Home Learning Challenge... Baking!

What an amazing response we've had to the home learning challenge - well done to those of you who have already joined your family in the kitchen.

Remember if you've taken photos to email them to sarahh@stonefields.school.nz and I'll load them onto the slideshow below for you!








Isabelle even got busy with her family, making a presentation for you all!

Jacqueline during Break Through time

Today I was playing dressing up because I like it.  I was a princess and I wore a crown and a blue dress and shoes.  My shoes are very tappy.  I like being a princess because they are beautiful.  I was dressed up as a Rapunzel princess.

By Jacqueline

Reading in Farsi

Today Negan read to me.  She read in Farsi.  I liked to read the book with Negan.

By Shayan

Determination and Collaboration at Tennis Today

Riley:  Today at tennis I was practicing going down and then on the top with the ball.  It was fun. At the start it was really tricky but then I found that it was easy.  It got easier because I was trying really hard at tennis and I was being determined.







Lily and Jahvan:  We bounced the ball and we tried our best and we were very determined as well.  We collaborated when we were partners and we had fun.  We collaborated so we could do it.  Sometimes we needed to talk to each other and then we played together.  It would have been hard to do it by ourselves!

Inquiring into communication

We have been learning about communication this term and we had to make letters with partners. 

Can you guess which ones we were making?

Singing: When Goldilocks Went to the House of the Bears

For those of you who love singing, you might like to practice this one at home!

Isabelle Teaching us a Maths Strategy on her Fingers

In maths, some of us have been learning to use materials to solve addition and subtraction problems that involve fives.  Isabelle was such a superstar during maths time... once she learnt the strategy herself, she offered to help teach another learner and even decided to help another person in her group (without being asked!)

Here she is to help teach you...

Can you use this strategy to solve problems like

4 + 5 =

5 + 3 =

2 + 5 =

8 - 3 =

6 - 1 =

7 - 5 =

9 - 4 = 

Writing In Learning Hub 1

This week in writing with Mrs Jackson we have been writing about our painting experience on Monday. We have learned to write the list words I and can.

Kodi Practicing her Numbers

Hi everyone,

Today I worked on making numbers on a whiteboard.  I did that learning because I thought it would be fun and I needed to practice my number 5.  I was self-aware and thought about what I was going to do and I used a number line to help me.

Reflection:  I think I went really good because I was determined in writing the number 5 and I got it right!  Could you please give me some feedback?

By Kodi

WALHT: Summarise a story

Today Mina and Carys re-read a story and summarised it.  They're here to tell you more about summarising:

Summarising is when we record the main points in our own words.  We could summarise to tell the story to ours mums and dads and our grandparents.  It was fun to do and we used Photo Booth to record us summarising.  We liked recording ourselves.  We would like feedback please.

Real Life Learning in Action!

You can't hold a Stonefields learner back!

Check out Charlie and Oliver in their kitchens baking up a storm.  They must have ran home and gotten their noses straight into their recipe books.  Well done, boys, you've really shown everyone that learning doesn't just happen between 9 and 3 at school.

How did they taste?  What was the best part about this home learning challenge?  What was tricky?

We can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with!

Enjoy our photos and be sure to check back as more Hub 1 learners get in on the action...




Nathan's made a delicious fudge slice and has even shared the recipe with you all...

250 g plain biscuits
75g butter
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of soft brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Crush biscuits in a bowl add vanilla essence
2. Mix sugar, cocoa, milk, butter in a saucepan, once boiling boil for 2 minutes.
3. Add mixture to biscuits
4. Press into a dish
5. Refrigerate and once set ice with chocolate icing

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Hands on Home Learning: Let's get baking!

Welcome back to another exciting week of learning in Hub One!  We hope you had a restful and enjoyable weekend with your families.

This week, we're challenging the learners to get into the kitchen to help with come baking or cooking - if you manage to take part in this Hands on Home Learning Challenge, please send a photo along to sarahh@stonefields.school.nz and I'll be sure to load it up on here!

Baking and cooking can be a great way to get your kids learning in an authentic and fun way.  It opens up discussion about healthy eating and gets the kids reading and measuring (which is a part of maths)... not to mention the possibilities that arise around oral language and written language (they may like to comment on this post, with your help, sharing their experience with us).

It can be as big or small as you like... and if you're stuck for ideas, this is my favourite chocolate cupcake recipe - yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use baking cocoa, not drinking cocoa)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.
3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Makes 18 cupcakes (using Wilton cupcake papers) with flat tops

Buddy Reading: Alexander and Joe

Enjoy this story read by Alexander in Hub Three to Joe in Hub One!

