Mapua has a bang at Waimea!
On Thursday 15th Room 5 were on the road to Waimea College to have a very special science lesson......
Room 5 met the science teacher. His name was Paul Croskey and he taught the older students of Waimea College. The first 10 minutes was wasted on a safety instuction and Room 5 started to get restless. All they wanted to do was to blow up things!
But then the real fun started! They had to listen closely to the instructions and watch out - if any drops fell on their hand it would burn. One of the acids Room 5 used was hydrochloric acid.
Near the end of Room 5’s lesson, they got to do what they wanted to do KABOOM!!! Yes they got to blow up an egg! Libby got the pleasure to not only hold a flaming stick but also to be blasted in the face by eggshell! There were two holes, one at the top of the egg and one at the bottom.Then Paul put acid in the in the bottle and stood back while Libby looked around nervously. We waited and waited and waited. Nothing happened so Paul did the same procedure and this time.....KABOOM!!!! We were shot by eggshell and Libby seemed a little shocked to say the least! After that we were to go back to our cars and drive to school after a cool afternoon doing science at Waimea College.
By Charlotte
Tuesday, 20 May 2008
Mr Wemyss' Farewell
The whole of Mapua school joined together to farewell our wonderful one and only principal Mr Wemyss. It was a wonderful day,the sun was shining and who could of ask for a better day to farewell our principal?
We had two presenters, Shaen and Jessica from Room Five and the person who controlled the sound system, Nic, was from Room Five as well.
The assembly involved two people from each class contributing something to Mr Wemyss. Things that we contributed were: Cards, Models of his office and we can't forget the special green, covered with lots of colorful paper, hat that was given to him from Rooms 1 and 8, and to funk up the assembly he even wore the hat for the whole time - how cool is that?
But it was not only us who contributed to Mr Wemyss it was the teachers as well. They contributed glasses and a bunch of flowers. Of course losing a brilliant principal wasn't that great so the whole school got ready to sing a couple of songs to him as a present to show him how much we loved having him as our principal.
The one year and one term that we had him as our principal may not sound like a lot of time but it was enough for the whole school and teachers to bond with him and laugh with him. It was a great opportunity having having Mr Wemyss and hopefully he will come and visit us sometime....
By Jade
What was hot on the Room 1 and Room 8 camp?
Amazing Damper toasting
We lit the roaring fire next to the rippling sea. I twisted the sticky dough onto my sharp stick and lay it on the embers.
When the toasting was done I poured on golden syrup and munched on my bread. We got some more pointy sticks and stuck on some melting marshmallows and roasted them on the embers.
When the marshmallows were ready I took them off the flame and put them in my mouth. Yummy!
Next day we put on our togs and jumped in the kayaks. Splash! All the boats bobbed around in the water. We had lots of races and I won nearly all of them but I fell in getting out!
Molly
Melting Marshmallows
At camp we made some damper. It was delicious. We also roasted marshmallows. Yummy. The adults made the damper. We got some sticks and put some damper on them. We also had golden syrup. It was delicious. We did all of this fun on the Leisure Park beach.
Harri
Gone Fishing
We baited our hooks and cast our rods out to the glistening cold ocean. We were getting lots and lots of bites but no fish. They just kept eating all our squishy bait. Just then Mac caught a sea creature with a slimy tail and one slippery fin on each side. He put it back and we started fishing again.
I went to get some bait from a parent helper and plopped my rod back in the glistening ocean.
Then it was time to go so we packed up and got on our bikes and rode off.
Bethan
We lit the roaring fire next to the rippling sea. I twisted the sticky dough onto my sharp stick and lay it on the embers.
When the toasting was done I poured on golden syrup and munched on my bread. We got some more pointy sticks and stuck on some melting marshmallows and roasted them on the embers.
When the marshmallows were ready I took them off the flame and put them in my mouth. Yummy!
Next day we put on our togs and jumped in the kayaks. Splash! All the boats bobbed around in the water. We had lots of races and I won nearly all of them but I fell in getting out!
Molly
Melting Marshmallows
At camp we made some damper. It was delicious. We also roasted marshmallows. Yummy. The adults made the damper. We got some sticks and put some damper on them. We also had golden syrup. It was delicious. We did all of this fun on the Leisure Park beach.
