Farewell Room 8 of 2008

My Darlings,

It was a pleasure having each and every one of you in my class this year. I wish you well in your new class next year and may you continue with the high standard of work you have achieved in Room 8. I have enjoyed watching your transformation from the start to the end of the year. I am proud of you all for taking the virtues we have learned, to heart, and for often striving to be the best that you can be.
This Blog will always be yours as well as all of the other COOL KIDS I have taught. I hope that you will continue to visit this Blog next year and in the future.

My darlings, you have learned how to set and achieve goals and you're now able to make good choices. This had inspired me to set a goal for myself in August. I have learned to make good choices about the foods I eat and to exercise to be healthy. By choosing a healthy lifestyle, I discovered that it is indeed difficult to always make the right choices in life. I now realise that it must have been hard for you to always do the right thing in the classroom, in the playground and when dealing with difficult situations. So THANK YOU for your perseverance - you did not give up when things seemed hard. And even when you made a mistake, you learnt from it and tried to change for the better.

I expect that each one of you will continue with your education to Intermediate School, then to High School and also to University. I hope that I have instilled in you all a love for learning and sharing, loving and caring. I pray that you will all grow up to be model citizens of New Zealand and the world. I am always here for you. Believe in yourselves, like I do, and live by our school's motto "KIA TOA KIA MANAWANUI...BE THE BEST THAT YOU CAN BE!

Love always,
Mrs Raman

COOLKIDS 2008
Rear:- Johnnie, Shar, Joseph, Tyson, Riccardo, Douglas, Eruera
Middle:- Destiny, Makayla, Britelle, Tia, Kelliemay, Iesha
Second row:- Zane, Ariana, Stacy, Cridon, Davyd, Kiani, Page
Front:- Kassidy, Nikita, Lacy, Marino, Victoria, Kennedy




Total number of visits to Mrs Raman's Cool Kids Blog since 29 May 2008: 6,847 on 17 Dec 2008

Season's Greetings 2008

Wednesday 17th December 2008



We have made it safely to the end of the term and school year - woohoo!!!
Reflecting back on 2008, I give thanks to the numerous challenges I faced this year which has made me a stronger and better person. THANKS to all my colleagues and friends who have offered comfort and advice during my difficult times and who have been patient and understanding. I was challenged with ill health from the beginning of the year resulting in three new medical conditions which I am receiving treatment for.

This year, I was inspired by my student’s ability in setting and achieving their goals as well as learning to make good choices. I decided to set a goal for myself which was to make good choices about the foods I eat and to exercise regularly. To date I have lost 18kg! I have a long way to go but I now feel better than I did in 42 years!!

I shall be flying off to South Africa (alone) the day after Christmas especially to spend time with my Mum who has not been well this year.
Whatever you decide to do over the holidays, be safe, be happy and do something special for yourself.
May the love, joy and peace of the festive season remain with you throughout the New Year. Looking forward to another wonderful year at Kelvin Road School in 2009.

Happy holidays :)

Kind Regards,
Kree Raman
Room 8 Teacher
Kelvin Road School
Auckland, NZ

Explanation: The Nativity Story

A long time ago in Nazareth there lived a lady called Mary who was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph. One night Mary was sent an angel from God, called Gabriel, who told Mary she would bear a child and she should name him Jesus.
Soon after that Mary and Joseph were married. Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem, where Joseph came from, to pay a special tax. When they got there a lot of other people had come to pay their taxes. Mary was tired and needed a place to rest. The inn was full but a kind inn-keeper said he had a stable and they were welcome to stay there. Mary took the offer and thanked the inn-keeper and went to the stable. On that dark night Mary gave birth to baby Jesus. They wrapped him in sheets and lay him in a manger.
On a mountain there were two shepherds looking after their sheep. When a bright light shone over them an angel told them that a new king was born and they must call him Jesus. From far away there were three wise men that saw a new star in the sky. They studied it and found out that when a new star is in the sky it means a new king is born. They set off to find the baby. They went to King Herod to ask him if he knew where the new king was born. King Herod was troubled so he told the wise men to find the baby and come back to tell him where he is so that he could worship him.
The wise men found the baby and gave him gifts like gold, frankincense and myrrh. Joseph had a dream that baby Jesus was in danger so they escaped to Egypt. When the three wise men did not return to King Herod’s palace, he ordered that all the baby boys in Bethlehem be killed. Luckily baby Jesus was safe in Egypt. And this is how the saviour of the world was born on Christmas day.


