Classroom Internet Exchange
Letters from New Zealand

Here are some of the topics covered by students from New Zealand :

Busking

Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 20:25:07 +0000 (GMT)

Here is an account for our class newspaper of the activities that one of our boys gets up to in the weekends:

When I go busking I use my diabolo. My brother comes too, he juggles. He can juggle three, four and five balls. He can even juggle clubs and knives.

One day we got interviewed by "What Now" a kids T.V. programme. We had to take our unicycle. I can ride a five foot one too. Another day we saw Chris Cairns. He plays for the NZ cricket team. He gave us four dollars. That same day we saw a man from "Shortland Street" the TV programme but he didn't give us any money. We have been on "One Network News" and in the "Press." (The Christchurch newspaper) We have been filmed more than ten times.

When we are busking we wear two big hats that we got from the A and P Show. My one is like the Mad Hatter with ears out the sides. My brother's one has spikes on it and has bells on the end of the spikes.

One day when I was busking I threw the diabolo in the air and it hit my brother on the head. I can throw my diabolo about fifty feet high. In the three days before Christmas we went busking and we made ninety, ninety five and one hundred dollars.

We go to a juggling school on Thursday nights at the Arts Centre. There are lots of really good jugglers. One of our friend's can juggle six balls and he is only sixteen, but he has been juggling for three years. The best part of juggling is getting the money.

by Daniel Watson (boy)
Room 11 Rowley School
Christchurch, New Zealand

School

Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 20:16:44 +0100 (BST)

Kia Ora Mrs Shah's class, (This is Maori for Hello)

At school we start at 9.00 and finish at 3.00 with an hour off for lunch and a big play. We study lots of things at school. Every Friday at 2:00 we have a fun hour where we go swimming, watch videos, play on the computers and do lots of fun things..

We have three languages being taught at school and they are Maori, (they are the people who were here first) Samoan for those who came from the Pacific Islands and English which is our main language.

What sports do you play? We play soccer T ball and touch rugby a lot. We also have an adventure playground at school - do you have one? We also have a swimming pool where we go swimming most days.

We are in the South Island of New Zealand in a city called Christchurch.

I hope you can write back.

Daniel H and Daniel W
Rowley School
Christchurch, New Zealand

***************

Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998 08:59:15 +0100 (BST)

Hello children at Ishwardas Haridas Bhatia School

Thankyou for your letter. Mr Farrant read it to our class. It was very interesting. The most interesting part was that you have three story high building and ours is onnly one story high. Our sport is soccer,teball, and touch. You have a canteen while we have a lunch cottage.

Some questions we have for you. Do you have a native garden? We have one where the native trees of NZ are planted. We also have a school swimming pool. It is very hot here now and we use it every day.

Our school just got painted. It looks nice. Is your school painted? We don't wear uniforms although we used to wear them. At our next school, next year we have uniforms at Intermediate and High School.

By the way Corey is a European boy and Uelese is a Samoan boy from the Pacific Islands.

Goodbye for now
Corey and Uelese
Rowley School
Christchurch, New Zealand

***************

Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 02:00:19 +0000 (GMT)

Hello !

my name is Libby, (Girl) I am 11 years old and I like art.

Let me tell you about our school, In our classrooms we have at least 29 people in each class, there are 18 classes in our school mabey more, in the classes we have a desk each and at least 5 books each,

We have 1 teacher and we learn things like English, Maths, Music, Art, Cooking, Sewing, Woodwork,Metalwork and Socal studys and some more.

From Libby
Heaton Intermediate School
Christchurch, New Zealand

Our Life

Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 15:37:27 +0000 (GMT)

Hello. Children at Ishwardas Haridas Bhatia School

This is Amelia and Rachel. Amelia is nine and Rachel is ten.

At the moment,our class is doing P.A.T tests.They tell the teachers what each child needs in the year ahead.

Do you have any pets? Amelia has three cats. Rachel has some fish, a cat, two geckoes (a small NZ lixard) and a rat.

For our projects we are studying trees. We have done some leaf rubbings. Next week we are all going to a small forest nearby.

Amelia's mum works at a nanny school. That is where people learn to look after children. Amelia's dad is a tax inspector. Rachel's mum is a teacher aide and Rachel's dad is a engineer.

At school we are going to do a trek. That is when the senior part of the school goes around all the houses that are near the school. If we go round it 12 times then we get a prize. It is a little prize.

The jobs that Amelia has to do at home are setting the table for dinner, watering the plants and changing the cats litter box, feeding them and stuff like that. Rachel's jobs are washing the car and folding the clothes.

At 9:00 school starts. We do a Karakia. That is a prayer to God. Then we do reading. At 10:00 we do story writing. That is my favourite part of the day.

At 10:30 we get 30 minutes to have someting to eat and have a wee play. I eat some chickn chips and a afgan (that is a biscuit with chocolate icing on top with a walnut on top of that.) I play with Rachel.

After that we have maths until 12:00. Then Mr Farrant shows us some stuff on the computer until 12:30. That is when Rachel goes home for lunch. I eat some peanut butter sandwiches, an apple and ale-snack. At 1:30 the teacher reads us a story. At 2:00 we have swimming. At 2:30 we do our study and at 3:00 we go home.

I practice resuscitation (we have been learning this at school) on Sedy(My bear.)

At home there is Me,my brother Harley, (he is eight years old,) and Mummy and Daddy.

My favourite T.V. shows are Full house, Shortland Street, The Simpsons, The Nanny and Sabrina and "The Teenage Witch."

Amelia & Rachel
Rowley School
Christchurch, New Zealand

Waitangi Day

Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 01:48:03 +0000 (GMT)

Hello!

My name is gus and this is jordan. We are 12 to 13 years old.

On februray the 6th (tommorow) 1840 the treaty of waitangi was signed by the maori and the pakeaha (english ) saying that they both have a fair share of AOTEAROA.(n.z)

catch u later,
jordan & gus
Heaton Intermediate School
Christchurch, New Zealand

***************

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 00:36:26 +0000 (GMT)

Dear Friends

A holiday we celebrate in New Zealand is Waitangi Day.

Waitangi day remembers the day that the European settlers and the Maoris signed a treaty that declared peace between the two cultres.

When the Europeans came to New Zealand the Maoris were at war with them.

So in 1840 they signed a treaty declaring peace at a place called Waitangi.

Each year on the 6th of February we celebrate Waitangi day by having a public holiday.

From Sarah and Chelsea (age 12)
Heaton Intermediate School
Christchurch, New Zealand

Mrs Bharti Shah is Co-ordinator of the Computer Centre.
Copyright � 1998 [Knowledge Ware Interactive]. All rights reserved.
Revised: March 11, 1999.