Senior School Blog
A summary of the exciting events in our Year 5 and Year 6 classes....
Work and Fun All Mixed Up
16/05/2012
Our Proud Year 5/6 Ice-Cream Judges
We are now three weeks into Term 2 and have settled down to our learning. In the last few weeks students in the Senior school have been analysing how they understand the Atol process. It has been an insightful activity where students are becoming more aware of how they are learning and contributing to their own learning successes.
All children in the Senior school had the opportunity to apply to be an ice cream judge for a day. Many applied and a lucky ten were chosen. Mrs Mawdsley and the children left the school on Friday 11th May to taste the delights of yummy ice-cream and give their expert opinions at the NZ Ice-cream Awards.
Also on Friday, the school officially opened the fitness trail. A select group of four athletic children took on the might of four teachers and won …just.
There is only one more week until the first group of Senior classes head off for the annual school camp at Raglan. Children are eagerly packing, preparing and practising their acts ready for the camp concert where fun is had by all.
On a final note: Congratulations to the Netball A team who went to Bucklands Beach Primary and won 25-10.
‘Lest We Forget’
2/05/2012
Our Anzac Service
This week we commemorated ANZAC Day. The children have been learning about the meaning of this special day and discussing why we commemorate such occasions. The children related the lessons we have learned to their own lives, the wider community and the global community.
We held an ANZAC service on Tuesday the 25th April. It was lovely to see children engage and empathise with the gravity of the occasion. Some of our senior children read poetry from the First World War and we recited ‘The Flag’ before we sang ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’.
We hope you enjoyed your ANZAC Day holiday and took a moment to remember those who laid down their lives for their country.
“P” is for Party
4/04/2012
Punk Person at the Disco
Pirates, Princesses, Punk, People, Pyjamas, Puppies, Pink, Purple, … plentiful pupils from Year 4-6 turned up in costumes showing off the letter “P” at the Disco in the hall last Friday. Many children took the opportunity to show off their dance moves and pirating skills, eat, drink, and show they can have lots of fun. Thanks to the PTA for supplying the food, drink, accessories and parent help.
On to more serious notes, over the last term the children have worked hard learning what they can do and what they need to learn, in order to succeed in reading, writing and mathematics. They have been preparing themselves so they can discuss their learning with their parents at the Parent Teacher conferences in week 9.
Enjoy the Easter Holidays and stay safe.
Senior School Celebrate our 50th Jubilee
21/03/2012
Moments before the Time Capsule was opened...
It has been a busy term in the senior school so far. The children and teachers put their best foot forward for the 50th Jubilee this month. A great highlight has been the opening of the time capsule that was locked in 1991. We have had a great deal of discussion about what Owairoa was like 20 years ago and how things have changed.
Progress marches on and this has been the focus for senior inquiry. We have started on creating our own parcels for a new time capsule to be opened 20 years from now. We can only speculate as to where we will be in 2032!
We also held the senior school swimming sports on the 29th February. It was a chilly day, but the children’s spirits weren’t dampened in the least. The Owairoa spirit was alive and well with children supporting each other and cheering on their peers with gusto. Congratulations to all the children that went to the interschool swimming sports at Howick. Your exemplary behaviour and sportsmanship make us all proud!
Celebrations and Hard Work
7/03/2012
Geometric Art Work - Room 26
We have a busy few weeks. The PAT testing is now over; teachers and students are ready to discuss the test results and the next learning steps. We have also been focusing on our class environments completing artworks to enhance our rooms.
On Wednesday 29th February, the Year 5 and 6s had their Senior Swimming Sports. The children entered races including freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, flutter board and the all-important house relay. Well done to all those who participated and good luck to those who are heading to the Interschool Swimming Sports.
We are now looking forward to the Jubilee weekend where past and present students, parents and teachers can reminisce about their time at Owairoa. The children are looking forward to performing in the Kapa Haka group, dance, ukuleles and choir on Saturday.
Welcome to the Senior School
22/02/2012
The New Fitness Trail
Everyone has made a promising start to the year by being well prepared with stationery, uniform, and enthusiasm.
We are focussing on relationships, setting our goals, and renewing our responsibility for our own learning so that we understand the processes and improve in all areas. Currently we are completing our assessments which include the standardised PAT tests and the results of these will be discussed with each child and they in turn will discuss them with their parents at the end of Term conferences. This process is an important part of the children taking responsibility and understanding their next learning steps.
We are continuing to focus on Reading, Writing, and Mathematics to ensure your child has a solid grounding in these and meets the National Standard. The rest of the school programme includes Inquiry, Science, PE and Sport, Music, Mandarin and Art. We have many sporting and cultural groups running throughout the year which cater for the children’s varied interests.
