Movie review: WALL.E

WALL.E is a great movie for people five years or older. It is about a little robot named WALL.E and he is left on Earth to clean up all the rubbish, because all the humans have gone up to space and got really lazy. Then 700 years pass and all the humans get very fat. One day, after WALL.E has finished cleaning for the day, he met a little robot named EVE (pronounced EVE-A). She has been sent down to look for a special plant. WALL.E then finds the plant and takes it to EVE, but then a whole army of bad robots take the plant and WALL.E goes to find it for EVE. I can’t tell you more, so you should just go to the movies and watch it... Watch out for our poll on this movie on http//:thorringtontimes.blogspot.com/

By our movie expert, Jakob Purcell

The Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival

Now, a lot of you are wondering what the poster on Room 9’s window is about. It is about the Music Festival in the Town Hall that people all over Canterbury go to. It consists of many groups such as choirs, an
orchestra, a concert band, a recorder ensemble, plus some other groups joined together to make a piece. The theme is Pathways. The Orchestra is going to play Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Concert Band is playing Cartoon Symphony, which includes two Bugs Bunny themes, The
Simpsons, (Meet) The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Pink Panther, and Animatics. So now you know heaps about the festival, but how do you get into the orchestra, choir or concert band?? A lot of people try to get in but most don’t. What you have to do is to do an audition with someone. After that they judge the best
people to be in the festival. About two months after you did your audition, they tell you if you were successful. Some people in Thorrington School got into this festival. These
people are Jonty Schmidt, Benny Schmidt, Millie Peate-Garratt and Ella Somers. Jonty and Benny got in for the Concert Band, Millie got in for the Junior Choir, and Ella got in for the recorder ensemble. Also all the choirs in Christchurch schools go to the festival to make the massed choir. So we will see the Thorrington School choir there. The festival will be on the 15th, 16th, 17th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd of October. So now you know heaps about the festival and I hope you tell your friends and come along. This is their website, where you can see photos, read about
everybody who is playing and more… http://musicfestival.school.nz/
By Jonty Schmidt

Room 14's Totem Poles

I have interviewed Annabel Philips from Room 14 to ask her these questions about their totem poles displayed on the corner of room 14 on their windowsill.
LS: Why did you make the totem poles?
AP: We made them because Linda McIntyre designed them and then our
student teacher Ms Farmer wanted to make some poles, just like the ones by the jetty.
LS: How did you make them?
AP: First of all there was just a wooden pole, and then we painted pictures and put on the background colour. Then Mrs Wilson thought they would look good with tops, so we made some out of paper mache. We also outlined the pictures with vivid.
LS: Why were they outside on Wednesday, last term? We were interested to know why.
AP: Because they were being varnished and they were out there to dry.
LS: Will you use the totem poles for a project or role play?
AP: Probably not. They’re just art.
By Laura Sutherland

Global Warming: Fact or Fiction

For the past few years global warming has been popping up in the news. Now we want you to have your say on what you think about global warming. There will be a new discussion every week. To enter, hand it in to Thomas Moot in Room 15 or someone in the paper in Room 12. It must include what and why you think about global warming and your opinion could be in the paper!
BY THOMAS MOOT

The Dream City

Ben, Leo, Chris, Elliot, Benjamin, Reuben and Cameron spent over two hours of their own time to build a Dream City, which includes a rugby field, a soccer field, a hospital, a police station and other city-like things. The city was created out of coloured card, paper and sticky tape. The amazing looking city is very detailed with cars and people. They often thought about where things should go, and the colour of the
buildings and the ground. It started as a little house, then as more people joined in making it, it got expanded to an overpopulated city!
By Aaron Gyles and Thomas Moot

Boy electrocuted climbing pylon

A 15-year-old boy has been electrocuted while climbing an electricity pylon in South Yorkshire.
The incident happened in the woods in Hollins Lane, Sunnyside, near Rotherham at about midday. The boy, from the Rotherham area, has not yet been named. In a joint statement, the police and fire service said: "It is believed the boy was climbing the pylon and may have been electrocuted before he fell." Police said the cables attached to the pylon carried 66,000 volts. Supt Keith Lumley said: "We have been in touch with the boy's family. We have a family liaison officer with them now. "They will be offering any support they need and obviously answering questions they want answering." South Yorkshire Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
By Riley Payne
Source:www.bbc.co.uk

