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Our talented students have you covered! They created this tutorial for you in just 30 minutes! Watch their hilarious guide and remember, our school app is the main way we share important news, notices, and updates with whanau. See Anneke in the office if you need help downloading and working on it. In Room One we have been learning about ANZAC Day. We imagined ourselves as soldiers on the battlefield and wrote postcards home to our loved ones. We used our creativity and empathy to think about what life may have been like for the soldiers during the war. I had three beautiful tamariki come and share their writing with me this afternoon. This was after the ANZAC service that Te Kakano held yesterday. Their goals are individual and they could tell me exactly what they were - use finger spaces between each word and write sentences independently. They were so proud of their writing and are super excited that tomorrow their teacher will show this clip on the big screen in the classroom! All three had huge smiles with their Deputy Principal stickers either proudly displayed on their uniform or in their book. Ka pai tamariki, what awesome authors you are! Over the past week, students in Room 15 have been learning about ANZAC Day and the important role it plays in New Zealand’s history and identity. We have been focusing on helping students build a deeper understanding of not only the events of World War One, but also the impact war had on people, families, and communities both in New Zealand and around the world. To support this learning, students have been using a variety of texts and resources to develop their reading comprehension skills, including identifying key ideas, making inferences, and using evidence from the text to support their thinking. As part of our class learning, students have been brainstorming and discussing the ways war affected people both on the battlefield and at home. We talked about the challenges soldiers faced, the emotions families experienced, and the long-lasting effects on countries after the war ended. These discussions have supported students to think critically and empathetically about history and its significance. Yesterday, students worked together to unpack the meaning of remembrance and reflect on what ANZAC Day represents today. Here are some of the key ideas students explored:
“I learned some people who survived and came home from the war may have later died from injuries, and they suffered from PTSD” – Amaya Duggaraju “People risked their lives for us, ANZAC Day is to remember those who have fallen.” – Tama Duncan “I learned there is a purple poppy, to remember the horses and other animals that served in the war with the soldiers” – Billie-Mae  We are incredibly proud to celebrate a special group of boys who have been recognised with our Manaakitanga Awards. Each of these students was initially identified for the genuine care and kindness they show towards a younger student in our school, taking the time to include him, communicate with him, and ensure he feels a true sense of belonging. What has been even more powerful is that, once nominated, so many more stories from teachers and teacher aide's began to emerge. Stories of encouragement at camp, quiet leadership, supporting classmates with their learning, noticing when others need help, and consistently choosing kindness in both big and small ways. These boys remind us that Manaakitanga is not just one action, it’s a way of being. It’s shown through inclusion, empathy, respect, and the everyday choices to lift others up. You are all making a meaningful difference in our school, and we couldn’t be prouder. Keep leading the way. Manaakitanga is a foundational Māori value embodying hospitality, care, respect, and generosity, fundamentally aimed at uplifting the mana (prestige/spirit) of others. Derived from mana and aki (to uphold), it means supporting, caring for, and nurturing relationships, often extending to caring for the environment (kaitiakitanga).
 In Room 14, we have been writing stories about monsters using characters, similes and dialogue. Here are some snippets.
Furry the angry monster eats his prey in the deep sea where no one ever dares to go. Boats scattered all around the sea. Furry wished for a monster friend. Later that night, he looked around and saw the friend that he had been waiting for. He looked as friendly as a brother… By Fletcher The Megaoctopus emerged from the deep. He lived in the stormy seas where ships vanished to the ocean floor never to be seen again. Captain Seahong trapped the ships that vanished in 1847… By Mindy The Mermaid Monster was lurking in the forest to find water. Each day, she tried to look for more water but there was none anywhere. Then another monster came along and told her where to find some water. The problem was that the water was protected by a big boss… By Zodiac Robyir the monster robbed a shop. He was tired from robbing the shop so he went to his dark black cave. The next day a fox came to the little dark black cave. The fox ran into the cave and he hid there with the monster. The fo got a fright. The monster said, “Who are you?” I am Robyir… By Ollie The deep dark creature lives in the watery cave that is 400m wide and 400m tall. He has two eyes in the middle of his mouth as well as his teeth. His rib bones are exposed and you can see his beating heart. It is terrifying! By Elijah The Megladon crashed into my boat. I had to fight the Megladon. It lives in the deep sea. Don’t go near it, it will swallow you whole. He was as big as a blue whale. Along came Captain Barnickles, caught him and put a tracker on him. He swam as fast as a dog fish. “I’ll see you later, " said Captain Barnickles… By Landen The Megladon lurked under the waves. He was as huge as a tower. He wanted a new friend. One day a monster friend came along. He was named Fangor. By Jake The Teketeke is a no legged monster. He lives in Tokyo, Japan. He lurks around you on the trains. He is very dangerous. He comes out in the dark tunnels. People dare not go there because he is as slimy as an octopus. By Moana The Silk Monster, named Lilly, lived in a small silky cottage. It sat in the middle of a stormy island. But the problem was the Giant, Mr Stampalot. Lilly did not like the Giant. He stamped and crashed his feet everywhere when he walked. Lilly’s body shook timidly when he came in sight… By Indie The Hallway monster waits for its moment to pounce. He lives in the shadowy, scary ends of hallways. When his moment came, he jumped out of the shadows and landed on a little girl named Aleisha. Aleisha screamed so loudly that it woke the neighbours. When the neighbours woke… By Amalia  Floyd Beale attends the Horse Riding program each week.
This year at their break-up, Floyd was presented with the Dawson Family Memorial Trophy for Animal kinship and connection. This is a very special award and Floyd is the very first recipient of this trophy. Well done Floyd. Keep up the good work, we are all very proud of you.  You cannot survive school unless you are friends with everyone.
If you see smoke, RUN!!! Fire, Fire! If you hear someone scream Markus, that means something is broken. Never get in the way of Kristine’s vacuum. Leave your chocolate at home. Beware of all the noise, bring earplugs so you can survive. Don’t wear muddy shoes in class you will get on the teacher's bad side. You can’t survive when everyone has a better lunch than you. In order to survive school stay away from Room 12, nah just joking but still run for your life. Don’t waste tape…it’s a waste of money. Never bring up 67, follow my advice. Do not leave your classroom sports equipment out or the PE shed takes it! Make sure that you know when anything bad or mysterious happens, it was Markus! Have fun and treat others with kindness. Try not to tighten your sunhat too much or you will get a red mark on your forehead. Stay away from the attacking bees and wasps! Don’t question Mrs Pasco or Miss Prattley…you have been warned. Stay away from trouble. Don’t climb the skinny branches, your legs have been warned. Stay away from bees! Don’t backchat or you will get on the teacher’s bad side. Beware of Mr English’s lawn mower!    Ayden and Fletcher from Room 14 have turned a simple learning-through-play idea into an inspiring real-world project! It all began with a prototype skate ramp they built during class. Excited by their design, the boys decided they wanted to create a full-sized ramp for our school.
What followed was a huge amount of hands-on learning: drawing up detailed plans, pricing materials, writing emails for permission, and organising a fundraising strategy. They settled on hosting a sausage sizzle, created order slips to send home, and today proudly ran their very own BBQ. Lunchtime was full of happy faces—and full tummies! The boys made an impressive $125 profit, which will go directly toward building their real ramp for all students to enjoy. So watch this space! A big thank you to Ayden’s grandma for her wonderful help on the grill. Well done, Ayden and Fletcher! Your initiative, teamwork, and perseverance are something to celebrate. |
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