End of Term

A huge thank you to all our fabulous parents who have given up their time to help Kohara this term. We really appreciate your support.

We hope the children enjoy a wonderful term break and look forward to seeing them back after the holidays. School resumes on Monday 16 October.

Friday is Library Day

Remember to bring the library books so you can get some new ones issued for the holidays.

Spelling

On Thursday we enjoyed visiting Ara Atu to watch their drama, followed by Art and PE for Classroom Release and then went to tennis lessons at Waimairi Tennis Club. So no spelling testing. We will try and fit this in on Friday instead so if you haven't given Mrs O your spelling notebook, then you've got Friday to hand it in!

New spelling words will be issued to the children next term.

Friday is Loud Shirt Day!

Dust off your brightest and most colourful shirt for Friday to help celebrate Loud Shirt Day. Gold coin donation please to support those with hearing impairments.

Lauren's Beany Boo House

Check out the lucky beany boos who get to enjoy this fabulous house. They will never want to leave! Lauren has made a house, swimming pool and even a car - we guess even beany boo's have to go shopping sometime! This house has windows and doors that open, bunk beds, but we think our favourite part is the slides into the swimming pool! Well done Lauren - we can tell you have thought of so many interesting details for your house.

Bella's Art

This is Bella's first project by herself and she really enjoyed using pastels to create a masterpiece! We love the colours she has used and the frame finishes it off beautifully. It is now on the wall above the trophy cabinet so you can admire it when you pop in!

Louis the Musician

What an amazing performance at Monday Meet Up by Louis the musician! We loved listening to his beautiful piano playing and we can tell that he must put in lots of practice at home to get so good. It seems like practice is the key to getting really good at lots of things - music, sports, reading, maths, spelling, art, drama...

Thank you for sharing your music with us Louis. How neat that your big sister was also visiting from Papanui High to share her music with us as well. We bet she was really proud of you too.

Awatea's Hamster House

Awatea was inspired by Lucy who created a hamster house earlier this term. Awatea decided to have a go at making her own but first she sewed a toy hamster. When she created the house, Awatea had to do lots of measuring to make sure that everything was the right size. We were amazed by all the details Awatea has included. This lucky hamster not only has a house but also a garage with a car with a boot that opens. Inside the house there is a hamster wheel for exercise, a swing for fun, a fridge full of food, a shopping basket and so many other interesting ideas - ask Awatea to show you next time you are in Kohara.

Ka pai Awatea. You should be so proud of this.

Luca's Tiger

Luca is also enjoying using the fabric from Jen - this time she found this colourful fabric that had interesting designs on it which Luca thought would be perfect for her tiger's skin. Luca has been practising her careful sewing, keeping her stitches close to the edge so that she had lots of room to add her stuffing. Luckily this is a friendly tiger as Kohara love their animals!

Zora's Cushion

Zora is very kind. She showed manaakitanga when making this cushion because it is a special gift for her Aunty who has just had a new baby. What a thoughtful thing to make Zora! Kohara came up with lots of ideas about what Zora's Aunty might do with it - most of us agreed it would look fabulous in the baby's crib/cot.

Zora has been working hard on her sewing techniques and it looks very professional! Zora loved choosing her fabric from a big box of beautiful fabrics donated to us by Jen, Mylo's Mum. Just perfect for a new baby.

Ben and Jonty's Diorama

Lately we have had lots of children creating different types of dioramas. This is the one that Ben and Jonty created. It has a meteor that falls through a hole in the roof to crash down onto the dinosaur land and a pulley that moves objects across the sky. The dinosaurs have got lots of interesting things to roam around - you really need to come and take a closer look in Kohara and see it for yourself! Well done Ben and Jonty for all the time and perseverance you put into completing this detailed diorama. Quality work!

Alex and Lochie's Ship

Alex and Lochie teamed up to create this ship. There are some very cool details - our favourite was the ladder which the boys had made out of different kinds of sticks. They also had to use maths to measure it so it would fit. It works perfectly and now the sailors can climb up the ladder to reach the top of the masts to put the sails up. There are also smoke stacks which they compared to the ones you find on the side of a cab on a big truck, and a big deck to relax on. Inside is the captain's quarters. Great job Alex and Lochie - showing lots of thought and great teamwork.

Hinepau Performance

Wow, what an amazing performance we watched last week of the legend of Hinepau. We were amazed with how well we could understand a performance even though the whole show was spoken in Maori. We worked out that actions, props and facial expressions help to tell stories in drama. We also recognised quite a few Maori words that we knew from our Kapa Haka sessions with Matua Steve. At the end the actors translated the story for us.

Here are a couple of photos of the show for you to enjoy.

Archie's Drift Trike

Archie created this mini drift trike. It has 3 wheels which can turn just like a real one! It was tricky but Archie explored using blue tack at each end to stop the cotton reels falling off the sticks. Great problem solving Archie!

