Cricket Coaching

On Thursday 20 October Dion came from the Otago Cricket Association to teach us some cricket skills. First we warmed up by playing a game of ball tag. After that we did some catching practice. We had to be careful when catching the tennis ball to make sure we followed the ball with our eyes right into our hands. We practised with a partner and by throwing the ball up in the air and clapping while it was coming down. It taught us the importance of getting our hands in the right position and keeping our eyes on the ball. The next skill we practised was bowling. We learnt the correct technique and the importance of keeping our bowling arm straight. Dion explained that our front arm was like a pulling a chain except that we were actually pulling our bowling arm into position to bowl the ball. We spent a lot of time practising bowling at sets of wickets. It was fun and we will try to apply these skills the next time we play cricket.

Golf

When the sports activator last visited we had a session learning about the basic skills of golf. First we had to learn how to pick up the club and hold it correctly. We learnt about the importance of keeping our heads down and keeping our eyes on the ball. We started out using quite a large ball which was easy to hit but didn’t go very far. Next we moved onto the tennis ball which was a bit harder to hit but went much further and finally we got to use a soft golf ball. Some children had trouble hitting this small sized ball off the tee but others were able to hit it quite a long way. We enjoyed our first experience of playing golf.

School Concert

On Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening of the last week of the term, Milton Primary School students performed a concert at the Toko High School hall. The evening began with the whole school singing  two songs which were followed by several items by the kapa haka group.  The other items on the programme consisted of several high energy dance numbers, a performance of a maori legend by most of the junior classes, and three songs performed by MP3, the school’s band.

At the end of the night the seniors performed some entertaining syndicate singing for the audience.There was a raffle and many prizes were won. The hall was full to bursting on the Tuesday night and nearly as full on the Monday. The concert was enjoyed by everyone. It was a wonderful afternoon on Monday and an even better performance on Tuesday evening.

Technology Challenge

This term we have been learning about space. For our technology challenge we had to design and build something to do with space. Some of the ideas we came up with were a space vehicle, a costume, or a model of our solar system. We have been able to work on this project since the start of the term and we were allowed to get our parents to help us make them. There was a wide variety of creations produced and the standard was very high. Thanks to all the parents who assisted with this project.

Class Trip

On 25 August, we went to Dunedin on a class trip. First we went to the Otago Museum where we spent an hour doing some activities around the topic of sustainability which we had studied last term. However, the main purpose of our visit was to go to the planetarium because this term we have been doing lots of research about space. Everyone enjoyed this experience and we learnt lots of fascinating facts about our solar system and beyond. Our next stop was at the Dunedin Art Gallery where John, the educator, took us on a tour and stopped at several paintings to discuss them in more detail with us. We had fun using some hand bells to play a tune and learnt a simple action song as well as learning lots more interesting information about space. It was a fun filled day full of new learning experiences.

Cross Country

On 17 August, the Milton Area Schools Cross Country was held at Tokoiti School. The track was a 2km course around their school field and some neighbouring paddocks. The junior children had a much smaller track of about half a kilometre. It was a nice sunny day and the grounds weren’t muddy at all. The Years 3, 4, 5, and 6’s who finished in the first five of their races get to go down to the South Otago champs in Clinton on 24 August. After their race, the children were very puffed and hot with all the effort they put in. There were heaps of parents and family members there to watch their children. Every child should be very proud of themselves for competing so well and congratulations to those who qualified for the South Otago champs.

Basketball Coaching

Last week the sports activator came to our school. This time she was here to teach us some skills for basketball. First we played a fun game of snowball tag followed by a game like bullrush. These were our warm up activities. One of the skills we practised was dribbling. We played a game call the dribble king. We had to try to bounce our ball without having it pushed out of the square. Whoever was the last one left was the dribble king. The next skill we practised was shooting. We had to balance the ball in one hand, push it up and then catch it. Next we took turns to shoot some hoops. It was really fun and we look forward to learning some more basketball skills the next time the activator visits.