Field of Remembrance

April 25, 2015 is an important day in the history of New Zealand. 

It is the centenary of the start of the Gallipoli campaign in World War One. 

Centenary means it happened 100 years ago.

New Zealanders and Australians fought alongside the British in an impossible situation at Gallipoli in Turkey. 

Many soldiers from both sides were lost. 

The campaign marked a new era of nationhood for both Australia and New Zealand.

Like many schools around New Zealand this year, our school made a Field of Remembrance. 

Yesterday the school had a special ceremony and we march in the community Anzac day parade. 

Let's Colour Our World

We have been invited to take part in a global project, where classes create poems about a colour. 

Each week there will be a new colour to write about.

You can read about the project here on 

Mrs Yollis' class blog in California.

The poems will be shared via Twitter, under the hashtag

#clrpoem.

We have created a class Twitter account so we can take part - our Twitter name is @opendoorb4

Does your class use Twitter as part of your learning?

Let us know your username.

A Care Package from Home - Just Like 100 Years Ago

Our Social Studies topic this term is looking at Friendship, Camaraderie and Service. 

You can read about it in our last post titled A Letter Home.

We found out that our local soldier was looking forward to receiving a parcel from home.

Our interactive homework was to think what his family might have sent him and to make, draw or write about the parcel.

Here are our care packages. 

We were excited to see the packages, so we think the soldiers would have been VERY excited to receive them!

What would you include in a care package for someone serving overseas?

What would you like to receive in a care package?

A Letter Home -100 Years Ago

An important event from New Zealand's history,
that we commemorate each year, 

is the campaign at Gallipoli during World War 1.

2015 is the centenary of the landing, which means it took place 100 years ago this year.

Our school was given a copy of a letter written home by a local soldier who was at Gallipoli.

The classes have been using the letter as a springboard for their inquiry into those events 100 years ago. 

Here is some of B4's inquiry with Mrs W:

Some of the children from our school who live nearby, took their learning a step further by making trenches in the grass pile at the weekend!

How might soldiers in World War 1 have helped and supported each other?

Why is it important to remember events like Gallipoli?

Crazy Science

We enjoyed a Crazy Science presentation last week.

The scientist showed us some fun experiments.

Making elephant toothpaste!

Pouring water into a bag ...

... which was soaked up by a baby diaper - did you know a diaper has polymers in it?

Explaining the power of polymers with cups posing as 'baby wee' and a 'diaper'.

Here are some

experiments you might like to try in your kitchen 

with an adult, from a website called Science Sparks.

What is a polymer?

Do you like science?

Have you tried an experiment?

We are Learning to 'Swim For Life'

This week we started our 'Swim For Life' sessions. 

Twice each week for the rest of term, we will go down to the town pool and have swim lessons with Hayley.

Some of us were a little worried that the pool would be too deep, but everyone gave it a go!

To our surprise, Hayley had some underwater stretchers for us to stand on, so that made us feel safer.

We are sure our swimming will improve this term.
A big thank you to the mums and dads who help with transport, and by getting in the pool.


B4 'Swim For Life' on PhotoPeach

Why is it important to learn to swim?

Where is your favourite place to swim?

This Is Me!

We've had a lot of fun writing about ourselves.

We had to include an early memory; something that makes us laugh; a fun fact; and something that we love. 

Mrs McK got the idea from 'The Writing Book'.

We made pictures of ourselves to go with our writing. 

We saw this idea on our buddies' blog at Clyde School and asked if we could use it.

Thank you buddies!

We hope you like our stories.

Click on the book covers to open our books!



Have you an early memory or a fun fact about yourself that you would like to share with us?