Shape Patterns with Anika and Ella

Kohara love our shapes! There are always new and interesting patterns being created like this fabulous symmetrical pattern that Ella and Anika made. Lots of oral language, maths and cooperation is involved when creating a shape pattern.

Can you work out where the girls would need to cut this pattern to make it symmetrical? They would need to use their fractions to find the half way line.

Angus, Cayden & Harry's Chalk Spray Paint

It's a lot of fun to mix up ingredient and watch the scientific reactions that occur. Angus, Harry and Cayden decided to have a go at making Chalk Spray Paint. It's a bit funny that it's called chalk spray but it actually doesn't have chalk in it!!

The boys were super organised at bringing along empty spray bottles. Then they had to mix warm water with a little bit of flour and add a tiny bit of paint. They made different colours and then the fun began... We decided it was best to test it outside!

We put lots of newspaper down and then had a go at creating some abstract art using the spray paint. We learned that abstract art is where the art doesn't make an actual picture but you can use your imagination. The boys shared their ideas about what they thought heart reminded them of and came up with the name FRECKLE for their collaborative artwork.

Their next step is to design a frame so we can put it on display in Kohara.

Art and Science!! We wonder what they might create next?

Loud Shirt Day on Friday

Have you located your brightest and craziest coloured top to wear on Friday for our Loud Shirt Day??  Can you top the shirt Mr Anderson was wearing at Monday Meet Up? We can't wait to see you all. Remember it's a gold coin donation for those with hearing impairments.

Congratulations Rosalie

A big congratulations to Rosalie who recently graduated from Rainbow Reading. Mrs Stoddart was so proud of how hard Rosalie worked and all the practise she put in to her reading. We have learnt that practising your reading is important for getting better and more fluent. We are always so proud of our Kohara kids when they graduate - ka pai Rosalie!!

German Bird Eating Owl

Gemma was inspired by a man she met who had told her all about this interesting bird called the German Bird Eating Owl. She went home and found out some interesting facts about it which she wanted to share with Kohara. First Gemma sewed an owl using white fabric but she also had to add the details by sketching, using a photograph to help get the details just right. Next Gemma added a feather just like the picture and little sharp claws out of sticks. Finally Gemma designed a poster sharing all the interesting information she knew. Even the teachers learnt some new things!!

If you'd like to learn more, check out the poster on display near our trophy cabinet!

Luca's Stamps

Luca has been busy creating her own stamps from a variety of objects including bubble wrap, corrugated cardboard, lids and string. She has designed 2 different stamps. Her next step is to test the out with paint and see how they work. We wonder if she'll have to adapt them or improve them? This is the stamps before she tested them out. Stay tuned to see how they worked!

Week 10 (25-29 September)

Welcome to Week 10 :)

Classroom Release
Room 18 have PE with Mr Lukes on Thursday from 9-10.30am.
Room 19 have Art with Mrs McHaffie on Thursday from 11-12.30pm.

Tennis
We are hoping the weather is much kinder to us this week and are scheduled to go to our tennis lesson on Thursday afternoon. We will be at the Waimairi Tennis Club on Watford Street. We will leave at 1.30pm and return to school by 3pm.

Friday Loud Shirt Day
On Friday we are having a Loud Shirt day. Please send children in mufti wearing their brightest and most outrageous shirt or top. Gold coin donation please with all proceeds going towards children with cochlear impants.

Spelling
Please send spelling notebooks to school on Thursday for testing.

Library
This is our last library session for the term - a great chance to get some books out for over the holidays.

Happy Holidays

Wishing the children a relaxing and safe holiday break. We look forward to seeing them all back in Term 4 refreshed and healthy :)

Calendar Art Orders

Calendar orders close tomorrow (Friday). Our Art is in the clear file on top of the iPad cabinet in Kohara if you'd like to have a look at our artwork. Spare order forms at the office if you need.

Library Day Friday

Please send library books to school for our Friday library session.

Tennis Friday

We were let down by the weather today (Thursday) but the good news is we will try again for tennis lessons on Friday between 11-12.30pm. Please pack a jacket and warm jersey as today many children did not have enough warm clothes.

We have also rescheduled for next Thursday afternoon for the missed lesson on Monday.

Tennis Thursday Instead of Friday

Change of plans - Kohara will be off to tennis lessons Thursday afternoon (today) instead of tomorrow. We will leave at 1.30-pm and back by 3pm.
Apologies for the late notice.

2 More Touch Rugby Players Needed

We urgently need 2 more players for our Year 0-2 touch rugby teams for the upcoming season (girls or boys) so if your child is interested please let me know asap as we are trying to get teams finalised by the end of this week.

I have spare registration forms if needed. Cost is $35 for the season which runs on Tuesday nights 5-6pm at Nunweek Park during Term 4 and Term 1 next year.

It is lots of fun and very social, even if your child has never played before there will be lots of familiar faces. Tops are also provided.

Please let me know if you are keen for your child to take part :)

Tennis Cancelled Monday

Sorry due to this wet weather - no tennis today.

