On Monday, we were lucky enough to meet Jess, our Emergency Ready instructor from Hato Hone (St John’s Ambulance.) For the 45 minutes we were with her we learned so much about what to do in an emergency. An emergency can happen anywhere – at school, home or out in the community. We have to be READY and know what to do because a person’s life depends on our actions.

At the beginning we learned how to open someone’s phone and find ‘Emergency’ on it. This is important because we do not have our own phones but if an adult has one but isn’t able to use it at that time, we can access the emergency number of 111. When the operator answers they will ask “Police, Fire or Ambulance” and we need to say “Ambulance” and give a brief description of what the emergency is. We will then give them the address. They will say, “and ambulance is on its way.”

When there is an emergency, we always have to check that we are safe. Jess said if someone has fallen at the pedestrian crossing, we must check for traffic before crossing, because it’s no good if two people need help!!

We practised how to check that the person is responsive (their airways are open to allow them to continue breathing) by tilting their head back and going down next to their mouth to check that their chest is moving up and down. That is a good sign!

Then we learned how to put a person into the recovery position. You place their one arm (closest to you) under their head, like a pillow. Then you put their other arm across their body like a seat belt. Finally, you raise both their legs so they look like mountains and gently turn the person towards you, onto their side.

The last two activities we learned about were how to treat a nose bleed and a burn. For the nose bleed you must put your head down on your chest and squeeze your nose on the bony part for at least ten minutes. If you can get a cool flannel or something cold, that will be good. For a burn, Jess said you must hold it under cold running water for 20 minutes (not 10 or 15 but 20!!!) Then you wrap the burn in plastic glad Wrap.

We felt very confident at the end of our time with Jess, that we could help someone who is in need. Thank you Hato Hone and Jess.

Here’s a little video sharing our favourite moments from this term and what we have learned along the way!

Room 8 Powers Up!

Room 8 was super excited to take part in the Power Up Challenge, a nationwide challenge for schools and learners across New Zealand!

The challenge started on 18 August and finished on 18 September. During this time, we focused on making healthy choices and being active every day. We made sure that we:

Entered our daily steps and/or the time we spent being physically active.

Ate fruit and vegetables and made healthy food choices.

Chose water as our main drink to keep ourselves hydrated.

Aimed to get a good night’s sleep so that our bodies and brains were ready for the day.

Swapped some leisure screen time for outdoor play, reading, exercise and other fun activities.

Getting Started

When Mrs Kumar signed up Room 8, we were sent our very own pedometers! We were excited to use them and see how many steps we could achieve each day.

We made sure that we entered our pedometer data every day. Mrs Kumar also shared our class activities with Power Up, including Jump Jam and other fun activities where we were active together as a class.

Celebrating Power Up Day

On 31 August, Room 8 celebrated Power Up Day! We decorated our classroom with orange, shared some yummy orange-coloured food, danced and had lots of fun.

We also took time to think about what Power Up was all about and how the choices we make each day can help us become healthier and more active.

We Have Some EXCITING News!

We are SUPER excited to share that Room 8 has won a brand-new pair of shoes for every learner in our class!

We are incredibly proud of the effort, energy and enthusiasm everyone showed throughout the Power Up Challenge.

A huge congratulations to Room 8!

More details to follow…

Winners in No particular order below……

Ka pai Room 4! What a wonderful and thoughtful project for Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. Learning the art of weaving (raranga) to craft something special for their whānau is a fantastic achievement.

Kia ora everybody,

We are excited to share our pepeha that we have been learning for Māori Language Week!

We have loved learning how to introduce ourselves and ask others:

Ko wai tō ingoa? – What is your name?

We have been practising replying:

Ko __________ tōku ingoa. – My name is __________.

We are so proud of the effort everyone has put into learning and practising their pepeha. 

Happy 6th birthday, Maria.

Wishing you a wonderful birthday filled with lots of smiles, laughter, fun and all your favourite things.

