Room 22 say THANK YOU to our swim coaches!

Dear Steve, Ana and Michael,

We would like to thank you for helping us to learn swimming skills. To show our appreciation we have written a Who Am I?

You need to use the clues to figure out which animal it is that swims just like us!

I can swim fast with my legs and they can go really deep because they are fat. I have two nostrils and I have a big body and a small tail.

Who am I?

I have a big shell and two claws and eight legs and a little body.

Who am I?

Room 22 Presents... Alligator Alley!

On Tuesday Rm 22 had an assembly. We performed a play called Alligator Alley in the wharehui. When the children walked in I felt so nervous that I got butterflies in my stomach. I was the reader with Joyful and I was trying to read with expression. When our assembly finished I felt proud of myself because I was using a loud voice. I saw the kids happy so I knew they thought the play was excellent. Josey.

 Josey and Joyful as the readers and Mykyll as Mrs O’Malley.

Room 22 performed a play and it was called Alligator Alley. We did the play in the wharehui. When we started I felt really confident. I was Mrs O’Malley and she was the main character who went walking down by Alligator Alley. When we finished I was very proud of myself because I was not too shy. I went and hugged my mum and she was very proud of me too. Mykyll.

Savannah, Daniel, Tamanui and Javaan as the frogs.

Last Tuesday we performed a play at the wharehui. I was a frog and the play was called Alligator Alley. The parents arrived first. Then Rm 13 was the first class to show up. I was feeling pretty confident. Suddenly all the classes came. It was time for our play. “Alligator Alley,” said Joyful and Josey. The frogs, (me, Tamanui, Savannah and Torah) said “Beware! Beware! Don’t stop, don’t stare, don’t dilly-dally in Alligator Alley.” Finally it was the end and I just felt like hugging my mum. Daniel.

Mafi, Hope, Ellen-Rose and Johnny as the snakes.

Waimarino, Kristina, Kay-Lee and Dejunay as the birds.

Rm 22 were performing a play at assembly and it was called Alligator Alley. I was a bird. When the guests arrived I was feeling like I was going to explode with happiness! I was excited and I felt like I was going to be sick but I wasn’t because it already started. I wasn’t shy anymore because nobody laughed at me. At the end I felt free! Kristina.

Senituli and Cedrikz as the alligators.

We enjoyed performing to an audience and would like to thank all the families that came along to watch us.

Room 22's Weaving

We would like to share some more of our tukutuku weavings with you.

This taniko pattern represents one of the main weaving styles.

This pattern represents the separation of Papatuanuku (Earth Mother) and Ranginui (Sky Father).

We really enjoyed creating our weavings and look forward to showing you our next art works.

Creative art in Room 22

In Room 22 we have been reading and looking at books written and illustrated by Robyn Kahukiwa. She is a Maori artist and has won awards for her books.

One book we enjoyed was Paikea, about the ancestor of the Eastern and Southern Maori tribes who fled from his jealous brother in Hawaiki and travelled on the back of a whale to Aotearoa.

The tukutuku panels used in the background stood out and looked like some in our wharehui. We thought we could try weaving some tukutuku panels ourselves.

First we looked at different tukutuku panels and Dejunay and Hope found out some information:

• Tukutuku panels are a traditional Maori art form that can be seen on the walls of a wharehui.
• Tukutuku panels are weaved with harakeke which is a flax.
• All tukutuku panels have meaning.

This tukutuku shows many stars that represent the people.

Next we practised using line and pattern to draw different tukutuku designs on grid paper and then practised weaving. Then we began weaving with wool and black card. 

Here are some of our weavings so far...

This design called Poutama symbolises a climb made by a Maori hero who climbed to receive the three baskets of knowledge from the gods.

Watch this space for more of our weavings.