Harri
Gone Fishing
We baited our hooks and cast our rods out to the glistening cold ocean. We were getting lots and lots of bites but no fish. They just kept eating all our squishy bait. Just then Mac caught a sea creature with a slimy tail and one slippery fin on each side. He put it back and we started fishing again.
I went to get some bait from a parent helper and plopped my rod back in the glistening ocean.
Then it was time to go so we packed up and got on our bikes and rode off.
Bethan
Skateboarding
Barbra and Laura went to see what the guys had to say about the new skating area?
They said that they are pleased that the teachers decided to give them a bigger skate area and now every day the skate area is jam packed with skateboarders, scooterers and anything with wheels on it.
A couple of the roller bladders, Nina and Wills said that they're very thankful for the skating area, but it’s not really big enough because there’s more skaters and scooters on the skating area than the kids roller blading. But at least they're having a good time and have somewhere to roller blade.
As for the skateboarders, they're still trying to learn new x-treme tricks on their skateboards. One of them is Josh. He thinks that it’s pretty awesome to skate on the new skating area and it has a really solid kind of gravel ground to master new skateboarding tricks. He thinks that having a skating area’s pretty cool and that once the senior syndicate have a playing area for us to do anything we want on it.
The scooterers are having an amazing time too and think that the new skating area is really cool and that it’s really mint. Everybody wants to thank the staff members of the school, for having the pleasure of giving us the new skating area.
Room 6's camp
Room 6 camp was awesome, exhilarating and exciting. There were tons of challenging activities to do at Camp Hanmer and one of the best activities was tree climbing! It was hard and exhausting but it was fun at the same time!
Another great part of camp would probably be getting to know your friends a little more as well as the teacher and the parents!
The activities that we did at camp Hanmer were a lot of fun and challenging too. Some activities that we did were driving the village cruisers. We had to go in groups and drive around Hanmer Springs. We were given a sheet with questions to answer at certain places. We would drive to that place using a map and write down the answer. of this challenge is "Go to the house with the white rocks in front of it. What is the name of the house?" So we would go and try to find that house and write down what that house was called.
Other activities were: Mini golf,going around and around the maze trying to get to the exit and as with the village cruisers, we had a sheet and tried to find the symbols that were on the sheet and write down the word that was under the symbol. Of course they had to make it difficult and there were some obstacles where you would get wet or frightened and that was awesome!
The other activities that we took part in were walking up a huge hill called Conical Hill but most of us thought it was boring! But other then that it was pretty cool walking with your friends and maybe the teacher and the parents as well.
Another great part of camp was the awesome food. On Monday we had morning tea at the Kawatiri Junction with the food that we made at home, then we had lunch at Lake Daniel's car park with the left over food from morning tea, and at dinner time we had Lasagne with lettuce salad. After dinner we got to put our greedy little hands on an ice cream sundae then for supper we gobbled down a cup of milo or just a drink of water with scrumptious home baking. On Tuesday it was breakfast time, yes the most important meal of the day, we had toast with an option of spreads or cereal with an option of tined fruit to go on top. There was plenty of more wonderful delicious , delectable goodies that we ate on camp but I just don't want to give you a sore tummy.
Camp was really awesome.
Another great part of camp would probably be getting to know your friends a little more as well as the teacher and the parents!
The activities that we did at camp Hanmer were a lot of fun and challenging too. Some activities that we did were driving the village cruisers. We had to go in groups and drive around Hanmer Springs. We were given a sheet with questions to answer at certain places. We would drive to that place using a map and write down the answer. of this challenge is "Go to the house with the white rocks in front of it. What is the name of the house?" So we would go and try to find that house and write down what that house was called.
Other activities were: Mini golf,going around and around the maze trying to get to the exit and as with the village cruisers, we had a sheet and tried to find the symbols that were on the sheet and write down the word that was under the symbol. Of course they had to make it difficult and there were some obstacles where you would get wet or frightened and that was awesome!
The other activities that we took part in were walking up a huge hill called Conical Hill but most of us thought it was boring! But other then that it was pretty cool walking with your friends and maybe the teacher and the parents as well.
