The Plunket Concert December 2020 by Sophia

On Thursday, the Gracefield School choir sang at the Plunket Concert at old St Paul’s Cathedral. There were about 15-20 people in the whole group. I was in the harmony group with other people and the rest were in the melody group.

Parents transported us. We arrived at the Cathedral and walked in the door... the church was so beautiful and bright. We had to walk to this place and to get food and water. The options were two different types of bars and there were also bananas and apples. It was delicious and after that, we were full and ready to perform!

Sitting down, we waited for our turn. We finally went up wearing our kapa haka tops. I felt nervous but excited. After all the wait, we sang Forever Young, then people roared at us with happiness. Then we sang You Can Fly and it was the best experience in my entire life. The lights were like shining diamonds and the crowd was a roaring lion.

There were other performances. There were kapa haka performances and also, my cousin’s school. But my cousin wasn’t in it. I came home with my mum on the train. The plunket concert was so much fun and I hope in the future other students at Gracefield have the operationality to do the same as we did.

Pool party by Muzamil and Timur.

Hi, our names are Muzamil and Timur. We are Senior Syndicate students at Gracefield School.

Today we’re going to talk about the pool party as a treat at Gracefield. 

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So Timur, how did we get there?

Well, we took a bus up this very tall hill which gives you an enormously good view of the city but then you go downhill like super fast and you think you’re going to crash, but you’re not.

When we got there we stopped and guess what was the most important thing we did?  Sunscreen of course because we don’t want to be sunburnt! So we did some sunscreen and then we waited for a few moments because you know, you can’t get all sunscreeny and then just jump in the pool because it’s not going to be good.  When the sunscreen was all dried up on our skin, we jumped in, and while we were jumping in you could just feel the coldness overwhelming your body.  When you stay in the cold water you adapt to it and get warm.  

Next, we went on the slide loads of times.  You need to be careful your mat doesn’t run away.  You need to be calm because the more stressed you get the more you flip off.  If you’re calm you can just enjoy the ride!  

The second best thing was the obstacle course, it’s the best obstacle course!  It’s inflatable, and you have to go through, and it looks easy but it’s actually very hard. It’s also super slippery, and there are ramps that go up and ramps that go down.  You can slip any second and if you fall you have to wait in the line for a minute and you’re freezing but in the water, it’s a little warm.  If you jump, don’t do a belly flop or backflip because that’s going to hurt for a while!

When you get all dried off you can play mini-golf, playground, swings, and you can play in the tiny, tiny pool that’s about one-centimetre of water. After we got out everyone was moaning because we wanted to stay in the pool for the rest of the day!

Library News!

This week we have lots of lovely new Christmas books on display in the library. If you are in before or after school, please come in for a look and check them out.

We also have some great new titles displayed around the tops of the shelving. So, if you do have a chance to pop in there might be some great gift ideas for your tamariki or titles to keep at eye out for at the Hutt Libraries.

10 best book series I've read by Eliza.

This is my top 10 series books that I recommend you read. Maybe some good Christmas ideas and these are also available at our school library and also our amazing Hutt City Libraries - Eliza.

10. Treehouse books - Andy Griffiths.
These books are hilarious. You definitely need to read them. They have great pictures as well. Ages 7+ (You can get these in the school library)

Website - https://www.andygriffiths.com.au/

9. Trixie Belden - Various authors

These are very good mystery books. There are lots of plot twists to keep you entertained and engaged. Ages 9+.

Website - http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/series.htm

8. Percy Jackson - Rick Riordan

If you like Harry Potter, you will like these books. They are full of magical beings and objects, quests, danger, and bad guys. Age:10+

Website - https://rickriordan.com/series/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians/

7. Thea Stilton - Elisabetta Dami

I have read every single Thea Stilton book in our school library. They are so good and are relatively easy to read. Age:7+

(You can get these in the school library)

http://www.scholastic.ca/geronimostilton/books-thea.htm

6. Dream Riders - Laura Bloom & Jesse Blackadder

These books are very inspiring and interesting. They are great books. Ages 8+ (You can get these in the school library).

