The Science Behind Santa - real or not?

In Room 3, a debate has exploded. Is the existence of Santa probable or not? Does Science support either side of this argument?

Is the possibility of Santa backed by Science?

Daniel, Reuben, Neil, David and Ray are looking at the evidence of how Science backs their theory that the idea of Santa is probable. They have hypotheses about anti-matter propulsion, quantum mechanics wormholes that allow the travel through time and space, nano-technology, cloaks of invisibility and parallel universes.

Skylar, Matthew and BaiLin don't believe there is enough scientific evidence to support the possibility of Santa existing. Their theories are based on logic - too little time, too many deliveries, too heavy and how do you explain not seeing or hearing Santa and his reindeer. The weight and speed needed to travel would cause too much friction and therefore combustion. The rebuttals continue.

This video from the AUT Scientists has not only helped provide some evidence behind their theories but also raised more questions.

AUT Scientists Explain the Science Behind Santa

We are interested in what they come up with! It has certainly sparked some curious scientists.


Conclusion:

"We are not believers, we believe in the possibility." ~ Believer's Team

The evidence of possibilities has regrouped our debaters into a new team - The Believer's Team.

What an exciting day for Science and Space!

Fireworks Night - Fifth of November, A Day To Remember

Happy Diwali

Today is a special day in the calendar of our Hindus, Sikhs and Jains in our community and across the world. Diwali is the five-day festival of lights. The festival, that coincides with the Hindu New Year, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. It is celebrated with music, lights, fireworks and sharing traditional sweets with friends and family.

Neil and his family shared their culture with Sunnyhills by decorating the entrance way of our school office with rangoli patterns. These colourful dye and rice flour patterns are a welcoming gesture. He has decorated his home with rangoli and diyas (candles or oil in clay lamps).

Happy Diwali Sunnyhills!

Neil using rice flour to create a rangoli pattern.

A welcoming pattern to celebrate Diwali.

Leora joined in the fun.

Using colourful dye, Neil uses his stencils to create a pattern.

Lunchtime fun

Beautiful rotational symmetry

Rangoli Stencils

Number Talks in Mathematics with Mrs Madden

Today, we had the privilege of having Mrs Madden come to Room 3 during our Mathematics time to share a pedagogical strategy called Number Talks. This is a series of stages we can employ during our Mathematics lessons to make sure we understand what each person is sharing about their strategies and approaches to problem-solving. We learned how important it is to 'revoice' what someone has said so that we hear their communication clearly. Then give everyone an opportunity to 'wait' and process what is being asked. We shared our ideas of how to solve the problem and explored if there were alternative approaches. The variety of ways to solve one multiplication problems was AMAZING! There is no 'one way' - rather a number of ways, so that we can select the one that works best for us.

Today, Mrs Madden asked us to solve:      19  X  5 =?

• without using paper
• without using an algorithm
• then show us your method

What ways can you think of?

"The heart of number talks is classroom conversations focused on making sense of mathematics."

"Mental computation is a key component of number talks because it encourages students to build on number relationships to solve problems instead of relying on memorized procedures. One purpose of a number talk is for students to focus on number relationships and use these relationships to develop efficient, flexible strategies with accuracy."
(From 'Number Talks Build Numerical Reasoning', Sherry Parrish, 2011)

Number Talks is used by Professor Jo Boaler, a renown Mathematics expert from Stanford University, who believes everyone is capable of doing Mathematics to the highest level with the right mindset and number sense.

Here is a link to Jo Boaler's concept of Number Sense where she explains a few ways that you can solve a similar equation: 18 X 5=?

youcubed - What is Number Sense?

Mindfulness for Kids in Room 3

Mrs Venville introduced Room 3 to Mindfulness today. While many in our class are familiar with the concepts from last year, we were able to revisit this important concept of hauora - well-being. The key to mindfulness is to pause and breathe. If there is a sense of being overwhelmed or stressed - taking time to pause, breathe and smile can make all the difference in calming us down. It is good for the body and mind. If you want to know more, check out the video link below on Mindfulness for Kids.

Mindfulness for Kids Explained

We also took time to eat mindfully. The deliberate choice to pause, study and appreciate the texture, appearance, aroma and flavour of food creates a new sense of well-being. Concentrating on what we are doing and experiencing 'in the moment', instead of being distracted by our environment or our thoughts. We can appreciate every mouthful more - even with a small raisin!

