That's All Folks!

Well this the end of a great year! We all move to new classes next year for yet another year of exciting learning.

 Thanks for following us!

End of Year Swim and Picnic

A beautiful day today for our end of year swim and picnic down at Grasslees Reserve
(Any comments - leave here rather than on the photo peach site so we can see them - thanks!)

A Santa Poem

Look at the wonderful poem Ruby composed:-

Its Christmas morning and I’m rushing down the stairs

I go into the living room and see Santa there!

He isn’t putting down presents and he isn’t eating cake.

He’s stuck in the chimney – oh for goodness sake!

I quickly try to help him but it is of no use.

I really want and really need to get him loose

So I go up to the chimney top and slip and slide on down

Then jump and jump and jump again  - I tumble down!

“Ho ho ho! I’m free!”  Santa shouts with a little cough

 “Ho ho ho! And a Merry Christmas” and then he’s off!

By Ruby (Year 2)

Attendance 2015

Today Ashton was honoured with having 100% attendance this year! Murray and Zara were very close behind with 99%.


Way to go guys!

Candy Cane Science!

A bit of a Christmas theme was running throughout Discovery today. The science focus was looking at Candy Canes and how they dissolve. We had them in white vinegar (and added baking soda), cold water, and hot water. We wondered which one dissolved the quickest?

Solar Ovens

Part of being a schoolgen school means that we look into solar power. This week we have been investigating the best way to make a solar oven out of a pizza box. Groups devised plans, worked together building them, cooking marshmellows and chocolate, and of course eating the evidence!

Advent calendars with a difference!

We've made "Acts of Kindness" Advent Calendars. Lovely ways to practise being manaakitanga!

Children's Concert at Wellington Botanic Gardens

Some of us were involved with our friends from other classes to put on an item at the Wellington Botanic Gardens Children's Concert today. This is a fund-raising concert for the "Children's Garden" that is being developed at the gardens.

What a stunning Wellington day for it!


Childrens Concert Bot Gardens 2015 from Mrs B on Vimeo.

School Disco 2015!

What a great night out -Everyone looked fantastic! We could have danced the night away....

Conservation Week

It's Conservation Week. A great reason to have a "Green Day' - activities with an environmental theme.
We did paper making in Room 4

Chromatography for Kids

 Felt pens are often mixes of several coloured dyes.


 We separated these combinations of colours through a process called chromatography.

 This is what we did:- We had filter paper strips stuck to a kebab stick, plastic cups, water , and our felt pens (which are water soluble)
We put a couple of different coloured dots near the bottom of our strips of filter paper and placed them in the cups.

We put some water in the bottom of the cups – but only enough to touch the bottom of the filter paper.

We observed the colours moving up the filter and how the colours split up.

 What's Happening? When the liquid creeps up the coffee filter, it dissolves the colouring molecules and splits it into different coloured chemicals. Different colours get carried along faster and farther than others because some colour molecules are bigger and heavier than others. http://www.education.com/activity/article/Color_Science_kindergarten/

Hampton Hill is 50 years old!

Enviro Team this week

We all have a turn at being the 'Enviro team' for a week at our school. This week was our turn!

We tidied up the outside of our plastic bottle greenhouse, planted tomatoes, made seed pottles out of newspaper, sowed pumpkin, sweet pea, and sunflower seeds.












We also weeded the vege garden so it looked really tidy for the 50th celebrations this coming weekend.

Our new Bush Track

A work in progress but huge thanks to everyone who gave up their Saturday morning to come along to a working bee developing a bush track along our "out of bounds" bank.
They made awesome progress - so exciting!

Liquid Lab - Discovery

'Qu' is the sound this week so we had a Liquid Lab!

First we had a dish with oil in it. Then we put drops of coloured water in (using the pipettes). It was fun watching the blobs form - and mixing the colours.

Next we added drops of coloured white vinegar.

Great fizzing happened when we shook baking soda over the top!








And to add more fun, we mixed in some coloured dishwash soap. - A real liquid lab!

Circuits

We've been discovering electric circuits this week. Brain Box sets are a wonderful way to do this. Lots of experimenting and investigating!

And then the following day we used two different types of playdough to make 'squishy circuits'. The Green play dough was made with a lot of salt, giving it low resistance, and the yellow one was made with sugar, giving it high resistance. Here is a website showing you a short TED talk about it.

Recipes here -

Mrs Pearl's "leaving song"

Well, after 21 years, Mrs Pearl has retired! She's finished the year early to spend some time with Mr Pearl travelling and visiting their grown-up daughters in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here are the words to our song we sang to her at her farewell assembly. It is to the tune of the final song of our Major Production.

It's going to be strange without her around the place - Miss her already!

So Long and Many Thanks!

We were sad to say goodby to Miss Kardhim today. She has been with us for the last 7 weeks training to be a teacher. We wish her well in the future and will miss her.

We also were sad to goodbye to Ollie. Ollie is a volunteer helper and has been with us every Friday this year. We'll still see him around as he is required next door but it wont be the same!
Many thanks Ollie - it's been fun!

Observing and Investigating

Mixing and guessing! We had the pipettes out along with some different coloured water (Yellow and red), some baking soda, and some dish-washing liquid.

Sometimes it's great just to take some simple things and mix them together to see what happens!

Waste Not HHS Major Production 2015

Here's the link to our school production. Our class is performing second (3:10 minutes in) but have a look at the whole show if you have the time!



A special thanks to Stephen Opie for filming and editing. You are awesome!!

Popcorn Writing

We've been looking at how and why popcorn pops. Here is the amazing video clip put together by the Slow mo guys that we watched. (Click on the picture for the link)

The popcorn started as a popcorn kernel. When he popcorn got put in the popcorn maker it expanded. In the middle there is a tiny bit of moisture. When it heats up it turns into steam. The steam makes the popcorn kernel heat up. When it is really hot, it pops! The white stuff is starch. The popcorn tastes a bit salty. It feels spongy like a sea sponge. It looks puffy. It feels soft. I see little bits of shell. I like butter flavoured popcorn.

By Hana

Pookies at our Major Production!

First pukeko ready - having a chat!

Tonight was the night we had all been practising and preparing for - our Major Production. What a fabulous performance from all involved!

Well done everyone! Hopefully a video recording will be available soon.

Back stage #1

Back stage #2

Doing the 'Pook'!

Fantastic!