Holiday Challenge

Your Holiday Reading Challenge -  

is to pick up a book, magazine, Kindle, newspaper, iPad, comic.... and read.

The second part of your challenge is to get someone to take a photo of you reading in an unusual place and send it to me. I will publish your photos under the tab - holiday challenge  - nicki.tempero@halswell.school.nz

Sophie Pascoe came to Halswell School

Today we were so lucky to have Sophie here at school. She is amazing.
She was asked some questions and we found out
- she started competitive swimming  when she was at primary school
- she likes mince and cheese pies
- she liked watching rowing at the Olympics
- she has some difficult days when she doesn't want to train, but she remembers her goals and her Grandad and carries on
- she noticed a lot of changes at Halswell School
We got to touch her gold and silver medals :) - they were surprisingly heavy.

Yesterday the year 3 and 4 girls had a big surprise - soccer coaching just for girls

Soccer for year 3/4 girls on PhotoPeach

Soccer recount

listen to ‘Soccer recount’ on Audioboo

Soccer recount

listen to ‘Soccer recount’ on Audioboo

Interesting news from Taffy

Year 4's made this amazing video

Tennis coaching

Over the last two weeks we have been lucky to have 2 coaches from the Halswell Tennis Club come and teach us tennis skills.

Although the moveable net kept blowing away in the wind, we still all managed to hit the ball over the net  - check out our photos.

tennis on PhotoPeach tennis on PhotoPeach

Sophie Pascoe wins 6 medals

Sophie is amazing, she won 3 gold and 3 silver medals in swimming. Sophie also carried the New Zealand flag into the closing ceremony.  

Sophie went to our primary school, I wonder who will be the next Halswell pupil to compete in the Olympic games?

Well done Sophie, you are awesome :)

Lightening and hail from last night

The story of Persephone - retold by Room 19 - part 1

listen to ‘The story of Persephone - retold by Room 19 - part 1’ on Audioboo

Persephone - part 2

listen to ‘Persephone - part 2’ on Audioboo

Persephone - part 3

listen to ‘Persephone - part 3’ on Audioboo

4.09.2010

Two years ago today our lives changed when a 7.2 earthquake hit Canterbury. 

Two years ago some of our school was red stickered and we  moved our whole school down the road to Halswell Residential School. We "camped" there for awhile, in classrooms, hallways, lounges and kitchens. After many weeks the year 1-4 children came back to Halswell School and our year 5-8 children were split between Hillmorton High and Manning Intermediate Schools.
8 of our classrooms were demolished, our staffroom, admin area demolished and all our playgrounds were badly cracked. Our school hall was badly damaged - we still cant use it :( Halswell School looks very different now.

Over the two years our lives have changed - friends and families have left Christchurch, our houses have been demolished, repaired or still waiting....Parents jobs have gone, changed and many have had to move their businesses. Hundreds of buildings have been demolished, we still cant get into some of the CBD. It is now normal to drive a different way to work/ school each day as the road works change.
Sadly, many Children in Room 19 cant actually remember what Christchurch looked like before 4.9.2010 or what our school looked like - must admit I have difficulty remembering as well.

BUT -

•  we appreciate the small things 
•  our priorities have changed in many different ways
•  our friends and families are more precious to us
•  we can access geonet lightening fast!!! 
•  we can accurately guess the magnitude and direction of an quake!!

 and even after over 10,000 quakes, you children still come to school everyday smiling :)

Kia Kaha Christchurch