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.

Goldilocks and the Three Bad Mice - Jessica Y

Goldilocks was out camping in the Mousegreen Woods. Goldilocks felt very sick and her tummy rumbled. So she started looking for a cottage to stay in.

While she was walking, three blind mice jumped out and kidnapped her. They took her into an old cottage filled with straw. They locked her up in there by herself.

Two days later...

Goldilocks tried and tried to find out how to get out. Then a tunnel appeared when she pushed a brick wall. She crawled and crawled, then finally she was out.

When the three bad blind mice found out that their prisoner had escaped, they searched for her everywhere. Then, Goldilocks popped out of the bushes with the police behind her. 

"Catch those three!" called the chief of police. 

It was a happy end because Goldilocks had captured the world's biggest criminals and earned 32.5 million dollars!

The Dance Blitz - by Jessica Y

We sat down and waited for the first dancers to get up and dance for us. The first dancers were office ladies. Their performance was really funny and they also handed out chocolate bars. I caught three. 

We copied the dancers (which were the teachers). It was really hot in the hall so I went to my class to have a drink of water and fresh air. After one hour of dancing we got to have ice-blocks! I really liked the ice-blocks, it had been a long time since I had had one.

The dance blitz was like the funniest thing that had happened this term!

Jessica's survival story

I have five minutes to pack. I can choose only three items to take with me. I know not where I am going, nor what dangers await me. I run to the pile of equipment and grab: a pack of glow sticks that contains 100 glow sticks, a jump rope and a scooter.

I am blindfolded during the helicopter journey. I have no idea where I am. I hear the whirring of the rotors and the pilots discussing me. The helicopter hovers a metre or so above ground and I am pushed out the door. I tumble onto the ground and tear off my blindfold. I see a lot of trees that grow fruit and millions of animals playing and exploring, I am amazed.

I come to a raging river. There is no way around, I must somehow cross the treacherous water. I reach into my pack and take out the jump rope. It swings me to the other side and I am glad I brought this jump rope along because this jump rope is the longest and the strongest. I throw the jump rope and it tie it to the tree. I am safely across the river.

I turn to see a pack of killer sheep advancing towards me. I reach into my pack and grab my scooter out and press the red button which is on the bar. Then my scooter turns into an awesome rocket. I blast off to somewhere safe.

The menacing battle cry of a lone warrior pierces the silence. A heavily armoured giant charges out from behind some rocks. I reach into my pack and get out my glow sticks. I grab one out and crack it. When it is glowing I throw it up in the sky then the glow stick turns into colourful fireworks in the shape of animals. The armoured giant looks up, his eyes shimmer. When he is distracted I quickly run off.

I come to a swamp and begin to make my way cautiously through it. Suddenly I lose my footing and find myself sinking… and realise I have stepped into QUICKSAND! I reach into my pack and grab my skipping rope and throw it to the big mouldy tree so it can tie itself to it. When it ties I pull myself up while I am screaming. I am finally out of the stinky mud! Then a helicopter slowly drops a ladder, I quickly climb up. They say that I can go home now.

Jessica's survival story

Our writers chose three items and were then sent on an adventure. Jessica had a packet of glo-sticks, a skipping rope and a scooter. Read on to find out how she used these things to help her navigate a raging river and quicksand, and how she managed to escape a flock of killer sheep and fend off a giant!

   

I have five minutes to pack. I can choose only three items to take with me. I know not where I am going, nor what dangers await me. I run to the pile of equipment and grab: a pack of glow sticks that contains 100 glow sticks, a jump rope and a scooter.

I am blindfolded during the helicopter journey. I have no idea where I am. I hear the whirring of the rotors and the pilots discussing me.

The helicopter hovers a metre or so above ground and I am pushed out the door. I tumble onto the ground and tear off my blindfold. I see a lot of trees that grow fruit and millions of animals playing and exploring, I was amazed.

I come to a raging river. There is no way around, I must somehow cross the treacherous water. I reach into my pack and take out the jump rope. It swings me to the other side and I was glad I brought this jump rope along because this jump rope is the longest and the strongest. I throw the jump rope and it ties to the tree. I am safely across the river.

I turn to see a pack of killer sheep advancing towards me. I reach into my pack, grab my scooter out, and press the red button, which was on the bar. Then my scooter turns into an awesome rocket. I blast off to somewhere safe.

The menacing battle cry of a lone warrior pierces the silence. A heavily armoured giant charges out from behind some rock. I reach into my pack and get out my glow sticks. I grab one out and crack it. When it is glowing I throw it up in the sky then the glow stick turns into colourful fireworks in the shape of animals. The armoured giant looks up, his eyes shimmer. When he is distracted I quickly run off.

I come to a swamp and begin to make my way cautiously through it. Suddenly I lose my footing and find myself sinking… and realise I have stepped into QUICKSAND! I reach into my pack, grab my skipping rope, and throw it to the big mouldy tree so it can tie itself to it. When it ties I pull myself up while I am screaming. I am finally out of the stinky mud! Then a helicopter slowly drops a ladder, I quickly climb up. They say that I can go home now.