Icecream entrepreneurs!

During tech this week the Foods group were selling the icecream that they've created. They'd done an awesome job coming up with many yummy flavours and selling day on Tuesday was a huge success! This week we've all been working hard on designing our sea creatures. We'll be handing in our projects and presenting these to the class early next week. So far most projects look like they're coming together well. People are showing some great thinking and understanding of adaptations, a great climax to our Rocky Seashore topic this term.

More sporting stars!

Recently we've had great sporting success from Zach Mason and Kasam Ali. Zach wrote this: "In the weekend I was chosen to go and take part in the Otago Athletics team in a competition against Southland, for the Tyson cup. My events were the 800m and the 1500m. I would have liked to have done the 400m as well, but they said that I'm not allowed to do three long distance events in one day. The 1500m race was up first for the day, so I went out and smashed Southland by 100m. The next event for me was the 800m so I went out and beat Southland by 100m again. All the points from all the events were added up at the end of the day and we scored a hat-trick by a million to nil (not really but we did win!). The Tyson Cup is back home in Otago." And thanks Kasam for this report: "NTC stands for National Talent Centre. It's a football camp for one week in Oamaru for the best football players in the South Island. I'm the only player out of Otago, Southland, Central Otago and South Canterbury for my age to get picked for this talent centre. It will be my third time attending the camp. I am one of four or five boys of my age at this talent centre. Six other boys from Otago have also been picked for this talent centre and I hope I'll get picked to go to this football camp until I'm too old or I get picked for a New Zealand team." Awesome effort boys! Well done to both of you!

Portobello Aquarium outing

Last Thursday Room 9 travelled out to Portobello to visit the aquarium and add to the learning about the rocky seashore that we've already done in class. We split into two groups and through the afternoon took part in two different activities. During one of the activities we looked at lots of different sea life, their adaptations, and whether they were predators or producers. There were some pretty amazing adaptations, we particularly enjoyed the sea cucumber that can throw up it's intestines and stomach in order to avoid being killed! We were also lucky enough to be able to dissect a squid and by doing this could it gave us some clues as to how it lives, hunts, moves and eats. In the other activity we went on a tour in the virtual submarine and saw what an amazing underwater wonderland the Otago coast is. We also looked at the Spiny Dogfish Shark, the Carpet Shark, and enjoyed the amazing creatures in the touch tank. An awesome day out! Huge thanks to the Aquarium staff and to the adults who came and drove us there. Thanks Rodney, Sascha, Carol, Sue and Mr Hunter, we couldn't have gone without your help!

Well done Oscar!

"Ever since I was six I've been doing speech and drama. I really enjoy giving speeches and roleplaying, so I've kept doing it. Every year we have an exam and we get marked on it by a speech teacher/examiner. Last year I did grade five. I was tested on poem reading and interpretation, roleplay, prepared speech (I spoke about Nuclear Power) and reading aloud. I got really good marks (honours plus). My marks then went to the speech board, along with some other students, then one scholarship was given to one person in each grade. The grade five scholarship was given to me, this entitles me to free tuition for a year!" Great stuff Oscar, keep it up!

Sasa

Today all the year 8's performed their Sasa for the year 7's, a good number of parents were in the audience too. Firstly all the year 8's together performed a traditional Sasa, based on the idea of going out fishing under the night sky and then returning home to the land. After this each class performed on stage with their own Sasa. Room 9 students chose to base their Sasa on Star Wars. We had some amazing costumes and creative moves to show off. After a week of hard work and heaps of practice it was a real buzz to perform and everyone did a great job.

Surf Champion!

Well done to Devon Familton for her superb performance at recent national surf lifesaving competition. Devon reports back: "At the national surf life saving competition, called 'Oceans 12', I got 2nd in the surf swim and 5th in the run-swim-run. I also got fourth in the final of the board race." Awesome stuff Devon!

Congratulations Leonie!

Room 9 member Leonie Palmer was awarded a medal after the athletics meet at the Caledonian over the weekend. She gained the most points over the season for her age grade. Zach Mason also had two successful races at this meet, gaining places in the 100m and 400m events. To add to a big weekend for Room 9 students Sam Masterton was ball boy for the Highlanders on Saturday night as they beat the Crusaders. Top work all of you!

Rocky Seashore

Our class is looking pretty cool with our new seashore mural, an ongoing project we began with Mrs Cooper. We were also super lucky today to hear from Jim Fyfe. Jim is a ranger for the Department of Conservation coastal conservancy. He specialises in helping to protect our critically endangered New Zealand Sea Lion. Jim spoke about how the Sea Lion is in decline in the Auckland Islands, mainly because they have to work so hard for their food and because they had been getting caught in trawling nets. In Otago however their population is slowly growing as their food is more readily available and they have more resources left to successfully reproduce. Thanks Jim!