Over the past three weeks, Room 19 has been learning, creating and sharing. In maths, the students enjoyed finding the volume of cuboids by counting cubes, building each layer and working out how many cubes fit altogether. Our swimming sessions were another highlight; everyone had fun developing their confidence and skills in the water. The students also enjoyed drawing and talking about their Labour Day long-weekend adventures. They shared where they had been and what they had done by creating pictures on the light table with sand sprinkled on top. We loved hearing their stories and seeing their creativity shine. What a wonderful few weeks together!

Room 10 has enjoyed returning to the pool this term and building confidence in the water. We revisited safe pool entry before practising important swimming skills, including floating, paddling, and putting our heads under the water.

Some children needed lots of encouragement to try new skills, and it was wonderful to see them persevere and give everything a go. We are proud of the resilience and positive attitudes our learners have shown as they continue to develop their water confidence.

We look forward to seeing everyone build on these skills and continue making great progress over the coming weeks. Keep up the fantastic effort, Room 10!

Kia ora all,

Keep an eye out for the upcoming WPS newsletter – it’s the Mighty Maunga’s turn to share our learning!

We’ve had a busy assessment week, but we still managed to squeeze in a fun introduction to voting in New Zealand. As you can see below, we experienced what it takes to lead a team by building Lego towers – just imagine leading an entire country as Prime Minister! We also read an entertaining play about voting with our release teacher Ms Eagles.

I can’t wait until we dig even deeper into Aotearoa’s voting history and system!

Our tamariki have today been working on their favourite foods boards using functions from the EE App.  Our kids chose their favourite foods, cropped them and added them to their food board – Zeeko, Soraya, Hinemoa, Fayhe, Jennah, Max and Chyruss worked together to make these boards.

Moving into Week 2, we had another busy week celebrating Niuean Language Week with lots of fun learning opportunities! Watching the Pasifika dance performances was an amazing experience, and we loved seeing our classmates show such bravery and confidence as they expressed themselves on stage.

We had a blast participating in the school-wide orator challenge, learning everyday Niuean phrases, and practising the Papa Teliga dance together. During literacy, we dived into shared reading of the legend of Mataginifale and the Whale and worked on descriptive writing to capture a moment at Togo Chasm. We practised using adjectives and our imagination to elevate our descriptive writing.

It was wonderful to see so many of us stepping out of our comfort zones and building the confidence to share our learning with the class! To top off a fantastic week, we were so proud and excited to be named one of the winning classes for the orator challenge!

 


Bula vinaka, whānau!

What an exciting start to Term 4 we have had in Room 5! Our week was filled with wonderful learning, cultural discoveries, creativity, music and plenty of smiles as we celebrated Fijian Language Week.

Exploring Tavua with Our Explorer Glasses!

Our Room 5 explorers put on their imaginary explorer glasses and travelled all the way to Tavua, a small town in Fiji! We discovered how sugarcane is grown and processed, and learnt about its important role in Fiji’s sugar industry.

One of the biggest surprises of the week was discovering that Fiji Water is produced in the Yaqara Valley, near Tavua! The children were amazed to learn that a world-famous brand of bottled water comes from such a small part of Fiji. Who knew our little explorers would uncover such a big discovery?

Our learning became even more exciting as some children took on the challenge of describing Tavua and sharing interesting facts about this special Fijian town. We were so proud to see our tamariki building their confidence, using their descriptive language and sharing their knowledge with others. .

Learning Was Happening Everywhere!

Although we had plenty of fun exploring Fiji, our learning continued across the curriculum.

Spelling: We kicked off the week by exploring the “ea” sound, practising our spelling words and discovering how different words can share the same sound.

Mathematics: Our young mathematicians began learning about clocks and how to tell the time. We explored the different hands on an analogue clock and practised reading the time. The children then put their learning into action by creating their very own clocks using cardboard.

Music and Movement: Room 5 had a fantastic time exploring percussion instruments during their first session at the Beat Station! The children enjoyed experimenting with different sounds, keeping the beat and making music together. It was wonderful to see them building confidence, listening carefully and expressing themselves through music.

Swimming Has Started! One of the biggest highlights of the week was the start of our swimming lessons! The children were full of excitement and had an absolute blast in the pool. There were plenty of smiles, laughter and happy moments as they enjoyed the water and began their swimming journey. What a wonderful way to start the term!

What a Wonderful Start to Term 4!

From travelling virtually to Tavua and discovering the story behind sugarcane and Fiji Water, to sharing our talents through music, spelling new words and creating clocks, Room 5 has had a fantastic start to Term 4!

