Violent volcanoes

by Ben Caskey, Room 14, 7 years.

Violent volcanoes

Ooze with Lava

Land covered with mud

Completely brown

Amazing and tall

Never touch lava

One sleeping volcano is Mt Egmont

Erupting volcanoes makes noises

Some volcanoes are big

My Grandad

By Caitlin Radich, Room 14, 8 years

Have you heard of a javelin? Well, I had better tell you what it is then. A javelin is like a spear and my Grandad used to throw one. He was really good at it. In fact, my Grandad was very interesting so I am going to tell you about him.

My Grandad was born in Croatia in 1923. They say he was born on a rock but we don’t know if it is true. When he was 16 he and his family sailed out to New Zealand, 12 years after his Dad who was already in New Zealand. They bought a fish and chip shop in Stratford. They bought two farms. One was called Santa Rosa and the other was named Marylands. With Grandad’s brother Ned, they cleared the farms of scrub. They built bridges and even made concrete posts to fence their farms.

Grandad had a great interest in sport. He was really good at javelin. When he was 22, he qualified for the Empire Games. These games are now called the Commonwealth Games. When he qualified he won a medal. He didn’t go to the Empire Games because work was more important, he was getting married and there was a war, so the games weren’t held.

Grandad had seven sons. My Dad is the youngest. When he was 45 he got Parkinsons. It is a disease that affects your ability to control your arms and legs. He died when he was 71. I think that my Grandad’s life was very fascinating and I’m pleased to be one of his 26 grandchildren.

Camp

By Logan Page, Room 14, 8 years

On Wednesday Room 14 went on camp at school. We slept in tents on the bottom field. We went on camp to have fun and make new friends.

In the morning we went for a swim. In the afternoon we had games with the parent helpers and we had a scavenger hunt. I liked the scavenger hunt the best.

After tea we had a teddy bear walk. Then we went to bed. In the morning we went for another swim. It was warm and fun. Then we had cocoa-pops for breakfast. Next we packed our gear and got ready for the Mountain.

Up the Mountain it was hot. First we had morning tea. After that we went to Dawson Falls, it was a bit boring. Next we went and watched a movie called “How Mt Egmont was Made.” After that we had lunch at went into the Goblin Forest. We had Minties. They were yum. The trees were criss-crossed and twisted. They were weird. I was so confused. When we got back to the bus we had a snack and a photo. Then we went back to school.

When we got to school we had Popsicle ice-blocks. Then we went home. It was cool.

Stratford Fire Station

By Emily Johnson, Room 9, 6 years old

On Friday we went to the fire station with Room 10 and Room 1. We had a turn with the hose. There was a helmet that had been run over. Rebecca’s Dad works at the fire station.

Mica the Clown

by Melissa Sutton, Room 19, Age 9 years

Yesterday Mica the Clown came to visit our school. He was funny.
At first he said he had a dog, but it was actually a balloon. He got out a big pin and put it through the balloon. It didn't pop, but after a few seconds it popped. Next he got out a balloon dog. Mica said "It can do tricks."
He said that it could jump, walk and play dead. When he said to play dead he stood on it and it went POP!!! He took a toy dog and said "Jump" and it jumped.
He said "Walk" and it walked.
But then we all shouted, "It's a toy!!!" So then he got out his real dog, which did tricks and sang.
After this Mica called up a volunteer, Christina, who had to hold a duster and a hankie. Mica got the two hankies, tied them together and put them in his pants.
Christina held one side of the hankie and Mica held the other one. They both pulled and he pulled his undies off. I can't remember anything else!

Chaddy's Charter's Major Disaster

by Cain Knight, Year 6, Room 7

Disaster struck at 11 am yesterday. There was a boating disaster involving 30 Stratford Primary School children and one teacher.
The weather was tough and mighty. Chaddy wasn't there, so another guy took over. His name was Wallis.
They took off in the rotten weather and when they were looking at the seals a giant wave tipped them over.
Five children fell into the water with no life jackets on. A little speed boat came past and picked the five children up. He took them safely to shore.
Suddenly the remaining children on the Chaddy's Charter's boat pushed the teacher in the water and she hasn't been seen since.
Police are investigating the incident.