Another great part of camp was the awesome food. On Monday we had morning tea at the Kawatiri Junction with the food that we made at home, then we had lunch at Lake Daniel's car park with the left over food from morning tea, and at dinner time we had Lasagne with lettuce salad. After dinner we got to put our greedy little hands on an ice cream sundae then for supper we gobbled down a cup of milo or just a drink of water with scrumptious home baking. On Tuesday it was breakfast time, yes the most important meal of the day, we had toast with an option of spreads or cereal with an option of tined fruit to go on top. There was plenty of more wonderful delicious , delectable goodies that we ate on camp but I just don't want to give you a sore tummy.
Camp was really awesome.
Try-athalon
On your marks! Get set! Go!
These were the first words that launched the first race of the Mapua School try-athalon. The sun was gleaming down, people cheering, yelling, supporting and the competition was fierce.
Every student took part in the try-athalon, everyone gave it their best. There were stories of success and many examples of people competing hard and playing fair.
Examples of fair play were:
Alex who went back and touched the wall to make sure he swam the whole length so that he wasn’t being unfair to all the other competitors in his age group. It’s not a win if you get there by unfair actions.
Molly knew that Ellie was not confident about her abilities to complete the running section so she decided to encourage her all the way by saying things like “You are doing well” and “You can do this, Ellie” and “Nearly there Ellie”.
Ellie had been given permission to only run half the number of laps for her age group if she wanted to. But with Molly’s encouragement and her determination to persist, she managed to complete all the laps.
Way to go Alex, Molly and Ellie.
The other fantastic thing you can see in the photos was how the Year 8 students helped the Year 1 children as they competed for the first time.
The grand finale was the race between students and adults . The exhilarating speed of this race was overwhelming. All students wanted to beat the adults and the adults didn’t want to get beaten by kids. And the outcome - the parents’ teams won and the students came in 3rd while the teachers came 4th.
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
2008 Happenings start here!
Yay! Finally we are underway with our 2008 Events group. Last Term we were soooo busy with our vision launch, getting to know our new classes, camps and sporting events that we found it hard to get together as a group and make a start reporting on the great stuff that was happening.
This Events blog is powered by a small group of talented (even if we do say so ourselves) writers at Mapua School. Please keep coming back to check on the updates to this blog.
One of the first events for this year was the launch of our new school vision, To Be All I Can.
We all wrote down our dreams and goals for our futures, tied them to the string of a helium filled balloon and released them after Mr Wemyss talked to us about the meaning of the vision.
Our vision goals are: To be responsible community members, To have high academic success, to be competent in communication, to be active, to be creative and to be effective thinkers.
To help us achieve our goals we are learning about the habits of mind that we need to have to be successful. Last Term we tried oto improve our abilities to persevere and to step outside our comfort zones with whatever we were doing. This Term we are working on our listening and questioning skills.
This Events blog is powered by a small group of talented (even if we do say so ourselves) writers at Mapua School. Please keep coming back to check on the updates to this blog.
One of the first events for this year was the launch of our new school vision, To Be All I Can.
We all wrote down our dreams and goals for our futures, tied them to the string of a helium filled balloon and released them after Mr Wemyss talked to us about the meaning of the vision.
Our vision goals are: To be responsible community members, To have high academic success, to be competent in communication, to be active, to be creative and to be effective thinkers.
To help us achieve our goals we are learning about the habits of mind that we need to have to be successful. Last Term we tried oto improve our abilities to persevere and to step outside our comfort zones with whatever we were doing. This Term we are working on our listening and questioning skills.
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
An Evening with Dr Seuss
Combine a small school full of creative young brains with a talented writer and you’ve got an amazing Seussical Production. This year Mapua School’s production was directed by Leanne Hough and was based on the one and only Dr Seuss and his stories. The show was an amazing and strange insight into the world of Dr Seuss.
Half the time I was laughing and the other half marvelling at how a bunch of schoolkids, a couple of teachers, a few books (Sneetches, The Lorax, Oh the places you'll go, What was I afraid of, One fish, Two fish and Dr Seuss Alphabet) and a lot of hard work could produce such a startling play. It was so brilliant it weaselled it's way onto the front page of the Motueka/Ruby Bay News with the title " To think I saw it at Mapua School!" Which is exactly how I felt about it myself.
The main characters were The Cat in the Hat (Marley), The Mother (Alice), The Children (Sarah and Ellie) and Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Fabian and Rosie). Of course you can't have a production without main characters.
