Whaea Emma’s Pangarau rōpū have been exploring multiplication through making groups and connecting this to our skip-counting knowledge.  We have worked with equal groups, repeated addition, number lines, and arrays.   Yesterday, we practised our multiplication outside using chalk and bark. Whaea Emma gave our groups a multiplication question to write down, and then we had to solve it in our groups. We used circles to show our groups and the bark to show how many things in each group. Then we calculated our answers. Do you like our mahi?

Project Jonah came to NBC and filled the hall with a giant whale. We learnt about migration, feeding and many other things. Then we got to go inside the whale and see how it ticked. An interesting experience indeed.

Our latest haerenga was to Ōrua Paeroa, also known as Travis Wetlands. We were stoked to see Matua Pete again as he led us through our learning about ngā manu, ngā ngārara and ngā rākau! We had a hīkoi around the wetlands and met some of the animals that lived there. We learned about decomposition, pollination, and photosynthesis through several hands-on activities. A highlight was when the tēina turned into an energetic bunch of ladybirds, buzzy bees and manu.

After we had kai, Whaea Koha took us on a little hīkoi to where the tuna live; most of us didn’t see any, but we know they might be there if we go back and visit.

It was amazing to make connections to our learning about habitats by seeing the animals in their kāinga.

Ngā mihi nui to Matua Pete and Matua Chris from the CCC.

Check out some photos from the day.



We have been learning about what animals need to survive and have focused on their kāinga, habitats. We compared different habitats and talked about the animals that live in them and why that might be. Then we focused in on three specific animals and learned about what they need in their habitats. We looked at the similarities and differences between these three.

Then, the mission was set: we had to design, create, and describe a habitat. We planned the animal we were making a habitat for, and what we needed to include so they had everything they needed.

We are looking forward to visiting some habitats over the next few weeks. For now, here are our creations!



Wonder – Find the cliche

We have been working through the novel ‘Wonder, by RJ Palacio. We have met Auggie and he has started to meet his school mates. The parents described Auggie as a lamb to the slaughter and we did some looking into other sayings which may be used to descibe situations figuratively. Here is our literal and figurative work…

This week we have been collecting and recording data as part of our statistics learning. Each morning, there was a new question we could answer about our favourite things: our favourite colour, fruit, animal, sports team, and penguin.

During wā Pāngarau, Whaea Emma’s rōpū looked at the data collected, and we began making observations. We learned to use the data to answer questions, compare the most votes with the least votes and how to add the votes together using tally marks. We used our skip counting in 5s knowledge to help us write and count our tally marks. It was a bit confusing at first, but we were resilient, and throughout the week it got easier. We then learned about pictographs and bar graphs. We used Friday’s data about our favourite penguins to make our own bar graphs.

Next week we will start our own statistical inquiry and apply the skills we have learned this week! Next time you are in, check out our pictographs.

On Mane, we launched into our Kaupapa Matua Learning on Ecosystems by reflecting on the basic survival needs! We started brainstorming and gathered a list of important things humans need to survive. We talked about wai (water), whakaruruhau (shelter), kai (food) and hau (oxygen) being the top things we need. We also decided that some of the things on our list were wants not needs, e.g. chocolate and lollypops.

Later on, we went out to the Loose Parts Shed and created whakaruruhau (shelter) to keep us warm, dry and protected from the sun. We worked in rōpū of 4. During this block planned, discussed and built our shelter. We had to compromise our ideas and share resources with the other rōpū. Check out our awesome shelters.

Next, we will think about what plants and animals need to survive. Do they need the same things as humans?

Today, the Junior School embarked on an exciting journey through space! Students travelled around the solar system in their Kaiawhina groups, visiting different classrooms where each teacher shared fascinating facts about a specific planet.

As they explored, students collected stamps in their very own Intergalactic Passports, marking each planet they visited along the way. From the scorching heat of Mercury to the icy reaches of Neptune, our young astronauts learned all about the unique features of each planet in oursolar system.

To finish their space adventure, students created a fantastic rotating fan that showed all of the planets orbiting around the Sun. It was wonderful to see their creativity and excitement as they brought their learning together in a hands-on way.

The day was filled with curiosity, discovery, and plenty of fun. We are so proud of how engaged and enthusiastic our students were

 throughout their journey across the solar system.

Take a look at some of these awesome photos of our space explorers and their finished planet fans!

The tamariki in Aotahi Studio have been doing an excellent job demonstrating positive behaviour, active listening, and showing our school values every day. We are incredibly proud of the way they support one another, follow routines, and approach their learning with enthusiasm. As a result of their collective efforts, the class has enjoyed several exciting reward and enrichment activities this term.

A highlight was celebrating the filling of our star jar with a classroom disco! The tamariki worked together to earn stars through positive choices, teamwork, and respectful behaviour. Once the jar was full, we turned up the music and enjoyed a fun-filled celebration. It was wonderful to see the children dancing, laughing, and celebrating their achievement together.

As part of our investigations learning, the tamariki created fantastic blow-paint aliens. Using straws to blow paint across the page, they experimented with different techniques before transforming their creations into imaginative alien characters. The activity encouraged creativity, problem-solving, and plenty of conversation as the children shared ideas and admired each other’s unique designs.

