Margaret Mahy Character Day!

We have had such a wonderful day, all dressed up as our favourite Margaret Mahy characters. We loved the character parade this morning. We have been writing stories about our costumes, reading 'The Great Piratical Rumbustification', and enjoying our ginger witch cookies that we baked! Yum. 

Here are some photos of our exciting morning:

  

"When you are reading, someone has done a lot of work on your behalf, someone has had ideas and has then written and corrected and improved them so that they can be shared."

- Margaret Mahy 

The Dio Mascot

Dear Mrs Bayes and Mrs Smith

Today I met the Dio Dragon.  She was at the hockey match. Can we please invite her to visit the foundation class. Her name is Margot.

Can we please write her a letter, to ask if she can come and visit us.

Love from

Isobella

Getting to know Victoria.

On the way to and from chapel, the girls have noticed the beautiful sculpture of a girl called ‘Victoria’. On Friday Isobella, Vanessa, Sophia and Emma took a closer look at her. They talked about her bag, the way her fingers went around her book and that you couldn’t see her 

ponytail when you were in front of her.

They identified that she was standing on a plinth and that her shoes were 

different to the ones they wore.

After much discussion and the girls describing what Victoria looked like, they began the hard task of sketching her. We also took photos of Victoria and discussed the different angles 

we could view her from.

We asked the girls to reflect on what they thought about their drawings and this was 

their responses...

Emma said; “I like the stripes on her skirt and the buttons I did on her jacket and the bow on her shoe. The books are in her bag. The shoes are too flat and lines (on her skirt) are too long - I don’t like that”.

Vanessa said; “I like that I’ve drawn a book here and a square with numbers (plaque) and a beautiful bag and the whole thing of my picture ‘cause it’s beautiful and there is nothing I don’t like about it at all”. These comments were so different from the ones Vanessa offered after her first drawing when she said she didn't like her drawing at all!

Isobella    “I like the way I’ve made this (plinth). I love the shoes. I don’t like how the shoulder goes - the shoulder is together but it’s not together”.

Sophia said; "I like that the ears are curved a bit. I’ve got the arms going down; I thought it was going to be hard (drawing the arms down) but it was easy. I like the handle of my bag and that it is on the ground. Next time I would like the lines of her skirt to be straighter”. 

The girls are making some insightful comments about their work. It appears that

by asking them to think about what they have drawn, they are able to use this

information for their next drawings.

The girls were listening closely to each other and using comments they heard to assist them 

to think about what they were doing.

"The quality of learning, especially that of learning to learn in a group, seems to be closely correlated to the quality of opportunities to share and participate in the daily life of the school."

Tiziana Filippini: Making Learning Visible

Painting a Magnolia Tree.

With spring almost upon us, we have been noticing the changing trees around us. The beautiful blossoms and the different flowers that have been appearing are provoking lots of conversation. As a provocation for the week we have set up the art easel with a picture of a magnolia tree, a magnolia flower in a vase, and paints to match.

Here are some pictures of the girls working to create their own magnolia trees:

Artist: Ria

Artist: Vanessa

Artist: Emma

Portraits on canvas.

Yesterday Ria, Anika, McKenna, Zoe and Jenesis worked to create portraits on canvas. 

The girls once again used mirrors to support their drawing, and they look fantastic. You will find these canvases on display in the classroom. Isobella, Sophia, Vanessa and Emma have been working on some sketches of 'Victoria', a beautiful sculpture of a Diocesan school girl that can be found up by our chapel. They will be completing their canvases soon. 

Artists: McKenna & Zoe

Artists: Anika & Jenesis

Artist: Ria

We are good at...

A conversation about the different talents that we each have.

“I’m good at making birthday cakes. Strawberry and chocolate are the best sort that I make. I made my mummy one and I put sweeties on the top!” - Anika

“I am good at drawing flowers. My flowers are pink and blue and white. I like to paint them.” 

- Ria

“I am good at learning to play hockey. My brother teaches me. We go down to the school park to practice.” - Sophia
 

“I am very good at drawing stars. They have five points and I like drawing them yellow, pink and purple.” - Emma

“I am good at memory games. Two of the cards have cracks on them, they are the planes. I have animal memory cards and I play them with my brother.” - McKenna

“I like riding my bike. My bike is a Barbie bike. It is pink and white and it has a basket on the front. It has a silver bell that goes ding, ding!” - Isobella

 “I am good at drawing ballet shoes. I saw Mrs Smith drawing ballet shoes and that’s how I know how to do them.” - Vanessa

“I’m good at riding my scooter. It hasn’t got a bell but it has got streamers. It has three wheels and I go slow. Maybe it is pink.” -  Jenesis

“I am good at building towns and cities. I use trains and people and cars and blocks. Don’t forget the police cars too.” - Zoe

Celebrating the wonderful life of Margaret Mahy.