Little Lunch

Unable to control his impulses, Rory bites Melanie on the hand. When he is punished and sent to the Principal's office, the other kids feel sorry for him and try to cheer him up. As the children discuss Rory's behavioural issues with the interviewer, they reveal they understand that Rory never means to be naughty; he just can't help it.

On Dress-Up-As-What-You-Want-To-Be-When-You-Grow-Up-Day, Battie dresses up as Stretcho, his very own made up super hero. Melanie has tried to come as a vet, but as she forgot to tell her Mum in advance, doesn't have a proper uniform and has had to accessorize with her pet dog. Usually, Battie is very scared of dogs, but maybe being dressed as Stretcho will for once make him brave.

The children discuss that Atticus has been acting strangely all week and that it might have something to do with his parents going away. Atticus confesses that he is upset because he is starving. His Ya-Ya (grandmother) has been looking after him and cooking weird food that Atticus hates. But he is surprised to discover that not everyone thinks his Ya-Ya's cooking is so horrible.

Tamara is very good on the monkey bars because she uses them every day. Melanie is not very good on the monkey bars because Tamara never lets her on them. When Melanie demands a proper turn on the monkey bars, Tamara is outraged. A battle of wills begins: who can hang on the monkey bars the longest? It's a very tough competition.

After Mrs Gonsha bravely rescues a tiny boy from the top of the playground equipment, she can't get down herself. The children slowly realise that Mrs Gonsha isn't stuck, but she's too scared to move because she's terrified of heights. Somehow, they must think of a way to make her overcome her fear and get her down to safety.

Debra-Jo is very upset when she loses her glasses so the children take her to the Lost and Found box to look for them. Debra-Jo, who does not normally lose things, is horrified to see the huge mound of abandoned clothes, toys and lunchboxes, but the other kids are overjoyed as they discover all their long-lost own belongings.

Rory has forgotten his lunch, again, and the other children have had enough. They refuse to give him any more of their food. Rory is starving and, in desperation, decides to go to the milk bar. Knowing he is breaking a big school rule, he must convince the other kids to keep his secret from Mrs Gonsha.

Debra-Jo and Tamara each enter the school talent quest but discover to their horror that they are performing the same song. Scared of being outdone by the other, they ask Melanie to choose who will be better. Melanie refuses to pick a side, so Debra-Jo and Tamara stop speaking to her, and each other.

Tamara unexpectedly wants to play kiss chasey but the only person she want to chase and kiss is Battie. When Battie refuses to play, Tamara tries to find a different way to get his attention. After Battie casually mentions that he enjoys watching the Olympics, Tamara hosts her own Olympic games in the playground.

Melanie thinks she discovers a possum's head in the sand pit, and refuses to believe that it's actually Rory's craft project made out of a pine-cone and toilet paper. When Debra-Jo realises that Melanie is mourning her pet rabbit, who died while they were away at camp, she talks the other children into giving the possum-pinecone a funeral, so Melanie can say goodbye.

Bored during a rainy little lunch, Atticus starts a band and makes Battie reluctantly join too. Soon, the other kids are excitedly part of the band too as Atticus seconds Melanie as a stylist, Tamara as a choreographer and Debra-Jo as head of marketing. Battie's only hope of getting out of the band is Rory, who he can always count on for disrupting any activity.

Debra-Jo cannot understand how Tamara's favourite day of the year could be when the class does the beep test fitness assessment, but it is. On beep test day, Tamara is very excited, but after she sprains her ankle and can't join in, she decides to be Debra-Jo's beep test coach instead. Debra-Jo, who hates the beep test, and did not ask for a coach, takes part - with surprising results.

On a very hot day, Atticus decides to distract everyone one with a joke telling competition. While everyone takes turns to take the stage and tell a joke, Melanie panics at the thought of setting up in front of everyone. But, sick of being left out of fun things because of her shyness, she slowly and determinedly forces herself to tell a joke.

Battie loves the old climbing tree in the playground where he goes to sit and think. Debra-Jo thinks that the old climbing tree is dangerous and should be chopped down. The children are divided and form camps to embark on a campaign to get their way. And some campaigns are a bit sneakier than others.

Most days, Rory kicks the ball over the fence, hits the council windows and is promptly sent to sit in the Principal's office. Today, he is trying very hard not to do that, by kicking the ball to the other kids instead. But after the kicking game becomes really, really boring, Rory is forced to devise an elaborate and confusing ball game that will keep everyone's attention.

For the birthday party of Max and Elsa, the weird twins, Mrs Gonsha makes a pavlova, which looks delicious. When Tamara burns her hand on the sparklers and Mrs Gonsha takes her to sickbay, the children can't help but sample the pavlova. Imagine their surprise when it is the most disgusting thing that they have ever eaten.

Melanie is very upset when Tamara 'germblocks' Melanie, the rule that forces someone to be isolated if they have done something disgusting. Tamara has accused Melanie of not washing her hands after going to the toilet, a claim which seems unlikely to Atticus and Debra-Jo, who decide to investigate what really happened.

After last year's Grandparent's Day was a disaster, Mrs Gonsha is determined to make this year's celebration a great success. She has asked Battie's grandfather, a renowned inventor, to be the guest of honour. But when the day arrives, Battie goes into hiding with a painful secret. He doesn't know how to tell Mrs Gonsha that his grandfather is in hospital and won't be able to come.

When Melanie decides to have a cake stall to raise money for homeless puppies, she asks Debra-Jo and Tamara for help. After Mrs Gonsha rewards the girls, Atticus gets jealous and sets up a rival fundraiser; Battie's Dad has diabetes, which seems like a worthy cause. The children's fundraising efforts quickly deteriorate into a food fight that unfortunately finds its way to Mrs Gonsha's face.

The children face the difficult task of finding the right partner to be their walking buddy for the walk-a-thon. Tamara, determined to find the companion who will allow her to do the most laps, decides to interview for the position. Atticus, tired of being partnered with Rory who always seems to get them disqualified, seems like the perfect candidate.

During a very windy little lunch, Mrs Gonsha insists the wildly behaving class comes inside to do some yoga. Debra-Jo is horrified at the thought of exercise during playtime but Mrs Gonsha is determined to get the children to calm down and be tranquil. The yoga works and before long the class is quiet and relaxed. Maybe too relaxed, as Mrs Gonsha discovers after she falls asleep.

After the kids see a health van parked in the playground, rumours fly about what it's doing there. Debra-Jo begins to act very strangely, and tries to create reasons for her to suddenly leave school. When she finally confesses to Mrs Gonsha that she thinks she might have headlice, Mrs Gonsha expresses surprise: there is no health van. So what is the mysterious bus in the playground?

When Rory announces that he wants to be the Prime-Minister, Mrs Gonsha suggests that they have their own election. Debra-Jo runs against Rory, and Tamara, eager to run on a platform about sport, joins the campaign trail too. The three candidates must convince the entire class to vote for them and, just when Debra-Jo is looking like a shoo-in, she makes an unpopular election promise.

When Max and Elsa, the weird twins, suddenly leave class without a note, everyone speculates as to why they disappeared. Before long, a ridiculous rumour chain is circulating. Battie, who knows the real reason the twins left, can't get the others to listen to him, but when Rory announces there has been a murder and seals off a crime scene, he can't take it any more.

Atticus decides to start a secret club with Rory, but after Rory invites everyone else to join, Atticus gets cross. Atticus insists on making strict rules for the club, but when everyone keeps breaking them, he loses his temper and kicks everyone out. It's only when he's all alone that Atticus remembers he actually hates strict rules himself, and he goes off to find his friends.