More Moon Poetry - Senior

The Big Donut

        by Thomas P (year 7)

The moon is a big donut

half eaten

It is a ginormous elephant

moving logs

It is a glowing T.V.

It is a rally car doing laps

at speedway

It is a blue sea

with crashing waves

It is a shining spotlight

glaring at me

The Moon

          by Baylee L-M (year 7)

The moon is a big M&M cookie

it is the big blue sea swaying

it is a ginormous Hummer cruising across space

it is a blinding camera flash

Yummy Tummy

        by Cameron L(year 7)

The moon is a full tummy

It is a blue Smurf

It is an illuminating smile

It has so many little sparkling friends

It is an adventurous white rat

IN SPACE

The Big Red Moon

        by Holly (year 7)

The moon is a silver doorknob

It is a blue clue stick

It is a glowing lamp flying

it is a soccer ball spinning

in space

It is changing

into a

banana

The Pie in the Sky

        by Tama T (year 7)

The moon is a half-eaten

steak and cheese pie

It is a silver wheel rim

of my Lamborghini Aventador

It is a bright camera flash

at a gaming convention

Pounamu Moon

        by Raevyn H (year 7)

The moon is a pounamu ring

worn by one of the Gallipoli men.

It is a beaming flashlight

flickering through the night.

It is a memory

dragging me back to my Loved Ones.

The Crescent

        by Avijit (year 7)

The moon is a speeding

        boomerang

        going around the planet

It is a frightened grey mouse

        hiding in the clouds

It is a middle distance runner

        racing laps around the tracks

        in the flashing stars

The Shimmering Moon

        by Ollie M (year 6)

the moon is a smile

in a dark forest

it is a golden blade

slicing through the jet black sky

it is a shrimp

in an inky sea

it is a shining spotlight

searching for a pack of howling wolves

The Moon is a Chocolate Chip Biscuit

        by Farren S (year 6)

The moon is a chocolate chip biscuit.

It is a silver necklace gleaming through the window.

The moon is a knife cutting through the glistening night sky.

It is a hailstone getting closer and closer to the icy landscape.

The moon is an LED beaming into a shimmering pond.

Kim Schonert Moon Poem

        by Kim  (year 6)

The moon is a lime banana

The moon is a silver medal

The moon is a golden trophy

The moon is a bouncy ball

It is a shining firefly and a glowing lamp

it is a gleaming bottle of colourful glitter

When I hear...

Inspired by Apirana Taylor's visit to Russley School and all his wonderful musical instruments, stories and songs... and his poem 'Haka' we wrote our own sound poems.

We listened for the sounds in our everyday life; the 3pm bell, the cheering crowd at a basketball game, a laugh, a snore... and the sounds in nature; thunder, rain, waves, tui.

We thought about the feelings and emotions these sounds evoked and came up with some surprising metaphors to describe them.

Here are a few of the best:

Speed Car

When I hear the engine roar

I want to jump in

and drive away

as fast as a second going by

it is a cheetah with nitrous

it is the washing machine spinning                

it is the drums in ‘Loaded Diaper’

it is a one year old baby screaming

Gggggeeerrr!

by Thomas Pugh

                                                     

STEP DAD SNORING

When I hear the snoring of my stepdad

I feel like the room is going to fly away

it makes annoyed when I try to go to sleep.

It is an earthquake

It is lightning and thunder

It is a tiger roaring.

It is the wind blowing through the trees.

By Holly Sanders-Young

                                                     

The Beach

When I hear the waves

I feel it in my mouth

It makes my mouth salty like McDonald’s chips

It is the crashing of the drums

and the humming of the flute

It is the growling of the T-Rex

THUMP CRASH BANG!!!!!

                                                                             by Tamati Te Aho  

                                                      

The Big Shake

by Cameron Lonie

When I hear the RUMBLING

I see it in my head

Memories of 2011

I feel really red

So much mayhem around me

It makes me curl up into a ball

like a little armadillo hiding from its hunter

It is the chitter chatter chatter of the people’s teeth

that spent a night under the rubble

Waiting Waiting Waiting…

                                                     

THE BUZZER BEATER

When I hear the crowd

It makes me feel great

It makes me shoot the ball

like a meteor in the hoop

It is a boom box

It is the script

by Josh Sangster

                                                     

Thunder

When I hear the thunder

I feel threatened

It makes me slowly fade

It makes me feel fast

It is a striking bullet  

It is the trampling of an elephant pack

It is fast as flowing water

Rumbling grumbling mumbling

By Raevyn Hohaia

                                                     

Waves

When I hear the waves

I feel free

It makes my heart race

It makes me feel like I’m in my dream

It is a rhinoceros crashing into the walls

It is the thundering of the Haka

It is my heart pounding

It is the gust of wind cracking the tree

It is a thunder of an explosion

Crash! Smash! Slash!

By Raevyn Hohaia

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.

Russley Dance Blitz - by Holly

On Tuesday 17^th June, Russley School had a dance blitz. Some kids got to go on the stage and dance, some kids didn’t go on the stage. But at least some people had fun so that’s good.

The most embarrassing dance was Mrs Koster’s, but the one I liked most was by Mr and Mrs Dewit – they were awesome. All the teachers danced on the stage.

Then the kids got to dance because they had to copy what the teachers did, like hip-hop, romantic, freestyle... that’s when the kids got to go on the stage.

Congratulations Curious Writers!

Some of our Russley Writers' Club members entered a Poetry Box competition to write a poem inspired by an object. This competition was open to students from schools all over New Zealand, and judged by Paula Green.

Congratulations to the following poets whose poems were finalists in the competition, and selected by Paula Green to be published on her blog:

Azryn - for his poem 'Understanding German'

Holly - for her poem titled 'I am a Great Old Book'

Riley G - for his poem about a florin

Mitchell - for his poem, 'The Soldier's Watch'

Special congratulations to Mitchell, whose poem was chosen as the overall winner of this competition. Mitchell has won a copy of the recently released book, 'The Curioseum'.

You can check out the poems and Paula's comments here:

Poetry Box Curioseum Competition

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