By Shar (Grade 4)

Kelvin Road School’s Third Annual Art Exhibition

On Tuesday 18 November 2008, Kelvin Road School open our annual Art Exhibition. It was our school’s third art exhibition. The whole school exhibited their art work for parents and the community to view. On the Wednesday night we had an evening viewing from 6 pm to 7pm. Room 8’s best work was the variety of self-portraits we had done as well as our papier mache vases and putiputi. There were lots of fantastic art displayed by all the classes. The exhibition ended on Thursday 20th November. Here are a few of my favourite pictures:












By Joseph

Drumming Show by Dylan Elise

On Wednesday 26th November a New Zealand drummer named Dylan Elise came to our school. The whole school went for the show to the hall. First a guy walked onto the stage and introduced himself. His name was Dylan Elise. He told us that he had started playing drums since the age of six. He said he has been in many bands but had not played solo for a long time. First he played a clapping game with the audience. It was fun and then it went kind of silly and everybody laughed. After that Dylan showed us the cow-bells. He named two types of drumsticks, brush and hot-rod. Then Dylan played the drums for us. He played rock, latin, jazz and other types. On the drums he was doing tricks with his drumsticks. He was juggling and flipping them while drumming. He did some cool tricks on the high-hat and also drummed on his legs. While Dylan was playing the drums there was a bigscreen video so we could see Dylan playing upclose. He told us the glass shield that surrounded his drumset were protecting our ears from the loudness of the drums. At the end Dylan mentioned following our dreams. He had achieved his dream of being a drummer. We felt lots of passion and excitement for all the hard work he put into doing the show and achieving his dreams.



Written by: Kelliemay, Johnnie, Stacy and Destiny

Water Games & Activities

1. The Shark and the Mermaids
You need: Large swimming pool
Players: Small to medium groups
How to play:
One person is chosen to be the Shark and the others are Mermaids. The Shark starts on the side of the pool close to the middle while the Mermaids start at one end of the pool. When the Sharks says "go!" the Mermaids must try to get to the other side of the pool and back. Meanwhile the sharks jump in and try to tag the Mermaids. If a Mermaid is tagged, it is frozen and it is up to another Mermaid to unfreeze them. The Mermaids win if they each make it across the pool and back and are all touchung the end of the pool. The Shark wins if everyone is tagged and frozen.

2. Poison Pool Toss
Required:splash water bombs,noodles,soft balls, small hoops
Players: medium to large groups
A great pool game for a big class and a good warm-up activity. Divide the pool in half using a rope or net with players evenly distributed on both sides. If there is a deep end make sure that players on that side are good swimmers. Have two baskets full of an equal number of pool toys and dump them in the water on either side of the line. On whistle blow, all the players will try to throw the items to the other side of the line in order to keep their side of the pool free of items.
Give them 5 - 10 minutes then blow the whistle to stop. The teams with the least amount of items on their side is the winner.

3. Dolphin Relay
Required: swimming pool and one ball per team
Players: small to large groups
Divide class into 3 to 5 teams. The first player from each team will race down and back the length of the pool while pushing the ball with their noses and forehead. If they touch the ball with their hands, feet or body they must go back to where that took place and start again. The next player will do the same until one team is the winner. With good swimmers, this can be done by swimming in the deep end of the pool. For a game with non-swimmers, play in the shallow end.

Source:
http://www.cmsport.co.nz/


FLIPPA BALL LESSON 1 – ‘Familiarisation and Passing’
Outline of Rules (basic) – 5 minutes
One may catch the ball with two hands but use one hand to pass or shoot.
One can move up and down the pool by walking, running, or swimming. If in possession of the ball the only way of progressing the ball is by swimming with it doing freestyle.
The ball must stay above the water at all times.
To defend a player with the ball, one may not contact the attacker. The defensive player may only knock the ball out of the attacking player’s hand. (Similar to basketball)
Equipment:
Flippa Ball balls (8)
Four cones or chairs

Warm up (outside of pool) – 5 minutes
Pass in groups of three in a triangle. Children to be about two metres apart. Focus on children having elbow higher than shoulder when passing. (Remember, can catch with two hands, but must pass with one hand)

Warm up (inside of pool) – 10 minutes
(Children still in groups of three)
Organise children into relay groups with two children on one side of pool and third child on other side of pool. In relay fashion swim freestyle (repeating four times) alternating between freestyle and head-up freestyle.

