Room 7 Clock Out for 2021

Today is the last day of school in 2021 for Ruapotaka . I have successfully completed one year at only my second school to ever teach at. It has been a challenging, testing but FUN time as one of two Year 7&8 teachers. 

I would like to thank the students in Room 7 for making our class one of the best places to be in 2021. I got to know a very different group of people from where I last taught. I learned how much Room 7 loves a laugh, card games, sport, art, music, food, gaming, sleep and learning - all things which I love just as much. One of my best memories was the Y7&8 sailing trip at Okahu Bay. 

Lockdown really tested our patience and persistence with being online and completing home learning. Some people enjoyed working to their own time, while many of us missed being in an actual school or classroom. It's probably fairer to say we really missed seeing each other. 

While we are now back at school to finish the year, only eight of a possible twelve have been able to return. Those who have been back have enjoyed playing Monopoly Deal, the waterslide, free milk, volleyball and hanging out with friends (DJ, Renei, Ocean, Hone, Willie, Sonny, Malachi). Those who have remained at home do so to limit their contact with possible covid cases, a decision we all accept with great understanding. Huge thanks to those students who have been able to remain in contact and I hope to see you all again in the near future (Pita, Sosefina, Krista). If anyone sees Jairus and Solomon, please pass on our well wishes to them. 

The 2021/2022 Summer Learning Journey begins this week. Be sure to register and keep up your blog posting. There are some really cool ideas to help keep your writing levels up during the break. 

My thanks goes also to those who have helped me in my path this year to help Room 7 be the best versions of themselves in 2021: the school community of Ruapotaka; our Manaiakalani tutors; Belfast School as our Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu partner school; Y7&8 Tamaki College Technology teachers; Ruapotaka School Board of Trustees. 

What have we been up to? 

Friday Fun Day took place last week. Class bubbles rotated through activities like the waterslide, sponge bucket relay, volleyball, dodging water balloons and a fan favourite - the bouncy castle! We had bbq sausages for lunch and an ice bl0ck to end the day. 

The Year 8 Day Out was a great way for our most senior students to let their hair down and have some fun. Mr O'Brien, Mrs Cardoza and I took a seven of the lads out to Okahu Bay where the boys played on the massive playground, some touch and rugby on the fields before cooling off in high tide. We brought the boys back to school where they had sausages for lunch and were hosted in the multipurpose room. Karaoke, Jumanji, milkshakes and the new playground were the order for the day. 

After a hectic day out, several members of the school staff had another surprise planned for our Year 8 students - Drive By Graduation! Level 3.2 means we still cannot have parents and families on site to school. Our principals planned an awesome evening where we would drive to each of the families of our Y8 students to celebrate their end at primary school, and moving on to high school. Parents knew we were coming but the seniors had no clue! We were like a little party crew of teachers, complete with a loud speaker, placards, decorations and party attitude like no other. We would park up at each student's house, blast the speaker and sing "happy graduation!" to the students. Many of those students were genuinely taken by surprise, each person a mix of excitement, embarrassment (the neighbours and police came out at one point), pride, humility and honour. Also a bit of fatigue from the day out of school. 

Congratulations, Y8 class of 2021. It has been a true pleasure watching you grow more comfortable in your own skin, gain confidence in yourselves and your abilities. Each of you has shown a considerably positive shift in your effort to become responsible, young adults. All the best for your years at high school! 

We recently had the 2021 Ruapotaka School Prize Giving Ceremony. This was a fantastic event which honoured many students for their high effort in class and home learning, as well as citizenship at school. Room 7 is proud to present DJ, Renei and Malachi as the newest Room 7 school prefects for 2022. All three students have displayed great teamwork and potential for leadership in the time I have gotten to know them. Something I really like about our prize giving is that student nominations for awards are shared at the ceremony. Ocean mentioned in his blog post that although many did not get an award, it is still important to recognise that all of us has made many achievements in 2021. Sometimes these go unnoticed but we still need to be proud of those moments. 

On behalf of Room 7, we wish you all the best for your summer holidays. Take care, look after yourselves and your families! Mr N 

2021/22 Summer Learning Journey and NASA Art Colouring Book

In today's session, we started the SLJ challenge from last week. 

The pics below are my examples of the NASA colouring page. It is of a view of from the Cupola International Space Module (ISS). I coloured the pictures to replicate something out of the Star Wars Star Destroyers or TIE fighters. 

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The other task we learned about today was the upcoming 2021/2022 Summer Learning Journey. Here are my takeaways: 

• Points become prizes 
• You need to register to be considered
• Points earned through your posts and comments on others; replies to comments as well 
• The last three Ruapotaka School winners: Alimoni, Alilia, Renei 
• There are usually 3 winners per school 
• If you blog really well and enough, there are prizes also from Noel Leemings 
• Quality blog posts 
• No points for plagiarism 
• If you would like to work collaboratively, keep in touch with your friends and comment on each other

One of our jobs is to ask our missing classmates to register so they don't miss out. 

