Story of Stuff

Don Binney Artwork

In Matai we have been studying Don Binney's artwork and having a go at creating our own paintings in his style.

Over the past 3 weeks we have practiced some basic painting techniques and completed the coastal landscapes.

The next step is to paint our birds from a template and attach these to our artwork. The kids done a fantastic job with their use of solid colours, blending paints and stippling to create texture.

Thanks for all the baking!

Thank you so much for producing all that delicious baking. Matai made a fantastic contribution to the baking stall and there were lots of happy kids munching into some tasty baking. Thank you for helping us to make this a success.
The kids from Matai helped to set up the stall, package baking for juniors and sell the food to the rest of the school. Good to see their maths thinking in action and some even some up selling on the stall!

Photography Assignment

After seeing all the great photos Matai have taken around school I have set them a photo assignment to do at home. If they have access to a camera/phone - take photos around their home close up. Pick the best 4 photos and email them to me at keith.hutton@clydequay.school.nz

- Take a range of photos and select the best FOUR.
- Take photos around your home in macro setting (up close).
- Upload them to a computer if possible and check them - are they in focus?
- Rename each photo eg. Keith1, Keith2, Keith3, Keith4.
- Attach photos to email and send to Keith so he can add them to the collection.

Here is a small sample of photos that have been submitted already:

Meeting a local photographer

We are lucky enough to have a number of talented photographers in the parent community.
After taking our macro photos we wanted to look at improving our photography and deepen our understanding of "what makes a great photo".


Matai went to visit a local photographer and learn more about the effect of lighting when taking a photo.

We looked at different ways that you can light a subject and the effects that this has on the final product. He also discussed how to frame a subject and the best way to use the school cameras to get the best shots using the camera flash, as well as natural lighting.

We finished the visit with a funny photo shoot of students....

Focus for PE in the middle school

Every Wednesday afternoon we have sport - weather permitting. The focus for this term is catching and throwing with accuracy. Outside we are using small balls to practice the skill of throwing and catching. In the hall we have set up the new volleyball nets to practice throwing and catching with accuracy by playing the game of Kiwivolley.
It is great to see the skills of each group developing week by week.

If you would like to learn more about Kiwivolley check out this link.

Compensation and Rounding Strategy

In maths, Star Ninja and Bubble Bobble have begun learning to use the maths strategy of rounding and compensating. Basically it is borrowing off one number and adding it to another (to make a tidy number) making it faster to add together.

In this basic example we have taken from 2 from 45 and added it to the 38 to make the equation
45 + 40 = ___

Have a go at this example:

145 + 56 = ____         What do you need to "take" to make a tidy number?

Bubble Bobble then celebrated their newly learnt strategy by playing a little calculator golf!