Camp this year will be in Term 2. We are looking forward to our fun filled week at Camp Raglan where all the children learn not only outdoor safety, but also relationships with others and increase their friend base! Team 5 (Rooms 20,21,22) will be going 21-25 May and Team 6 (Rooms 23-26) will go 28 May – 1 June. Details on the Camp and all the arrangements will be coming out soon.
Congratulations to our sixteen new House Leaders who were chosen last week, I am sure they will be excellent role models for the rest of the school.
If you have any concerns regarding your child please contact the class teacher to discuss them, or myself. By working together we will no doubt provide the very best education for your child.
We are all looking forward with enthusiasm to the many exciting challenges of 2012!
The end of 2011
14/12/2011
2011 Service Awards
The senior school is still in high spirits after our fantastic performances at the DramaFest held on 1st December. The house was packed to the extent that we couldn’t fit the children in the hall! They all showed flexibility and resilience, moving efficiently in and out of the hall to complete their wonderful performances.
It is the time of year when we recognise the services and excellence of the children at Owairoa. The senior school are holding the service awards in the hall on the 8th December in recognition of the services rendered by our senior school pupils and to celebrate the graduation of our Year 6 students. Then, on Monday 12th December, the Senior Prize Giving will take place at Elim Church. Teachers and pupils alike are waiting with baited breath to hear who will receive the various cups that will be awarded to deserving Year 6 students in recognition of excellence at Owairoa.
It will be sad to say goodbye to our Year 6 students, but we wish them all the best for Intermediate. As always, the Owairoa graduates are bound to do us proud!
Athletics and Dramafest
30/11/2011
The Year 5 and 6 Athletics Stars!
Last week we all went out for our school athletics day. Fun was had by all at the activities: running over hurdles, skipping, shooting hoops, carrying cones and balls, to balancing frisbees on our heads around an obstacle course.
In between the fun events we did long jump, high jump, sprints and softball throw. The best on the day from these then went onto the Interschool Athletic’s Day at Lloyd Elsmore Park. The children had an amazing time. Congratulations to those who placed in their event.
Meanwhile, all the Senior classes have been making props, practising hard and perfecting their items for the Dramafest night next week. It will be a fantastic event and we look forward to performing in front of an audience.
Gala and Term 4 Delights
Practicing High Jump
Everyone had fun at the Owairoa School Gala during the school holidays. Riding the horses, going on the Terminator, walking through the Trail of Terror, eating sweets and chips were some of the highlights.
In Week 1, we had our Parent Teacher Conferences, where we talked to our parents about our goals for Term 4. We are ready to work hard to achieve these.
Our focus in PE is Athletics, so we are learning the correct techniques so we can jump further and higher in long jump and high jump. Athletics Day is coming up soon.
This term each class is putting together a performance we can showcase on Dramafest Night later in the term. There will be singing, drama and dance.
Herb Stall a Growing Success
21/09/2011
Herbs ready for sale
The senior school is gearing up for the end of term and the always highly anticipated Owairoa School Gala. We are still hoping to hold a herb stall for this event, and we have been growing herb seedlings with some mixed success. This has led to many discussions about ideal propagation and growing conditions and possible reasons for less successful growth. It has been a wonderful learning process for the children regardless of the end result.
We also recently heard the senior school speeches in classes and held the speech final on Tuesday 13th September. The speeches this year were of a high standard overall and the children put a great deal of effort into the process. Special congratulations to all the children who reached the final and Kaitlyn Dalton, who won the speech competition this year.
Don’t forget we have the Rugby-a-thon coming up on Wednesday 21st September. Keep collecting those sponsors to raise money for our great school. It will be another fun filled event for the children to look forward to and celebrate the excitement of the Rugby World Cup.
The Waiting Game
7/09/2011
Our Mustard and Cress Plants
Over the last few weeks we have begun to plant herb seeds in the hope that we can sell the herb plants and seedlings at our School Gala at the end of the term.
It is a waiting game. We have found out that some seeds only take a week to start germinating while others take up to three weeks. Each morning we eagerly enter the classrooms and go straight to the herbs hoping that they have grown. We are having some success with dill, oregano, chives, parsley and thyme germinating so far. Mustard and Cress are the fastest, having taken only 10 days to grow to maturity. We will keep you posted on our progress in the next few blogs.
Cultures Galore
24/08/2011
International Day Parade
International Day was last Friday, the 12th August. The day started off with a parade around the school where we got to show off our cultural costumes. We all met back outside the hall where many children got to say hello in their native language and we all sang the NZ National Anthem.