Term 4 Week 6 "Clock Out" - Water Slide and Bubble Baking

Week 6 at Ruapotaka School was so much fun! Let me tell you about a couple of really good reasons why ... 

Water Slide 

If you didn't already know, Year 7&8 are in their own bubble. One of the cool things we got to do last week was use the hill by the lower building block for a water slide. Thanks to Mr Mike for making the slide out of long, large plastic sheets, and Mrs Borough for making it extra slippery! It was complete with a sprinkler at the top and large orange traffic cones to mark the course. 

The water slide was a great end to a hardworking (and hot) week. I didn't go on the slide but it was still a lot of fun to watch the students zooming down with huge smiles on their faces. Some of them looked like the penguins on the movie, Happy Feet, with their "wings" reaching back towards their feet. Hone said "The best thing about the slide was getting soapy. This made it faster to go down the slide". 

We're crossing our fingers in hope this week that we get to visit Wero Whitewater Park on Friday, where there will be even MORE water! 

Bubble Baking 

Before our wet and wild afternoon, the Y7&8 bubble spent their morning baking. Room 7 and I made a Lolly Cake from a Countdown Supermarket recipe. Ocean and I had never made this before but it I think it's fair to say we would do so again - it was so crunchy, sweet and delicious! 

Lolly Cake doesn't require a lot of 'baking' effort. It's a rolled up mix of melted butter, condensed milk, crushed malt biscuits and chopped marshmallow Explorers. You take this magical heap and turn into a rolled log before covering in desiccated coconut. Let it cool in the fridge for a couple of hours before slicing into discs of crunchy, delectable greatness. 

Malachi brought along his Apple Cake recipe and we were able to use the leftover apples in our fruit bowl to create a second cake - how lucky were we! While our Lolly Cake was setting, we got onto our second dish. Apple cake uses some of the most basic ingredients; cinnamon, apples and walnuts are the stars in this cake. I highly recommend a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream or soft butter and a cup of tea or milo. 

Term 4: Welcome Back!

News Article: The Return of Ruapotaka School by J.Nevalagi 

Yesterday, primary students and teachers all over Auckland were finally allowed to return to school after their longest covid-enforced lockdown since 2020. Schools are allowed to open on a part-time basis. The rules for opening are decided by the individual school's leadership team and Board of Trustees. Ruapotaka School will be open from 10.00am to 2.00pm, Monday to Friday, to all students. This is allowed because they have a low number of students per class. 

School communities still need to do their best to follow the government's rules because Auckland is still at Alert Level 3. Rules such as social distancing, allocated spaces for play and frequent hand washing and sanitising are common practise. This is to minimise and limit everyone's possible exposure to covid. 

Most of the students who returned to Ruapotaka seemed to enjoy being reunited with their friends. The mood in classrooms and play areas was a mixture of excitement, happiness and a bit of lockdown fatigue. School lunches are still being provided by the New Zealand government. 

There are still some families yet to return. Home learning will continue for those students minus the regular online meetings. Teachers will stay in contact with those families and students. 

Ruapotaka's return was a wet one and drenched many latecomers on arrival to the school gates. This was not enough to wipe the smiles of many students who were just happy to see their teachers and classmates in person in such a long time. 

This piece was written TO INFORM (factual, formal, third-person) the AUDIENCE (Y7&8 students) in the CONTEXT of primary school students being allowed to return to school. I PRACTISED keeping third-person perspective (avoiding use of I, our, we), keeping key points in separate paraphs and using relevant detail for support. 

Description: The Great Return by J.Nevalagi 

Finally! We have returned to school. "It feels like I haven't been here for a year!" Malachi said with wonder in his voice. He was followed closely by Willie, Ocean and Renei. Our "full house" was completed when Hone turned up. I'm wearing a mask but it isn't big enough to hide the smile on my face. 

We're all buzzing. We haven't seen each other in such a long time. How long has it been since we were in the same room? The last thing I remember was saying "Good afternoon" to my class, expecting to see them the next day. Because of covid, that obviously didn't happen. 

It's only been a day but I'm already excited for what tomorrow brings. Spinning on the vortex, swinging in the swing and singing in the rain. THIS is how you celebrate being back with your friends. 

This piece was written TO DESCRIBE (emotive, informal, first-person, present tense) the AUDIENCE (Y7&8 students) in the CONTEXT of primary school students being allowed to return to school. I PRACTISED using long and short sentences, logical sequencing and capturing the mood of the moment. There's even a few language features in there. 