Passing (inside pool) – 5 minutes
Pass in groups of three in a triangle. Children to be about two metres apart. Focus on children having elbow higher than shoulder when passing. (Remember, can catch with two hands, but must pass with one hand)

Game – 20 minutes
(Four teams of six)
Game begins with 1 goalie and 5 field players. Both teams line up against wall. Referee begins game by blowing whistle and dropping ball in middle of pool. Teams swim to ball, trying to score a goal in opposition’s goal. Let game flow ensuring that the basic rules are applied. Rotate after 5 minutes allowing all four teams to play each other.


Source: http://www.waterpolo.org.nz/Content.aspx?ID=FBCoachPlan

Explanation: How cheese is made

Firstly the dairy farmer squeezes milk from the cow. Secondly they put the milk into the milk truck. Next the milk truck goes to the factory and then the milk goes through the hose into the milk tank. When it is in the milk tank they test if it is good or bad.
When it is all right it goes the starter room. Thereafter rennet is added
to curdle the milk. In the pasteurizing room the milk is heated up to get bacteria
out. The whey and curd is separated and the curd goes down the slide and the whey goes to the bakery. The curd is pressed to form cheese. After that they weigh it, then trim it and wrap it. Next it goes to the store room. Then the cheese inspectors check if it is alright before it is shipped to England.

By Joseph

Explanation: Why do Hindus celebrate Diwali

Diwali is known as the festival of lights that Hindus celebrate all around North India, South India even in New Zealand. When Hindus celebrate Diwali they draw rangoli patterns to invite God to their home. My teacher Mrs. Raman baked sweets and cookies. She made plates for 50 people. When you celebrate Diwali you have to buy new clothes like saris - that’s what my teacher wears every time she celebrates Diwali. Hindus cannot celebrate Diwali if there is a death in the family. Hindu people rub oil on their body before having a bath to cleanse themselves. People are very kind and caring because of the food that is given to others. There was once a king called Shree Raam who got sent to the forest for 14 years. After 14 years, Shree Raam and his wife made their way back home. The people of Ayodhya lit up candles and lamps for their most loved lord Shree Raam to welcome him back. Diwali is a very popular Hindu festival. It is important because goodness will always defeat the evil and light will conquer darkness.

By Makayla

Explanation: How to keep safe at the beach

To keep your family safe do not go out too far into the water because you might drown. Before you go into the water, you've got to put sunscreen on and also when you finish swimming. Remember to always swim between the flags. If you're swimming and people are fishing, you need to watch where the rods are because you might get caught. If you are diving and bombing, do it safely with an adult at a deep part but you need to make sure you don't go too far out and don't come too far in or else you will get hurt. If you get into trouble in the water, call out for help by waving your hands and the life-guard will rescue you. The beach is a fun place not only for swimming. You can build sand castles, play dig the person up or just play in the playground. Always be careful and be safe at the beach.

What can we find out about milk?

Recording Sheet

Type of Milk	What colour is it?	How does it look?	How does it pour?	How does it taste?
Skim milk	white, milky	white liquid like regular milk	pours very easily like water	like regular milk but not as creamy because it has less fat
Flavoured milk	chocolate colour	like chocolate coloured milk	pours quite easily	like melted chocolate poured into whole milk
Evaporated milk	cream colour	like fresh cream but thin consistency	easy to pour	like unsweetened and runny fresh cream but with less fat
Condensed milk	pale custard colour	like custard but lighter colour	pours slowly like golden syrup	extremely sweet like golden syrup but nice and creamy

 

We chose four types of milk for testing i.e. skim milk, flavoured milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk. We poured about three quarters of each type of milk into separate cups. We looked carefully at the appearance of the milk samples. We noticed that they were of different colours, some poured out easily like water while others poured slowly like golden syrup.

We tasted the samples of milk. Some tasted creamy and some tasted sweet. After recording our observations we mixed all the samples together and enjoyed our own creation of a delicious new milky creamy shake.