Welcome to the room 13 blog page, here you will find notices, class happenings, student work and photos, so save this site as a favourite and visit regularly!!
Some things to think about...
Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good is better and your better is best.
"Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up." R. Jessie James.
Welcome back to Term 3. This term we will be looking at and investigating the above statement through our topic study. Over the coming weeks we will be looking at many different environmental issues, happenings and information relating to the impact we have on the environment we live in, from the very small and personal issues close to us right through to global issues. Get your thinking cap on and be prepared to bring along ideas and anything you come across to share .
Always showing a great attitude and enthusiasm towards all that is going on in the classroom, along with always contributing ideas to all discussions - Great stuff Will!
Each term the "Fairplay Cup" is awarded to a student who has shown fairplay within sport. The recipient of this award is someone who shows the attitudes and values associated with fairplay and positive involvement and contribution to sport. This term the "Fairplay Cup" was awarded to Emma from Room 13 - well done!
Check out some pics from our Kite Making Lesson yesterday - The wind today may be a bit brutal for the flying of these, our year 8 Kite Flying and Sharing on Wednesday should be fun.
Last Friday the Balmacewen Maggi School cooking team competed in the South Island finals of the Maggi Cooking competition, run through the Erin Simpson Show.The trip began at 9.30 on Thursday when Team Balmac all bustled into the school van, to head to Christchurch.After going up and down hills, across bumpy country tracks and having a pit stop in Temuka for lunch, we finally arrived at Meadow Park in Christchurch to stay the night.We unpacked and went to the local mall to shop for some fresh ingredients that were vital to our meal.We then had tea, Shepard’s Pie and Pasta Bolognase made for us especially by Mrs Buttery.After a fitful sleep filled with tense excitement, we all loaded into the van, with our ingredients and cooking gear, and headed for Aranui High School.The devastation in Christchurch became apparent as we entered further into the city.On arriving at the venue we met up with Richie, who had filmed us at school.We got our chef’s hats, and Maggi aprons, and, yes, we met Erin Simpson!We were taken in, and shown our cooking station, and then there was a quick prep time, and some words from the judges, before we were off and cooking.Our heat was against Kavanagh College, Barton Rural School and Southland Boys.We stayed focused, and managed to pull off the most fantastic version of our meal we have made yet.We hope it is enough to stay in the competition, but if it isn’t we have had heaps of fun and learnt lots.Thank you to Mrs Buttery for all her hard work to get us as ready as we could possibly be.Don’t forget to vote ‘team Balmac’ on the Erin Simpson website!Our show airs on Friday 15th July, at 3.30.
Well what a busy week with the final completion of Science Fair Work and the presentation of all the interesting work to the class. Our School Assembly this week was recognising the successes of the Science Fair. We had judges from Otago Girls High School in during the week and award prizes. Assembly today was the presentation of the following awards to Room 13 students PRIZEWINNERS
Emma Ward - "Running Spike Covers"
James Nind - "Could this happen to you? Liquefaction"
On Wednesday the 6th of July Balmacewen had the Southland Sports Exchange with Southland Girls and Southland Boys. We got up bright and early and headed down to Invercargill the girls were on one bus and the boys were on the other. We got down there around about 11am. The first game was the yr7 girls’ basketball the score was 38-10 to Southland. Next was the yr8 girls’ basketball 38-25 again to Southland. Then it was the boys turn the yr7 boys they lost 46-28+ followed by the yr8 boys they won 80-14. The next sport was the yr7 netball they lost 36-15 state after that was the yr8 netball 25-18 Southland won yet again. Then it was the hockey the mixed girls team drew 2-2 the mixed boys team won 3-0. The last thing of the day was the mixed boys rugby they lost 41-5. Then we all went for afternoon tea. After that we headed back to Dunedin. It was a really good I had a lot of fun. By Emma Ward.
On Wednesday the 6th of July Balmacewen had the Southland Sports exchange. This is when Gouthland girls vs. the Balmac girls and the Southland Boys vs. the Balmac Boys. This year we went down to Invercargill. I was playing in the girls Hockey team. We were split into two groups of buses. We were just going down the Balclutha Bridge. While we were going down the bridge a truck was coming at us the other way, it was over the middle line and its side mirror tipped the driver’s window, causing the window to shatter and fly out all through the bus. We drove to a glass fitters shop and they replaced the window. We carried on driving and finally we arrived at Southland Girls at about 11.00am. All the hockey people walked round to the hockey turf as it is about a 5 minute walk. We got all warmed up and ready. We started at 11.30am. We were playing 25 minute halves. Balmac scored the first goal, they then scored. About 1 minute into half time they got a goal, we started to get worried but it was okay because we scored. With about 10 minutes to go we got a goal, it was really pro, Isabelle flicked the ball up into the top right hand corner; it should have been a goal but the refs called it as a dangerous pass. They actually did a wrong call though as it is only dangerous to hit it high if you do it out into the field. The final score was 2 all. We had afternoon tea of pizza, sausages and chocolate cake. The bus ride back to Dunedin was really fun and we got back at about 6.15. It was a great day and we all had heaps of fun and played lots of quality sport. By Anna Lindsay
On a very early Wednesday the 6th of July a team of sporty boys got on the bus to Southland Boys High School and threw up a couple of times. When the boys arrived the Balmacewen basketball team started to warm up after watching the year sevens lose by a fairly small margin, we then started to play against the Southland boys basketball team year7 and 8 mixed team played us again! They thought it was a mixed team, not a year7 and year 8 team, but they still played again and we ended up smashing them in the end and the end score was 80-14. We then went then travelled to Southland girls and had a feed there and thanked the organisers, and then we bussed home.
On this topic I would like to thank Mr Clarke for coaching our Basketball and organising the team, Mr Herden for coaching and organising the rugby team, Mr Martin for coaching and organising the Football team, Thanks to the other boys sports teams for shouting out words of encouragement while we were playing our Basketball and last but not least Fast Eddie the manager for organising the rugby boys and doing a top job as a touch judge!
On Wednesday the 6th of July I went down to Southland boys to play rugby. It was the Haka managed to fire the boys up like no speech could. It was a very physical game as Southland had a very large forward pack. As the game continued many of the Southland boy’s classmates came out to watch the game and their yelling could not be matched by our supporters. The soon the game lost its composure as both teams lost their discipline. In the dyeing seconds the Balmac backs finally managed to string a series of plays together and Kaiden dotted down in the corner. The final score was 41-5 to Southland boys. I would like to thank Mr Herden for coaching the team and fast Eddie the team manager.
Today we were very lucky to have Andy Ferguson come in and share some of his knowledge and experience of Forensic Science used in the Police Force. He told us about all of the ways evidence is gathered and analysed at a crime scene as well as showing us how to take fingerprints and giving us all a go at giving a fingerprint sample. Will also demonstrated with him how to take a DNA swab sample. Thanks heaps for your time Andy!