Bike Safe photos

BIke Safety Fun in Room 3

Bike Safety - Bigfoot Adventures Session

August 14, 2018, Room 3

Wow - what a lot of very useful information to help us be safe on the road! Thank you Johnny and Jake!

Sensible clothing for biking

• Hiviz (high visibility) or bright clothing so that you can be seen
• Carrying a backpack - use a hiviz backpack cover
• Helmet
• Well-fitted closed-in shoes - make sure your laces are tied and secured by tucking into your shoes
• Baggy pants - tuck into your socks (skinny jeans can chaff)
• ‘Spring roll’ your jacket around your waist if you get too hot
• Shorts are ideal or a skirt

Bike Safety Check

Good check every month or two

Check the wheel lever is secure

Daily check before you ride every time

1. Brake checks: two working brakes
1. Push the bike forwards and apply front brake to check
2. Push the bike backwards and apply the back brake to check
2. Properly inflated tyres -
1. flat hand press on the tyre - if it goes down, you need to pump it up
2. Squeeze - if they are soft, you need to pump it up
3. Check that your wheel is attached securely
1. check the quick release lever (open on one side and closed on the other)
2. secure in line with the frame and the fork. If the wheel wobbles, it is too loose.

A quick check before you ride - every time.

Red reflectors on the back of your bike

Legal requirements: to ride a bike on New Zealand roads

• Reflectors - red rear reflectors (rear chain stay or on the back of the seat)
• Nighttime riding - lights instead of reflectors; back light red); front light whiteTyre - flashing makes them more visible
• Brakes - must have two working brakes to ride on the NZ roads (front - right and back - left) (ride with two fingers on the brake so that you have a fast reaction to braking)

Gears

Two different shifts

1. One for the front cogs (Left-hand shifter - not used as often - middle one just right)
2. One for the back cogs (1-7 cogs); (Right-hand shifter - use them all the time 5

E.g. 1-1 very steep hill

Golden road - you must be pedalling when you change gears - the chain moves when you are pedalling. You can break the bike if you change gears without pedalling.

One click at a time (one gear at a time)

Pedal ready position

• Left foot on the ground and right foot in the air
• Opposite side of the chain
• Footpath side
• Off the road and the road is visible

Mounting the Bike

• Hands on the handles - on the brakes
• Tip the bike towards you and step over the bike
• RIght foot up high (you will be pushing off with your right foot)

Helmets

It is a legal requirement to wear a helmet when riding your bike on a New Zealand road

Head injuries can be permanent - we must protect our brain

Scooter helmets or other helmets should not be worn when riding a bike - wear a helmet that is specially designed for biking

Labels inside the helmet will tell you if it is a bike is a helmet - it lets you know what your helmet is made off.

Do not drop them on the floor or ground - that is the way MOST helmets are broken

The plastic coating is designed for sliding along the ground if we come off our bike

The styrofoam inner should be intact - no cracks (put pressure on the interior of the helmet with your hands to check for cracks - if you see any cracks, you should buy a new one)

Cut the straps and throw it away - don’t be tempted to use a broken helmet

Checking to see if they fit well:

When we ride our bikes, it is very important to wear a helmet that fits correctly.

• Two fingers above our eyebrow - this is where our helmet should be positioned
• Y on the side of the ear - looping underneath the ears
• Tightened under your chin - lean forward to make sure your helmet is not ‘floppy’

Bigfoot Adventures - Cycle Skills and Safety Training

Hi Room 3 - We have our Cycle Skills and Safety Training on Tuesday, August 14th. Please make sure that you bring your helmet and bike to school on Tuesday morning if you can. We'll have some fun while we learn! We'll send this letter home on Monday.

Tread Lightly - Looking after our Environment

Our Photos

This week in Room 3, we took a serious look at factors that impact our environment, here in New Zealand and globally. It all starts in our backyard with us. The session with the Tread Lightly Caravan educators and the fantastic supporters from Room 3 parents and caregivers, challenged us to think about our personal impact on issues related to sustainability and the role we can play with our families to reduce our environmental footprints.

We looked at...

• Our stormwater system - only rain should go down the drain 
• The fascinating microscopic world of the compost bin 
• Generating power through Kinetic Energy - the different pull of power for different appliances
• Reducing waste through efficient management - how things break down over the years 
• Our family environmental footprints - how many planets do we need to sustain our current level of lifestyle if everyone in the world used the resources we do 

Each topic encouraged us to discuss what we know, what we want to know more about and how we can make changes to help sustain a better environment.

We were shocked or surprised by some of the facts we learned about... 

