Top Team visit HSS

HSS visit the Phoenix at T park

On the first day of the term 3 holidays, the Wellington Phoenix were in town. Many children from HSS got the opportunity to see the only professional football team in NZ play against the Central Coast Mariners from Australia. A fantastic fixture ended 2-1 to the Phoenix in an entertaining encounter. 

HSS players were fortunate enough to ballboy and ballgirl the event, and treated to VIP service throughout!

Tasman United's first ever game preceded the Phoenix game, seeing record Phoenix goalscorer Paul Ifill and swedish striker Ermal Hajdari play in front of a lively Trafalgar park created a real spectacle. Tasman United will compete in the National league, commencing at the end of October.

Cashmere orchestra visit HSS!

Cashmere orchestra from Mr Skiperoo on Vimeo.
On the last day of term 3, HSS students were treated to a masterclass of musical talents at the boys college. Cashmere orchestra (from Christchurch) had stopped off on their South island tour to educate and demonstrate the various areas of the orchestra and harmonies. At the end, the children were encouraged to dance their way through a bit of jazz and swing. A fantastic way to end the term!

Teacher reads

 


'Teacher reads' has been a real highlight in the Senior syndicate timetable. With the help of the children's suggestions, the teachers have chosen books of differing genres and read them throughout the term with Rooms 5 and 6.

Whilst Mr Marston and Mrs Bailey read, the children follow comprehension tasks or art tasks relating to the book. The members of Rooms 5 and 6 have examples of their examples of work on their individual learning logs. 

At the end of the term, we have decided to show the movie versions of the book, an form comparisons about characters an events. 

The Olympic ideal?

Room 6 have been looking at the overall Olympic picture. Was it really worth the NZ$19 Billion that the Rio government spent in hosting the Olympics? The endless heroic stories of success, and overcoming adversity inspire generations around the world. However, for every success there is often multiple failures, careers on the line and the pressure and greed to attain glory. The Olympic ideal, where do you stand?

Production: Sammy the Seagull

The production has taken centre-stage this term (No pun intended!). Non-stop rehearsals, assembling props, choreographing props, make-up and choosing outfits, but the end is in sight. 

32 members of the senior syndicate make up the 2 main casts for this years production of 'Sammy the Seagull'; a NZ hopeful at the Rio Olympics. Whilst the remaining members of the syndicate have opted into a pool, track or random events scene. All the children have worked incredibly hard to rehearse lines, prepare props and go over dance routines.

Scripts, props and routines have been jointly prepared with children and teachers, so has been an outstanding team effort.

The production begins on Wednesday 14th September, Thursday 15th September, Tuesday 20th September and Wednesday 21st September. All Senior children need to be at the Senior syndicate at 5:45pm to prepare costumes. They can be picked up at 8:15pm that evening.

A huge thankyou goes out to all the parents in preparation of costumes, materials, time and supporting the teachers in making this years production a huge success.

Speeches

 Room 6 have been working passionately on their individual speeches over the last few weeks. Each individual has chosen a topic which interests them, and has the capacity to engage others. 

We have worked closely on structure, persuasive language, the impact of rhetorical questions and the pace and content of an effective speech. Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King, Donald Trump... everyone has their favourite speeches, but sometimes the body language, expression and eye contact can also have a greater impact on the audience. We have analysed successful speeches, and possibly the less successful speeches (Ivana Trump?!), and practiced ours intensely to perform to our peers.

Following the presentation of everyone to their Room 6 classmates, Alex B and Jessica were sent through to the syndicate finals, following outstanding speeches on 'Animal testing is a necessity for our human existence' and 'Feminism: what we need to know'.

Following a nerve-racking syndicate final, where both Alex and Jessica performed gallantly, the judges (Mr Mclean, Mrs Webb and Mr Matheson) decided to send Tomas Wall and Jessica Tuhua to the regional finals at Victory Primary school in the final week of the term. An outstanding effort, Room 6 will wish Jessica every success in the final!