Website - https://www.goodreads.com/series/268938-dream-riders

5. Scarlett & Ivy - Sophie Cleverly

These mystery books are about twins and their time at a boarding school that always is tangled in murders, crime, and secrets. Ages 10+

Website - https://sophiecleverly.com/

4. Friday Barnes - R. A. Spratt

The Friday Barnes books are a lot like the Scarlet & Ivy series. They are full of mysteries, crime, hilarious teachers, boarding school adventures, and super sleuths. Ages 9+ (You can get these in the school library)

Website - https://raspratt.com/friday-barnes-2/

3. Pony Club Secrets - Stacey Gregg

I think these books are great, they give you an idea of Pony Club with a few mysteries thrown in. The characters are awesome, the horses are even better, and the storyline is just great. Ages 8+ (You can get these in the school library)

Website - http://stacygregg.co.uk/

2. Showtym Adventures - Kelly Wilson

These books are so amazing. I am in awe of Vicki, Kelly, and Amanda and their incredible commitment, hardworking pure talent. They are based on true stories of the Wilson Sisters childhood. Age 7+ (You can get these in the school library)

Website - https://kellywilson.nz/books

1. Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

What can I say? These are the best books you will ever read in your lifetime. I read these books at a very young age, and the first two are suitable for reading out loud. They are timeless, you absolutely need to read them. The characters are incredible, and I guarantee you will lose yourself in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Ages 8+ (You can get these in the school library)

Website - https://www.wizardingworld.com/

Most of these books are available in our school library and also the Hutt Libraries and also https://www.thechildrensbookshop.co.nz/ which are all well worth checking out!

Library News!

This week in the library we have a display of new graphic novels. These are great books and well worth checking out.

There is a great write up here at the National Library about why these are a wonderful addition to any child’s bookshelf. They are certainly super, popular books for Gracefield School tamariki and are always in demand!

New ones on the shelf are -

• Baby sitters club graphic novels

• Sidekicks by Dan Santat

• Dog Man

• Chronicles of Claudette books by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado.

• Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart

New books - Gracefield School Library!

Diwali! By Gautham.

Diwali is very important to my family and me because it is a festival of lights. It is about celebrating King Rama's return to Ayodhya after he defeated Ravana. After that rows of clay lamps are lit up. In Southern India, they celebrate Lord Krishna who defeats Narakasura.

Here is how I celebrate at home.

1. We light up diyas which are clay lamps.

2. There are fireworks.

3. There are sweets like ladoo’s

4. There are heaps of lights some people decorate like this.

5. And when people see other people they say happy Diwali and exchange sweets.

Lots of other countries celebrate this too. This week, we have a display of books in the library for people to look at from our library collection about Diwali.

If you’d like to find out more about Diwali, you can check out NatGeo Kids.

Presenting... Gracefield School's showcase, 2020 - Change!

Children in the middle and senior syndicates worked really hard for several months to create this amazing show. We are so proud of your efforts, congratulations on an outstanding performance!

Click this link to watch the performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QcCBgY0JRU&feature=youtu.be. For the best viewing experience, play the performance in 1080HD (see picture).

Language Weeks!

Fakaalofa Atu! This week it is Niue Language Week. We have some great books in our library on display for this special week.

During the holidays and when the library was closed, we had Fijian Language Week, Tongan Language Week and also Cook Island Language Week. So, we also have some great books on display to share with our tamariki about these incredible cultures too.

Come check out our displays in the Gracefield School Library!

Book donations!

During Term 3 and over the holidays we had to cull some of the older books in the journal room, to make room for more resources.

We donated the bulk of these, around 10 cartons, to the Heretaunga Rotary. These are currently packed into a container and awaiting shipping to Tonga in the coming weeks. It is wonderful that these will go to support ongoing learning. A huge thank you to Chris Crawford of the Heretaunga Rotary for supporting us with this. The rest of the resources, 2 cartons, were donated to the Arohata Prison Library to support their reading programme.

Onesie day!

On Friday the Gracefield School student leaders helped to organise a Onesie Day to support Wellington Free Ambulance. Students wore a onesie and brought a gold coin donation. A total of $242 was raised to support this organisation. A big thank you to the student leaders and also Gracefield School parents and caregivers for helping our tamariki support this worthy cause.

https://www.wfa.org.nz/