Using Chopsticks

Chinese:
How To Use Chopsticks
In many countries in Asia, instead of eating with a knife and fork, they use chopsticks. While they can be hard to use at first, practice makes perfect, so today we are going to practice using chopsticks with some chopstick races!

Chess Interschool Tournament

For the chess tournament there were four schools and for our school we took seven players. Before we started the man in charge explained the rules and paired us up with partners for that round. This continued until we had gone through seven rounds. Every time you won you got a point and if it was a draw you got half a point. Then when the rounds were over the points were counted up and the prizes were given out. The points were counted as the highest four players in the team. First was Helensville school with 27 points, second was us with 10 and a half points, third was Huntly College with 10 and a half points (we won through tie breaker), and fourth was St Andrews with 10 points. Post by AK.

Loud Shirt Day 2010

On Friday 17th September Kimihia School held Loud Shirt Day. This was an opportunity for students to dress up in the wackiest and brightest shirt and bring a gold coin donation to support the deaf. After morning tea we had a parade to see who had the funkiest shirt out of year levels 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 and 7&8. There were lots of interesting and bright shirts but the winners were...
Year 1&2: Runner up: Vaish Navi Prusad, Winner: Lucy Harris
Year 3&4: Runner Up: Mitchell Cotter, Winner: Clarissa Jacobs
Year 5&6: Runner Up : Sonya Fenton, Winner: Ryan Tapp
Year 7&8: Runner Up: Sebastian Allen, Winner: Taylor Thurston
Staff: Runner Up equal: Mrs Tait and Mrs Yates, Winner: Mrs Kosoof
Post written by E.H

The Parrot Retold

Duffy Assembly

On Monday 13th we had two guest speakers come to our school named Mrs Kippenberger and Mr Charlton-Jones. After introducing themselves, Mrs Kippenburger asked for six volunteers to come up the front and take part in a play about a chicken thinking that the sky is going to fall. She then meets a wolf, a rabbit, a cow, a horse, and a dog. After they all meet each other, they walk all the way to the King's palace and the chicken told the king how the sky was going to fall. The King welcomed them into his lovely palace and they all had huge feast.
After watching the play, Mrs Kippenburger talked to us about how she writes her own books and about her huge home where Mr Charlton-Jones records his music in the music room. They told us about how Mr Charlton -Jones doesn't care about how much noise he makes. Then Mr Charlton-Jones sang us some of his original songs. He asked people if they had any pets and they had to describe what their pets looked like and then Mr Charlton-Jones made up songs about their pets. After the original songs he played and the play Mrs Kippenburger told, they eventually they gave out the Duffy books and then it was time for questions. Post by CTS.

Senior Assembly

On Friday 10 of September, two students from Room 11 presented our Senior School Assembly; Manuel Stevens and Keila Tari. They had to speak in front of the senior school and it was scary for them to speak without practicing through the whole week because it was busy through the week and we had just found out on Wednesday. Keila and Manuel hadn't done an assembly through this whole year but they did their best for their first time. Well done. Post by AR and KT.

firewise visit

Over the last couple of weeks we have been learning about being firewise as our concept this term is healthy and happy. Mr Lambert came into our class and tought us about being firewise. We learnt that unattended cooking can harm us, that it only takes a few seconds for a fire to start and then, once it's started, it's best to get away from the fire.

Fire needs oxygen, fuel and heat. Fire could also start by a candle falling over, a cigarette that hasn't got the smoke out of it properly, smoke can also make a fire occur, and overloaded powerplugs. Fires can easily start in schools, homes and in the forests. Post by B.E

Our Blog

What would you like to see on our blog? What would you like to be able to do with it? Inquiring minds would like to know! Post a sticky and let us know your thoughts.

Second Chinese Video

Recently in Chinese, we have been learning how to say numbers. We made videos where we were introducing ourselves and saying our phone numbers - not our real ones:) We are also going to be doing a self-assessment of our videos and we came up with some marking criteria which focuses on our speaking ability in Chinese - not reading.

Self Assessment Chinese Speaking

I had a bit of trouble with my Chinese assessment because I started learning late but I will soon become better at it. I wasn't very confident because I haven't learnt much1/4. I had a normal voice 2/4. My pace needs a lot of work 1/4. My tone needs a little work 1/4. My pronunciation needs a lot of work1/4 and the flow was just right 2/4. (BJ self -ssessment)

Loud Shirt Day

On Friday 17th September 2010 is Loud Shirt Day. Loud Shirt Day is a day where you can forget about your normal school shirt and wear a bright coloured shirt to school. While looking funky and cool you will also be supporting the deaf and helping deaf people talk with all proceeds going to The Hearing House. There will be prizes for the best shirt in year levels 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and best staff shirt. In the morning there will be a parade in the hall where the judges will be judging the best shirt. You can create your own BRIGHT shirt or wear an already bright shirt and support the deaf. To be able to wear a loud shirt to school on the day, you will need to donate a gold coin. This post by CB.