'Reading with your child' Powerpoint

Hi Parents and Caregivers,

A big thank you to all who came to the reading with your child information afternoon on Tuesday of this week. Your support is greatly appreciated.

For those of you that were unable to make the session, below is the powerpoint that the teachers used to present from and may have some useful information. Any questions please don't hesitate to ask any of the teachers.

                    

Assembly tomorrow!

These past few weeks have flown by and we're ready for our first assembly of 2013... we're even leading it!  We'd love it if you could come along to hear us sing the song we've been learning and to find out about all the exciting learning that's been happening around Stonefields.  It will be an awesome morning starting just after 9am in the hall.

Tennis after school

Hi everyone,

Today Hub 1 was invited to join Adam and Tim playing tennis after school!  If anybody would like to join them for a complementary session on Tuesday at 3.45 till 4.30 at the tennis centre up the road, they'd love to see our learners.

Kaelan doesn't just learn at school... where do you learn?

Kaelan came into school this morning with a big smile on his face and showed everyone his learning from home.  

He understands that learning doesn't just happen here at school - it can happen anywhere, any time!  Where have you been when you've learnt something?

Let's make our hats special!

Hi everyone who looks after us,

Here at Stonefields it's very important that we're sun safe as the New Zealand sun is very strong!  We all proudly wear hats as part of our school uniform but we're having some problems with them getting muddled up and going missing.

We need your help!

Could you please ensure they're labeled clearly, both on the label and on the hat itself (as tags can come off) and attach something that is easily recognisable to your child... ribbon, a button, an initial embroidered (and visible whilst being worn) all all great options.

Doing this allows us to check hats in passing and also allows the learners to check for themselves.  If they just have their names it means we have to check through the whole hub at the same time which is a time consuming process and time we'd all much rather spend learning.

Thanks very much for helping us to be sun smart Stonefields learners!

Love,
Learning Hub One

What is Break Through?

Break Through is a chance for our learners to discover and focus on their passions and strengths.  They've spend the last few Break Through sessions immersed in a variety of activities, led by themselves, and have been thinking about what they enjoy doing and why.

What do you really love doing in your spare time?  What would you choose to learn about if you could learn about anything?  What 'spins your wheels'?

 
If I had Break Through time, I would...... at AnswerGarden.ch.

Can you work out...

Can you work out what kind of lizard this is??

Nathan's amazing learning - Writing his name

"Hello, this is my name.  I have been learning my name.  It is quite easy to write now.  It was hard to start with!"

Nathan's shown great determination by even choosing to practice during Break Through time today!  He's been learning to form letters correctly and about how to hold his pencil.  Practice makes perfect - keep up the fabulous learning, Nathan.

Miss Hinge and her amazing learning!

Miss Hinge got her Building Learning Capacity Sticker for uploading and creating her first video blog post. She had to use the learner quality of being determined. Can you think of any other learner qualities she may have used to get of the 'Learning Pit'?

Monkey's Skateboard Play

by Dan, Aarav, Jaqueline and Maya

The rest of the hub gave you feedback on what they enjoyed and what your possible next steps are. Maya, you spoke very clearly with lovely expression - from Michael. One of your next steps would be for everyone to know when it's their turn to speak - from Lonneke.

Thank you so much for sharing your learning with us. You have been very determined.

Dear Parents, 

Learning Hub 1 invites you to a Helping Your Child with Reading at Home meeting. 

Tuesday 19th February 2013 3.30pm- 4:15 pm. 

We look forward to seeing you there. 

Learning Hub 1 Teachers

Break Through today with Jahvan and Dylan

We decided to work together.  We put the wheels on so he could roll and we got arms for him so he could grab stuff.  He likes to grab food!  We decided to make a sword because it likes chopping down trees and to chop food so he can eat.  We put the eyes on so he can see what he chops.  We made a robot and they have eyes.  He's got a jetpack on his back and he's got a radio by his jet pack.

We chose to work together because we can't do it on our own.  We like collaborating and wanted to show our parents this blog photo!  We didn't have much time so we made it quickly.

By Jahvan and Dylan

Buddy Reading with LH3

This afternoon we were reading with Hub 3.  We picked our books and our big buddies read them with us.  It was fun and exciting!

Thank you for coming!

By Kaelan, Danielle and Oliver

Tennis today!

Today our learners were been lucky enough to participate in professional tennis lessons!  These sessions will continue over a number of weeks and we're excited to watch their skills progress.  Here are some photos of them enjoying themselves whilst practicing skills and some of their reflections on the very first session.  Can you spot your child?

