Out of This World Learning
The Senior School Science programme has been exploring an engaging Earth and Space unit this semester, where students have been developing their understanding of the…
“Creating a safe and supportive environment for your child”
Rising to the Reading Challenge
Rising to the Reading Challenge
The Senior School has launched an exciting new Reading Challenge, designed to encourage a love of reading through regular, enjoyable engagement with a wide range…
Celebrating Culture Through Creativity
Celebrating Culture Through Creativity
The Senior School has been celebrating Samoan Language Week through a variety of learning experiences that help students to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation…
Reaching for the Stars
Reaching for the Stars
Over the last two weeks in science, our classes have been learning about the Solar System. We explored the planets, the distances between them, and…
Lest We Forget
Lest We Forget
This week, the senior students have been learning about ANZAC Day and what it means for New Zealand and Australia. ANZAC Day is a special…
Making Waves in Learning
Making Waves in Learning
From the bright waters of the ocean’s surface to the mysterious depths far below, our senior students have been diving into the wonders of the…
Growing Kind Respectful Learners
Growing Kind Respectful Learners
This term the senior classes have been exploring wellbeing through the Mitey programme as part of Health and Physical Education. The focus has been on…
Galloping into the New Year
Galloping into the New Year
Learners across the Senior School welcomed 2026 with enthusiasm as they explored Chinese New Year and the arrival of the Year of the Fire Horse.…
Welcome Back to 2026
Welcome Back to 2026
I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the new families joining the Senior School this year, and welcome back our returning whānau.…
Lunchtime Legends
Lunchtime Legends
Term 4 has kicked off with plenty of energy and excitement as the annual Hilton Cup Netball Tournament begins in the Senior School. Every lunchtime,…
Maori Language Week
Maori Language Week
Maori Language Week took place from September 15 to 19, 2025, and everyone was actively engaged in exploring various elements of Maori culture. Students delved…
A Quest for Stories
A Quest for Stories
Book Week was a highlight of the term, with an adventure theme that brought plenty of colour, creativity, and of course, lots of reading. Each…
Sprints at Howick Domain
Sprints at Howick Domain
Owairoa School held their sprint heats and finals at the Howick Domain on Monday 1st September. After a very blustery and wet weekend, it was…
Parachutes, Predictions and Physics Fun
Parachutes, Predictions and Physics Fun
Our Senior School scientists have kicked off Term 3 with a hands-on focus on the Physical World. This science unit explores forces such as gravity…
Term Three Special Visitors
Term Three Special Visitors
After a two week winter break of cozy movie nights, chilly mornings, and family time, the school gates have opened once again. Students, teachers, and…
Kites, Culture and Collaboration
Kites, Culture and Collaboration
The Senior School celebrated Matariki with a week full of reflection, creativity and connection. Across Years 5 and 6, learners explored the meaning of the…
Cross Country Highlights
Cross Country Highlights
Owairoa Primary School recently held its exciting Senior School Cross Country event for Year 5 and Year 6 students. This annual tradition brings together young…
Hanging Bullying Out To Dry
Hanging Bullying Out To Dry
Pink Shirt Day tied in well with our Mitey programme, giving the senior school a valuable opportunity to talk openly about bullying, kindness and inclusion.…
National Simultaneous Storytime
National Simultaneous Storytime
National Simultaneous Storytime is an exciting annual event that brings children together through the magic of reading. In 2025, the event celebrated its 25th anniversary,…
Leading the Way
Leading the Way
Term 2 has begun, and our Year 6 students are already stepping up to their new roles with enthusiasm and pride. This term marks the…
House Spirit Day
House Spirit Day
On House Spirit Mufti Day, Room M13 students created Cityscapes using only the house colours of red, blue, green, and yellow against a black background.…
Smooth Sailing
Smooth Sailing
Ahoy there! This week the Year 5 and 6 students became the captains of their own miniature ships as they set off to the Bucklands…
Kiwiana Creativity
Kiwiana Creativity
The beginning of the year is always bustling, and this week has been particularly rich in creativity and expression. During visual art, the students in…
Year of the Snake
Year of the Snake
Learners in M16 embraced the excitement of the new school year by immersing themselves in the traditions of the Lunar New Year, and welcoming the…
Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou
Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou
Welcome Back to 2025! I would like to extend a special welcome to all the new families joining the Senior School this year, and welcome…
The Hilton Cup and MITEY
The Hilton Cup and MITEY
As the year has progressed, the Senior School has been working hard to incorporate Mitey into everyday school activities. This has helped our students to…
Interschool Athletics
Interschool Athletics
Last Wednesday saw Owairoa visit Lloyd Elsmore Athletics Club for the annual East Auckland HPPA Athletics tournament. With local rivals Cockle Bay appearing strong and…
Grandparents Afternoon
