Our Unit on Cultural Diversity The children have been exploring some of the ways in which groups of people express their cultural identity. Pride in national dress was a topic that fostered much discussion and opportunity to use descriptive language in their writing. Vianca was keen to find out if we could wrap all those metres of fabric around her tiny waist. Sari can be worn in a number of different ways. A choli or midriff blouse is worn under the top of the sari.

Here are a few of the many images that were discussed by the children

Celebrating Raksha Bandhan

On August 2nd 2012, the Hindu festival Raksha Bandhan was celebrated by a number of families within our school. On Raksha Bandhan it is customary for sisters to tie a Rakhi (a crafted and decorated silk thread) onto the right wrist of their brother as a symbol of their love and protection. The brother in return pledges to take care of his sister/s.

A group of ESOL children from Rooms 7 and 9 wrote about Raksha Bandhan and what it means to them. Aki wrote that the festival was very special to him. It was a day when he felt very important. Aki received this bracelet from his grandparents.

One of Rishik's bracelets came from his female cousin in America. We thank Rishik's mother for bringing the festival to our attention. We also thank Suma from Room 25 for speaking to her peer group about the festival.

Our Senior ESOL Group's Trip to Riccarton Bush

In Term Three it is hoped that this same group of students will be able to share their work on Riccarton Bush (as a forest study) at an ESOL parent gathering. The students will briefly share some of the highlights and photos of the trip in the blog. Trudy: On Tuesday the senior ESOL group went to Riccarton Bush to look at a forest that was in existence long before the Deans family arrived in New Zealand. The Deans family came to Christchurch in 1843 and built a cottage as a short-term home. Mahnaz: The Dean's house was very different to the houses I would see in my country. It was large and colourful. It was damaged in the earthquake so we were not able to go inside.

Lilly: When we walked through the forest we saw interesting little trees and plants growing at ground level. We even saw fungus growing on trees.

Suma's Report: Her Inquiry Question: How can a country like India with such a large population be economically strong? This is what Suma found out: There are seven billion people living in India. This is 17.3% of the World’s population. While there are many people that are rich in India, like China because of their large populations, these countries also have many poor people.

In this photo, the city skyline sits behind people living and working in the streets of Delhi. There is no minimum wage in India so the poorest people can live on only 65 cents a day. Could you do that in New Zealand? I don’t think so. It is believed that 36% of India’s population live on less than $1 a day. It seems strange that India is now one of the wealthiest countries in the world. So how do they do it? The main reason is that middle class families often send their children overseas to be educated. It is very difficult to get places in top universities. Families move to give their children chances to became better qualified. These people take skills back to India to set up businesses. These businesses can make lots of money.

But How Do They Do This? If a person starts a new business it is because they have a vision for their own company. They start their business on their own. They make their business rich by working hard and controlling what happens. They don’t have partners when they start their company but they bring others in to make their company strong and competitive. Did you know that 4 out of 8 of the wealthiest people in the world are Indian? People and companies outside of India arrange to have Indian companies make their products. The reason is because the worker get less in wages.

Parent Teacher Interviews These are coming up in Week 10. Please remember to make an appointment to see your classroom teacher if you would like to discuss the content of your child's report. If you are unsure of how to book an interview please speak to the office staff or the ESOL teacher. If you need support with translation, please make contact with the ESOL teacher in Week 9 or let your classroom teacher know. 家长教师访谈：10周 请记住预约看到你的任课老师，如果你想你的孩子的报告，讨论内容。如果您需要与翻译的支持，请在第9周接触的ESOL教师或让你的任课老师知道。 مقابلات الآباء والمعلمين في الأسبوع 10يرجى الاتصال معلمك الفصل الدراسي أو المدرس ESOL إذا احتجت لمساعدة في الترجمة. 10週の親教師インタビュー あなたが翻訳を手伝う必要がある場合は、教室の先生やESOLの先生に連絡してください。

Wow, eggs really are scrumptious One of our Year 2/3 ESOL groups read the book 'Eggs for Breakfast'. After discussing the content it was decided that a shared breakfast might be a great way to gain vocabulary linked to the preparation of a meal. Rather than have boiled eggs and toast, 'French Toast' with grilled banana and 'Maple Syrup' seemed that much more palatable. The names of the ingredients, cooking utensils and the cooking process provided the children with much new vocabulary. The children took turns at whisking the eggs or flipping the French Toast. Everyone found the flavour to their liking. Here are some photographs taken of our shared breakfast: