SchoolKit - Get New Zealand Writing

Earlier in the term we sent off a package full of things that make us, our class and our community unique, and metaphors that described who we are. Today we received our package from South Wellington Intermediate School. We were very impressed with the awesome metaphors they wrote about themselves and the teachers at their school. Some were really funny! It was also very interesting reading the facts about them. They had to write the longest word they knew which just so happened to be the longest Maori word (a hill in Hawkes Bay) and we were impressed that Taylor knew the word and could say it perfectly without reading it! Next step it to explore their site and find out a bit more about them and their school. Thanks SWIS, SchoolKit and The Warehouse Stationary for the fun writing experience.

Here is the finished artwork from the Fly Our Wishes workshop last week. We had great fun creating outfits for our people. They were supposed to represent us in the future but some of us got a bit sidetracked in our designs and created cool outfits in a variety of styles. Thank you heaps to Bridgette and Jim for taking the time to come and work with us.

If you are in Kerikeri over the next week or so, go to the Turner Center and check out our work as well as many others.

Fly Our Wishes Workshop

Today we are lucky to have artists Bridgette and Jim (from Junk & Disordely at Rangiwahia Environmental Arts Center) here to work with Room 5 on some art projects that will be displayed at the Turner Center in Kerikeri for the Upsurge Festival. Watch this space for the finished pieces :)

Room 5 Noho Marae

On Monday 6th of March Room 5 had our Noho Marae (a stay over at school). We went to Ruapekapeka Pa to learn about the battle that took place there and to understand the significance of it; for many of us it is our maunga. When we arrived back at school we got to swim... for ages! We loved it! Before bed Matua David taught us the correct protocol for staying in a marae; keeping our beds tidy, not bringing school bags inside as they have had food in there, not to wrestle or run around the beds and not to sit on our pillows. We learnt a lot and had a fun time... although we were all very tired the next day!

Figurative Language

This week we have been learning what figurative language is, specifically metaphors, as part of a School Kit activity to get kids writing. We are producing poems to write on postcards and creating a poster about our class to send to another class in Wellington. We are looking forward to receiving their work in the next few weeks. Here is our metaphor poem we made together.

Welcome Back

To the parents, caregivers and whanau of Room 5 students,

Welcome back! I hope you are all looking forward to 2017 as I am!

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Dana Cowles. I have been a teacher for 10 years now, all of which have been here at Kawakawa Primary School. I am back to full time teaching after working part time for a few years so I could spend some quality time with my precious babies.

I have two gorgeous children, Tegan who is 4 (and ridiculously keen to join me at 'big kids school') and Damian (aka Zebs/Zeber) who is 18 months old. I am married to Brian Cowles and we live in Kawakawa. 

I was brought up local, going to Karetu Primary School then on to Bay of Islands College. From there I spent a couple years travelling and being a camp councilor for Camp America before settling in Waikato to study to become a teacher. 

I love reading, sciences, sports and P.E, art, maths... most subjects really haha. And I am really excited to be on the online journey with our school. I can't wait to see where our kids go and watch them experience success in new and interesting ways. 

I look forward to meeting/reconnecting with you all over the coming weeks :)

Cybersmart learning in 2017

Getting underway in 2017 with our Cybersmart learning. Students looking again at their Kawa of Care - how to take care of their devices for another year.