After morning tea we all traipsed into the hall for our International Day Concert. There were many splendid items from Morris Dancing, a Tongan Dance, to Caitlyn and Hannah singing about all the countries of the world. Amazing! As a finale some of the senior Kapa Haka boys did a rousing rendition of the haka.
Lunchtime was an international affair with food from all around the world from dumplings, spring rolls, Cornish pasties, to good old kiwi chips and dip and pineapple lumps.
In the afternoon many classes set up activities from around the world from making tangrams, origami, to making poi. A fun and tiring day was had by all
A Busy Term, full steam ahead
10/08/2011
International Students in the classroom
We have started Term 3 with a bang. On Monday 1st August we welcomed a new group of International students from China. Some are full time in our classrooms and others join us for our afternoon programme. We are looking forward to our International Day on the 12th August where we will have a concert, shared lunch and cultural type activities and a chance to appreciate different cultural perspectives.
This is the Term where we learn to be speech makers. We are busy learning how to write brilliant speeches and arguments so we can entertain our fellow classmates later on in the term.
In Maths, we are moving onto multiplication, division and measurement. Our brains are working hard learning all the basic facts so we can recall them instantly.
On top of all that we are going to be inquiring into herbs; how they grow and what they are used for. Get ready for the delicious aroma of mint, rosemary and parsley and others
Rise to Leadership
13/07/2011
Room 23 Red Socks
Friday 8th July is our leadership day, which will be a culmination of Leadership Week. We will be celebrating this with a leadership forum and open classrooms from 2pm. Each classroom will share the exciting inquiry that took place and the outcomes of that inquiry with parents.
As part of the inquiry into leadership, we have been supporting the Sir Peter Blake Trust. This is a charity that aims to clean up our coastlines and coastal areas. You will probably have seen the bright red socks that have become part of our uniform for the week. All money paid for the purchase of these socks will go to the Sir Peter Blake Trust and make a difference in our environment.
Next week the senior school will be focusing on our Maori Language Week. There will be exciting opportunities to explore the Maori language and culture with in-class and lunchtime activities. The senior Kapa Haka group will be opening Maori Language Week at the Monday morning assembly. They have been practising and we look forward to seeing them perform.
Owairoa, Leading the Way
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Practicing our serving technique
We are heading toward the end of Term 2 and children in the senior school are working enthusiastically on our inquiry into leadership. We look forward to sharing our learning with you.
The last of our tennis lessons were completed on 22nd of June. We appreciate the kind donation of equipment and time given by members of the Howick Tennis Club. They have inspired many children to give tennis a go!
Some feedback from the children:
‘I got some excellent tips on how to swing’ – Caitlynn
‘They were very encouraging and very good teachers’ – Emily
‘It gave us something to look forward to in the week’ – Ellis
‘I learned that I like tennis and it’s not just for girls!’ – Heath
‘It made me realise I could play tennis’ - David
We also want to commend our teachers and students who took part in the Winter Wonderland. The school received fantastic feedback about the behaviour of all Owairoa students. The performances were spectacular and a great time was had by all.
Tennis Pros in the Making
15/06/2011
Practicing our Tennis skills
Teams 5 and 6 have been having tennis lessons on the Astroturf. Each class has had four ½ hour lessons on the techniques of tennis. We have seen some budding tennis pros as the children develop their skills. Thank you to the Tennis Association for our new tennis rackets, nets and tennis balls.
We are learning about leadership and all the skills and qualities that are needed to make an exceptional leader. We look forward to sharing our work with you later in the term.
The choir has been working hard for their performances at the Winter Wonderland Show at BBI on the 15th and 16th June. They were joined by the Ukelele and dance groups from Owairoa and several other primary and intermediate schools in the area. Well done to all those who participated. It was enjoyed by all.
Senior School Joins the Blogging World...
1/06/2011
Taniwha Artwork by Room 25
Welcome to the first blog of the year from Teams 5 and 6 in the Senior School. We look forward to sharing with you: what we do, learn and achieve throughout the year.
This term Teams 5 and 6 have started with an Arts focus: especially Art, Movement and Dance with some fantastic results. The children have had opportunities to try some of the following: using pastels, crayon and paint to create artworks with complementary colours, origami and collage. In Dance, the children have been learning the techniques used in creating a dance. We have also begun our winter sports: rugby, netball, soccer and hockey.
In Week 3, some children went to the Netball fun day where they enjoyed playing against other teams. The Soccer A team had a resounding win against Waakaranga, 10-nil. Well done to Matthew for scoring 4 goals. The Netball B team played against Willowbank and Pigeon Mountain schools winning both games. Congratulations to both teams.