“Screech!” Tom's ear splitting scream echoed around the room ending the dance of the green pants. Frightful music started up again and the pants danced in time to the beat. The green pants were from the “What was I Afraid Of?” story and was directed by Mrs. Hosie. The stars in the pants were Tom S, Lorna S, George R, Nic L, Rueben K, Shaen G and Josh G-M.
The next scene, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was based on the book by the same name. This astounding performance was brought to you by Room 9. Splashed with many droplets of comedy this show created lots of laughs.
“I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, which you seem to chopping just as fast as you please.” The scene of the Lorax was the most decorative because the many different props brought the stage to life. They went to a lot of trouble to create a silver-chopping machine controlled by Dan Sutherland. The choir provided the sound track for the chopping and, combined with Dan’s acting, was very effective The act had many different songs and dances to add to the entertainment.
Big A, little a. What begins with A? Aunt Annie's alligator a a a. So began Dr Seuss's ABC, played by the students of Room 2 and 1. The Ohh's and Ahh's rang out from the audience.
The Sneetches, written by Dr Seuss, another of his many wonderful books. Room 4 was given the task of creating a skit out this book. Ben (one of the Sneetches) stole the stage with his amazing acting.
"The money or the bag? "
"The money!"
"No, the bag!" the voices rang out loud and clear before being silenced by a wave from Selwyn TooGood (Henry). Oh the places you'll go was the last scene for the production. The skit was all about going through your life, meeting different challenges, trying new things and always coming out on top.
Half the time I was laughing and the other half marvelling at how a bunch of schoolkids, a couple of teachers, a few books (Sneetches, The Lorax, Oh the places you'll go, What was I afraid of, One fish, Two fish and Dr Seuss Alphabet) and a lot of hard work could produce such a startling play. It was so brilliant it weaselled it's way onto the front page of the Motueka/Ruby Bay News with the title " To think I saw it at Mapua School!" Which is exactly how I felt about it myself.
The main characters were The Cat in the Hat (Marley), The Mother (Alice), The Children (Sarah and Ellie) and Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Fabian and Rosie). Of course you can't have a production without main characters.
“Screech!” Tom's ear splitting scream echoed around the room ending the dance of the green pants. Frightful music started up again and the pants danced in time to the beat. The green pants were from the “What was I Afraid Of?” story and was directed by Mrs. Hosie. The stars in the pants were Tom S, Lorna S, George R, Nic L, Rueben K, Shaen G and Josh G-M.
The next scene, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish was based on the book by the same name. This astounding performance was brought to you by Room 9. Splashed with many droplets of comedy this show created lots of laughs.
“I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees, which you seem to chopping just as fast as you please.” The scene of the Lorax was the most decorative because the many different props brought the stage to life. They went to a lot of trouble to create a silver-chopping machine controlled by Dan Sutherland. The choir provided the sound track for the chopping and, combined with Dan’s acting, was very effective The act had many different songs and dances to add to the entertainment.
Big A, little a. What begins with A? Aunt Annie's alligator a a a. So began Dr Seuss's ABC, played by the students of Room 2 and 1. The Ohh's and Ahh's rang out from the audience.
The Sneetches, written by Dr Seuss, another of his many wonderful books. Room 4 was given the task of creating a skit out this book. Ben (one of the Sneetches) stole the stage with his amazing acting.
"The money or the bag? "
"The money!"
"No, the bag!" the voices rang out loud and clear before being silenced by a wave from Selwyn TooGood (Henry). Oh the places you'll go was the last scene for the production. The skit was all about going through your life, meeting different challenges, trying new things and always coming out on top.
New arrival
Hi. Are you new in a school? Are you worried about having to start over again, learn new things like customs, languages and even religions! Well in Mapua I went through this and much more! So listen up for my experiences.
Imagine losing everybody - all of your friends. Yes, that's what happened to me. But don't worry it won't be for long. There are always people who will get along with you even if you don't want them to! I mean when I got into Mapua it was only a matter of a couple of days until I had a load of friends. Everybody was so understanding and helpful it was impossible not to make friends!
