What's Happening In Our Vege Garden?

At school on Tuesday at we ate a delicious salad made from the veges in our school garden. In the salad there was lettuce, crunchy carrot, crisp cucumber, tomato, beans, parsley and chives. Yummy, yum!

Welcome to 2009!

On February 3rd 24 children arrived back at school ready to begin the new year in Room 15. That afternoon a scrub-fire broke out in the hills behind Dodson's Valley and some of the children and their families had to evacuate their homes.
The fire gave us a wonderful opportunity to practise expressive writing. The children were trying to draw a picture with words so that those who didn't see the fire would know what it looked, sounded and smelt like as well as how the people who were there felt at the time.
Here are some of their recounts:

The other day there was a bushfire. The flames crackled up! It was because it was very dry and hadn't rained in a long time. it was quite windy so the fire leapt over to another spot and the fire got bigger. It was scary. .Just as I was going to bed my Granny and Granddad came to my house. Granny told me that a fireman had to go to hospital because he breathed in too much smoke. I could not get to sleep because of the fire.
By Sophie P.

There was an inferno last night in Atawhai near Dodson Valley. I saw helicopters racing to the sea to get freezing cold water. I saw the blaze when it was coming over the ridge-line. The smoke was grey, it was like a volcano. The crumbly, warm ashes were on people's houses. The smoke smelt funny. Some people had to leave their homes.
The blaze was like a rocket shooting through the sky.
By Charlie

The bushfire was red. It was flaming hot and there were helicopters with buckets. We were near to the fire. The fire was steaming, it looked like lava, it looked like it blew up. And I thought it was scary when I first saw it.
By Emily

On Tuesday 3 February 2009, there was an out of control bushfire. It started at Dodson Valley. The blaze ripped over the ridgeline. There were two Westpac helicopters, one rescue helicopter, one blue and white helicopter, one red and white helicopter, one news helicopter and one special helicopter with two water tanks. I saw three cop cars. With the breeze the fire threatened to come even closer. It tried and tried but the breeze went against it. One of the two Westpac helicopters rumbled over our house.
By Michael

I saw a big monsoon bucket. Then we saw the heavy smoke. Soon the smoke covered our house. We had to evacuate and we stayed there very late.Then the fire went out. Yippee, hooray! It was scary and exciting.
By Emma

On my way home I saw a red and white helicopter flying past with a full monsoon bucket. I saw a helicopter putting some sea water on the crackling fire.
By Nuni

On Tuesday there was a big fire that started up the hill by Atawhai. It was flaming hot. It had burnt down heaps of big trees.
There were six helicopters. They had to spray water on the fire. It was amazing. Cars that were driving to get up to their houses weren't allowed to go up the road. The breeze made the fire get worse.
By Sarah