Trafalgar Nelson Football Tournament

HSS sent two competitive teams to the Trafalgar Football tournament. Milky blue skies and the sun-kissed turf of Neale Park was the venue for the inter-schools primary football tournament, involving 10 teams across the region. The HSS representatives did not disappoint.

Outstanding displays from HSS United and HSS Hawks placed them high in the group stage after 4 games, with both teams yet to concede a goal and still undefeated! The HSS Hawks were in fine form, only dropping points in a tense 0-0 tie with Central. A tense play-off game with Clifton Terrace ended 0-0, forcing the dreaded spot-kicks. Clifton Terrace narrowly victorious, winning 3-4 on penalties.

The HSS United's strong momentum continued, winning every game and firing them into the competition final, having scored 12 and conceding 0. Unfortunately, HSS Hawks conceded their only goal of the tournament and lost in the final to a competitive St Josephs side.

As runners up, the HSS United team were rewarded with tickets to the Wellington Phoenix's game at Trafalgar park on September 24th. They will then have the privilege of being the ball boys and girls for Tasman United's inaugural game. If that wasn't enough, all the players picked up their own Wellington Phoenix scarves!

Many had not played competitive football before, so was great to see so many positive performances and smiling faces. An outstanding representation of Hampden Street spirit, sportsmanship and tenacity in a competitive environment.

Ski day at Rainbow

At the end of August, both year 5 and year 6 had marvellous days on the slopes of Rainbow, near St Arnaud. The weather was perfect; milky blue skies, with whispers of cloud cover and crisp white snow conditions.

All the children attempted skiing lessons of mixed ability. The majority of children pushing themselves, to make some excellent progress.

A big thankyou to all those parents that volunteered their services, as drivers and supporting the children in their learning. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day with no injuries to report; just some incredibly happy exhausted faces!

Mini Olympic Maths

 Room 6 have embraced the Olympic spirit by taking part in our own mini Olympic events. These have ranged from 'Blow-curling', 'Cup stacking', 'Bean bag shuttle runs' and 'Extreme chest pass'. 

We have been collecting the data to challenge our understanding of complex addition and subtraction sums. We worked in small groups of 3 and calculated the mean. This required adding the total and dividing by 3.To calculate the range we needed to subtract the highest by the lowest result.

We then compared the data across the class and was able to gain a wider understanding of the range and presented our data appropriately.

Controversial Olympians

The onset of the term 3 has brought about a real buzz with the Olympics. We are exploring the success stories, the examples of inspiration, hope and sportsmanship. A fantastic opportunity for the sporting elite to display their talents on a world stage. We have looked in detail at all the successes of Lisa Carrington, Usain Bolt and Valerie Adams, but with many heroes comes the villains.

The cheats, the stories of greed, the acts of a cunning nature. Room 6 have explored the history of those that attempt to win at all costs. Lets hope this Rio games proves to be a 'clean' Olympics, unlike many that have gone before.

The motorised bikes, the Spanish blind football team, the cheating fencer, the marathon runner that hopped in a taxi or the two athletes that stood up for their rights. All these stories have to read to be believed, so please have a look at our group slideshow, there's some very entertaining stories.

Tree planting in the Grampians and Piper's Reserve

Tree planting at Piper's Reserve from Mr Skiperoo on Vimeo.
The Grampians was the first visit of Term 3. The short walk up some steep hills, armed with a shovel, some saplings and a positive attitude. A few slips, lots of laughs and an incredibly good job done by all.

Room 6 then took the long hike up towards Piper's Reserve to help in a tree-planting celebration. The class worked cooperatively and enthusiastically to plant over 100 saplings. The native trees were being planted to support the native birds and develop our local eco-system. We had a great day out, Tom and Devon unburying a few lost items and even meeting some intimidating 8-legged arachnids along the way!