One of the major problems for me was that most people had a different accent so it was hard to understand what they were saying. But luckily not everybody had a different accent. I soon learnt that there were a wide variety of accents and languages within the school. (including about 7 British people in my class alone!) I still got asked and still am asked to say some words that others find amusing like majestic for example. Eventually (in my case a week) you get used to it and people stop doing it, but until then just hold on!
Imagine not having a house of your own yet and waiting while your mum and dad are finding "the right one". Well here are some of my experiences about this.
I had to live in a rented house by the beach. Living by the beach has it's advantages like driftwood, sand and interesting wildlife. But the prospect of having to live there for 2 months without any of my stuff wasn't pleasing at all. Nooooooo! How am I going to survive without the x-box, computer or books to keep me going! That's how it felt at the beginning and it still felt the same 2 months later. It nearly made coming to N.Z not worth it. (I said nearly!) But I overcame it and here I am now.
Another major problem at school was having to learn all those difficult new customs and languages but eventually you'll get into the swing of things like I did so don't worry!
Another problem was that I didn't have most of my school stuff. I spent half my time worrying about not having the right stuff. This can be a real downer for some people but all you've got to do is stop worrying and check the night before that you've done everything you needed to. This is a great way to succeed as a new arrival!
Another thing you really need to get on top of is homework. In Mapua all I had to do was a Maths Mate sheet and I was struggling just with doing that so I understand how you feel.
Now you understand about being a new arrival don't be scared. Act just like you would at your old school and you will be fine. Thanks for checking out my story and good luck!
Written by Will Simpson
(One of our new arrivals at the end of Term 2)
Imagine losing everybody - all of your friends. Yes, that's what happened to me. But don't worry it won't be for long. There are always people who will get along with you even if you don't want them to! I mean when I got into Mapua it was only a matter of a couple of days until I had a load of friends. Everybody was so understanding and helpful it was impossible not to make friends!
One of the major problems for me was that most people had a different accent so it was hard to understand what they were saying. But luckily not everybody had a different accent. I soon learnt that there were a wide variety of accents and languages within the school. (including about 7 British people in my class alone!) I still got asked and still am asked to say some words that others find amusing like majestic for example. Eventually (in my case a week) you get used to it and people stop doing it, but until then just hold on!
Imagine not having a house of your own yet and waiting while your mum and dad are finding "the right one". Well here are some of my experiences about this.
I had to live in a rented house by the beach. Living by the beach has it's advantages like driftwood, sand and interesting wildlife. But the prospect of having to live there for 2 months without any of my stuff wasn't pleasing at all. Nooooooo! How am I going to survive without the x-box, computer or books to keep me going! That's how it felt at the beginning and it still felt the same 2 months later. It nearly made coming to N.Z not worth it. (I said nearly!) But I overcame it and here I am now.
Another major problem at school was having to learn all those difficult new customs and languages but eventually you'll get into the swing of things like I did so don't worry!
Another problem was that I didn't have most of my school stuff. I spent half my time worrying about not having the right stuff. This can be a real downer for some people but all you've got to do is stop worrying and check the night before that you've done everything you needed to. This is a great way to succeed as a new arrival!
Another thing you really need to get on top of is homework. In Mapua all I had to do was a Maths Mate sheet and I was struggling just with doing that so I understand how you feel.
Now you understand about being a new arrival don't be scared. Act just like you would at your old school and you will be fine. Thanks for checking out my story and good luck!
Written by Will Simpson
(One of our new arrivals at the end of Term 2)
Leadership Day
The stones crunched beneath our feet, as we wandered over towards frost-coated grass. As we arrived at the grass, children from other schools began to arrive. Quiet murmurs spread through the group ready to start the day’s activities. We were ready and rearing to go. Our instructor came to separate us into the groups we would be working in. We started the day off with a game of Shark (aka Seaweed).
One of the first activities was leaping to a trapeze. The aim of this activity was to trust each other.
We looked up at the trapeze dreading our turn on the top. We got harnessed up one by one. Each of us climbed slowly to the top where we would jump. The trapeze hung in front of the next victim who had to leap to it. As you stood in position to jump you could hear the voices of the students counting down - 5...4...3...2...1...JUMP! As you leapt through mid air, the rush of wind whipped your hair across your face stinging your eyes. Just as you thought you were falling, you suddenly feel the cold but yet comforting feel of the trapeze.
You hung there just holding on to the trapeze waiting to be let down. On the ground a sense of relief washed over you, knowing you have made it safe and sound.