Interschool Cross Country 2010

On September 1st 2010, 21 students from Kimihia went to the Interschool Cross Country at Lake Puketirini. The sunny and partially windy weather wasn't too bad as the school came out with some great placings. The best placings for the age groups were: Junior Girls: 4th Maia Weetman-Norris, Junior Boys:3rd Brendan Hunt, Intermediate Girls: 2nd Makuini Robust, Intermediate Boys: 1st Aidan Baxter, Senior Girls: 1st Briar Tapp, Intermediate Boys: 3rd Austin Dias. The students behaved excellently and had a great time. Good luck to the year 7 & 8 runners who will be going to full primary next Wednesday.
Post written by DWN

We have been learning the Chinese numbers and actions to go with them. Here is a video to show you.
Post by RM.

Cross Country 2010

We are going to write a blog entry in which we will evaluate our performance not just on the day of the Cross Country but also during training leading up to the event. Address all the statements in the document below as a guide to help you write your blog entry. There are photos in the Room 11 folder if you would like to add a photo to your blog entry.
Cross Country Evaluation 2010

Cross Country

On Wednesday the 25th of August we had the Senior School Cross Country. We had trained every single week for cross country - well, we tried to fit in as much training as we could. We all tried our best on Wednesday and hoped to come a place in this event.

The following students came places in Senior School Cross Country:

9 year old girls: 1st Kaleesha Messent, 2nd Mia Weetman-Norris
9 year old boys: 1st Brendon Hunt, 2nd Joe Harris, 3rd Brandon Smith
10 year old girls:1st Makuini Robust, 2nd Kirsten Maclaurin, 3rd Katelynn Pini
10 year old boys:1st Ryan Tapp, 2nd Caleb Mahon, 3rd Simon Webb-Little
11 year old girls:1st Jade Newton, 2nd Bella Smith, 3rd Morgan Stables
11 year old boys:1st Aidan Baxter, 2nd Kristian Wightman, 3rd Casey Messent
12 & over girls: 1st Briar Tapp, 2nd Jordan Maclaurin, 3rd Hope Sambells
12 & over boys:1st Austin Dias, 2nd Devin Weetman-Norris, 3rd Josh Stables

This post was written by HS.

Mrs. Ratana's Visit

Today, Mrs. Ratana came in to work with our class for a lesson. This was an opportunity for us to get to know her better and for her to get to know some of us.

The lesson started by playing '2 Truths, 1 Lie', then we played 'Dingbats' in groups. This was followed by our discussing the Kimihia Kid and identifying all the attributes. We finished by playing a word activity with all the names of people in our groups.

Waikato Science Fair

Congratulations to Ryan LeQuesne, Alasdaire Key and Corbin Baxter who were all awarded places in the Waikato Science Fair last week. First place went to Ryan and Alasdaire for the Year 7/8 Physical World category and 3rd place to Corbin in the Inventions and Technical Innovations category (open age group). These two boards are currently on display in the foyer.

Senior School Speech Competition

Congratulations to Ryan who won our Senior School Speech Competition held this Wednesday. The judges were particularly impressed with his delivery, saying he spoke very clearly and could be heard easily from the back of the hall. He will be representing our school at the Waikato Speech Competitions. I am sure he will do us proud. Below is his final speech presentation for the in-class competition. Do you have any suggestions for how he can improve his speech?

New Zealand Maths Challenge Week

Our class is participating in the online NZ Maths Challenge, battling it out for Top Student and Top Class. Week One, 16-22 August, is Practice Week and Week 2, 23-30 August is the 2010 NZ Maths Challenge. This is a really fun way to work on not only your basic facts but also your knowledge of other strands such as algebra and measurement. You choose the level and challenge yourself!

I have just changed the picture above to show the current world rankings - over the weekend AK got up to a ranking of 3rd in the world! (It's a bit blurry but if you click on the picture he's right up there near the top - maybe next time I change it that could be your name up there...)

China Culture Posters

In class, we all created a poster using Microsoft Publisher which showed an aspect of Chinese culture. Come back soon to check out our blogs (you can link to them via my blog list) where you will be able to see some other Chinese Culture Posters!
Jade & Britney Panda

Huntly College Amazing Discovery Day

This week we all had the opportunity to visit Huntly College and a number of Year 8 boys also went to Hamilton Boys High School. It is really important to think seriously about all our educational options and find the best fit for us. What do the various schools have to offer and, on the other hand, what do we have to offer them? These are not just questions for our students that will be starting high school next year. For the Year 7 students, it might also be time to start thinking about how we can get involved around our school, so we can increase our chances of being accepted into the school of our choice.

