Paula Green's Favourites

Congratulations to Raevyn, Izak, Josh T, Takeru and Sophia. These five authors were among Paula Green's favourites in the Poetry Box Moon Poem Competition, which was open to schools throughout New Zealand. All five were shortlisted in the competition and have been published on the Poetry Box website. Sophia McMahon's poem Albatross Moon was selected as one of the winning entries. Sophia will receive a book prize courtesy of Paula Green.

Paula was impressed by the very high standard of entries from our Russley Writers; this is what she had to say:

"I adore all the moon poems. Tell the students I loved them so much. It was hard to pick just a few but I got so many moon poems in my box. I love the language, the similes, the images. These poems made me smile and feel good as I read them."

So congratulations to you all.

Albatross Moon

          by Sophia McMahon (year 3)

The moon is a big albatross

on the lookout.

The moon is

red as blood.

The moon sets

the sky on fire.

Happy Moon

        by Takeru Oki (year 3)

The Shadow

        by Josh T. (year 4)

The moon is a sad face

shining light down to us

The moon is a yellow banana

It is a rugby ball

flying through the stadium

The moon spins really fast

The moon shining silver shadows

on the world

Space Poem

            by Izak Koster (year 6)

Space has a silver sliced peach that floated away from the sun

it turned cold and froze, it became our moon

there was a clear view of earth from that ancient peach

it was where aliens watched it rolling around

they wonder if we see them as they see us

I wish I had a telescope, a shining metal tube

I wish to see Jupiter and explore space,

to ask people as many questions

about things I am interested in

or to find out myself                                                                                                                       

                                                      

Pounamu Moon

        by Raevyn Hohaia (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.

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

New Chocolate Bar Inventions for Mr Wonka

Our challenge was to invent a new chocolate bar for Mr Wonka. Here are some of our mouthwatering creations...

SWEET THUNDER – invented by Grace

Sweet Thunder... made with the finest ingredients:

Delicious gooey caramel, poured in with chewy jelly bits, crunchy colourful popping candy, covered with a thick layer of milky chocolate and a pinch of bubblegum…

Wrapped in a plastic wrapper with a ziplock top and rainbow sparkles.

THE BOOM! - invented by Xavier

(You’re mean when you’re hungry!)

This bar isn’t an ordinary bar, this bar can put your kids to sleep. You have never lived until you’ve had this bar. This bar has 232 pieces, shaped like houses.

But wait, there’s more… if your kids aren’t listening then give them some of this chocolate. When they eat a piece they will taste the most scrumptious taste they’ve ever had.

So, if you call 0223010099 - actually call 2349968 because the first number is my mum’s - so call now and get a brand new house!

(Note, do not give kids two pieces, they will cause aftershocks and earthquakes and that will be because they will have farted – so don’t do it!) 

CRACKLING FIREWORKS - invented by Raevyn

Hey! Come along to the Lolly Prize Beach and get the new chocolate bar… called the Crackling Fireworks.

It will blow your mind because it crackles so much. Get the Crackling Fireworks before it’s too late, you can get it anywhere. There will be a box at your door every day with 24 inside. This bar is here so you can be extremely hyper, and when you take a bite, it will automatically put a party inside you. 

CHILLI MAGIC - invented by Azryn

THE MARVELLOUS CHOCOLATE that will melt in your mouth, burn in your stomach and taste like hot lava rock...

It is... CHILLI MAGIC.

It is made out of 80 thousand pounds of chilli and 20% chocolate! 

THE TANGY TANGO - invented by Emily F

Do you want to go to the beach?

Do you want to party all day long?

Well then, if you do you’re in for a treat. The Tangy Tango is now in the dairies, the shops, the supermarkets… it is almost any place you go.

So come on down to pretty much anywhere you go and get the Tangy Tango now!

And if you call 033 982 you will get a whole box of Tangy Tangos for free! The Tangy Tango also pops like little fireworks in your mouth.

P.S. May cause disease, puffing up, the flu, or most unlikely, death.

Russley Writers' Painting Prize

Here is the fantastic original Michael Hight painting Russley School won in the Poetry Box competition. The painting is from Paula Green's book, 'Flamingo Bendalingo'. If you're wondering why there is a lot of white in the middle of the picture... that is the space the illustrator and book designer leave for the text (words).




Scared of Shadows...

Snippets of creative writing by some of our Year 5 writers...

I’m scared of shadows – by Raevyn

I am scared of shadows. In the night you sometimes see shadows - even though they might be your family members. Shadows move really fast and then disappear... sometimes they come back. If I see a shadow out of my window I will get out of my bed and ask my mum if I can sleep with her.

Beach description – by Archie

They peered over and saw crystal blue water that looked like Antarctica had melted. The sea was colossal.

 

Never Push A Button... by Kyle

One sunny day I was walking down a stream, then suddenly I saw a big red button. When I pressed it a frantic T-Rex appeared and chased me into a cage with a lion. The lion chased me around and around in a circle until it ate me.

I was in the lion’s stomach for days until it pooped me out. I ran out of the poop and yelled, “Help me!”

Somebody came along and let me out while the lion was sleeping. I looked for the closest water and jumped in it.

Brainstorming

BRAINSTORM

By Riley

When my teacher first said,

“We are doing a brainstorm,’’
I didn’t know what she meant.

I thought she meant brains

would plummet from the sky.
I went up to the teacher…
“Are brains going to fall from the sky?’’

I discovered

clouds of ideas
and words
that shoot out like lightning.


THE WIND
by Dylan

The wind howls like
a wolf.
It moves forcefully like
a steam train.
It pounds the roof like
Rocky Marciano.
My home sounds like
a bass drum.


THE MASSIVE WIND
by Raevyn

One night, with a big bang,
the wind screamed
like a hooting, howling
Owl.

In the morning I went to school,
and saw a gigantic tree
had fallen across
Pinehurst Street.