What sport did you play as a child?  What do you still do now?

Collaborating

"This morning we were collaborating before school.  We were making a place for pretend small people to walk on shapes.  They can walk on the shapes, jump across them, and fly and swim across them.

We collaborated because we are friends and it was easier to do it together.  We had fun and shared them.  It was very fun to be collaborating."

By Lily D. and Dinesan

Father Bear goes Fishing

Charlie, Zoe and Riley have been learning to read aloud with exciting voices.  They are using speech marks, exclamation marks, bold print and question marks to help them when they read.

Here's Riley reading for you.  What do you think of her exciting voices?  Can you hear the difference between Father Bear, Mother Bear and Baby Bear?



Record and upload voice >>

Teachers as learners, Learners as teachers...

Here in LH1 we've been talking a lot about teachers being learners and learners being teachers.  We can switch between being both!

Everyone has something they can learn from each other and today we had a go at teaching each other how to play some maths games.  We're enjoying building our learning capacity around these games... you might like to come in one morning before school and we can teach you!

What learner qualities did George use?

This afternoon George used these three Stonefields Learner Qualities:

• Thinking:  I had to really think how to make it because it was so tricky to make it.
• Determined:  I was doing some tranforming things and I felt like I was determined.  I know I was determined because it was hard and I didn't give up.
• Making connections:  Because Thomas before made the same thing as me and he could make it and it was cool and then I was having great fun doing that thing with Thomas.

By George

What learner qualities did you use today?

Our picnic at the Wetlands

Today we had some fun and we went to the picnic.  We had to walk to the Wetlands but it wasn't far (it only took 2 minutes to get there).   We ate our lunch and then we got to play.  We were playing on the bridge and everywhere.  We felt excited and so happy to go there.  It was fun.

By Kodi, Michael and Jahvan.





Our reflections and thinking about the picnic today:


Reflecting on the picnic... at AnswerGarden.ch.

Where is your favourite place to go for a picnic or to play?


Favourite places...... at AnswerGarden.ch.

How do I leave a comment on a post?

If you're wanting to leave a comment on our blog (and we love comments!) this video may help.  Where I mention the LH3 website, you may like to enter www.learninghub1.blogspot.co.nz but as I said in the video, there's actually no need to provide a link at all.

Feel free to have a go at commenting below or swing by the hub if you're having any problems - I'd be more than happy to show you how to do it.

Have a great Waitangi Day tomorrow!

Charcoal self portraits

"We got to do charcoal pictures today.  We used a mirror and charcoal and next time I would like to draw the Gruffalo!" by Caleb

Sid the Bearded Dragon

Today Sid came to live with us in Learning Hub One!

We said he was

• born in New Zealand
• spikey
• he has holes for ears
• yellowish brown
• his family is from Australia
• he is named Sydney which is a place in Australia
• Sid is a boy

We talked about Sid and drew some picture plans.  Here are some of them...

Dinesan:

"Sid has scales and stripes on the tail and four little legs and a big tongue.  He has a little baby.  I like Sid!"

Kyan:

"I like Sid.  I'd like to invite him to my party and I like when he visits.  I liked his changing colours when he's hot and not hot.  He has a beard and he looks like a dragon but he isn't and that's why they call him a bearded dragon."

Riley:

"Sid is spikey and he has a stripey tail and I like him.  I liked when he visited Stonefields School.  I learned that he eats peas and bugs."

Henry:

"Today I drew the picture of Sid.  Sid is spikey and he only has a hole and doesn't have a thing on the outside (of his ears).  He is brown and he changes to yellow.  I love Sid."


Then we had a go at writing our own descriptions of Sid.  Here Emily, Riley, Lonneke and Isabelle share their ideas with us:

Warming up for the day!

We've got an exciting day ahead.  

This is us getting warmed up for the day.

Those of you who popped in before school may have seen our special visitor to LH1... do you know who is coming to live with us?

Day One!

What an exciting first day at Stonefields School for many of our brand new learners.  The Learning Hub One students who returned after the holidays did a great job of showing our new learners around the hub.  They showed great leadership and supported their new friends well.  Our new learners have settled well and can't wait to get into all sorts of exciting learning!!

How was your day?

This is what we got up to:

Us on our very first day of 2013 (and the very first day ever at school for many of us)

If you have a chance, you might like to talk with your child and write a few words about their first day in this 'Answer Garden'...

Day One 2013... at AnswerGarden.ch.