From Then til Now - 100 Medals

Have a look at New Zealand's 'All Time Medal List'.  It's a wonderful occasion to celebrate the successes of our athletes from the fourth modern Olympic Games in 1908 until now.

Each medalist has been a leader in their own right and has gone on to inspire others after them.  We know these champions lived the Olympic motto:  "Citius Altius Fortius" - Faster Higher Stronger.  These words encourage them to give their very best.  

The Olympic creed complements this and promotes having a character full of integrity, respect, and kindness:  "The most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well."   We know this creed also promotes humility as the victors recognise the efforts all competitors have invested.

Who are your stand out Olympians?

What impact have they had in your country?

Abstract Art

Earlier on this year, Room 24 viewed the awesome artwork of the students in Huzzah, a class in British Colombia.  They entitled their work "Eye Candy" - and we thought it looked pretty scrumptious.  Three weeks later, we saw some more artwork that was almost identical to Huzzah's Eye Candy.  This time it was called "Blob Art" and it was the stunning work of the students in Room 6 @ Halcombe School, New Zealand.  

We'd thought about doing some pieces of our own after seeing Huzzah's masterpieces but after seeing the powerful finished products of Room 6 we decided it was time to stop thinking and start doing.  With two classes artwork in front of us, we had the privilege of being able to spend some time examining and analysing what was before us.  

We highlighted what different techniques both classes used to make their art effective before reaching a consensus as to what we were going to incorporate into our compositions.  What an opportunity it was to exercise our Habits of Mind and higher order thinking skills!  We decided on the name "Abstract Art" for our creations because while we were viewing the other classes' work many of us commented how we could see different things in the various pieces.

We'd like to thank both Huzzah and Room 6 for their inspiration.

What does our Abstract Art remind you of?

What is an art project that you've completed recently that you're proud of?

Do you have a favourite artist or favourite style of art?

A Beloved Kiwi Icon & an Inspiring Writer

Margaret Mahy has been a favourite author for countless Kiwi and overseas children for many years.

New Zealand and the world is paying tribute to this gifted lady for the joy and happy memories we have of reading her books and having them read to us.  Her books are such that as children we will have read and reread our favourite one over and over.  Miss McLeod remembers doing just that with The Witch in the Cherry Tree.

Margaret Mahy had a zest for life and an enthusiasm to celebrate the ordinary and live each day.  All those who met her and spent time in her company felt uplifted and happy.

The Christchurch City Library has recorded Margaret Mahy describing how she got ideas for her stories.  Here's what she said:

"Many stories, regardless of length, spring from a single image which makes connections with other current images or with images in memory.


I sometimes tell people about the initial incident, but seldom say that I am thinking about writing a story about it.  Sometimes telling people is just one of the ways of helping myself to make up my mind about whether or not this is actually going to turn into a story.  I want to hear what it sounds like.


My ideas mostly come from things that happen to me, but of course they are changed a great deal by the time the story is finished.  The ideas begin with real things but I invent all sorts of things to add to them, or I change them in some way before the story is finished."

What is your favourite Margaret Mahy picture book?  Or, have you read any of her novels?
What is it about Margaret Mahy stories that make you enjoy them so much?
Who is another children's author (focusing mainly on picture books) you love and why is it that you enjoy their books so much?