Mrs Smith’s Orienteering

Mrs Smith has been running orienteering for the year fives and sixes. All of the kids who signed up trained about 8 times. From all the training, they went to Halswell Quarry and got timed for how fast they did the course. The hills were 50 metres high and the whole course was 1.6 kilometres. We interviewed Olivia Richards from Room 16 (OR) and Alex Lee from Room 15 (AL) to ask them these questions.
BW + JP: What is your goal for Halswell Quarry?
OR: To finish and not get lost.
AL: To have fun and complete it.
BW + JP: What was your favourite part about
orienteering?
OR: Finishing.
AL: Going to a championship and having fun.
BW + JP: Why did you want to do orienteering?
OR: To have fun and my friends were doing it.
AL: Because I did it with Mrs Smith.
BW + JP: What or who inspired you?
OR: The instructors at Wainui camp.
AL: Mrs Smith.
By Bridget White and Jakob Purcell

Art Competition Winners

Ski Tournament

Haydn Boul from Room 7 went to the Mt Chessman Ski Tournament on Sunday 10 August and came a wonderful 2nd place. He started to ski when he was four years old! The fastest time that he has done on skis is an amazing 32.38 seconds. He has skied at least 100 times and he rated the ski hill a ten out of ten. His worst injury while skiing was when he broke his leg. His all-time favourite place to ski is Broken River Mountain. He thought the course was hard, but it was still easy.
Zoë in Room 14 came 17th at the Mt Chessman Ski Tournament. Zoë started to ski when she was only three years old! She has skied about 60 times and rated the course a nine out of ten . Zoë’s first ever ski was at Mt Hutt and it was her mum and dad who inspired her to ski. Her favourite place to ski is Vancouver Island in Canada. Zoë would like to go to the Olympics in the future. She thought the course was easy and really fun. She also has an Atomic ski board.

Ella's Help Me Column

Dear Ella,

All my friends are in the band and I’m the only one who isn’t. I don't know what to do because I don't know how to play an instrument. What can I do?

From Lonely

Dear Lonely,

I think that you should have a day to yourself, read a book or something.
Hope it works for you!

From Ella

My Trip to Ferrymead

On a sunny warm Wednesday we got off the rumbling red bus at Ferrymead we got our olden day clothes on and went to see the boys in their strange clothes for morning tea.

Then we began to act like we were in the olden days. First we went and played games because they used to skip with ropes in the olden days and then we went to school and my friends and me played Ring Around the Rosie and when Miss Black rung the bell she checked our fingernails to see if there was any dirt.

After that we went in and we sang God Save Our King and then we had lunch. Once we finished our lunch we waited loudly for the bus to arrive.

The End

By Hannah Lynn, Room 11

Chess Tournament

On Friday 15 August, Thorrington School sent three chess teams to The Press Chess Tournament. We sent in two teams for the A-grade and one for the B-grade. The teams had four people in each team. The C team came third in their division, the B team came fourth, and the A team came first! The A team players are: Board one - Lochlan Boddy, Board two - Thomas Moot, Board three - Cameron Avery and Board four - Aaron Gyles. The A team went to the Canterburies on 22 August and played against six of the top teams in Canterbury!
By Aaron Gyles

David Beckham

David Robert Joseph Beckham was born on the 2 May 1975 and is 33; he was born in Leytonstone, London, England. He is arguably one of the best football players of all times and his normal playing position is right midfield. In 2004 David was the highest paid footballer AND he was Google's most searched of all sports topics in 2003 and 2004. Beckham’s career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first team debut in 1994 aged 17. During his time in the team, Manchester United won the Premier League title six times, the FA cup twice and the UEFA Champions League once in 1999. He then left Manchester United and joined Rael Madrid in 2003 where he stayed for four seasons. While at Madrid, Beckham became the first British footballer to play 100 Champion League matches. In January 2007 it was announced that Beckham would leave Rael Madrid and sign a five year contract with Los Angeles Galaxy. He currently plays for and is captain of Los Angeles Galaxy. He is also a member of the England national team. Beckham also earned his 100th cap for England against France in March 2008!
By Chris Dawson

Olympics

The Olympics have just started, it is so exciting to hear that over 200 New Zealand athletes are going to compete in the Beijing Olympics this year. The Olympics only happen every four years, so there have only been two Olympics during the period of time I have been alive. There are three
different medals athletes can win – 1st gold, 2nd silver and 3rd bronze. The Olympics have been on about 24 times. I hope New Zealand win lots of gold medals, and that’s the end of my article.