As we moved on to our next activity the grass that was once frost coated is now mud squishing beneath our feet. The next activity was ball transfer and the aim of this activity was to work together as a team. You had to transfer a set of ping pong balls using half pipes. The trick was not to drop them which was difficult as the pipes didn't reach the end and you could not walk with a ball in your pipe. Once a ball reached the end of its frightening journey a sigh of relief passed down the line. For each of the activities you had to work together or you would not succeed.
Another one of the activities was purposely designed to make you use your brain. You were placed with a partner who you sat back to back with. You were then both given the same amount of straws in the same colours. One of the buddies would design a shape using the straws. They would try to explain their design without showing it to them while the other buddy tried to make it. To complete this activity you used your brain and tested it in different ways. Being able to think outside the square like this can help us become better leaders.
Throughout the day we learnt to work together as a team and share our ideas to make better ideas. Another thing was to learn new skills to help and direct others and try new activities with students.
We left with mud-clogged shoes and a head filled with new skills and activities and also knowing some of us had overcome fears. Being at Whenua Iti was a really good experience to help us progress as House Leaders.
By Tegan and Amber.
One of the first activities was leaping to a trapeze. The aim of this activity was to trust each other.
We looked up at the trapeze dreading our turn on the top. We got harnessed up one by one. Each of us climbed slowly to the top where we would jump. The trapeze hung in front of the next victim who had to leap to it. As you stood in position to jump you could hear the voices of the students counting down - 5...4...3...2...1...JUMP! As you leapt through mid air, the rush of wind whipped your hair across your face stinging your eyes. Just as you thought you were falling, you suddenly feel the cold but yet comforting feel of the trapeze.
You hung there just holding on to the trapeze waiting to be let down. On the ground a sense of relief washed over you, knowing you have made it safe and sound.
As we moved on to our next activity the grass that was once frost coated is now mud squishing beneath our feet. The next activity was ball transfer and the aim of this activity was to work together as a team. You had to transfer a set of ping pong balls using half pipes. The trick was not to drop them which was difficult as the pipes didn't reach the end and you could not walk with a ball in your pipe. Once a ball reached the end of its frightening journey a sigh of relief passed down the line. For each of the activities you had to work together or you would not succeed.
Another one of the activities was purposely designed to make you use your brain. You were placed with a partner who you sat back to back with. You were then both given the same amount of straws in the same colours. One of the buddies would design a shape using the straws. They would try to explain their design without showing it to them while the other buddy tried to make it. To complete this activity you used your brain and tested it in different ways. Being able to think outside the square like this can help us become better leaders.
Throughout the day we learnt to work together as a team and share our ideas to make better ideas. Another thing was to learn new skills to help and direct others and try new activities with students.
We left with mud-clogged shoes and a head filled with new skills and activities and also knowing some of us had overcome fears. Being at Whenua Iti was a really good experience to help us progress as House Leaders.
By Tegan and Amber.
Sunday, 20 May 2007
The Easter Egg Hunt
The annual Easter Egg Hunt was held on the 5th of April. It was a Thursday and by lunchtime everybody was buzzing with excitement.
After lunch the clues were hidden and everyone lined up outside Room 5 and waited for the last of the clues to be placed.
The each house was split in half and everyone raced off to find the hidden clues. When each group had collected all the clues they went back to Room 5 and made a bunny. This bunny gave you the location for your group’s Easter Eggs. Each person got an Easter egg and everybody was happy.
The day was a good one and everyone entered into the spirit of the activity and had a good time and a yummy Easter egg.
Mad Hair Day!
Mad, wacky, wonderful hair. Those are only three words to describe the hair-do’s we saw on Friday 27th April.
Birds’ nests, coloured hair spray and matted frizzballs are some of the styles we saw.
Who would win the mystery prize?
There were three winners for each syndicate: 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The winners of the Senior Sydicate were: Alice and Reuben (1st equal) and Rosie (3rd Place). The winners of the Junior Syndicate were: Hannah (1st place), Emily (2nd Place) and Tiana (3rd).
In the end the prize turned out to be something that would please everyone - LOLLIES!!!!!
