go to university and get a career. But if you don't read well you won't know a lot. Some of the brightest people in the world get their knowledge from reading, so it is important that we all read if we want to be bright. Reading doesn't have to be just from books. It can also be from poems, newspapers, magazines and a whole lot of other things. Poems, magazines, newspapers and books are fun to read because it is exciting and shorter to read than novels. But most magazines and newspapers are for adults not for little kids. They are for adult because it is some stuff that we are allowed to see and hear about. Have you ever wondered where the authors of the books get the amazing words they use. I think they get it from reading books. That's why I like reading, because you can go to university to be a teacher, or a journalist or an author. I would like to become an author when I grow up.

Speech: The best place to visit by Joseph

If you had to choose a place to visit in the world, what would it be? I would pick Samoa. Samoa is a little country. I think Samoa is cool because of its easy life style. Samoa has beautiful tropical weather.

You could go swimming nearly every day in the nice fresh cool water. Be careful as you walk on the dried up lava at the beach.

Did you know some yummy food in New Zealand is free in Samoa like fruits and chips? There are delicious fruit like mangoes, oranges, bananas and apples. They don't have to pay the bills like New Zealand does? Samoan money looks strange. Their fifty cents are octagons and the two dollars are notes. Their money is like .U.S. dollars. The money in Samoa is called ta’la.

They allow children to travel on the back of a truck. That would be against the law in New Zealand. In Samoa Hollywood movies comes on T.V. before they are released on D.V.D. When movies are released in New Zealand they have already seen it in Samoa.

You don't need hot water because the weather is so hot. It is hot because Samoa is closer to the equator than New Zealand. When you go to sleep it is so hot like a steaming pot. You wouldn't even need blankets. Samoa is twice as hot as New Zealand's summer. I don’t like the small airport because it is very hot and stuffy and hard to breathe. The thing you wouldn't like about Samoa will be the mosquitoes in the night. Because of the hot weather the mosquitoes love to bug you. You get really itchy when the mosquitoes bite you. Another thing I don't like about Samoa is travelling on a boat for one hour as I get sea-sick.

Samoan people have two houses. One is a Samoan house and the other is a palangi house. The Samoan house is used to sleep in and the palangi house is for eating and entertaining. The Samoan house is called fale y'oo. Whenever you move to a new house you will have to get a dog to guard your house from the drunks. Almost everyone has got a dog there.

In Samoa they have three school terms so there are nearly 8 weeks in every school holiday. The boring thing about school is that they still teach like back in olden days. They have no technology to teach with apart from one computer in each class. But still the children in Samoa are quite smart because of the hiding they get from the teacher and parents. Samoan teachers smack the children with thick sticks so they pay attention and get smarter. Children are forced to learn and do the right thing because they don't want a hiding. The parent's are old fashioned but they have fun games to play. You have lots of friends and get to play a lot in Samoa.

I could go on and on telling you why Samoa is the best place to visit in the world but you will have to go see it for yourself. Just go there on your next holiday and tell me what you think.

Speech: My Future Career by Shar

Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? It is important to choose a career where you can earn lots of money so you can take care of your family, help the poor and live a happy life. I have two choices. I want to be a lawyer or an accountant because they are people who get paid a lot of money and earn a lot of respect.

If you want to be a lawyer, you need to be a good speaker. That is something I am very good at. I love talking and I am a confident speaker like my dad. I am also good at judging right from wrong. I think I would be fair lawyer and I would help the innocent people who have been accused of crimes they did not commit.

Being a lawyer is a great career because you can help people who are innocent from being thrown into prison. You can earn a lot more money than people who clean toilets and work in labour jobs. Being a lawyer is interesting because you get to be like a detective on CSI who investigates crimes.

I have been inspired to be a lawyer by my Mum and Dad, who are now at University studying to be lawyers. This is my Dad’s final year of study and Mum will finish next year. I watch them working so hard to achieve their dreams. They have taught me to follow my dreams and that it is never too late to learn new things. In the future I can see myself walking in my parents’ footsteps.

An accountant is a person who loves maths, numbers and working with money, like I do. I think being an accountant would be really fun because you get to do ratios, fractions, maths problems etc. An accountant has a good job because you get paid heaps more than labourers. Being an accountant is a fun job because you don’t have to scrub toilets and wash sinks all day.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a toilet cleaner or a street sweeper. The important thing is to be the best at what you do. If you become a toilet cleaner, then be the best toilet cleaner in the world. Whatever I end up doing I know that I will take pride in my job and be the best that I can be. My mum and dad have taught me to trust in my heart and I will get there.