We have also been exploring shadows through a range of hands-on activities. The tamariki enjoyed creating shadow puppets and discovering how different hand positions could make a variety of shapes and characters. We then took our learning outdoors, where the children worked together to trace each other’s shadows with chalk. This sparked great discussions about light, shape, and how shadows change throughout the day.

These experiences have been a wonderful way to celebrate the positive learning culture the tamariki have helped create in Aotahi Studio. We look forward to continuing to recognise and reward their fantastic efforts while providing opportunities for creativity, exploration, and fun.

This term in Aotahi Studio, we have enjoyed exploring two wonderful stories: The Gruffalo and Owl Babies. Through these books, we have been developing our reading, speaking, listening, and creative thinking skills.

The Gruffalo:

After reading The Gruffalo, we used our imaginations to design our very own Gruffalo characters. We thought carefully about what made our creatures unique and used adjectives to describe them. We came up with lots of exciting words to help our readers picture our Gruffalos, such as furry, spiky, enormous, colourful, and fierce. It was fun sharing our creations and seeing how different everyone’s Gruffalo was.

Owl Babies:

We also enjoyed reading Owl Babies and learning about the three baby owls as they waited for their mother to return. To bring the story to life, we worked together in small groups to act out the story using puppets. We practised speaking clearly, taking turns, and showing expression as we performed in front of the class. It was exciting to become the characters and retell the story through drama.

These activities helped us build our confidence, creativity, and communication skills while having fun with some much-loved stories. We are looking forward to discovering more books and sharing our learning through reading, writing, and drama throughout the year.

In Aotahi Studio, we have been working hard to grow our writing skills and become more confident writers. We have been learning how to write full sentences by remembering to use capital letters at the beginning, spaces between words, and full stops at the end. We are becoming more independent and proud of the writing we can create.

One of our favourite writing activities was creating our own Gruffalo characters. We used interesting adjectives to describe what our creatures looked like and to make our writing more exciting for our readers. We had lots of fun using our imaginations and thinking of creative words to bring our characters to life.

We have also been learning how to write book reviews. After reading stories, we shared our opinions about what we liked, our favourite parts, and whether we would recommend the book to others. This helped us think more deeply about the books we read and practise sharing our ideas through writing.

Another exciting topic was researching and writing reports about planets. We learned fascinating facts about our chosen planets and organised our information into clear reports. We worked on using facts, headings, and topic-specific vocabulary to teach others about what we had discovered.

We are proud of the progress we have made as writers this term. It has been wonderful to see our confidence grow as we share our ideas, use new vocabulary, and create a variety of different pieces of writing. We look forward to continuing our writing journey and sharing more of our work with you.

During Term 1 in Aotahi, we explored yoga on CRT with Islay. We practiced different stretching poses that followed a story and tried partner yoga with a buddy. We learned how to use our breathing to calm down, and we looked at managing different emotions.

In Term 2, our learning has shifted to the human body. We are now making connections to what we discovered during our yoga sessions!

Ka pai tō mahi, Aotahi!

As part of our Matariki and Literacy learning, we read The Kai Stars of Matariki, written by Miriama Kamo. This pukapuka teaches us the important role that Tupuanuku and Tupuarangi play in determining whether the year’s harvest will be good or not.

Tupuānuku is intimately tied to Papatūānuku (Earth Mother). She represents everything that grows within and upon the soil, e.g. kūmara, potatoes, carrots.  Tupuārangi is tied to Ranginui (Sky Father). He governs everything that grows or lives above the ground, e.g. fruit, berries and manu.

At the end of the pukapuka, the people of Te Mata Hāpuku had a hākari. We learned what a hākari was, talked about who we would invite, and then we planned our own, including our favourite kai. First, we planned our kai by drawing it, then we got a pereti and created our favourite kai. Then we used Explain Everything to share and explain what we included in our hākari.

What kai would you bring to a hākari?

Meet Marley. He came to visit us in Term 2. Thanks Summer for sharing your special friend with us.

Last week during CRT with Islay, the tamariki in Rongomātāne began exploring the amazing inner workings of the human body. We learned that the brain is the ‘boss’ of our system, requiring the left and right sides to co-operate perfectly to keep us moving and balanced.

To challenge ourselves, we’ve been practicing ‘brain gym’ exercises – including the ultimate test of teamwork: trying to walk in perfect sync with a buddy.

We also got creative by sculpting detailed mini brains out of clay, which sparked some great conversations about the squishy, “weird” texture of our creations!

Ka pai tō mahi, tamariki! Thank you for bringing such fantastic focus to our learning.

A couple of weeks ago during CRT with Islay, Ata Hāpara teina dived into the world of mandalas!

We started by learning how mandalas use repeating patterns to create beautiful, eye-catching images. Then, it was time to get hands-on. We gathered natural materials like leaves and flower petals, carefully arranging them on paper to practice our symmetry skills. Once everything looked perfectly balanced, we glued them down with PVA. Check out some of our amazing creations below. Ka pai tō mahi, teina!

Whaea Emma’s pangarau rōpū have been learning about measurement. Yesterday, they learned about perimeter and that to find the perimeter, you needed to measure around the object. We practised measuring with non-standard units. We used popsicle sticks, cubes and post-it notes. We then recorded our findings and compared them. We learned that it was important to make sure your units were touching so you could get an accurate measurement. Are you surprised by any of our results?