Tui Class Spotlight

Tui class have been busy diving into some exciting science investigations over the past few weeks. Following on from our Term 1 topic (where we learned how our Pacific and European ancestors navigated their journeys across the Pacific Ocean and explored the voyaging vessels they use), we moved onto a more scientific focus this term: investigating floating and sinking. We have been fortunate to have access to the House of Science ‘Float My Boat’ kit. It has been a fantastic resource to guide our learning and provide practical activities that the students have loved. 

The students began by predicting, then testing, a variety of everyday objects to see if they would float or sink, introducing them to the concept of density. Next, they engineered their own boats out of tin foil. Through trial and error, they discovered that a boat’s buoyancy depends heavily on its size and shape. This directly influenced how many washers their boats could carry before taking on water!  The students then extended their understanding by calculating the density of several regular-shaped solid materials, looking closely at the relationship between volume and mass. We are still in the process of analysing these results and comparing the materials' densities to that of water to see if those with a density less than water do, in fact, float.

Lastly, Tui students had a great time attempting the 'flinking' challenge. Their task was to create a ‘flinker’ -an object placed in a container of water that neither floats on the top nor sinks to the bottom, but suspends itself right in the middle of the water. Using a variety of small objects like buttons, pins, washers, and paperclips, they attempted to weigh down either a floating polystyrene ball or a bottle cork to achieve perfect buoyancy... with some mixed results!

Kākāriki Class has been learning all about water, from the 5 oceans of our world to our New Zealand marine animals, to water in our homes, and in our local area.  Excursions (Kelly Tarlton's in Term One) and incursions (from Watercare in Term Two) brought this topic to life.

Sarah, an educator from Watercare, visited to teach us about the differences between stormwater and wastewater.  We were fascinated to learn what happens when the wrong things go down the drain, and what we can do to improve the water quality in our local environment.  The children loved hearing about how our wastewater is cleaned before being allowed back into our ocean. They went outside to create a terrain with lakes and rivers to model the journey water makes from lakes, down rivers and smaller waterways to the sea. Ping pong balls were used as pollution, and as the water was poured onto our 'river' we saw how pollution can make its way into the sea to where our marine animals live.  We followed up this learning with whole-class reading all about stormwater and wastewater.  You would be surprised by how interesting this subject is to your children!

Sadly, our second lesson with Sarah from Watercare, had to be postponed, but later this term we plan to take the children to Bonnie Brae reserve to collect a water sample to see if there are bugs living in the water.  The presence, or absence, of water bugs will indicate the health of this body of water.

Most recently, the children have been exploring the concept of floating and sinking using lessons and activities from the "Float My Boat" kit from the House of Science.  They loved their Flinking Challenge, which developed the children's ideas of floating and sinking.  They were tasked with building an object that neither floated, nor sank, but which remained suspended in the water.  They were given polystyrene balls, paper clips, pegs and other materials to make an object which "Flinked".  You can see they had great fun.

The photos show just a few of the water-related learning and activities we have taken part in so far.

Love Mrs Frogley and Kākāriki Class

Piwakawaka - Outdoor Learning

On Wednesday mornings, our Piwakawaka class has Outdoor Learning in the Enchanted Garden. This is a great opportunity to learn through play in the outdoors in our beautiful natural setting. Outdoor Learning covers so many learning areas like oral language, science, maths, health and physical education. This term we have been finding insects under tree roots, role playing restaurant owners in the mud kitchen, and designing our own obstacle courses with PE equipment. We love running, jumping, swinging, balancing, climbing and moving our bodies while we learn. We are so lucky to have our classroom right next door to the Enchanted Garden, and we have been very lucky with good weather so far!

This week in Kiwi C, we had lots of fun learning about Chinese New Year and making our own bright lanterns. We included the colour red because in Chinese culture it is believed to bring good luck, happiness, and protection. Red decorations are often used during celebrations to help welcome a lucky and joyful year ahead. This year, Chinese New Year began on Tuesday, 17 February and marks the start of the Year of the Fire Horse, a rare and energetic sign that combines the strength of the horse with the passionate Fire element in the Chinese zodiac. The Festival celebrations are rich with traditions like family reunions, symbolic foods, decorative lanterns, and wishes for prosperity that continue for about two weeks, ending with the Lantern Festival. Our students particularly enjoyed learning about these cultural customs and creating lanterns inspired by this vibrant celebration. Well done Kiwi C, the lanterns look amazing!

Kākāriki Class Go Swimming!

Swimming is a highlight of the year for many Mt Carmel children, and Kākāriki class is no exception.  The children enjoy the break from our regular timetable and the opportunity to get into a new, exciting routine of changing, walking to Meadowbank Road to catch the bus to Swimtastic.  The bus ride is very often the biggest highlight for the children, and the seats at the back of the bus are highly prized.

On our travels to the pool and back, we practise using our manners, 'Good morning / good afternoon / thank you, Driver,' and we learn to be considerate when using a space that is also used by members of the public.  When out in public in their school uniforms, the children represent Mt Carmel School, so these are important skills to learn.

The children give their very best in swimming lessons and make good progress over the 8 sessions.  They love meeting new swim teachers and spending time with their friends in the water.  Swimming is a challenging activity, so the children have the opportunity to develop determination and resilience as they practice new strokes and skills.  The children are always calm and content after all the exertion in the pool, and Kākāriki class love being completely silent on the way back to school, showing off their exceptional self-control to appreciative bus drivers.

We decided to do some writing drawing on our experiences at swimming this year, so the children were given the opportunity to do some free-writing or poetry to express their ideas.  Children wrote about water, swimming caps and goggles, all of which became old friends during their swimming lessons.  Some children really showed an understanding of how language not only provides enjoyment but can also be a vehicle whereby they develop their own personal voice and identity.  The children were given guidance to create their responses but were also allowed free reign to express themselves as they wished.

We hope you enjoy their efforts.

Ngā mihi nui

As we get closer to the end of the year, Kakapo decided to create a piece of art that allowed us to look towards one of the most enjoyable times of the year. Our Nativity Art let us show off our skills around linework and painting with watercolours. As Kakapo created their pieces, it allowed us to reflect on the coming season and understand what Christmas means to us as a celebration of the birth of Jesus.

Kakapo started with our linework, ensuring that we used rulers to make sure we had straight lines in order to give our painting a stained-glass effect. We then moved on to watercolour painting. We used a variety of colours in the background for our stained-glass pieces and used yellow and orange on the area that was shining down on Jesus in the manger. To finish it all off we then added glitter to our stars.

We thoroughly enjoyed making our Nativity Art and are proud to currently have it displayed in the office!

Here are some photos of the painting in action.

Pukeko Portraits:

At Mt Carmel, we believe every child is uniquely created in the image of God - loved, valued and special. Our painted portraits are a celebration of that belief. Through our portrait art, our Pukeko's explored their identity and expressed who they are with creativity and confidence.

As part of the process, our children carefully placed newspaper backgrounds around their portraits using spatial awareness and mathematical thinking. They considered shape, balance and proportion when painting on their noses, eyes and mouths. This hands-on experience helped reinforce key maths concepts in a meaningful, visual way.

These portraits are more than just artwork, each one is a reminder that every child belongs, every voice matters and every face tells a story of someone wonderfully made.