Reading King & Queen, creative book covers, whānau dioramas, and a fun Book Parade! Ka Pai, Room 4!

Book Week Character Parade Fun!

Our Book Week Character Parade was full of fun, excitement, and amazing costumes! It was wonderful to see our students dressed as their favourite book characters and celebrating the joy of reading. Thank you to our wonderful whānau for helping make PBS’s first Book Week such a special and memorable celebration!

Who is your Favourite Character? And what is your Favourite book?

Our kind words make someone else very happy and proud of their learning. We have been leaving kind comments for our Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu buddies when they share online.

Room 5 @ Ruapōtaka School

We made up a story about leaving kind comments.



Book Week Buddy Reading!

As part of our Book Week celebrations, our students enjoyed some special buddy reading time together! It was wonderful to see our older and younger students sharing their love of books, reading stories together, and building connections across the school.

A big thank you to our reading buddies for making this such a fun and memorable experience!

Last week, Room 5 warmly invited Room 3 to visit and explore their very own art gallery in their classroom. Led by their teacher, Ms. April Song, the experience gave our Year 2 children a wonderful opportunity to discover and appreciate the creative artwork of their peers.

The students in Room 5 proudly shared their artwork with Room 3 and explained the ideas, processes, and inspiration behind their creations. Room 3 enjoyed listening to their explanations, asking questions, and taking the time to carefully look at the different artworks on display.

It was a wonderful hands-on learning experience that encouraged our students to appreciate each other’s creativity and learn from one another. The Room 3 children were inspired by the creativity and confidence of the Room 5 students and were very happy to have the opportunity to visit their art gallery. We would like to thank Ms. April Song and Room 5 for welcoming us and sharing their wonderful artwork with us!

Malo e lelei!

Every Friday is Fun Day Friday in our room! After working hard to grow our brains throughout the week, we make sure we take some time to give our brains a well-deserved break too — otherwise, things might get a little situational!

So, sit back, relax, and enjoy our movie!

My qualities are determination, patience and helpfulness.

• Determination: Although math is challenging for me, I am determined to work hard to succeed.
• Patience: I practice patience by listening carefully and waiting for my turn to speak.
• Helpfulness: I show helpfulness  at home, like helping my mother clean the house without being asked.                                                                                                     By Manu

We had three amazing lessons with Constable T about how to travel safely in a car, including how to wear a seatbelt correctly and where to sit to stay safe. We also learned how to walk safely, check for cars coming from hidden or sneaky driveways, and cross the road safely. The students really enjoyed the lessons and learned some very important road safety skills!

Friday, August 14th, was a special Mufti Day at school. We were allowed to wear our own clothes, with the theme being sports teams. We had to bring a gold coin, and the money was for the Sports Camp for the seniors. We loved being in our fun clothes.

Team One had lots of Warriors supporters. Here’s Mrs Shirley (herself a massive Warriors fan) with the decked-out supporters. UP THE WAHS!!

Room 4 is exploring the fascinating world of space as part of our Inquiry learning this term. This week, students are creating miniature models of Planet Earth while learning about its features and what makes our planet unique.

Through this hands-on activity, students are also developing their explanation writing skills by explaining how Earth works and what makes it special. Ka Pai, Room 4!!

More fabulous learning in the pool, growing confidence.

Last week, Room 3 explored sunprints as part of our art and inquiry learning on seasons. The Year 2 children were excited to get creative and experiment with colour and printing.

During our activity, we used cardboard cut-outs along with yellow and orange paint to create sun-inspired prints on white paper. We talked about how these warm colours remind us of the sun and the changing seasons, and we practised our printing skills by carefully pressing our cardboard shapes onto the paper.

This hands-on experience helped us connect our art with our inquiry into the seasons, as we explored how colour and light can represent the sun’s warmth throughout the year. We are looking forward to sharing our bright and colourful sunprint creations with everyone.