Middle Syndicate Amazing Authors

Charlie Grey - Room 8

2010-09-23T16:09:00.002+12:00

The New Zealand Wood Pigeon
Report written by Charlie Grey

The New Zealand Wood Pigeon lives for a long time. They leave their nest when they’re 40 days old. There are two types of pigeons and they weigh 850g.
There is going to be less and less wood pigeons if people keep cutting the trees down. The possums are eating the wood pigeons eggs and also people are hunting them. Cats kill them as well.
People should stop cutting trees down because they are the homes of pigeons. They are important because they are one of our native birds.

Reuben Hanna - Room 8

2010-09-23T16:09:00.001+12:00

The Kereru
Report written by Reuben Hanna
The wood pigeon is a native bird to New Zealand. There are two species but two other species become extinct on Raoul Island and Norfoik Island.
They make a loud windy sound when they fly because their wings are so big. They only lay one egg per nest and they feed their chicks with a special milk they make in their throats. They mix fruit with the milk to make it taste good. The parents take turns looking after the chick.
They are being hunted by stoats, cats, rats and some of you! I think they should not be hunted because their numbers are declining. Something should be done. We should try and catch the people and animals who are killing the Kereru.

Kaitlyn Hastie - Room 8

2010-09-23T16:08:00.000+12:00

What lies beneath rock pools? By Kaitlyn Hastie
Rock pools are an amazing thing to look at to see lots of beautiful creatures in the sea. Rock pools have lots of creatures that live in the shallow waters. You can find rock pools at the beach but you cannot find two of the same rock pools at the beach. There are long and round rock pools and they have lots of cool creatures like crabs, starfish, sea anemone and others.
There are lots of crabs like the common swimming crab and large shore crab. Mussels live on high rocks and stick onto them. When the waves come crashing into the rocks they open the shell and collect the water. If the starfish breaks off then it can grow another one. The chiton has 8 overlapping plates so it’s hard for a predator to get it.
Rock pools are amazing things to see and do not forget to put things back into them.

Liam Sabbiston - Room 8

2010-09-23T16:07:00.000+12:00

Rock Pools by Liam Sabiston
You will find rock pools at the beach when the tide is out. A rock pool is made by waves crashing on rocks. A rock pool has got lots of creatures in it like crabs.
Crabs live in tiny crevices in the rocks, crevices are like little slots. There are cockabullys and they can turn different colours to camouflage in to the background so that they can hide from their predators. There are sea anemones and it is one of the mean ones because it is paralyses other fish and eats them with its tentacles. There are also perwinkles and which uses its shell for protection. There are mussels too and they just stay on the rocks all day and sleeping and scraping food off the rocks. Last and for all the starfish and the amazing thing about starfish is that if they lose an arm they can grow another one.
Rock pools are important because they are like a big family to the creatures that live in them.

Toby McLeod - Room 8

2010-09-23T16:06:00.002+12:00

What lives in a rock pool? By Toby McLeod
A rock pool is a little pond made of rocks and when they tide come in you can’t see them. All different creatures live in the rock pools and they need each other to survive.
If the starfish loses an arm it just grows back. Handle the crabs carefully or you’re in trouble because the giant nippers will snap your fingers. Mussels hold onto rocks and the tide comes in they open up and let the water come in and the water gives the mussels food. The cockabully can change colour wherever they swim so they don’t get eaten.
Please take care of the rock pools and the animals in them because they are a community.

Cory Hammond - Room 8

2010-09-23T16:06:00.001+12:00

Rock Pools by Cory Hammond
Rock pools are usually found at beaches. Rock pools are made by big crashing waves. Rock pools go up and down two times a day with the tide. If you look at one rock pool another rock pool will look very different and they can be dangerous. They can be dangerous because if a big wave comes you could get pushed into a rock and fall into the sea.
In the rock pool community lives starfish, perwinkles, crabs, mussels and star fish. Star fish need to stay in the water to stop them drying out. Perwinkles use slime as a seal to protect them from the sun and if a big wave comes they stick on the rock. Crabs go in crevices to stay away from predators and crabs protect themselves with their shelves and nippers.
I think rock pools are really cool and want to learn more about them.

Three Highland Sheep - Kees Van’t Wout, Room 5.

2010-08-17T15:12:00.001+12:00

The sky looks like bad weather is coming. I can see purple and grey clouds. There is a tall mountain with snow on the top. At the end of the mountain there is a loch that you can just see. There is green and yellow grass, with silver rocks on top.
I see sheep looking straight at us. I wonder what they are thinking?

Three Highland Sheep - Adam Scammell, Room 5.

2010-08-17T15:11:00.000+12:00

I see grey, black and white clouds drifting slowly across the big blue sky. I see brown mountains with white snow on the top. I also see big black scary shadows. I can just see the loch. I think the loch leads to a little waterfall, so the water goes through the rocks to feed the plants.

Three Highland Sheep - Madison Baker, Room 5.

2010-08-17T15:10:00.000+12:00

The sky looks like a blue and grey blanket. The mountain looks bare. You can just see a bit of the loch in the corner. There are some white rocks on the field. I think the sheep are thinking “I wonder if we are movie stars!”
The fence looks like it is crooked and old. It looks like there is a paddle in the front. The paddocks are full of long brown grass.

Gina Haddow

2010-07-26T12:20:00.001+12:00

I have a little brother,
I am eight
And he is three.
He has what mum calls
Little tantrums
I’d call them tsunamis.

I know all will be well
Until he doesn’t get his way
He even changes colour
When he’s about to let rip.

So me and mum ignore him
Mum says it’s for the best.
But I wish he could be like me
And learn to sulk instead.