Friday, 30 March 2007
Te Awhina Marae
As part of our topic studies for Term One, the whole school went to Te Awhina Marae to learn more about how the Marae is a store house of taonga (treasures) and of stories of past and present generations.
Gemma wrote this recount of events from that special day.
At Te Awhina Marae we started with the Powhiri. The men from the Marae came out to check whether we were friendly or not. This is a traditional part of inviting people onto the Marae. After the men sat down the Wahine sat behind them, then the children. Men from Te Awhina started to talk and after they had finished talking they sang to us. We did the same but gave them a gift as well.
After the Powhiri we went to the Wharekai (dining hall). At the back of the Wharekai there is a mural. The mural is of things important to the Motueka people. It has lots of native birds that are alive and also some that are extinct. Then there is the ocean. In the ocean there is a colossal whale’s tale holding up food from under the ocean with a school of snapper going past. There is Talley's boat heading towards Nelson city.
Finally we went into the Wharenui (meeting house). In the Wharenui, it wasn’t like any ordinary house you would just walk into, you had to take care and take your shoes off. The Wharenui use to be part of the Nelson hospital but it was moved to Te Awhina in 1987. Traditionally the rooves of wharenuis are sloped with rafters that represent ribs of the ancestors. At Te Awhina, the roof was as flat as the carpet in there.
The Tekoteko on top of the Wharenui is of Turanga Apeka. Turanga Apeka was the first Maori man to go to Antarctica. He holds a mere to shade his eyes from the glare of the sun and the ice.
The visit to Te Awhina was very inspirational because of the ceremony we took part in. The activities were special and interesting too. I was glad that I went and took part in the activities that the Parkland students and Te Awhina people set up for us.
By Gemma.
Gemma wrote this recount of events from that special day.
At Te Awhina Marae we started with the Powhiri. The men from the Marae came out to check whether we were friendly or not. This is a traditional part of inviting people onto the Marae. After the men sat down the Wahine sat behind them, then the children. Men from Te Awhina started to talk and after they had finished talking they sang to us. We did the same but gave them a gift as well.
After the Powhiri we went to the Wharekai (dining hall). At the back of the Wharekai there is a mural. The mural is of things important to the Motueka people. It has lots of native birds that are alive and also some that are extinct. Then there is the ocean. In the ocean there is a colossal whale’s tale holding up food from under the ocean with a school of snapper going past. There is Talley's boat heading towards Nelson city.
Finally we went into the Wharenui (meeting house). In the Wharenui, it wasn’t like any ordinary house you would just walk into, you had to take care and take your shoes off. The Wharenui use to be part of the Nelson hospital but it was moved to Te Awhina in 1987. Traditionally the rooves of wharenuis are sloped with rafters that represent ribs of the ancestors. At Te Awhina, the roof was as flat as the carpet in there.
The Tekoteko on top of the Wharenui is of Turanga Apeka. Turanga Apeka was the first Maori man to go to Antarctica. He holds a mere to shade his eyes from the glare of the sun and the ice.
The visit to Te Awhina was very inspirational because of the ceremony we took part in. The activities were special and interesting too. I was glad that I went and took part in the activities that the Parkland students and Te Awhina people set up for us.
By Gemma.
Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Swim of the year!
The Swimming Sports
At the swimming sports each house competed in a variety of swimming activities. Freestyle, Backstroke, Butterfly, Breaststroke, Flutter board and carrying a teacher on a chair from one end of the swimming pool to the other end. The first race was Freestyle. The pool area was shaking with the sound of cheering. The pool was warm and the swimmers zipped down the pool like a fish in a pond. The swimmers that came 1st and 2nd got into a final and if they won they would go to the Motueka swimming sports. In Backstroke there was more than one person who crashed into something or somebody.
By now Yellow house was in the lead followed closely by Green house. A Butterfly demonstration was performed by a few people from each house. Breaststroke was the next on the list. The we had to have a demonstration done for the younger students. There were many people who entered the Flutter board races. There were no finals in the Flutter board races but you still got a point for entering. The last and final race was the teacher on a chair race.
Blue house won, closely followed by Red house and Yellow house. At the end of the day the points were counted and the winner of the swimming sports was... Yellow House!!!
We had a awesome day and everybody had fun. The Motueka swimming sports will take place on the 6th of March.By Hamish, Bryn and Marls.
Thursday, 15 February 2007
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