We are proud of our tamariki for their curiosity, enthusiasm, teamwork and willingness to give new challenges a go. So much learning took place, and we cannot wait to see what the rest of the term brings!

Vinaka vakalevu, whānau, for being part of our learning journey.

Me vakavinavinaka! Until our next adventure, Room 5!

Although Term 4 started off with a rainy week, Room 11 was full of energy as we celebrated Fijian Language Week with so many fun learning opportunities!

We had a great time participating in the school-wide orator challenge, where we set out to find interesting facts about a town or city in Fiji. Our city of choice was Nadi, which became the focus of our shared reading and writing. We loved learning about special landmarks like the Garden of the Sleeping Giant with its beautiful orchids, the natural Sabeto Mud Pools, and the colourful Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, the largest Hindu temple in the Southern half of our world!

We also revisited our music knowledge to learn the traditional Fijian Welcome Song, working hard to sing and perform together in sync. It was wonderful to see tuakana-teina in action, with our confident peers stepping up to lead, model, and encourage others throughout our practice.

Tamariki learned to use the pen tool and colour tool to draw.

                                                                    Today, our Rangi team came together for our End of Term Sharing of Learning Assembly. We all shared the fun things we learned this term.

Every class shared something special. Here is what Room 14 shared:

• Writing: Tevita, Ilani, and Leiola shared their amazing pieces of writing.

• Conservation & Research: Ryder, Noa, and Ana Maria showed their cool posters highlighting our native endangered birds.

• Visual Arts: Other students showed off their colorful block painting art..

We also celebrated the achievements of our kids by handing out Maths Whizz certificates, Duffy awards, and sportsmanship awards.

At the end of the assembly, I could see each and every child feeling proud of their achievements, with some even feeling inspired to share their work next term. It was an amazing day!

What a fun and exciting Te Reo Māori Language Week we had in Room 5! Our tamariki enjoyed learning new kupu, practising their mihi, and celebrating te reo Māori through lots of fun and engaging activities.

One of our favourite activities was learning haka and practising our pūkana! The children had so much fun learning the actions, using their voices and showing confidence and enthusiasm. It was wonderful to see everyone getting involved and supporting each other.

We also learned about mihi and practised sharing our own mihi. The children enjoyed learning how to introduce themselves and proudly share who they are and where they come from.

Another highlight was learning about New Zealand’s longest place name. The tamariki were amazed by how long the name is and had lots of fun trying to say it together! They showed great perseverance and enjoyed learning the meaning behind it.

Throughout the week, Room 5 was filled with waiata, laughter, learning and te reo Māori. Our tamariki embraced every opportunity to learn new words, practise their pronunciation and celebrate te reo Māori together.

It was a fantastic week of fun, learning, confidence and whanaungatanga. Ka pai, Room 5! IMG_5101 copy IMG_5101 copy

This week, our school proudly celebrated Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. We began the week with a special opening assembly where we learned about the importance of te reo Māori and were introduced to a range of exciting challenges for everyone to take part in. The senior kapa haka group gave a wonderful performance that inspired us all.

As soon as the challenges were announced, many of our students were eager to participate. It was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm, and Room 10 was able to submit entries for each of the challenges. We loved seeing tamariki give things a go and celebrate Te Reo Māori in different ways.

We integrated these challenges into our literacy programme, using them during our reading and writing lessons, which gave students meaningful opportunities to use and celebrate te reo Māori in their everyday learning. On Thursday, students also enjoyed a delicious hāngī-style school lunch, which gave them an opportunity to experience another important part of Māori culture.

The celebrations ended with a closing assembly featuring the junior kapa haka group, followed by a powerful whole-school kapa haka performance. It was a wonderful way to finish the week and celebrate our learning together.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori gave us a special opportunity to embrace the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand. It was a week filled with learning, participation, pride, and a strong sense of belonging. We are excited to continue using Te Reo Māori and celebrating Māori culture throughout the year.

Paige and Borden from Kristin college visited Tukutuku Tamariki. They read  “The very hungry caterpillar” story  with our Tamari and made caterpillars with pipe cleaners. They brought lots of toys for our Tamariki and they took them home happily. Our Tamariki had great time engaging with the activities and toys they received.

Week 3

Room 13’s Busy and Fun Start to Term 3!

The first three weeks of Term 3 have been busy but fun! Room 13 proudly represented Samoa in our School Commonwealth Games. We enjoyed competing, cheering each other on, and showing teamwork and sportsmanship. In writing, we used our imaginations to create narratives about “Winning a Gold Medal in a Race”, describing the excitement and feelings of crossing the finish line.

