On the first day of school this year we welcomed 22 new children to Mt Carmel.  We got a photo of some of them as they turned up with their families to wish them well on their first day here.

Mt Carmel turned into a sea of green on Tuesday for Mt Carmel’s Nude Food Day.

You are no doubt aware that this term’s topic, throughout the school, is Trash to Treasure/Sustainability (We use the Earth’s resources with respect).

Nude Food Day seemed to be the perfect way to kick things off, showing how easy it is to reduce and reuse when we try.  It was great to see 245 Mt Carmel kids with reusable containers, sturdy drink bottles and we also spotted a few beeswax wrapped sandwiches and snacks. Since we began our WasteWise journey in 2012 we have seen a steady decline in the amount of litter brought to school each day but there are still several chip packets, biscuit wrappers, drink cartons with straws and Glad Wrap snacks/sandwiches which make their way into some lunch boxes on a regular basis. Maybe the fantastic achievement of today could become a regular routine for all our Mt Carmel families.

Our winning beeswax wrap designs are selling fast but there are still some left (on sale in our online shop) so why not ditch the plastic wrap for good and invest in an earth friendly alternative!

In the last week of term 1 we were fortunate to hit a break in the rainy, stormy weather as we held our annual Junior Athletics Afternoon.

Video Credit: Frogley Family

Our Mt Carmel students have had lots of fun getting familiar with control technology with the use of Bee-Bots and Sphero. It is a great way to encourage students to use directional language and to introduce simple programming. Thanks to the PTA for funding the purchase of these floor robots.

Earlier this term our Year 4 and 5 students each spent a day at Mairangi Bay Surf Lifesaving Club learning about Surf Safety. Mrs Louise Spora writes: "This was an invaluable day facilitated by experienced surf lifesavers. The students started the day in the classroom learning Beach Safety Rules, how to be sunsmart and what to do in a rip. The lifeguards then took the students onto the beach and they played some games which allowed them to practice using the lifesaving equipment. These skills were then transferred to the water where the students 'saved' each other using rescue tubes and finally ended the day with boogie board races. The students left exhausted but excited about taking their new skills with them on their next visit to a beach."

Our Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms enjoyed a session with Hamish from the Marist Rugby Club learning how to play Rippa Rugby.  Under 6's Rippa Rugby is played on Friday nights in Term 2 at the Marist Club in Panmure.  For more information on how to join, contact Hamish on 021 031 6665 or email [email protected]

Sixty Mt Carmel children formed 6 teams who completed against a number of teams from local Eastern schools at this year's Top Schools Competition organised by the Rotary Club.  Well done to all the children who worked brilliantly together and undertook the adventurous activities with enthusiasm and congratulations to the Year 3/4 team who were awarded Bronze medals.  Overall the water slide proved to be the most popular, particularly as the area at the bottom got very boggy over the course of the day!

At the beginning of March, all of our Year 6 students travelled to Long Bay to visit the Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre. The children first took part in problem solving games, which relied on them working as part of a team to complete a series of challenges. After this, the children split into groups to take part in abseiling and body boarding taught by the MERC Instructors. During the body boarding sessions the children first learnt all about rip tides and staying safe in the water, followed by a great time catching some fantastic waves.

As part of our topic for this term, ‘Our Place’, the Junior Team visited Mangere Mountain last week to learn more about Auckland’s volcanic field. Pūkeko, Ruru and Korimako visited on Wednesday, with Kea, Kākāriki and Hihi visiting on Friday. We started the day with a guided tour of the mountain before finishing the day with a variety of hands-on activities. Here are a selection of photos from the day.

Last week our Senior School students had a trip to Rangitoto - it was a gloriously sunny day.  We travelled into the city in style on a double decker bus, took a boat ride to the island and a walk to the top of the peak (a first for many children).  The children took many "selfies" with the views in the background and they explored other parts of the island as they descended, particularly enjoying the lava caves.