STEAMs days term 3

The success of STEAMs days in term 2, meant the return of a further two action packed days during term 3. The much anticipated event, causes a real buzz of enthusiasm throughout the syndicate; children eagerly selecting their activities and then nervously awaiting the outcome, unsure whether their first-choice was available.

On the morning of STEAMs days, the children excitedly pace the syndicate hoping for a glimpse of their forthcoming activities. Teachers rushing from cupboard to classroom to prepare last-minute resources in preparation for the intense, resource-heavy day.

STEAMs (acronym for Science Technology Engineering Arts Maths and Social Sciences) is an extension day, for children to challenge themselves in a range of activities that might not be feasible during the regular school day.

Again, activities were diverse: Ice-cream making, murder mystery maths, first Aid, architecture, bridge building, robotic hands, photography, boxing, creative writing were all on the agenda, alongside many other inspiring and challenging activities. The children reporting very positive feedback, and a fun-packed day of curious questions and high-level thinking.

STEAMS Day: Volume II

The atmosphere was electric; children pacing up and down the syndicate, the continuous murmer of enthusiastic voices discussing their choice of workshop, and looks of curiosity as the seniors prepared for STEAMS day; volume II.

The range was even more diverse than the last session 4 weeks prior. Craft, Sports, Drama, Science, engineering, IT.... all these activities under umbrella terms. However, the children are really starting to learn it's not the outcome, and reaching the destination, it's the journey getting there:

Explore - Research - Plan - Try - Fail - Reflect - Try - Fail - Reflect....... Succeed

Cross Country hits Fairfield park!

On Wednesday, the Senior syndicate took to Fairfield Park to embark on a tough 2.5km circuit. The challenging course involved tough uphills, winding bends, slippery grass and a lot of positive spirits! It was an amazing spectacle to see so many seniors cheering on their peers, and lots of smiles throughout a cold, brisk nelson afternoon. The Seniors have been following a weekly cross-country training regime, supporting their own individual goals for the whole of term 2. It's been a remarkable success seeing everyone complete the race with smiles on their faces and supported by their classmates.

Star-gazing at the observatory

The air was crisp, the sky was clear and the stars were shining bright. Monday evening brought the fantastic opportunity to visit the Nelson observatory, based at Clifton Terrace primary school. We had arranged for the volunteer group to host the senior syndicate, which would prove their biggest ever audience, and it wouldn't disappoint.

The views were incredible, the deep craters of the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, the Milky way, the Southern Cross were common observations and frequent points of conversation. A massive thankyou goes out to all the parents that brought their children along to the observatory, the exemplary behaviour of our HSS students, and above all the volunteers from Nelson Astronomy society.

If you are interested in re-visiting the observatory, meetings exist on a regular basis, with a gold coin donation to attend their 'Star-parties'. Follow the link for further details.

https://sites.google.com/site/nelsonsciencesociety/home/astronomy-section

STRIKE visit HSS!

Strike visit HSS! from Mr Skiperoo on Vimeo.

This week, the senior syndicate were privileged to see the awesome 'Strike' percussion group come to HSS. The Wellington based drumming trio put together a lively and entertaining performance, involving a lot of rhythm, enthusiasm and even fire! 

Various children from the audience had the opportunity to play alongside the talented group. Even Mr O and Mrs Pilcher got involved, much to their anguish! 

Roger Sanders Drama

In preparation for the Term 3 production, Roger Sanders taught Room 6 drama in the hall. An awesome morning full of expression, curiosity and creativity.

Roger will revisit HSS regularly over the next 4 weeks, developing our understanding of drama and expressing ourselves in different ways.

Fraction this, fraction that...

 This week, Room 6 have been exploring fractions. We have looked at explaining what we already know, looking at the Maths progressions to see what we need to know and planned our individual learning pathways.

We have started simple looking at basic fractions and progressed into simplifying fractions, equivalent fractions, then moving into adding/subtracting and multiplying fractions.

Some great discovery, peer tuition and exploring fractions. The children are responding well to feedback and acting on different strategies to gain a firm grip of their understanding.