Zora's Beany Boo House

Kohara have the luckiest beany boo's in the country!! Our children love creating houses for them and we are so impressed by the details the children keep coming up with. This is Zora's - her house is big enough for several of her beany boos to fit into. Lots of measuring (maths) and designing skills needed here. This house has beds, a tv room, a swimming pool, windows, entranceways, detailed furniture and much much more. Next time you're in Kohara - ask Zora to show you!

Ella and Khori the Entertainers

Ella and Khori both take singing lessons at school this year and Ella decided it would be great practise to sing to an audience by singing to Kohara. Khori decided to help out too so that Ella wasn't on her own. What beautiful singing - we were so proud of you for overcoming your nerves and projecting your voice so that everyone could hear you.

Sophie and Addison's Verrine

Until a few weeks ago, Mrs O had never heard of a verrine. Now thanks to Sophie and Addison, Mrs O has found out that it is actually a layered dessert. Sophie and Addison enjoyed trying out a recipe and a technique that was new to them both using custard, cream, and mixed berries. They used lots of maths in the recipe to measure the ingredients (including fractions). We think it was most successful! It certainly looks amazing.

Dustyn and Louis Master the Block Challenge

Dustyn and Louis collaborated on this awesome block challenge... it was such a success that they could actually both hop on top of their 4WD quad bike and pretend to ride it. Great team work boys!

Touch Rugby

Touch rugby registrations have now closed.

Khori's 3D Flower Art

Khori has been very busy lately. This was Khori's first attempt at a 3D painting using cardboard to make the flowers. They are layered on to make them POP out of the picture. Khori also learnt how to roll the sellotape so that it could hide behind the cardboard where you wouldn't see it - this makes the overall effect neater. It's great to try out new ideas - it looks fabulous Khori.

Khori's Prank

Khori's prank has been inspiring lots of children in Kohara. This looks like an ordinary tissue box, and they look like ordinary tissues poking out the top until... you go to grab one and find out it's paper!! Khori had to measure the size of the tissues (paper) to make sure it fitted in the box - we have found out that many of our class projects use maths in different ways.

Lucy and Hannah's Iceblocks

Lucy and Hannah used science to make iceblocks. They needed a freezer to change the temperature to change their liquid into a solid! By all reports, they tasted delicious!!

Week 9 (18-22 September)

Welcome to Week 9 :)

Welcome
Welcome to Miss T - Lisa Tangiiti who joins us for the next seven weeks. Kohara got to meet Miss T last week and we hope he enjoys her time with us at Waimairi.

Tennis
We have tennis lessons at Waimairi Tennis Club on Monday and Friday this week - we are looking forward to having a go! Don't forget to wear suitable shoes and pack the drink bottle.

Staffing
On Wednesday we welcome Ms Jill Kelk in Kohara. Jill is relieving for Mrs Campbell who is being released for our Maths Inquiry Project.

Calendar Art
This can now be viewed in Kohara - you will find ours in the folder on top of the iPad cabinet, just to the right when you come in. These can be ordered as calendars, diaries, sketch books or packs of cards - our artwork this year featuring the children with balloons would make great birthday cards!

The Big Event
Thanks to everyone who came along and supported the Big Event on Friday night. We hope you had a great time. A huge thank you to our hardworking PTA crew who put in many hours behind the scenes organising and decorating - the hall looked fantastic!

Hinepau Performance
On Thursday 21 September we welcome Taki Rua to school to perform their production Hinepau, as part of our Arts term. A contribution of approximately $2.50 towards this performance will be added to your term account.

Lunchtime Clubs
Monday: Chess Club and French Club
Tuesday: Craft Club
Thursday: Art Club

Library
Please remember to send library books back to class before Friday. Thanks to those remembering their library bags as well.

Reading Book Returns
Thanks to our helpers over the last few weeks - we appreciate your time to re-shelve our class reading books for us. If you are able to assist with putting books away over the last few weeks of term, we would appreciate it. Feel free to pop in at a time that suits you :)

Have a great week.

Tennis Next Week

On Monday and Friday next week, Kohara will be involved in tennis lessons at Waimairi Tennis Club on Watford Street. A $2 contribution for this will be added to term accounts.

On Monday 18^th we will not be going to Monday Meet up as we will be leaving to walk down to the tennis club. Please ensure children are at school by 9am with suitable sports shoes and a drink bottle. We will be back at school by 11am. On Friday we will be away at tennis in the middle block (between 11-12.30pm). No parent help is required for this trip.

Bolt the Lamb Visits Kohara

Yesterday Kohara had the opportunity to meet Bolt the lamb. Bolt is just three weeks old. Our favourite part was definitely patting Bolt and some lucky children even got a chance to give Bolt his bottle of milk. He gobbled it up pretty quickly!! We noticed that when Bolt was drinking, his wee tail wagged non stop. He must have been very happy, even though he was quite shy. Thanks to Mel and Gemma for organising the visit - it has inspired some fantastic writing!