Place Poems inspired by Paula Green's Poetry Workshops

Some of the fabulous writing inspired by Paula Green's poetry workshops:

Jordyn

Anthony

Pierre

Lily

Ben M

Russley Writers featured in Christchurch Mail article

The Christchurch Mail has an article in today's issue featuring our wonderful Russley Writers. The article is about the Russley Writers' recent success in the 3rd Fabulous Poetry Competition. Congratulations to all our prize-winning poets.

Find poems here

Winning Writing from Years 5 to 8

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Russley School entered 'The Third Fabulous Poetry Competition' which was for a school entry of 25 poems. The competition was judged by Poetry Box's Paula Green, and the director of the NZ Book Council, Catriona Ferguson. Russley School was the winner of the South Island division!

As the winning school, we will receive a two day visit from Paula Green, who will run poetry workshops with Russley children in term 3.

Congratulations and huge thanks to all our poets. Scroll down to read some of the winning writing from our talented Russley authors!

Enjoy the poems from our senior students...

Winter has come again - by Ben M, Year 7

dark, murky skies

raining like a waterfall

deep puddles like mirrors

reflecting

soggy trees

crouching over

RAINDROPS - by Olivia C, year 7

splitter splatter

soggy gumboots

jump over cold puddles

I grip my clear umbrella

I hear splitter

                splatter

                    splitter

                       splatter

                           splash! 

Cutting Cold - by Ben T, year 7

The rain pelting down

like a boulder avalanche

people rushing indoors

shivering with cold

ice shards

even rain jackets do nothing

men and women driving

causing traffic jams

and accidents

in the rain

people indoors

covered in blankets

nearby a fire crackles

clothes turn soggy

soon smelly

everyone curled up

with hot chocolates

trying to forget

the freezing winter

SNOWFALL - by Riley H, year 7

My soggy clothes

were making my blanket wet.

I was rushing through the deep snow,

I even tried jumping through.

Everything I had was wet.

I finally got home

sat next to the fire

and had my hot chocolate.

The night frost - by Mitchell F, year 7

chilling cold

rain sounds like bullets

on my roof

drinking my hot chocolate

by the blazing fire

me and my family

snuggled in a blanket

WINTER - by Kaitlin C, year 7

soggy shoes

umbrella dripping

hurrying through

puddles

Splash!

the white sky

goes away

turning grey

JESSICA’S WINTER - by Jessica Y, age 7

soggy socks on the heater

drinking hot chocolate near the fire

snuggling into warm blankets

freezing winter air blows

                                  and blows

I grab my gumboots and jump

into the nearest puddle

                                  Splash!

hoping winter comes back again

The Painting - by Monica, year 7

a blank piece of paper

a polar bear in a snowstorm

a paintbrush paints...

a mountain looms over

the polar bear in a snowstorm

a paintbrush paints...

lush green grass

a mountain looms over

the polar bear in a snowstorm

a paintbrush paints...

a tree in the

lush green grass

a mountain looms over

the polar bear in a snowstorm

a paintbrush paints...

The winning entries from our Year 5 and 6 students:

I AM UNSTOPPABLE - by Quinton O, year 6

I am fantastic

I like cookies and cream milkshakes

I don’t like art

I’m afraid of spiders

I wish I could fly

I dream of going to Candyland

I pretend I’m listening to the teacher

I can eat twenty-one hotdogs at once

I am unstoppable

WET FEET

by Azryn C, year 6

my wet cold feet

flakes fall

as the sun comes up

drips drop down

the ferocious wind

will ease to a breeze

my wet cold feet

Winter Freeze

by Brayden D, year 5

My hands were freezing

like dripping ice.

I got wet and cold

like Jack Frost.

My family were playing

snowball fighting games.

I got Dad...

it hit him in the chest!

Ow!

WINTRY NIGHT - by Holly S, year 6

On a stormy, thundery,

wintry night

water trickles

onto the wet ground

the windy breeze blows

right through me.

