Thursday, June 28, 2012

Be an Author and be in to win!


All our students at Springston School are Authors. So, you all have a chance to be in to win by entering the NZ Post Tell Your Story to the Whole Country Competition! Let's do it!

Just write something about.... YOU..... in 300 words or less, and in the form of a poem, short story, or any other form of creative writing that fits with the theme of ‘My Story’.

This year the 20 best stories will be professionally illustrated and published online as part of an eBook. You could become a famous published author! Not only that, each of the winning authors will win $50 in Booksellers Book Tokens.

You must send in your entry by 31 July 2012 - so.... get writing!

Check out the entry information for kids. And put your entry in here. You could use this email address for the school's contact email that is required.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

A treasure trove of information for our students

All our students have access to a free subscription to the Encyclopedia Britannica Online School Edition K-8, through a link on the National Library of New Zealand's EPIC resources. This resource is often a more suitable starting point for finding information for our students, then going straight to Google or Wikipedia.

This access is not available by going directly to the Encyclopedia Britannica website. But our slightly longer route is worth the effort. I recommend that parents and students bookmark the site, and make note of our school's username and password access that can be obtained from your teacher, Carol or Mrs Winter. Copy the details and keep them for use at home. I am not allowed to publish them here for you, sorry, as this login is only available to students in NZ schools.

To picque your interest, and show just how many exciting resources are freely available to you, take a look at this video guide to Encyclopedia Britannica Online. I suggest you watch it with your child or in your class.


Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Awesome Bookmarks by Room 5

Check out the amazing Kimono Doll bookmarks the Room 5 students have been making! I wonder how they made them...


Friday, June 08, 2012

Do you have trouble remembering what 'non-fiction' means?

Most people have to think about the difference between 'fiction' and 'non-fiction' (me too!). So here is a great video to help you understand and remember! It is 6:30 minutes long, and very entertaining, as well as informative.