On a less serious note, during our three hours at Huntly College we got the chance to try a number of activities, including making a print in the art room, experimenting with some of the equipment in the automotive/engineering workshop and playing some instruments in the music room. Check out some of the photos below!

Delivery of Your Speech

This week we had our first presentation of our speeches to the class. Most of us now have a good idea of the content of our speech - our focus now will shift to the delivery.
Below are some examples of famous speeches that have been delivered with passion and succeeded in persuading thousands, if not millions, of people to rethink their position on some pretty serious issues. Watch carefully and you might pick up some tips to improve the delivery of your speech!

Chinese Scavenger Hunt

Use the Internet or your own general knowledge to answer the following questions:

1. What is the capital city of China?
2. What is the president's name?
3. In which city are the terracotta soldiers?
4. How many terracotta soldiers are there?
5. In which city is the Forbidden City?
6. How long is the Great Wall?
7. What is the biggest mountain in China?
8. Name three sports that are popular in China:
9. At what age do you start school in China?
10. How do you say goodbye in Chinese?
11. Name a famous Chinese singer:
12. Name a famous Chinese sportsperson:
13. What is the population of China?
14. At what age can you get a car licence in China?
15. When did Marco Polo come to China?
16. What were the four ancient capitals of China?
17. When was Genghis Khan in power?
18. Name three famous Chinese inventions:
19. How old is Peking Man?
20. Who was the last emperor?

Xinnian Kuaile

This week in Chinese, along with learning some more Chinese greetings and classroom instructions, we are going to be learning about Chinese New Year, one of the most important festivals on the Chinese calendar.
Here is a link to practise some of the new language we have learnt today:
http://quizlet.com/2535052/chinese-unit-1-flash-cards/

Speech Topics

Our topics for persuasive speeches this term will be:

1. Should we have to do speeches?


2. Should we be allowed to use our cellphones and ipods in class during school time?


3. Should New Zealand police be allowed to carry guns on their persons?


4. Should the age of getting a licence to drive stay at 15?


5. Should there be daily fitness for twenty minutes?

Hopefully there will be something to interest everybody! Better get cracking - Senior School Finals are on Monday of Week 5.

Speeches

This term we are going to be presenting a persuasive speech. Although many people dread public speaking, it is a really useful skill to be able to speak confidently in front of a group of people.

Today we are going to be brainstorming some possible topics. Room 12 and 13 will also come up with some topics and, from these ideas, five will be selected for our Team Speech Competition.

Below is a link to a video from a professional public speaker with some hints of how to prepare for giving a speech.

http://www.ehow.com/video_4401094_prepare-public-speech.html
How to Prepare a Public Speech -- powered by eHow.com

Multiple Intelligences

We all have something in life that we enjoy and are good at whether it be drawing, reading, writing or playing in a sports team. According to my results, I am logical (Mum always said I should have been an accountant), followed closely by intrapersonal and linguistic.

By taking the test at the link below, you can try to find out the areas that you maybe didn't realise you were actually really smart in!

http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

Chinese Culture and History

This term, we are going to begin learning not only the Chinese language, Mandarin, but also about the culture and history of China which dates back more than 6000 years. Today, in the ICT Suite, working with a partner you will research an aspect of Chinese culture and history and create an A3 poster using Publisher.

Some possible subjects for you to select from are: fireworks, The Great Wall, The Temple of Heaven, chinese zodiac, giant panda, The Forbidden City, food, The Silk Route, Peking Opera, Genghis Khan, and kung fu.

Pre-Assessment for Persuasive Writing

School Fitness

The government has issued a report on the fitness of school students. Overall, it was felt that New Zealand school children would benefit from more regular exercise. As a result of this report, The Minister for Education has suggested that compulsory daily fitness should be held in every school throughout New Zealand.

The suggestion is that each school day will now start with 20 minutes of fitness activities.

Some students think that daily fitness is a good idea. Others think it is not. Your teacher has decided you should write to the Minister of Education to express your opinions about this suggestion.

First, you need to decide what you think about the issue of daily school fitness. Think about whether you agree with the idea or not.

You should write an argument to persuade the Minister for Education to agree with your point of view.

Hints
- Remember who you are writing the argument for.
- State your opinion on the issue clearly.
- Make good points to support your point of view.
- Pay attention to spelling and punctuation.
- Remember to use the time at the beginning for planning and the time at the end to check and edit your writing.