Piwakawaka class: As part of a Māori Myths and Legends unit, Piwakawaka read “How Maui Slowed the Sun” by Peter Gossage. In Māori mythology, Māui, with the help of his brothers, harnessed the sun to slow it down so that the days would be longer and they would all have more time to find food.We looked at symmetry in maths and linked this to the intricate patterns on Maui’s face. Red, yellow and orange blended dye was used to create a glowing sun.
Photos of their Art Work in here:

In preparation for our upcoming art exhibition, our class has been immersed in hands-on art activities. Through sculpting, and crafting, Ruru has expressed their creativity and explored various techniques. This exhibition will showcase the vibrant and imaginative works produced by our busy hands, highlighting the enthusiasm and dedication of each young artist in our Ruru class.

Takahe kicked off Science Week with an amazing experiment conducted by Catherine Marusich from St Ignatius School. We were very grateful to have an expert to teach us about Science. 

Through this lesson, Takahe learnt one of the most important elements of being a scientist which is to gather and interpret data. 

The experiment that was conducted was a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, warm yeast, dishwashing liquid and food colouring. Takahe listened and watched carefully as Mrs Marusich conducted the experiment. Students then had to take down some key notes about the experiment just as any scientist would do. We had a fun, engaging and informative lesson and were excited to try to think like a scientist whenever and wherever we are.  

Here are some pictures of the experiment and impressive note-taking! 

Our Kea students have captured the events of Holy Week through drawings in this fun and creative Lenten art.  The students have been fully engaged in learning about Jesus' journey through Lent.  We looked at the main events that took place during Holy Week.  We thought of different images that we could use to illustrate each event.

The students are very proud of their artwork and what each image represents to them.

As we journey through Holy Week next week, we are reminded of God's infinite mercy for all of us, in which we grow closer to Him in love.

We hope you enjoy our art.

Kea Class

On Monday morning bright and early the Year 6 students headed off to camp at MERC in Long Bay. While they were there they did group challenges, outdoor survival, boating safety, raft building, kayaking and the giants ladder. They showed perseverance through the weather and the challenges this presented to them. The students showed great resilience by challenging themselves to take part in activities they were afraid of and achieving more than they thought they could. There was an amazing camp concert on Monday night with some great dancing and singing with some very funny jokes to keep us all entertained. The Year 6s were an amazing group of students to take away, and we had so much fun! It was great to see the students in a new environment working together to solve problems and complete challenges.

Last week we marked the beginning of the Season of Lent by attending Ash Wednesday Mass. Lent is a very important period in the Catholic Calendar, and the next 40 days is a time to pray, help others, give generously, and perhaps "give up" something as we reflect on how we can become closer to God, as we lead up to Easter.

Prior to Ash Wednesday, Kea, Ruru and Kakariki classes observed the tradition of Shrove Tuesday by making pancakes in class. Shrove Tuesday originated as a day when Catholics around the world would traditionally use up ingredients, such as eggs and milk, that they would be "giving up" during Lent.

Summertime is a joy for kids and whanau across the country, however, warmer weather encourages us to seek outdoor activities and enjoy the best New Zealand has to offer. With this in mind the Pīwakawaka children have been very busy learning how to stay safe in the sun and around water this Summer. Here are a few reminders to be mindful of as the Summer approaches.

WATER SAFETY
As we near to the end of our extremely important annual swimming lessons at Swimtastic, the children have been learning how to stay safe when in a swimming pool. We have been talking about the importance of staying safe around water. The children know that they must never swim without an adult present, they have learned how to safely enter and exit the water. The lovely team at Swimtastic have been teaching your children water familiarisation, water confidence, how to blow bubbles underwater, lie on their backs and float and to swim safely.

SUN SAFETY
This term we have talked a lot about how to stay safe in the sun and at the beach. Remember, the first line of defence against the risk of sunburn is staying out of the sun and/or covering up. Try to plan activities for early or late in the day to avoid midday exposure. It is recommended to use shade wherever possible if you are outdoors in the heat of the day. Hats and cool long-sleeved tops keep the beating sun off vulnerable faces, necks, and arms when exposure is intermittent.
We learned the four important things to remember:
SLIP- on a long-sleeved top
SLOP- on the sunscreen
SLAP- on a hat
WRAP- on sunglasses

BEACH SAFETY
Choose a beach displaying red and yellow patrol flags, and swim between them so, there is an active lifeguard patrol available at all times.
Be aware of the conditions at the beach. Waves, wind, and tides can affect swimming conditions, and the better you understand these, the more you’ll be able to keep your family safe.
A strong current of water running out to sea is called a rip, and poses a real danger to swimmers. Teach older children what to do if they get caught in a rip. Don’t panic, don’t try to swim against it, but let the rip carry you until the current subsides. Then, swim parallel to the beach until well clear of the rip and, finally, swim back to shore.

STAY HYDRATED!

In contrast to the scares and spooks of Halloween, our school embraced the good, the true and the beautiful in their celebration of All Saints Day.  Kakariki Class learned about some inspiring Catholic saints leading up to our dress up day in order to grow their knowledge of the multitude of saintly friends happy to help us from heaven.  Our All Saints Day celebrations tied in nicely with our Communion of Saints strand, where we learn about the big, Catholic family we are part of: Church Suffering (the holy souls in purgatory), the Church Triumphant (the saints in heaven) and the Church Militant (that's us!).  The effort parents and children went to was most impressive and the clever details and props used by children in their costumes showed that lots of learning had taken place.  We had a variety of saints costumes in our class and some saintly behaviour as well.  Thank you for getting into the spirit of the day and I hope we continue learning more about our heavenly friends.