Some poems by Room 4 
We did them  after we looked at Dog Poem, by Laura Ranger.
Can you find heaps of similes? 
Here are five of our poems.

Dog Poem

Her eyes are as big

as soccer balls.

Her legs are as long

as a pole.

Her tail is as fluffy

as a pillow.

Her nose is as small

as a tennis ball.

And...

Her body is as smooth

as a blanket.                    Winiata

Cat Poem
She is like a cute

soft pillow.

Her neck is like

a fluffy cloud.

Her tail is like

a stripy spear.

Her eyes are as green 
as greenstone.

Her paws are as soft

as a bunny.                 Turoa

Cat Poem

Her nose is like

a fluffy hair ball.

Her tail is as long

as a smooth piece of rope.

Her eyes are big

as a giant shiny eye.       Alyssa

Dog Poem

Skyler jumps

like a rabbit.

She is like

a hairy cushion.

She is fat

like a piece of paper.

I like my dog.          Sam

Dog Poem 

His tail looks 

like a mouse.

His eyes look 

like fluff.

His body is as smooth

as a pair of black pants.

His legs are skinny

like a pencil.

Hayden

Coromandel Area School Chronicle Article

Our Orchard 

Please! Please! Help us! Coromandel Area School is making an orchard. An orchard is where fruit trees grow. We are going to learn about fruit trees and how to care for them. KidsCan has a programme called Orchards in Schools and they are giving us 20 trees, potting mix, garden stakes and windbreak material. 
The orchard will be planted on April 5 th between 9.30 a.m. and 2.00 p.m., and we need 14 adults from Coromandel to help. So, can you let the school know if you can help? You will need to bring a spade so we can dig holes, and maybe a wheel barrow. 
Winiata hopes there will be plum trees, and Turoa’s favourite fruit is plums. He said, “I hope there are some in the orchard.” Devin loves passionfruit and Hayden hopes there will be fejoas in the orchard. “Mandarins!” says Sam. 
We would love to hear from parents who are interested in gardening and our great school environment. Come and plant with us on April 5th!

Tree Trimmings
In the Christmas Holidays, many of the trees in our school grounds were trimmed. Some old trees were cut out. It has made our grounds look better, and Rose is so happy with all the mulch and bark for the school gardens. Alisdair said it makes it easier for him when he is mowing. 
Now the trees that we climb are safer; we don’t get poked with sticks. Branches won’t break off or fall on our heads! 
The trees were pruned in the holidays by Peter Novis and Levi. There were no kids around so it was a safe time for them to work.

Room 4

Laura Ranger’s similes pop and sparkle

When Laura Ranger was a child she wrote poems (she is now an adult!). She wrote really good poems that lots of people loved. She had her poetry published in magazines, she won prizes.

Most exciting of all, Godwit (Random House) published a little book of her poems in 1995 (Laura’s Poems).

                    

What I love about Laura’s poems is that they are about ordinary things in her world and that she also uses her imagination. 

These are some of her titles: ‘Mum’ ‘My Dad’ ‘My House’ ‘My Dog’ ‘It Gets Dark’ ‘Winter’ ‘My Zoo.’ 

Laura usually only puts a few words on a line, sometimes she uses a little rhyme and she always adds great detail. 

Sometimes her poems are like tiny stories; you can tell she has used her eyes and ears. 

What often makes her poems pop and sparkle for me are the similes she uses.

here are some of Laura’s similes:

Dog Poem

When the sun is behind him

his shadow is like an arrow.

His mouth is as black

as a burnt piece of coal.

His ears hang down

like golden autumn leaves.

The fur on his neck

is as frilly as a ballet tutu.

but his legs are like

worn out stockings.

His tail flaps in the wind

like a piece of flax.

My Dad is

as fast as a cheetah,

as soft as a cat,

as friendly as a dog,

and as cuddly as a koala.

I love my Dad heaps.

My skin is as smooth

as polished wood.

My skin is as smooth

as a piece of driftwood

on Otaki beach.

I swing as high

as the sky.

Rusty roof.

Paint peeling off

like an old wrinkled person.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

His teeth were as sharp

as a pin.

My dog Ali

is as gold

as a dollar coin.

He smells like

rotten cheese.

Bees buzzing and sizzling

like sausages
at a barbeque.

Whaea Jamie gave me a link to her cool weebley.



Three years ago we made this video of Pet Day. Some of you star in it!     

Briar- Sugary drinks Timetable

P3 11.40-12.10 Rm 3-4

READING /WRITING

We will begin with a mini-lesson to help develop your independence in reading(and writing)
We can talk about this together.

* Read the recount about Grandparents' Day that Room 4 wrote last year.
*Can you find the joining words?  Are there many examples?
*Are there some words that precisely describe something?
*What about examples where Room 4 deliberately gave background information?
*Did they meet the PURPOSE of the writing, which was to entertain and inform parents, and people in our community.
*Find some techniques the writers used to try to make this writing interesting.

Tree Stuff - We need to tell our parents about the fruit trees we are getting .

Orchards In Schools  Project Plan

Pre Orchard planting day preparation:

Services – School to confirm location of services (Plumbing and Electrical) prior to installation

Gardening Mix Delivery – Will be delivered prior to Orchard installation date.

Trees Deliveries – To school prior to installation date. School to provide secure storage area.

Locations for all Trees to be marked out with 4 metre spacing. Each location will have a circle

sprayed on the ground indicating hole size. This will be 500mmx500mm wide.

Wheelbarrows and Tools – School and community will need to bring own wheelbarrows.

Community and school will also need to supply spades, shovels and mallets.

Participants – Nominated School staff (Including a Horticulture champion from school or

community), Minimum 14 people from community. 

Methodology - Orchard planting day:

KidsCan will supply all the raw materials and plants needed to create the Orchard. To follow is a step

by step description of how the Orchard will be established:

1. Locations for all Trees should have been marked out (prior to planting day) with 4 metre

spacing. Each location will have a circle sprayed on the ground indicating hole size. This will

be 500mmx500mm wide to allow the plants to establish a strong root base.

2. Holes to be dug in a square/box shape – This promotes root growth.

3. The depth of the hole will be 400mm. Once this depth is achieved, all soil placed next to the

hole.

4. Gardening mix will then be added at a ratio of 50/50. Return mixed soil to the hole and fill till

level. Note that garden mix is organic material, it will decompose.

5. Tree is to be removed from protective wrap and placed in the centre of the hole. Top half of

tree roots will need to be “teased” to break up the soil and promote root growth. This will

need to be done carefully with hands whilst being careful not to damage the roots. Set 1/3rd

of plant base into soil.

6. Remaining space around the hole is to be built up with mixed soil so that the plant sits

proudly above the ground. See picture below.

7. Once trees are planted, water the soil immediately.

8. 3-4 x Timber stakes are to be hammered into the ground until secure. Length of stakes to be

1500mm.

9. Once the first two stakes are set in place, the tree is to be secured to two of the stakes with

materials supplied. This will stabilise the tree in the developing stages. Materials supplied

will degrade as the tree matures to ensure tree growth is not impacted or harmed.

10. Tree and stakes to be wrapped and secured with staples provided for ongoing protection for

developing tree. 

We also need to tell parents about all the tree work that has been done in the holidays...Have you noticed?  Why do you think it happened?  Who did it?