Last week fun

I can't believe it is the last week of school for the year. My third graders are almost fourth graders. It seems not long ago I was just meeting them, and I'm getting ready to say "good-bye" for the Summer! So what has the last week looked like. There has been some work and lots of fun. There has been acknowledgement of achievements and challenging to continue the achievement over the summer.

Happily Monday was a holiday (which was much needed since I moved house on the weekend), and so I spent some time doing some Summer School planning with my colleague, and then it was out to get an Internet connection organised. Back home in time to get the washing machine installed (only it couldn't happen because I'd not got a very important base for the machine), and to do some preparation and more unpacking.

The project I assigned for the children this week to write about what they have learned this week. We brainstormed all the topics we'd covered (well most of them anyway) and then each child took one or more topics to write a paragraph or more about what they learned and how they learned.

On Wednesday morning, my Kookaburras reading group presented a Readers' Theatre as a culminating activity to their reading of "Frog and Toad are Friends". We were happy to be able to present it to both of the Kindergarten classes, and also our principal. Well done Kookaburras!

Kookaburras with their puppets

Readers' Theatre presentation to Kindergarten

On Wednesday afternoon we had a celebration of the children's progress in learning their basic number facts (addition, subtraction, and multiplication). Each child received a personalised certificate documenting their level of achievement and a goal to work towards over the summer. Here's some photos of the children with their certificates.

 
Today we had a fun day. The first part of the day was taken up with students writing their final copies of their "paragraphs" about their learning. Next the boys went to PE and the girls had one last swim. Then came recess, and then the first excitement of the day, Ten Pin Bowling. Since the venue was only a 15 minute walk away we walked. It was interesting to hear some of the children say it was the furthest they had ever walked. Walking is something that you don't do unless you can't afford any other mode of transport. We made it safely, and everyone had heaps of fun. Here's a few snaps of our bowling "teams".

Team D

Team Dy

Team K

Team L

Team S

And here are a few other snaps from the morning.

Check out that style!

Come on bowling bowl GO!

Watching!

Waiting and watching the scores.

We walked safely back to school in time for lunch, and all agreed that they had had fun! :)
After lunch it was time for some quiet time - finishing off the unfinished pages from the morning or reading silently, before the final excitement for the day - MOVIE TIME! Thanks to a very helpful lady at the local market I was able to obtain a copy of "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" which my Cockatoos had been reading over the last month, and thanks to another friend (and a cooperative electricity supply) we were able to watch it on "the big screen". All the children enjoyed it, and the short bonus film that followed.

Tomorrow is the last day of school, and it will be tinged with sadness as some students leave us to go to other schools and other places, but it will also be a happy day of making final memories and sharing in more fun! Speaking of which I've still got a really big job to do before tomorrow, so I'd better get on with it! Bye for now. Karen