Camp Preparation for 2015

We are in midst of organising camp for week three of term one next year. We need all medical and dietary information to be able to prepare the programme for our kids. We also need to give any dietary information to Rotoiti Camp as soon as possible so that they can make their planning preparations for 2015.

Please click on the link below and complete the form asap.

Camp Medical and Dietary Information

Elections

In the lead up to the NZ elections, students from Rata had the opportunity to visit Parliament. It was a very informative day about how Parliament works and the students also had the opportunity to visit the debating chamber. On the way to Parliament, we saw a protest march descend on the gates of Parliament - democracy in action.

Parliament - democracy in action. After visiting Parliament, students had the opportunity to practice democracy in action. In parties, students came up with games with limited sports equipment. Parties had to persuade their classmates to vote for their game by communicating visually in posters, demonstration and speeches. The successful game was played in sport time this Friday.

The results showed that parties had to form coalitions to make the 51% mark. Teams had to negotiate and decide what their bottom line was and what rules they would adapt.

Much to our amazement, students managed to form a five party coalition very quickly with the Benefit Party, Clyde Quay First, Competitive Party, DreamTeam and the Locals running Friday sports. Here is the game, leaders negotiated.

Campaigning - leaders deliver speeches to a captivated audience

Watch the game in action

Year 8 art

Year 8 art

At the moment the year 8’s have been creating art with Micheline. The artwork consists of 4 different styles of art such as, collage, water colors & pointillism.

Last week we worked on pointillism, we will continue to work on pointillism this week. Pointillism is a technique in which you use a cotton bud to decorate the paper. By the end you should have a lot of small dots.

By Anjali

Screen printing

On Thursday 31st of July, we did screen printing, which is a form of art because our inquiry this term is art. Here are some pictures of us doing it.

Thursday Art

Students across Kahikatea, Matai, Totara, Rata and Nikau began their art workshops this week. Each Thursday over the next five weeks, students will learn different painting, printing and sketching techniques with teachers from across the senior school. After the workshops, students will apply the different techniques they learned to make a piece that will be exhibited at our senior school art exhibition at the end of term.

Year 7 and 8 sport Soft ball

Last term we practiced and play soft ball and we have been doing a tournament and now we are doing the finals here are some pictures of the finals.

Year 8 art

Year 8 art

At the moment the year 8's are creating pieces of art. For the art piece each student is tracing a country of their choice. we then split the paper into four segments. In each segment we will add a different type of art. 

Some year 8 students discussing the style of a year 7's art.

A student writing observations about this work by a year 7.

Some students discussing another artwork.

By 

Anjali & Grace, Year 8's 

 

Term 2, 2104

Welcome back to Term 2

After a restful break, students have returned and completed their e-folios about camp. These will be up on the internet and ready for viewing anytime soon. We have now started own science inquiry into weather.

Upper Hutt never looked so good

The weather in Upper Hutt is looking better than here. We have a forecast for no rain during the day today and tomorrow with just light drizzles overnight. We've even had word that the sun is trying to push through.

The ranger says the ground is in great condition as it needed to be dampened.

We still need your child to be rugged up and prepared for any weather.

See you soon :)

Matiu-Somes trip

Matiu-Somes trip will be happening today. Please make sure your children are wearing warm underclothing - polyprops are ideal - and waterproof jackets, rain pants if you have them and sturdy shoes. The met service suggests wearing three layers of clothes and a rain jacket.

There are shelters over there and if worse comes to worse we can take an earlier ferry back. We'll be in touch with school so please keep an eye on the website from 1 pm.

If we do come back early and you can't collect your child at 3 p.m. We will supervise until 4.30.

See you at 8.30.

Camp Kaitoke update will come via the school website by 10 a.m.

Trench warfare

Yesterday, Rata and Nikau created a reenactment of WW1 Gallipoli to help our stories we are creating about Gallipoli. We were in the hall and brought tables and newspaper from our classes, and then pushed everything away from the walls. It was decided that Rata would be the Turks and Nikau would be the ANZACS. We started with putting up tables to make the trench walls then we covered them with newspaper and other paper. We made forward posts and tunnels into No Man Land. Finally time was up and the trench’s looked awesome. We huddled together for there was not much room inside our trenches.
We sat down to some quality writing time for our Gallipoli pieces. Suddenly the bombs started [Leon and Micheline had put on some ww1 music ] .
It was a competition to see which side won and the teachers took points off for talking or poking your head over the trench wall. For hours we sat, not knowing what was happening over the other side. We even ate in the trenches – it got so smelly. Someone even farted.
After some quality writing in the heat and smell and scary noises, we built periscopes to see the other side using mirrors and newspaper. Then we took turns spotting the other side as they stood up to throw ‘hand bombs’. Soon the hand grenades destroyed the trenches and then it was time to take down the trenches.

By Joe and Millie

Cooking Pikelets

On Friday March 14, Rata and Nikau students got into their cooking groups and cooked pikelets on gas cookers in preparation for camping at Kaitoke. Some groups realised the importance of making sure they brought all their ingredients and equipment. With some sharing and racing home (something that they won't be able to do at camp) everyone got to enjoy hot pikelets. 

Preparing for camp

Students had their first go at putting up tents in preparation for camp. Take a look at their progress. We also began our meal planning. This Friday, we plan to make pancakes on our gas cookers. Yummo!