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YOUR TASK: DESCRIBE OR INFORM your readers of your return to school. Capture the facts and/or emotions of how you've felt coming back after such a long time. If you're happy, say so. Still nervous, you can say so too! Not feeling it? Of course you can write about. 

DESCRIPTIVE Sentence Starters 

Walking through the school gates yesterday felt like ... 

[Pick three emotions you felt the most] Laughter, joy, happiness, with a little bit of fatigue. 

I LOVED / DESPISED coming back to school. 

If I could use one word to describe coming back to school it would be ... 

Coming back to school is like ... 

Wow, what a day! 

Ugh, I'm sooo tired. Is it Wednesday already?! 

I arrived to the applause of my teacher and classmates. 

I wore my mask to protect myself and others from getting covid, however, it wasn't big enough to hide the smile on my face. 

The Best and Worst of Season 5 Lockdown

Today was a success because I was able to contact most of the families in my class. I also did most of my chores and cleaned the house before the 9.30am call. 

I am proud of myself because I had a very busy weekend driving to different shops for presents and food ingredients. I cooked a seafood chowder for the second time ever and a new potato salad recipe. Both dishes were delicious and  eye-catching! 

The BEST Parts about Season 5 Lockdown :) 

#5: Doing live cooking demonstrations with Room 7's Eggs on Toast and Pancake Stacks Friday. 

#4: Being able to spend more time with loved ones and family members, even if it was mostly online. 

#3: Enjoying "low n slow" bbq at Kohimarama beach for my birthday. 

#2: Saving money because there were no takeaways at Level 4. I also didn't have to fill the car up as much! 

#1: Sleeping in every day. 

The WORST Parts about Season 5 Lockdown :( 

#5: My school holiday was spent at home because we weren't allowed to go anywhere! 

#4: There were no takeaways at Level 4. How did we survive?! 

#3: I couldn't go to Bunnings, which also meant there were no sausage sizzles. 

#2: Whenever it rained for days on end, it was harder to leave the house and go for a walk. 

#1: Missing school and my students; being unable to teach, laugh and joke with all of them in person. 

Lastly, a reminder to the amazing students in Room 7 and at Ruapotaka School. I have enjoyed great being able to stay connected and teach you during home learning. Please make sure over the next couple of days that you are well-rested, have your uniform and materials ready for your return on  Wednesday 17 November, 10.00am - 2.00pm. 

Mutolu kia! Cheeeehuuuuuu!

Monday 15 November - Last Check In

AM: What am I grateful for? How am I feeling today? 

I am feeling calm and a little bit excited to be going back to school. I'm excited because it will be the first time since Term 3 Week 4 (or 3?) when I last saw my students. I remember the last couple days because my class were getting into some really good learning habits and routines. 

AM: What are my goals today? 

My goals today are to contact ALL of my R7 students parents and confirm if they are coming back to school on Wednesday. School will be open to all students but our change in time is different. Hopefully I'll also have decided what I will be cooking for dinner. Any suggestions? 

Term 4 Week 4 "Clock Out"

What was your win for the week?

My win this week was Pancake Stack Friday.  DJ, Renei and I cooked our sweet goodies live in the class meeting, while Malachi cooked and served another pancake feast well beforehand. The creation below is mine - strawberry, banana and nutella crepe with whipped cream. I need to work on my plating skills though, because I my inner ingredients are hidden by that monster blob of cream. 

Greatest Learning Achievement? 

My greatest learning achievement was modeling writing instructions for how to cook a hangi. I also worked with the class on their reading skills of skimming, scanning and finding evidence to support their thinking. 

How do you feel about possibly going back to school next week on Wednesday? 

The government has announced that Auckland primary schools may return next week on Wednesday 17 November. Personally I am excited that we could be going back - we are waiting for the school principal to make an announcement. It would be great to be in the classroom, as well as outside if it is a sunny day. I hope the Year 8's get a chance to reconnect with their school before they leave for college. I'm a bit nervous, knowing covid is out there but I am prepared to do my part and stay safe if it helps others. Wash hands and sanitise frequently, maintain distance and stay safe. 

Term 4 Week 3 "Clock Out"

My most grateful moment this week was R7 Eggs on Toast. I enjoyed doing something different with my class to celebrate the end of the week. It was also good to see a more positive lift in spirits this week from my class. ALSO really great to hear from Krista by email. She is doing good working on her home learning pack and trying her best with Education Perfect. I hope the rest of my class are also taking care of themselves. 

I also enjoyed playing "sock-etball" on Monday with my class. That was a cool way to start the week! 

I'm on the look out for more Fun Friday tasks we can do, so if you've got any suggestions let us know. 