Tim Chirnside

2010-07-26T12:19:00.000+12:00

I’m in a forest finding my friends Matt and Tommy. The forest is murky and there are huge snakes hanging off branches of spooky old trees. I am very scared. I hear footsteps. Someone is following me. I’m sure he’s bad. Bang!! A bolt of lightning struck a tree and there it was. The scariest man ever. Big, tall and skinny with a knife in his hand. He ran at me, I ducked and he came hurtling past me. I slowly walked on. “Aagh” I yelled as I fell and fell. I woke up and saw two people who looked vaguely like Matt and Tommy. My view focused and it was them. I had found them.

Alannah Knott

2010-07-26T12:18:00.004+12:00

Back in Shora everyone was thinking about tree storks and wheels. No one was thinking as hard as Lina. She was even thinking harder than Janus. Then she had something. She started to explain what she had thought of.
She started to write a letter to her cousin in New Zealand. The boys told her that it would take a few days. Lina admitted it and mumbled that the time would fly. The boys knew that they couldn’t wait so until that day there were going to look for another wheel.
“I’m going to look in the belltower” Pier and Dirk chorused together and set off. The other followed.
“How will we get in” Lina asked. “We’ll just climb the gate” Pier suggested. It took a while to get over the gate, but it was worth it. The only problem was that they didn’t have a key to open the door. Dirk had already thought of that and took the key before they left.
It took all of them to push open the door. As they looked into the cage in the church Lina said “Look a wheel”. They started to pull the wheel out of the church. It was really very heavy.
When they got to Janus’ house he was pleased with them and asked them where they would like to put that one. They decided to put it Janus’ house because he was very helpful with everything.
It took a while to put the wheel up but it looked really good.
The next day Lina looked in the post box. There was a little parcel. “Its here” Lina wailed. It echoed down the street. The boys came running. “Look what I’ve got” yelled Lina. Jella muttered “Seed, What are seeds for”. “Remember the plan” said Lina.
So everyone got a handful of seeds and buried them all over Shora.
So from now on in Shora storks nest, trees grow and there are wheels on every roof.

Jared Preston

2010-07-26T12:18:00.003+12:00

Janus and the children had been making a wheel. Janus started to worry. “What’s wrong?” asked Jella.
“Nothing” mumbled Janus. The two storks knew something was up. They started to build a nest.
More and more storks had come over to Shora.
There was another wheel on Janus’ house. No storks had landed to make a nest on it though. Everyone was looking for wood but there was none. The children had found some drift wood when the tide was out but that was all.
One day at school Jella kept looking out the window at Janus’ wheel. “Storks on Janus’ wheel” he yelled. Suddenly everyone turned to the window. Janus had only just noticed the storks on his wheel.
Eventually they found enough wood to make more wheels. The storks were coming by the tens now. It was a wonderful sight in Shora. The little kids were watching the storks fly past. The storks loved their new home.

Ben Hackfath

2010-07-26T12:18:00.001+12:00

Boom, crash! Thunder and lightning crashed on the dyke. The school was quiet but the sea was not. It rumbled..... sound waves everywhere!
Jella and his cousin Jack rowed the crazy waves. They started quiet small but they got......BIG! Out in the distance there was a COR, COR. “Row, row” shouted Jella. “Ok” answered Jack. “Hey Jella, what was that cor cor sound? said Jack. “Storks! shouted Jella. Look! I can’t believe it. “Where the heck is it going? said Jack. “DOWN!” shouted Jella. Don’t just look at it!” shouted Jella. “Row! Row like mad! Come on” said Jella.
The stork was tumbling straight down..........but Jack caught the stork. Jella and Jack rowed back safely to shore.

Sam Clydesdale

2010-07-26T12:17:00.001+12:00

One day in Shora a gust of wind blew through the school window and hit poor Jella in the head. Jella’s face went red because the wind was like ice on a frosty day.
They didn’t mind the storks stomping along the roof. Surprisingly it helped them work.
When school was finished they went to help Grandmother Sibble the third put up a new wheel. They took an hour and a half to put it up.
When they got home they were cold so their Mum gave them a glass of chocolate milk and Pier and Dirk came back for seconds.
There was a problem with one of the storks. She would not move so Jella climbed the ladder and picked the stork up. She had a hole in her leg.
They took the stork to the vet. The vet couldn’t do anything about it except amputate it. So they did. They put the stork outside but she would not stand up on the old rotten wood. They took her into the room to get put down then they all cried loudly.
They went home and saw a bunch of storks standing on the frosty water. Pier and Jella were amazed that they could stand on the water like that. Jella thought they were a bunch of shiny snow balls.
The storks were flying into Shora faster than lightning. They landed on top of the wheel on the school.
The next day they were gone but they weren’t gone they were dead and lying on the ground.

Daniel Thom

2010-07-26T12:16:00.000+12:00

One sunny morning in Shora someone called Blade came. “Another place deserted” moaned Blade.
Then he took something out of a bag he had with him. It was gold with all sorts of buttons on it, but they were all in code.
Blade pushed one of the buttons. Black clouds started to cover the sun as wind blew fish on the dyke and the wind slammed windows and then the glass broke.
It doesn’t stop there as lightning made power cuts.
The dyke then shook violently making it very dangerous to walk on.
Unfortunately Jella came and almost got electrocuted by the lightning. The wind then blew the gold device into the water.
“No, now I can’t control the weather!” Blade yelled so loudly that everyone in Shora came.
Lina didn’t care who Blade was. She just yelled “how do we stop this?”
“Blow it up” Blade interrupted. “I’ve got a gun.”
“I think I can......” BANG !!!!! BOOM!!!!!! The storm was getting worse. BANG! The storm stopped then Janus heard something.
The storks had babies. “Awww” everyone said.