Next came Te ’Epetoma o te reo Māori Kūki ’Āirani; Cook Islands Language Week. We celebrated Cook Islands language and culture, practised counting in Cook Islands Māori, and explored patterns and symmetry through tivaevae, inspired maths activities.

We also began our From Mountain to Sea programme, learning about water as a taonga and the importance of caring for our waterways. These experiences have given us plenty to think, talk, and write about. What a wonderful start to Term 3!

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To celebrate Cook Islands Language Week, we learned to greet others with “Kia Orana!” and introduce ourselves using “Ko ___ tōku ingoa” (My name is ___). We created colourful self-portraits with floral crowns and added our introductions to our class display. It was a fun, creative way to celebrate Cook Islands language and culture!

Week 6:

Room 13 has been buzzing with exciting learning experiences, creative journeys, and celebrations!

Mountains to Sea Project

Our class was selected for the special Mountains to Sea project, focusing on caring for our water, ocean, and the living creatures across both land and sea. We explored:

• The Water Cycle: Learning how water flows through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection.

• Marine Life & Habitats: Studying shark jaws, dried blowfish, starfish, and sea sponges up close.

• Ocean Conservation: Discovering that New Zealand’s oceans cover 15 times our land area and host 80% of our country’s biodiversity.

• Habitat Observations: Looking closely at local waterways and learning practical ways to protect our environment.

Grease Production

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Alongside other classes, Room 13 had the opportunity to attend a live performance of Grease. The students enjoyed experiencing the performing arts and seeing story, dance, and drama come together on stage.

Tongan Language Week

Guided by the theme “Ko ‘etau hiva, ko e fe’unu mahu’inga ia ki he mo’ui ‘a e Tonga” (Our music is a vital strand of our Tongan culture), we celebrated Tongan Language Week. Room 13 focused on learning about traditional Tongan Ngatu, exploring its cultural significance and intricate designs.

Maths Week Achievements:

A huge congratulations to our maths team, Room 13A, for placing 2nd in the in-school Mathex Fun competition! Excellent effort and teamwork from everyone involved.

Continue reading “Room 13” →

Today, we had a wonderful start to Te Wiki o te Reo Māori with an exciting opening assembly!

One of the highlights was seeing our Year 3 students take on the important role of MCs. They confidently guided us through the assembly and did an amazing job.

We also enjoyed a wonderful performance by our Senior Kapa Haka group. They brought lots of energy and pride to the hall while sharing Māori culture with us.

The four challenges for the week were then introduced, giving everyone an opportunity to learn, participate, and have fun with te reo Māori.

To finish the assembly, each class received a special taonga to enjoy and explore throughout the week. These taonga will provide a hands-on way for our students to learn more about te reo Māori and connect with Māori culture.

Today Room 27 learned to lasso and chop photos and images.

This morning Room 20 walked to Puhi-Kura to pull weeds. We were pulling weeds from around the base of the native plants so that they can grow bigger and stronger, this is called weed releasing.

‘I enjoyed pulling weeks because it was saving plants that were being suffocated.’

‘Me and Lucas made it light work.’

‘I really enjoyed it, it was my first time weeding.’

‘I love going to Puhi-Kura, it was fun there but I did not like the hot weather.’

‘I did not enjoy pullin gthe weeds because it was hot and itchy.’

‘I enjoyed it but it was hard pulling weeds.’

‘I enjoyed weeding, it was fun finding the roots of the weeds and pulling them out.’

‘I enjoyed helping mother nature.’

‘I was happy when I pulled out big chunks.’

After morning tea we spent some time in the school māra to feed and water the animals. Some of us helped to clean out the pig pen and house so that they had a fresh clean place to eat and sleep.

We ended the day with whole school kapa haka, we were practising for Te Wiki o te reo Māori in a couple of weeks time.

When the day began most of the students in Room 21 didn’t even know who Whaea Deirdre was but that didn’t stop us having a day full of fun and learning.

We began by feeding the pigs and chickens, the hardest part was that everyone wanted to do everything. We shared the jobs around as well as we could. The chickens were very popular, everyone wanted to try to hold one and find some eggs.

After morning tea we learnt about why we use all of the different bins at school. Instead of everything going in to landfill we use our recycling bins so that waste can be made into something new. We even have garden bed edges in our māra that are made from our soft plastics like chip packets and muesli bar wrappers.

Before lunch we had time to plant some spring seeds, we planted tomatoes and put them in the hot house to grow big and strong.

The afternoon was all about bees. We learnt why they are important, the job they do in our gardens, how to keep them and ourselves safe and even got to taste some delicious honey.

It was a busy day but hopefully the tamariki have lots to share about it.