Online learning: This week I took part in a few more of Mrs Allan's maths sessions. The slide deck below shows what we've been working on. One really cool site we did today was Tran Towers on Transum. It is like an online escape room. I enjoyed seeing different students help each other out to solve the questions while trying to escape the dungeon. That or watching them "break into jail" then having to sit out for 30 seconds. Be warned, this game is highly addictive! 

Room 7 "Eggs on Toast"

"Eggs on Toast: Le Menu a la Room 7" 

Malachi's Scrambled Eggs on Toast with Bacon and Mushrooms 

Pita's Fried Eggs with Sirloin Steak, Sausages, Sliced Pork and Bread 

Renei's Scrambled Eggs with Waffles  

Willie's Eggs and Coco Rice 

Mr N's Classic Scrambled Eggs 

Room 7 did things a bit differently for our Friday morning check in. We cooked eggs on toast and shared brekky in our online meeting! 

I made the classic scrambled eggs on toast with a side of spaghetti and fried bacon. I cooked my breakfast live and online with my class. Malachi and Renei shared their cooking live as well. Pita  and Willie made their meal before the meeting. 

Ms Erick from Room 6 joined us as a special guest with her can of whipped cream. We later had Mrs Hamilton join us. She missed the breakfast but is looking forward to the pics of our amazing meals. 

I enjoyed Eggs on Toast morning because it was something different and I got to see what the cooking skills of my students is like. It felt almost like being a reality TV superstar from my own kitchen. I wonder if my students felt like that as well while they were cooking? Here's what some of them had to say about our meeting: 

It was awesome. I liked seeing other people cook. - Malachi

Pita showed great patience to wait for everyone else while they were cooking because he cooked his eggs first. I also enjoyed watching other classmates cook.- Renei

I enjoyed that everyone had fun.- Pita 

Our earlier 9am was a great way to start the weekend and end a working week. We've got a couple pieces of mahi left to do for the day and we'll be back to check out in the afternoon at 2.00pm. 

Here is Mr N's recipe for Classic Scrambled Eggs on Toast: 

Two eggs and a dash of milk, whipped in a bowl. A tablespoon or two of melted butter in the pan on medium-high heat. Once the butter bubbles, turn heat down to medium and add egg mix. Use a spatula to 'pull' the egg mix in from the sides. Go twice around the pan then gently break the mix through the middle. Repeat this process another 2-3 times. Be careful not to overcook your eggs or it'll turn into rubber! Take eggs off the heat when they're about 90% done. It helps to have your toast and other sides cooked first because your eggs are best served hot of the grill! Allow remaining egg mix to combine with the cooked parts, serve hot on toast with spaghetti and bacon, with a side of orange juice. Enjoy! 

Cybersmart Trace and Copy 'Hot Dog'

Earlier this week, Mr Goodwin showed us how to do this task in one of our online meetings earlier this week. 

Attribution: Hot dog with mustard, Renee Comet. CC0 1.0. Sourced from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hot_dog_with_mustard.png 

How to attribute an image: image title, author. License type. Sourced from [add URL]. 

This is my Google Drawing of a hot dog. In our Cybersmart lesson we learned to trace using Google Drawing tools. 

I created this masterpiece by using the Explorer tool in GDrawing to find an image of a 'hot dog'. The picture was randomly selected from a list of my favourite things. I traced the original image using the polyline tool. I "split" the image into main parts (e.g. bun, sausage, mustard) which made was easier to trace than one large object or outline. 

Something I found difficult was trying to draw Sasuke from Naruto but I kept messing up the hair.  The picture seemed easy to do but using a mousepad was really difficult for me. I reckon with a mouse, I could create some great pictures! That's no excuse no, you should see what one of my students has come up with - Pita recreated Naruto himself and he looks very authentic!  

Tracing our own images like this could be useful for trying to create and share, or to support, our own examples of learning. This term we are learning to attribute images, text and media we use; to make sure we acknowledge the help we may have used. 

Explanation "What is a hangi?"

The writing model below is my explanation for "What is a hangi?". For those of you who don't know, hangi is an age-old Maori tradition of cooking food in an underground oven. Room 7 has been requested by Mrs T and Room 3 to explain what a hangi is and how to make one. Unfortunately with this extended lockdown, they won't be able to make one at school BUT at least we can remind our junior school what they can look forward to for their next available meal. 

This week we're explaining what a hangi is and looks like. Our next goal is to go explain the steps followed to create a traditional hangi. 

We'll put all the pieces together with some amazing pics and maybe even video - watch this space! 

I personally LOVE hangi! It's one of the best meals I've ever eaten. The food always comes out smokey flavoured (smoked, not burnt!), moist and well seasoned. An aunty of mine used to make the best stuffing, it was so buttery and full of herbs.  

What are your favourite hangi memories?