What's the temperature where you live?

For measurement in maths this week B4 are looking at temperature.

We are hoping that visitors to our blog this week and next will comment on what the temperature is where they live. 

Let us know:

Where you are

What time of day it is

What the temperature is (please show C or F)

It would be even more wonderful if visitors could comment several times over the week.

Hot November

Today in Reefton the temperature was 31 degrees C (87F), 

and although the West Coast is renown for the rain, 

this month we haven't had much 

and everything is getting very dry!

It was HOT, HOT, HOT!

One of our teachers, Tony Fortune, monitors the weather station in Reefton.
It was the hottest November day 
since he started keeping records 
in 1964.

What did you do today?

How did you keep cool?

Show, Don't Tell

Recently the children in Mr Salsich's class and 

the children in Miss McGeady's class have been learning to show how a character feels by using descriptive words. 

We enjoyed reading the descriptions so 

this week we had a go too.

Did you spot some descriptive similies?

Can you visualise how each person 

was feeling?

Mmmm, Pudding!

There was excess milk in the staffroom fridge this week so we just HAD to make instant pudding.
We poured, sprinkled and whizzed, set it in the fridge and then enjoyed.


Mmmm, Pudding! on PhotoPeach

In Memorium

We are mourning the loss, at Pike River mine, 

of three past pupils of  Reefton Primary and/or Inangahua College, 

the two schools that became 

Reefton Area School.

Our thoughts are with the families of all of the 29 miners.

Medal Winner

Look who travelled to Motueka over the weekend and competed with other juniors in her first karate tournament.

She gained 2nd place and a medal in her shiai!










Great work Karate Girl!

Have you ever won a medal or a cup? What was it for?

Friday Lunchtime Learning

This is what was happening on Friday lunchtime in B4.

Independent learning

Sisters learning together

Co-operative learning

and Mrs McKenzie was listening to a presentation at the GlobalEd Conference.




Mrs Yollis (California, USA), Miss McGeady (Australia) and Mr Salsich (Connetticut, USA) gave a presentation about the Ugandan Global Project.
It was a great example of global collaboration.

A Visiting Author

Mark Laurent is a New Zealand author. He wrote this picture book called 'Rufus and the Rain'.
Brenda read us the story.

Rufus told Wind not to bring Cloud, but it wasn't long before he realised that clouds are necessary to give shade and to bring the rain.
Rufus had to say something to Wind that is sometimes hard for people to say.

Do you know what that hard word was?


What happened when Cloud wasn't there?


Mark also writes poetry and songs. He sang three songs and we got to join in. This one was about the trees.

Can you imagine living in a world with no trees? 
How would that affect us?


Here is a Youtube link to 'Rufus and the Rain' 
And another to Mark's song about Rufus 

Just One Puff

Here's a fun science challenge that we did today.
We used lengths of light tubing (ours is from the baby shop). Tie a knot in one end.

The challenge is to fill the bag with just one puff of air.

How did the last bag get so full with just one puff?

Mr Salsich's Red Roosters

Mr Salsich and his Grade 3 class in Conneticut have made an ☆excellent video☆ about how to write good reading comprehension answers. Make sure you watch it!

Red Roosters Don't Drink Rootbeer

Journeys into Music

Today we welcomed back members of the brass section of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, on the Outreach program.

                                                                                                                                                                Did you know you can make your own instrument with a length of garden hose?

            You would also need a mouthpiece and a funnel.

How many brass instruments can you name?

 What are the other sections of the orchestra?

The Navy Bus comes to Visit

We got to go into the Navy bus this morning. We watched a video about the navy ships and then we got to use the touch screen computers. There was even a little life raft, with a ship's wheel that we could play with.

The Navy is one part of New Zealand's defence force. 
Do you know what the other parts are?

Guy Fawkes

Last night was Guy Fawkes night. This is a celebration that comes from Britain.

Did you have some fireworks? 
Did you have them at home or at a public display?


What other events do people around the world use fireworks to celebrate with?

Talking with old friends

Today we had our second Skype session with Mrs Watson and her 2/3 class in Canada. We first Skyped with them in June, so it was so good to catch up with our old friends.

It was 9.30 on Wednesday morning for us, and 1.30 on Tuesday afternoon in Canada!

Today's session was mainly about pets. We didn't have our pets at school today, but in Canada Anna brought her chicken, Jordan brought her lizard and Silkence brought her Maltese dog called Biscuit.

Oceana told us about her 3 dogs called Ruger, Precious and Duke.
Mrs Watson told us that it is an amazing sight when Oceana takes all the dogs for a walk together!

Sophie also told us about her dog Lady. Lady is a cockapoo. Do you know what that is?

Fay doesn't have a pet, so he had drawn a picture of spiders.

Niall showed us a picture of his pet cat. Is it called Gallah, Niall?

From B4, Jack told the grade 2/3s about his guinea pig called Manny. No one there had a guinea pig although someone had a hamster.
Paige, Emily and Jonathon talked about their cats and Liam talked about his calf called Sushi.
JiaJIa said that if she had a pet she would like to have a monkey, because it's cheeky!
                                        ☆         ☆        ☆        ☆
Then the Grade 2/3s told us about Halloween. They did lots of activities at school last Friday to celebrate, and lots of them went trick or treating over the weekend.
We asked what tricks they might do if there were no treats, but no one knew because they always get lots of treats!

We told them that we will have fireworks for Guy Fawkes on Friday night. Everyone said that they like Sparklers!

We had a great Skype session.
Thank you Mrs Watson and the 2/3s.

Do you have any more questions?
If you didn't get a turn, what was it that you wanted to say?

More Pet Day pictures

Well done to everyone who took part and helped to make the day so much fun.

Pets Day was awesome

Once again we had so many amazing entries in all of the categories.
Check out the decorated cakes, made by students from Year 1 - 12.

(Which cake was your favourite?)

and here are the creative fruit platters.

Sneak Peek

I took a sneak peek at the Science projects on display for Pets Day.
These investigations were done by the Year 7 and 8 students.

What do you enjoy most about science?