By Meg Davidson

Amazing Visit to Ferrymead

The most exiting thing is happening, our whole school is going to Ferrymead!!! It’s the only thing our class ever talks about. A lot of people say that the teachers were allowed to give people the cane they whack it down on a desk and it makes a loud thwack!!!!
It was a wicked and interesting experience.
IT WAS SO COOL!!!!!!

By Benjamin Spencer

My 20 Word Story

One day walking home from school, I saved a girl who had fallen into a dark well by
shouting HELP!!!!! By Sita Turner

THE WINNERS OF THE WRITING COMPETITION

As you might know the Thorrington Times has been holding a writing competition. Here are the winning stories and their authors! THE WINNERS ARE: The Day Presents Fell from the Sky by Fraser Mould, Amazing Visit To Ferrymead by Ben Spencer, The Chess Tournament by Aaron Gyles, Ferrymead by Hannah Lynn, The Fabulous and Fun Aquarium by Katie Mann, My 20 Word Story by Sita Turner and Olympics by Meg Davidson.

The Fabulous And Fun Aquarium

On the second Wednesday of the holidays my sister and I went to the aquarium. We saw an octopus and I touched a crab in the touch pool. My sister and I went on a bridge. The bridge was over the eel’s tank. I went because my mum was working. The big fish was called Big Bully! He was small and Small Bully was small, too. My sister said “Look, that octopus looks scary!” But to me it wasn’t. It was really fun.
By Katie Mann

The Day Presents Fell from the Sky

It was a normal summer. It was hot. Then I heard something go clang! on the roof. I got Dad’s ladder and climbed on the roof there were millions of presents. I unwrapped the present - it was the Ben 10 set. Then I saw an evil spirit and I yelled to him and said, “You stop wrapping all the presents!” He looked at me and started a tornado but I shot them both twice with my laser gun and they died. I got 100,000 dollars. I was the richest man on Earth. The tornado and the evil spirit turned to stone and got built into a statue.
THE END
BY FRASER MOULD

Jonty's Christchurch School’s Music Festival

Now a lot of you are wondering what this poster on room 9’s window is about. It is about a Music Festival in the Town Hall that people all over Canterbury go to. It consists of many groups such as: Choirs, an Orchestra, a concert band, a recorder ensemble, plus some groups join together to make a piece. The theme is Pathways. I don’t really know what other groups are going to play but I do know that the Orchestra is going to play Pirates of the Caribbean, and I do know that the Concert Band is Playing Cartoon Symphony which Includes: 2 Bugs Bunny themes, The Simpsons,(Meet) The Flintstones, The
Jetsons, the pink panther , and Animatics. So now you know heaps about the festival but how do you get into it. A lot of people try to get in but most don’t. What you have to do is to do an audition with someone. After that they judge the best people to be in the festival. About two months after you did your audition they tell you if you were successful. Some people in Thorrington School got into this festival. The people are: Jonty Schmidt, Benny Schmidt, Mille Peate-Garratt, and Ella Somers. Jonty and Benny got in for the Concert Band, Mille got in for the junior choir, and Ella got in for the recorder
ensemble. Also all the choirs in schools go to the festival to make the massed choir. So we will see the Thorrington School choir there. The festival will be on the 15th, 16th, 17th, 21st, 22nd, and the 23rd of October. So now you know heaps about the festival and I hope you share it.
This is their website where you can see photos, everybody playing and more… http://musicfestival.school.nz/
By Jonty Schmidt

Room 11's Dream City

6 people from Room 11 spent over 2 hours of their own time to build a dream City which includes a rugby field, soccer field, hospital, police station and other city-like things. The city was created out of coloured card, paper and cello tape. the amazing looking city is very detailed with cars and people. They often thought about where things should go and the colour of the buildings and ground. It was first a little house then as more people joined in it expanded to overpopulated city!

By Room 11!

Thomas's Global Warming: Fact or fiction?

For the past few years global warming has been popping up in the news. Now we want you to have your say on what you think about global warming. There will be a new discussion every week. To enter, hand it in
to anyone in Room12. It must include why and what you
think, and your opinion might be in paper!