• How many planets we would need to keep our lifestyles going 
• How the marine creatures habitats are impacted by the dirty water and rubbish going into the ocean from our drains - especially not being able to hunt for their food source due to murky water 
• How different appliances use different amounts of electricity and what the energy stars mean 
• Some materials (particularly plastics) don’t break down even after 100 years 
• That praying mantis have five eyes

 After the session, we selected a Tread Lightly Pledge to commit to. We have four weeks to make a difference and hopefully a new habit due to the awareness of how it impacts on the environment and can make a difference to sustainability. We also have an opportunity to make a family commitment to change. We love our planet and what to keep it healthy and cared for.

Here are some photos from our explorations:

Robin generating power for the light

Thomas working hard

Olivia is caught off guard with the smooth sander

How things break down over the years (or not!)

Neil gets the hairdryer revved up

Debbie explains our environmental footprint

Allen leads the discussion on stormwater pollutants

Lisa and Kirsten help us understand more about how to effectively manage waster

Kavita helps us understand what goes on in the microscopic world of the compost bin

Thank you Joe, Allen, Debbie, Lisa, Kirsten and Kavita - we couldn't have had so much fun without you!

PTA Art - Our New Zealand Native Birds

Dragons - Celebrating Chinese New Year

As we embraced Chinese New Year at the start of the month, we looked at the symbolism of dragons in the Chinese culture. Dragons traditionally symbolise potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods. The dragon is also a symbol of power, strength, and good luck for people who are worthy of it in East the tension building, to drum beats, between the colourful, silk dragon and the fiery sun that remains elusive in the chase throughout the dance. The story goes that the dragon wants to extinguish light (the pursuit of the sun) but is frightened away from villages by sources of light and noise from firecrackers and villagers drums.

We sketched with fine pens and dyed our dragons carefully with a fine brush using red, orange or yellow dye. We also described a dragon’s qualities in a poem using description language. We looked at their physical powers, movement and mythical attributes. These precise words help form visual imagery in our poems.

We enjoyed listening to quiet Chinese music played on traditional instruments while the artists worked on their dragons.

Amy

Cynthia

Isabelle

Neil

Project Jonah and our Sea Mural

We have completed our collaborative masterpiece. The discussion, debate and fun in planning, designing, creating and finalising our project have resulted in a very pleasing piece of art. A spark of an idea from Chanel during the start of Sea Week ignited this project.

Concept Drawing by Cynthia, Indy and Leora

Debating the location of Titanic's final resting place.

All Hands to the Deck

Attention to detail!

Blending carefully.

Collaborative effort.

Project Jonah's Team came to visit Sunnyhills on Wednesday. We learned so much information. Did you know that there are 88 different types of whales and dolphins in the oceans worldwide, and 44 of those species are found in New Zealand waters? We are home to the endemic endangered Hector Dolphin - the smallest dolphin in the world. It was tragic to hear on five being killed in fishing nets this week. The size of these magnificent creatures of the sea was measured out with a tape measure - wow - the size of the smallest dolphin is as big as a Year 3 student right through to the Blue Whale that would span the width of our Sunnyhills Hall as you face the stage!

We learned how to take charge of a whale stranding and the steps we should take to ensure their well being. 

• Call 0800 4 WHALE or 111 and ask for the Fire Service

Final Placement Decisions

While you wait - get started on the rescue:

1. Keep the whales or dolphins wet with sea water (they are sea creatures)
2. Don't cover their blowhole (they breathe oxygen) or their eyes (they like to see what is going on)
3. Cover them with wet sheets - this keeps them wet and protects them from sunburn

Why do whales, orca and dolphins get stranded? There are a number of reasons including being unwell and malnourished OR because they are chasing their favourite food source into shallow waters and then get stuck. Orcas LOVE stingrays. 

Many sea creatures die because of ingesting plastic. What can we do? Be sure that plastic doesn't go into the ocean via the storm-water drains - pickup rubbish on our roads and beaches. Be part of the NO PLASTIC movement to help our planet and its amazing creatures. 

Come in and see our Sea Mural sometime!

Cans to Lend a Helping Hand - Bring in by Friday

We have been provoked into action. Our class discovered a car on the edge of our school field that looked like it may have had a family living in it. We talked about how this situation has become a reality for so many more Auckland families. What can we do to help in a practical way? Can we make a difference for those who may be temporarily or more permanently in need of help?