What Makes S.P.S. a Great School

by Danielle Bevins, Room 18, Age 8

• a great principal
• awesome information centre
• cool people polite and sensible children
• great playground
• cool pink panther assemblies
• the school council
• wacky hair days
• Shakespear day
• cross country
• swimming
• camps
• the classrooms are really cool
• fantastic teachers
• lots of friends
• funny people
• school songs
• sports day
• Australian tests
• cool food technology room
• children from different countries
• you never get bored
• in the weekends you can still play on the field
• a great place to learn
• a fun place to be
  

The Production

by Morgan Smith, Room 13, 7 years

My costume is red and I have to hold a lava stick. I do lava with one hand. We do our production in the theatre. When I do the line dance it is hard to clap. I can't wait until the night. I am Pihanga the gentle maid mountain and Akshay is in front of me. Emma is the leader of the line dance. I have to wear my hair up and my hair is white and green. Last night it was hard to get my hair stuff out and so my Mum had to put lots of shampoo and conditioner in my hair. I like being in the middle of Pihanga.

My Mountain Story

by Jason Hamlin, Year 1, Room 9

When the mountain erupts it makes rich, yummy soil and dirt. When it does you have to stay inside with the doors and the windows shut. If you need to go outside, wear lots of clothes and something to cover your face. Don't go running out.

The Warrior Mountains

by Lewis Marchant, Year 2, Room 9

Pihanga was the most beautiful. All of the mountains wanted to marry Pihanga. All the men mountains gave up except Tongariro. Tongariro got to marry Pihanga. Taranaki made a creek by his tears. Tongariro stayed with Pihange. All the mountains kept thinking about Pihanga. Every morning the mountains said to themselves "I love you Pihanga"
Photo Flickr Ads4

Fern

by Romy Wood, Year 8, Room 1

Fern
Beautiful fern
Tall and green
With leaves stretched out
And standing proud and tall
Showing off to all who see
How beautiful she is today
And when tomorrow comes
She'll be there
Peaceful, proud
Fern

Stockcars

by Scott Williams, aged 9 years, Room 19

There are two types of stockcars. There are the stockcars and the mini stocks. The stockcars are bigger and more powerful. The mini stockcars are smaller and less powerful, and their motors aren't as expensive as the stockcars.
The stockcars are the A-Grade stockcars and the mini stockcars are the B-Grade stockcars.
There are ten laps at the Stratford Speedway, but at the other stockcar racing events there are twenty-five laps. At the championship they have twenty-five laps as well. There are twelve laps in the team racing and twelve in the Taranaki Champs. On the third to last lap it is the last lap, not the second to last lap. On the final lap a white flag comes out and then the lap after that a chickened flag comes out and the lead car wins after he crosses the line.
They have bumpers because they protect the motor and the chassis. Stockcars are made out of metal. They have bumpers because it is a contact sport and to push other cars out of the way.
The car wheels have wheel guards which are removable so they can change the wheels if they need to.
I wonder what stockcars will hold in the future? Maybe Scott Williams N.Z. No.1!

The Glockenspeil

by Jaydene Transom, Aged 8 years, Room 19

In Stratford there is a glockenspiel. It is a musical clock. It is special because it is part of William Shakespeare. The people painted it black and white. There are models inside called Romeo and Juliet. They come out of the windows and then they come out of a door and they get married.
Romeo and Juliet come out at 10 am, 1 pm at lunchtime and 3 pm. They also open the windows. The person who opens the windows is Juliet.
The Glockenspiel is special to me because it's New Zealand's only glockenspiel.

Push Play Day

by Nikita Dorne, 6 years, Room 13

On Friday most of the school went for a morning walk. I was hungry and thirsty too. My feet were sore too. It is a special walk that makes us fit. We went through the bushes and through the dell and across the swing bridge. Mrs Martin came with us.

The A and P Show

by Tyler Quin, 6 years, Room 13

I went to the A and P show. I saw Jamie at the Show and Jamie's Dad too. I went over to the pigs so I could get a hold of a little pig. I went on the ferris wheel. It was fun. I went on the bumper cars. I nearly drove up the back of another bumper car. When they go in front of me I always do a skid on the ground.

Rhododendron Dell

by Room 1, Year 7 -8

Tall, towering trees, decades old
Bushy low shrubs
Glossy green grass
Dell Dell Dell

Buds about to explode
Bright blooming flowers
Sweet smelling perfume
Dell Dell Dell

Ferns with curly fronds
Camelias, agapanthas, daisies
Pungas and flax
Dell Dell Dell

River quietly whispering
Train tooting in the distance
Birds chirping, sandflies hovering
Dell Dell Dell

'Dreams of Gold' - Production

by Hannah Rohe, Room 1, Year 8

The blinding spotlight shone in my eyes,
And the hairs on my neck were beginning to rise,
The audience clapped, their applause was resounding,
Across the theatre walls their echos were bounding.

My friends make-up and costumes were bursting with colour,
While I felt like my legs were turning to rubber.