By Thomas Moot.

Jakob's Review

DVD REVIEW: SPIRIT
Rating: G
Spirit is a really entertaining movie for the whole family. It’s about a wild horse that could see a light and goes over to look. But it was actually some wild horse catchers that take Spirit away from his home land and takes them to there home which is a giant stable. He got groomed so that he looks like a trained horse. But he starts to hurt the groomer in a very funny way. He finds an Indian in the stables which helps spirit get out. The Indian man has a girl wild horse which Spirit loves they get chased by the wild horse catchers down a river which there is a water fall and the girl wild horse falls and either lives or DIES sorry you’ll have to watch the whole movie to know more about Spirit, the Indian man, the girl wild horse, Spirits mum and the wild horse catchers.

BY JAKOB PURCELL
My Rating: four stars out of five stars

Bridget's Wordfind

Clodagh's Comic: Mr Pig

A Word from Our Sponsors

Makoto's Wordfind and Help Me Column

MESSAGE FOR PARENTS: URGENT!

PMP (Perceptual Motor Programme) helpers are needed. There will be a training session on Monday 4 August run by Gill O’Connell at 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the school hall. This is a great opportunity to learn more about PMP. If you are interested, feel free to come along. There is no need to have a child in the junior syndicate. Aunties, uncles, and grandparents all are welcome. THANK YOU

Editors:

Ruby Ellis, Tessa Mann & Laura Sutherland
Sub-editors: Sarah Brostow, Jasmin Hansen, Timothy McCarthy, Bridget White,Millie Peate-Garratt, Ella Somers, Sakura Shibata and Jakob Purcell

Meet Dave

Meet Dave is a great family movie to watch. It has brilliant comedy and I know most of you would love it! It has some funny characters counting tiny centimetre people working inside him. He meets some friends on the journey to find a little space ball. You will find this movie in the cinemas now. There are also some other good movies in the cinemas too, for example: Kung Fu Panda,
Prince Caspian, Get Smart, Mamma Mia and others. BY MILLIE PEATE-GARRATT

BOOK REVIEW:

Hanging on Letting Go
By Helen Beaglehole
Hanging on letting go is a great story that is not very well known. It is about a 21-year-old boy called Ben Walker. He goes tramping with his friends, Rachel and Zac. Ben wants to climb down a stream but it is slippery and dangerous. Rachel and Zac try to stop Ben but he goes and breaks his spine. The rest of the book is about Rachel wondering if they did enough to stop Ben from going. You have to read the rest to find out what happens! By Bridget White

TV REVIEW: DR WHO

Dr Who is a science-fiction adventure series of the doctor and his companion. His companions in various series have been Sarah Jane, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones and Donna Noble. He travels in time and space in his very own Tardis. With every series, it is epic and which in some episodes he almost dies. The doctor is a Time Lord and he can come back to life if he “dies.” He always comes back to life looking younger. There have been four series and the fifth series is now on Prime every Sunday at 7:30 p.m. BY JAKOB PURCELL

Heathcote River Floods

On Thursday 24 July, Thorrington School students crowded around the big flood that was outside our school. There were ducks on the footpath and water was everywhere. Some people were amazed to see such a big flood. Last time there was a flood, the Heathcote River was infected with dirt at Beckford Road just earlier than than 6:00 p.m. on Saturday 5 July and pumping stations on the Avon, at Fendalton Street and River Road, bent under the strain and discharged soon after. However, on 24 July the flood came back covering the footpath bringing with it mud, water and ducks.

Kapa Haka group visit

On Thursday 26 June, Beckenham Kapa Haka groups came to Thorrington School to perform, to the junior school and the Thorrington Kapa Haka group. The girls wore long Maori dresses and feathers in their hair, and the boys wore shorts or their boxers with a Maori designed skirt. When they performed, their youngest group started with two action songs, a poi song and the Haka. After that, their oldest group started and they did a cool Haka warrior dance, used poi, an sang action song and a finishing song.
Beckenham School have four Kapa Haka groups: one for years 0-2, years 3-4, years 5-6, and years 7-8. If you are wondering what Kapa Haka is, Kapa Haka is a Maori traditional dance, where they sing songs, use poi, and do the Haka. Anyone who wants to can join, and have some fun. BY Georgia Jacobs and Connie Laughlin

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