Grandparents Afternoon
The whole school celebrated Grandparents afternoon on Thursday 24th of October. There was a great turn out of grandparents and significant people who turned up…
‘Water’ Wonderful Trip
‘Water’ Wonderful Trip
On their return to school, the Year 5 and 6 students were treated to an exhilarating experience to welcome the new term, as they visited…
Team 5 is Looking Mitey Fine
Team 5 is Looking Mitey Fine
As we hurtle our away through another jam-packed term at New Zealand’s number one primary school, Team 5 has been sure to build on last…
Going For Gold
Going For Gold
As the bright lights of the Paris Olympics continue to warm the wintery living rooms of many New Zealanders, the inquisitive learners of the Owairoa…
HPPA Rugby Tournament
HPPA Rugby Tournament
There has been a lot of sporting activity in the Senior School over the last few months. We have teams going out for Hockey, Football,…
ISTEAM
ISTEAM
In the Senior School during our Maths lessons, we've been focusing on understanding money, its value and how to handle change. To make this more…
Senior School Science
Senior School Science
The Senior School have had an exciting Semester One of science learning about light and space. They enter the science room each week eagerly anticipating…
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences
The Senior School has been getting ready for the conferences. We have been working hard on publishing our writing, having great pieces of art to…
Tales from the Trenches
Tales from the Trenches
With writing achievement and literacy pedagogy consuming current political focus, some of Owairoa’s Senior School teachers recently displayed how engaging their learners in written tasks…
Kura Kino Kē! Cool Schools!
Kura Kino Kē! Cool Schools!
In the Senior School we will be running a Peer Mediation Programme done through The Peace Foundation. This programme promotes peaceful conflict resolution in primary…
Rock Climbing
Rock Climbing
Towards the end of Term 1, students in our 10 Senior School classes spent a challenging day at Extreme Rock Climbing in Panmure. The anticipation…
Welcome to Sea Week
Welcome to Sea Week
This year’s theme was - “Ko au te moana, ko te moana ko au – I am the sea, the sea is me” Over the…
Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year
The beginning of the 2024 school year coincided with the celebration of the Lunar New Year. As part of the 12 year cycle, this year…
Welcome to the Senior School
Welcome to the Senior School
Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou! Welcome Back to 2024! We have welcomed two new teachers to the Senior School this year - Ms Johnson…
McIntyre Centre Market Days
McIntyre Centre Market Days
Up in the top block, on three separate Fridays, you will find a flurry of market activity. In the weeks prior, during ISTEAM days, learners…
CanYou Hear Us?
CanYou Hear Us?
In Science, seniors have been learning all about sound. During ISTEAM they have been using this knowledge to research, design and construct a musical instrument.…
MOTAT’s Toy Workshop
MOTAT’s Toy Workshop
It was a day filled with nostalgia and innovation as the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) paid a visit to our school, collaborating with…
Fun on a Friday
Fun on a Friday
Senior School learners look forward to Friday afternoons. It’s not just because the weekend is on its way … it’s because after a busy learning…
Senior School Thrives on International Day
Senior School Thrives on International Day
On a brisk winter's day, Owairoa Primary School came alive with a vibrant tapestry of cultures as it hosted its annual International Day event. The…
Games That Form Friendships
Games That Form Friendships
In the Senior School, International Students have been arriving and leaving, over the past school weeks. Learners have been working alongside each other on their…
Poets Line Up To Shine
Poets Line Up To Shine
In the Senior School throughout Term 2, there existed groups of excited learners who had chosen a poem to showcase for the Senior School Poetry…
Seniors Measure Up
Seniors Measure Up
Since ancient times children have needed to learn how to measure things, and it is still an important mathematical skill our young Owairoa learners are…
Playground Paradise
Playground Paradise
Excitement is brewing in the Senior School as the much-anticipated new playground nears completion. After what feels like a long journey of fundraising and community…
Alright Lets Write About It
Alright Lets Write About It
Writing, and using our pens or pencils to do it, has always been an active and key aspect of our learning in the senior school.…
Winter Sports Season
Winter Sports Season
Winter is here, and with it comes the start of the winter sport season at Owairoa Primary School. Our school has always been enthusiastic about…
Senior School Responsibilities
Senior School Responsibilities
As our Owairoa learners grow older and move up to senior school, they start to become more aware of their responsibilities and the impact they…
Getting to Know Each Other
Getting to Know Each Other
After the long summer holiday, Senior school classes have enjoyed meeting up with friends, being introduced to new classmates and getting to know their teachers…
We Think Sailing is Knot Too Shabby
We Think Sailing is Knot Too Shabby
Our incredibly lucky learners from the Senior school were fortunate enough to get out on the water and participate in the BBYC Junior Sailing Programme.…
Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou!
Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou!
I would like to extend a special welcome to all the new families joining the Senior School this year and welcome back all our returning…
Everybody Can Be Great Because Everybody Can Serve
Everybody Can Be Great Because Everybody Can Serve
2022 has brought opportunity across the senior school for our students to engage in school-wide duties and activities. It has been a few years since…
Ready, Set, Go
Ready, Set, Go
Last Thursday, senior students excitedly ran into school in their mufti sportswear, eager to begin their day. In class, they impatiently waited for their turn…
Rocking The Shirts
Rocking The Shirts
Every year in the spring there is a shift in the atmosphere amongst the year 5/6 classes. Year 5 students listen and learn about a…
Chinese Language Week
Chinese Language Week
Chinese Language Week was celebrated from 25th September through till 1st October. Many Senior classes read stories and learnt about the Chinese Language during the…
ePro8 Isteam
ePro8 Isteam
Classes across the senior school have been taking turns with the exciting EPro8 construction equipment kit. The challenge: to research, plan and then construct a…
Girls’ Football Team
Girls’ Football Team
The All Blacks may not be firing on all cylinders recently, but that certainly wasn’t the case when the Owairoa Girls’ Football team visited William…
Seniors Speak Out
Seniors Speak Out
The absence of a Covid lockdown has meant that this year students in the senior school have enjoyed listening to their classmates deliver their oral…
Cross Country Superstars
Cross Country Superstars
After countless postponements due to poor weather the Cross-Country finally went ahead! To the excitement of many students, the new course was around the freshly…
Students Surveying Students
Students Surveying Students
Returning to the new block in Term 3 has felt like coming back to a familiar place. So, what do some Year 5/6 learners think…
Drama Gone Viral
Drama Gone Viral
In Week 8 the Seniors School students and the Year 4 classes were lucky enough to attend a theatrical performance by the touring group Go…
Books, Books and More Books
Books, Books and More Books
Term 2 in the Senior School began with a focus on the lifelong skill of reading. In Y5/6, students are expected to use their reading…
Great Habits of Leadership
Great Habits of Leadership
On Thursday 2 June the sixteen new 2022 Owairoa House Leaders were fortunate enough to spend the day with Garth Collins, learning leadership skills and…
Excitement and Anticipation
Excitement and Anticipation
An air of anticipation and excitement has been developing across the Senior school classes. For quite some time Senior students have watched the construction process…
ANZAC Service
ANZAC Service
On Thursday 14th May, the Year 5 and 6 students attended an ANZAC Service by the Flagpole at the front of the school. It was…
A Whale of a Time
A Whale of a Time
In-depth inquiry is a skill senior school students develop and utilise to enhance their learning. The WWF initiative – the Whale Tales Trail – has…
Senior Science
Senior Science
Science lessons for Year 5 and 6 students have been ‘shocking’ this term. They have been learning about Electricity and Magnetism and how electrical current…
RISE Above It
RISE Above It
With Term 1 progressing, senior students have formed a strong rhythm as they engage in their learning routines. They are enjoying working hard and playing…
Super Start
Super Start
The Senior students have started this year with excitement after a long break. Meeting their teachers and making new friends has been a thrilling experience…
Welcome Back Everyone
Welcome Back Everyone
What a wonderful start to the school year! It is good to be back and have the Senior school once again filled with the energy…
Reconnecting and Making Memories
Reconnecting and Making Memories
The year may be drawing to a close but for our Senior students, socialising with their friends is at the top of their minds. Days…
Girl Power!
