Out and About

 Recently we have been out and about in the community, extending our learning in new contexts.

First up was a visit down to the Worser Bay Boat Club to get involved with some marine science. We explored several testing methods to check things like the salinisation of the water, water temperature and even collecting plankton to see what is living in the water.

We also explored the rock pools with a marine meter squared. This way we can collect data about what is living in different areas that is tracked over time. We can then track if there is more or less in the environment and what might be causing the change.

Next up was our trip to Ākau tangi to further our learning of team sports for P.E. 

We had a chance to play futsal, basketball and korfball. 

Lastly, this week we took a group of students to the Eastern Zones Atheletics at Newtown Park. What a great event to cap off our learning around how to do these events. Our Worser Bay athletes made us proud with their Perseverance, Grit and the way they cheered each other on.

Enrolling to vote!

 This week we had our positive purpose at the fore as we created posters to support our school community. With our NZ elections only a few weeks away, it was important for the tamariki to make sure that our whanau and school community were enrolled to vote. You hopefully will have spotted some of our posters up in the windows outside of our classrooms.

We discussed how people need to make sure that they are enrolled before October 25th which is this Sunday. To check your details or to enrol, please head over to https://elections.nz/.

Further to this, Our Year 4's have been brainstorming what we know about how NZ is governed.

And exploring what are our responsibilities  in our own lives.

While next door our year 5/6's have been exploring the arguments for and against the voting age moving from 18 to 16 years of age.

We are loving exploring this topic and will have more to share as we organise our own upcoming school elections.

The Art of Persuasion

 The walls are alive in Matariki with the year 4's exploration of persuasive writing. Throughout the process they have learned how to plan, draft and publish an argument or opinion. 

We have used resources like word banks as well as the trusty dictionary to search for adjectives that add flavour to our arguments and can paint a picture for our audience.

This all ties nicely into our upcoming inquiry topic for this term where we will be exploring the elections process in New Zealand, how parties create their vision for the country through policy and how a government is formed.

Our learners will be creating their own parties and campaigning in order to win some votes from their fellow students in our own Worser Bay School elections. They will need to use all their powers of persuasion to win over the voters with their policy platform. 

We look forward to sharing our progress with you over the coming weeks through Seesaw and our blog.

Don't forget to enrol to vote!

Zealandia

 We were so lucky to have the best weather for our recent trip to Zealandia. Our Year 5/6 cohort have been engaged in some local bird watching and bird of the year campaigning, so this trip was well placed to coincide with that learning. 
Our amazing guides were able to help us notice the range of wildlife and look for clues in the environment that showed the activity of the nocturnal creatures.
Check out these amazing pics.

The fencing helps keep out  any predators from entering Zealandia. The catch at the top is to stop the climbers from getting in.

We learned that it needs to be at least 10 degrees for the Tuatara to venture out of their burrows.

The elusive Takahē

An Orb Web Spider

Attached to this Tautara are Tautara ticks which are as endangered as the Tuatara itself.

We saw so many different creatures during our visit. Many of which we are lucky to see here in Motu Kairangi thanks to the predator free work. Many of the creatures need the safe sanctuary space of Zealandia to ensure their ongoing survival.

Our learners were inspired by what they saw and we look forward to the ongoing learning about our local conservation efforts.

Arts Celebration 2026

Huge congratulations to the Māhutonga Matariki tamariki for such an incredible achievement! Performing four shows across two nights is a massive effort, and managing a student-devised performance demonstrates deep engagement, creativity, and leadership. By taking ownership of the production—from scripting to set design and sound composition—our tamariki directly embodied the key strands of the New Zealand Curriculum (The Arts/Ngā Toi): Drama (Whakaari): Developing Ideas & Communicating: Writing their own scripts, devising original scenes, and structuring the narrative of Kupe and the Giant Wheke. Understanding Context: Retelling traditional Māori narratives (pūrākau) to connect with cultural heritage and Matariki. Visual Arts (Toi Whakaari / Toi Ataata): Developing Practical Knowledge & Crafting: Working alongside Cloe to design and construct a functional, moving backdrop—applying concepts of scale, texture, motion, and visual storytelling. Music (Pūoro): Creating & Representing Sound: Collaborating with Kirsten to compose original soundscapes and music that convey mood, dramatic tension, and atmospheric depth for the story. Key Competencies in Action: Participating and Contributing & Managing Self: Working in collaborative groups, rehearsing over time, coordinating technical production, and performing live before an audience. Congratulations tamariki! Ka mau te wehi!