The Curioseum

The Russley Writers' Club discovered a brilliant new book, The Curioseum, which is a collection of short stories and poems by New Zealand authors. The writers each chose an item from Te Papa museum and used it to inspire a story or a poem. You can listen to some of them read their work here: The Curioseum

Our Russley Writers took up the challenge to write their own creative piece of poetry or prose, inspired by a curious object. I took in an old pocket-watch, a book of poetry, a florin (coin) and a German dictionary which was given to my grandfather while he was in a Prisoner of War Camp during World War 2.

Here are the imaginative pieces from some of our writers...

Russley Writers' Curious Objects

Bang! Clatter!

I’m made.

1962 has a new florin in town

I’ve met up with my million relatives.

I’m thrown in a big sack.

The top opens

thousands of my relatives

start screaming.

As they go away from me

tears start to roll down

my surface.

As 46 years have passed

I’ve nearly been around every shop

but one

antique store.

I see a person walking in

through a small crack

in the cash register

He purchases a pound of butter

he hands over five dollars

the register opens

I’m handed over to the man.

He walks straight over the road

and into the antique store.

He looks at me and I look back

I’m put on the shelf

as an antique.

by Riley G

* * *

I AM THE GREAT OLD BOOK

I’m old

a great old book

I’m thin

the front of me is bent

I was published in Great Britain

my spine is getting wrecked

and turning light green

edges coloured with pinky purple

and cream

by Holly

* * *

I was born in 1962

in a factory

sent to the queen

then a boy

who happened to be skipping along

past a dairy

he handed me in

to a black container

Ding!

It was dark and cold

finally I was brought into the light

then put into a cosy

leather wallet.

by Quinton

* * *

THE COIN

Born 1962.

Queen Elizabeth the second on the side.

A kiwi on the other.

One florin

1962 New Zealand.

Which side is tails?

Which side is heads?

The bird is tails.

The head is the Queen.

The coin belongs to

New Zealand.

It has been to England.

The coin was once

glistening.

Now the coin is

very, very old

and drab.

by Brayden

* * *

The soldier’s watch

looks like a circle

the back is green

with silver sparkles

sounds like guns

banging very loud

feels sad in the heart

missing family

smells like gunpowder

by Mitchell

* * *

There once was a silver coin

born 1962

in New Zealand.

He was one in a million

a florin.

Every time it passed a new object

he would suck it in

to his picture

on the side.

The picture would come to life.

by Ben M

* * *

Understanding German

The old tattered spine

has string falling out.

Nowhere to go but on a book shelf. 

Should it be in a museum or

should it be in a house?

My prisoner of war number will

always will be remembered .

by Azryn 

Autumn Poet's Walk

The Russley Writers' Club went on a ginko. A ginko is a walk with haiku writers, usually held at the start of a season or at a special time in a season. The poets usually walk in silence, taking in their surroundings, making notes of the words they collect along the way.

Here are some of the poems our writers created when we returned from our poet's walk. Olivia's acrostic poem was one of my favourites. As well as being a poet, Olivia is a talented netballer, and I loved the fact that she fitted netball perfectly into her Autumn poem! 

Autumn leaves flying down gracefully

Unpredictable leaves are falling

Turning different ways

Umbrellas have Autumn colours

More leaves to fall

Netballers have Autumn spirits

            flying around the court like fluttering leaves

by Olivia

The leafy smell of Autumn is here

The leaves crackling through the wind

They’re twirling, gliding, down to the ground

Smooth as a baby’s cheek

As I roll through the frosty leaves

By Riley H

Autumn is colourful and bright

Unique leaves

Trees are swaying

Uncontrolled leaves falling

Minty leaves spiralling to the ground

Nothing left on the trees

by Kaitlin

Autumn is bone chilling and damp

the leaves tear off the unfit branches

but out of all the chances

the rain pounds down

and drowns all the town

roads are abandoned

as people are stranded

raging rivers all around

are full of muck and cover the ground

the clouds are grey

and they box in the city

it’s soaked outside

which is such a pity

By Ben H

Autumn is mostly bleak

Unless it’s not cold wear a jacket

The wind howls like a thousand wolves

Unlimited leaves are dying

More leaves die

No leaves survive

By Ben T.

The frozen leaves falling
from fire breathing trees
crackling under my bare feet
flowing through the air like a lonely angel.
That’s autumn to me.

by Ben M