Yes we can! Bring a can. On Friday, we have the Auckland City Mission coming to talk to the Kauri Whanau about ways we can help people. The Mission provides around 13,000 food parcels to Auckland-based individuals and families in desperate need each year. We will gladly support their good work of providing food and sometimes shelter for many who need these services of kindness.

Here is the link to the Auckland City Mission website if you would like to know more:

https://www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz/fundraising/food-parcels/

Cans for Sharing - support a good cause!

Sea Week - Exploring life in the ocean

This week we have enjoyed exploring the theme of Sea Week.We had an opportunity to follow our interests and use our curiosity to discover more about our oceans. The highlight of the week was our giant seascape of a coral reef and a kelp forest - two important eco-systems for our marine creatures.

We also had a thought provoking discussion about rubbish and the plastic islands that are forming in the currents of our seas. The devastating effect that this has on our sea animals is at crisis point for some species. We talked about how we can each make a difference in our habits to reduce trash and chemicals getting into our waterways and ending up in our oceans.

Settled even before the morning bell! Room 3 engaged in their art.

Voting for the Sunnyhills entry into the Genesis Competition

http://www.schoolgen.co.nz/voteforyourschool/

VOTE VOTE VOTE everyone! Get your family involved with their device and help us with your votes.

Prepping Skits for Camp

Here we are planning and practising our skits for Camp!

Term 1 Week 2 & 3 in Room 3

We enjoyed seeing those who could join us for the Year 6 Parents' Camp Meeting and also our PTA Picnic and Meet The Teacher evenings. As we start to gel as a community of learners in Room 3, it is great to have our upcoming Parent Partnership Meetings. The students are invited to be part of that process as they own the learning.

 In Mathematics, we have kicked off our Statistical Investigations - exploring a theme through a purposeful question to drive the data collection.

• What do we want to know? 
• What question should we ask? 
• Who do we need to talk to? 
• What data do we collect? 
• How do we collect that data? 
• How do we present the data? 
• What does the data tell us? 
• What conclusions can we draw from the data? 
• Reflection: if I was to do this inquiry again - would I change any aspects of the investigation? 

To add further to our discussions, we are asked to bring in data displays, graphs or charts to explore what other statistical investigations have found.
Are they good displays or poor displays?
Would there be a different way to show the data in a better way?

 As we head into the colourful Chinese New Year festivities, we will enjoy learning calligraphy, writing Chinese characters and comparing and contrasting the dragons in our cultures.

Our main focus over the last week and this week, is preparation for the adventures at Year 6 Camp. Let's hope that this weather gets the rain out of its system!

Welcome back to school

Welcome to Term One in Room Three. We have started the term with getting to know each other in the context of Year 6 and the roles and responsibilities that entails. Everyone will have a way to contribute to school life and take on board something that they will take a lead in. Some roles are rotated and not obvious at the beginning. It will be great to see this leadership develop.

Before school commenced, the teachers have had a series of Teacher Only Days to focus on teamwork, our Sunnyhills vision and aspirations for the school in 2018. Mrs Driver set us the challenge of setting up the digital T.V.s for our Team Leaders - we managed without any 'left-over' bits. This came closely on the heals of breaking out of the Breakout Rooms. Year One and Year 6 Teams worked together (and with a couple of extra minutes) succeeded in solving the challenge and escaping. It took some serious lateral thinking!

A working digital T.V. Assembly Challenge

 

Successful escapees - the Year 1 and Year 6 Teams working together.

The fun and laughter we have already encountered bodes well for a good year of learning together. We kicked the year off with letters of introduction to our teacher: outlining talents, skills, dreams and aspirations, fears or worries, likes and dislikes, as well as interesting things about our family and interests. We also talked about identifying strategies for coping with challenges and building resilience. We'll unpack this more as we prepare for camp. The art pieces we developed around our ideas are great - come in a have a look!


A dip in the pool in Week One, when the weather was just too hot, was just what we needed. It cooled us down for settling into our creative activities.

In Week Two, we explored poetry writing and using our descriptive language
to set the scene of our favourite holiday place. This was inspired by James K. Baxter's poem, 'The Town'.

Our Personality Bags have been a huge hit - sharing a little about ourselves through five special objects brought to school in a special bag. It is a treat to hear personal stories.

I look forward to meeting you at our Year 6 Camp Meeting (Wednesday, February 7th 5:30 pm in the Staffroom) and at the PTA Picnic and Meet The Teacher Evening (Thursday, February 8th 5:30 pm).

My email address: lisl@sunnyhills.school.nz