Girl Power!
Midway through Term 4, Owairoa excitedly reopened its doors and welcomed back its students, ready for half a term of face-to-face interaction, enjoyment and learning.…
Off to Intermediate
Off to Intermediate
It is that time of year again when the Year 6 children start to think about what Intermediate School they will be attending. The excitement…
It’s Coming Home…
It’s Coming Home…
The England men’s football team may have left a sour taste in the mouths of many over the school holidays, but that certainly wasn’t the…
Remarkable Author Visits Owairoa
Remarkable Author Visits Owairoa
Des Hunt is a remarkable New Zealand author who has written many books in his nearly 80 years. Last week our senior students were able…
Let’s Get Outdoors
Let’s Get Outdoors
On Thursday 20 May, Owairoa took part in the global movement called Outdoor Classroom Day. Research tells us that learning in nature is good for…
Positive Puberty
Positive Puberty
This week our Senior school students have been participating in our Positive Puberty programme with Educators from Nest Consulting. As this was the first year…
Enlarger Than Life
Enlarger Than Life
Learners in Room G5 realised that ‘bigger is better’ this week, as they experienced a lesson in how to enlarge shapes and images. As part…
Sailing Away
Sailing Away
Our senior students have been lucky enough to spend some time on the water at Bucklands Beach as part of our Education Outside the Classroom…
Seeds of Doubt
Seeds of Doubt
The students in the Senior School have been busy laying down the roots of their Science learning this year by experimenting with the germination process…
Celebrating Our Stars
Celebrating Our Stars
The end of lockdown and long summer days mean Summer sports are still in full swing. The disappointment of the Softball Field day being cancelled…
You Are Gold
You Are Gold
With all hopes of an uninterrupted 2021 at Owairoa shattered with almost immediate effect, it was one of our newly appointed House Leaders who felt…
Into Learning with a Hiss and a Roar
Into Learning with a Hiss and a Roar
With the slight hiccup of a 3-day lockdown the Seniors have started the year with a hiss and a roar. Extra curricular activities have started…
A Senior Welcome to 2021
A Senior Welcome to 2021
Welcome back everyone. I would like to extend a special welcome to all the new families joining Owairoa this year and welcome back all our…
Schools out for Summer (well nearly…)
Schools out for Summer (well nearly…)
It’s been a very busy week for the Senior School students at Owairoa kicking off with Prizegiving on Monday evening. With our usual venue, Elim…
A Whale of a Time
A Whale of a Time
The school year might be creeping closer to a conclusion but that has not managed to prevent the creative juices from flowing in the Senior…
An Explosive Lesson
An Explosive Lesson
Middle and Senior School classes were fortunate to enjoy a visit from two Auckland Museum Geologists this week. Students discovered that Auckland is built on…
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone
Stepping out of the Comfort Zone
Over the course of the term the Senior School has been working hard as all nine classes have shared a focus on speech writing. Making…
Born to be Wild
Born to be Wild
With the untimely return of Covid in the community, Owairoa unfortunately had to cancel its highly anticipated jungle themed Book Week, but this did not…
We’re ‘Over the Moon’ to be Learning About Space…
We’re ‘Over the Moon’ to be Learning About Space…
Science lessons for Year 5 and 6 have been ‘out of this world’ since Term 3 started. The students have been learning all about the…
Kicking, Running, Shooting and Passing
Kicking, Running, Shooting and Passing
Term 3 is always one to look forward to for many students at Owairoa as it is the beginning of the winter sport season! Mr…
Choo Choo, Full ISTEAM Ahead…
Choo Choo, Full ISTEAM Ahead…
With the school running as close to ‘pre-Covid’ normal as possible, the seniors have ploughed straight back into their wacky, wonderful ISTEAM programmes. Room 25…
Back at School and Raring to Go!
Back at School and Raring to Go!
Since the Level 3 restriction was lifted, Owairoa is open for business! The senior school has been really enjoying being back in the classroom and…
Citrus Keeping Us Smiling
Citrus Keeping Us Smiling
On our return to school after the lockdown period, students and staff were met by an abundance of citrus fruit ready to be picked, at…