I danced on the stage, I was belting it out,
But on the inside I wanted to shout;
To run off the stage, to hide my shamed face
But my legs wouldn't move. They kept me in place!

And then it was over. As quick as begun
And believe it or not...
IT HAD REALLY BEEN FUN!!!

River Study Trip

by Greer McQuay, Year 4, Room 18

We went to the Patea beside the Scout Den to study macroinvertibrates. The water was clear and bubbly over the rapids. The rocks were slippery with greeny brown moss. The water was cold and fast flowing. When we went into the riverbed we looked for macroinvertibrates in a runnel of the river.
The river creatures
We scrubbed the rocks with our fingers and caught the bugs in a sieve. The we tipped the stuff out of the sieve into a tray with water in it. We studied the creatures in a tray to identify them. We picked them up with tweezers and put them in a specimen box.
Macroinvertibrates
The river creatures are called macroinvertibrates. Macroinvertibrates are small river creatures you can see with your own eyes. We found Mayflies, Caddis flies, beetles, Stoneflies, Sand flies, Crane flies, Roundworms, and Dobson flies.
Floating our rafts
Some rafts sank, some rafts crashed into rocks, some rafts successfully floated down the runnel without crashing or getting stuck.

S.P.S Idol

by Savarna Wilton Aldridge, Room 20, Aged 9

S.P.S. Idol was a singing competition. The first song I sang was "Take me Back to Sweet Lavender". My second song was by Lizzie McGuire called "This is what dreams are made of". My third song was "What took you so long". With my last song from Lizzie McGuire again. When Cheyenne finished singing I got up on stage. I was so embarrassed. My family was there. When it was my turn to sing 312 people were watching me. I thought that I had done well but Janaya and Cheyenne won. When I told my Mum she said that I had done very well and she was proud of me. When Mum told me that I had done well I started crying. My Nana and Poppa were upset too. I got two tickets for five CD's. My sister was sorry for me and sad for me. I am still upset because the two sisters won. My voice matches Lizzie McGuire. The judges names were Jessie, Alana, Grace, Tyler's brother, Jessica and the Host was Corey. I think S.P.S Idol was cooler than the other Idols. I still can't believe that Ben Lummis won NZ Idol. The Microphone was a bit heavy. I liked being in the Idol.

SPS Idols get to meet NZ Idol Ben Lummis on a Video Conference!

Anzac Day

by Benjamin Glocking, Room 20, Aged 7

My Uncle Tom was in the First World War. Anzac biscuits were important. Anzac Poppies are to remember the people who fell in the war. The NZ flag goes up and down on Anzac Day. People are still fighting in Israel. The Malone Gates are big. This is what Anzac Day means to me.

Our Production

by Owen Gordon, Room 9, Year 2

Last night at seven o'clock all of Stratford Primary School did a production. It was called 'Dreams of Gold'. It was based on the Olympic Games. Millions of parents came to watch us at the King's Theatre. The junior block did the Opening Ceremony. I was a dancer and wore red clothes. When I was dancing I said, "This is not bad! There's Mum!" Kids were up from seven till eight forty-five. It was really late and I was really tired.

Athletics

by Dayna Kivell, Room 9, Year 1

On Tuesday we had Athletics Day. We had sack races. The sacks felt slippery. I got third in the sack race. I felt happy. We had egg and spoon races. I kept on dropping the egg. The obstacle course was fun because I skipped and bounced the ball.

Photo: Domain www.flickr.com

Winter

by Nic Schumacher, Room 9, Year 2

Winter is chilly cold. There are no leaves on the trees. Lots of snow is on the mountain. Jack Frost bites! Hail stings us! The wind blows the empty trees. The trees are skeletons.

Fear Factor

By Kathleen, 10 years old, Room 5

We had a fabulous camp up the mountain at Konini Lodge. My favourite part was Fear Factor! Each day we completed up to three challenges including eating a pepper leaf and sitting in Wilkies pools. The hardest challenge was sitting in Wilkies pools, it was freezing, and I came out shivering. Eating a pepper was hard too, unlike Wilkies pools, it was boiling hot on my tongue.
On our tramp to the Waingongora Hut we stopped to cross the extremely high swing bridge, even the parents had to go across! Although everyone agreed that the view was wonderful. When we finally arrived at the hut Mrs. Vincent held another Fear Factor, and do you know what we had to do, we had to stay in the long drop for one minute and it stank. On practically every tramp we had to cross the raging river. It was easy. We accomplished this by holding the adults hands and going from one to another. I completed all these challenges and I am proud!
FEAR IS NOT A FACTOR FOR ME