Rewana Bread

We are getting ready for Parakuihi, our Te Reo breakfast in a few weeks time by learning how to make Rewana Bread. We found some old potatoes, peeled and cooked them and planted the rest. There is some good science involved around fermentation and feeding the bug and we will keep you updated as to the how successful we are with this projectr. We have invited students who make bread at home to bring bugs or starters into school so that we can compare and contrats some of the results. These guys are holding the evidence of today's efforts!

Kākahu

We have been inspired by the work of John Bevan Ford, using him as an Artist Model and our study into the symbolism of blankets to design our own cloaks or kākahu. What do blankets or kākahu represent? According to our kids they carry all sorts of meanings including the obvious: love, friendship, warmth but also more surprisingly blankets can convey stories. Stories are woven into the blankets of peoples from around the world, as quilts maybe or as ponchos. As part of the research, students discovered on Te Ara that blankets also have negative connotations for some as they carried disease and were a tool during colonisation of the Pacific.

Tomorrow we will pen the lines and add subtle colours so that they remble the work of John Bevan Ford.

Presenting our Blue Belt Submission to The City Council

This morning we are presenting our submission to the City Council who are workihng on their Long Term Plan.

Worser Bay Aerial View.

We have been very involved in our marine environment: *Snorkelling *Sailing *Marine Science

Marine Metre Square to collect data about species in the intertidal zone and biodiversity We noticed that when we did the Marine Metre Square by the Breaker Bay Headland there was much greater Biodiversity than in Worser Bay. We wondered whether this was because of the proximity of the Taputeranga marine reserve close by. We have used a plankton net and other scientific equipment to monitor the abundance of plankton and marine life We asked the question; what would happen if we made a marine reserve at Worser Bay?

What we have learned: Everytime there's a storm the storm water flows into the ocean bringing pollutants. If sewage water overflows the sewage water will go into the harbour also. Oil,tar and other pollutants will get into the ocean by coming though the storm drains. The importance of marine life for sustaining life on the planet Marine reserves are a useful tool for restoring marine ecosystems.

What we would like to see in the near future: Establish: Snorkel trail. Anemone garden. Pāua hatchery. All of this will improve Marine life at Worser Bay and have positive effects for the whole of Whanganui-a-Tara.

Survey Results Here are some of the survey results. 97.6% said they thought a marine reserve was a good idea. 34.1% of people said they would support it by volunteering We also asked why people wanted it and 73.2% said to restore the ecosystem

This confirms that people think it’s a good idea and would support a temporary marine reserve down at Worser Bay. The Future: Protecting our marine ecosystem. Restoring the health of marine and intertidal habitats Teaching our community about marine life and how to care for it Making Wellington Harbour Te Whanganui - a - Tara an even better place to live. Creating a temporary marine reserve!

Ngake and Whataitai

Retelling stories is always interesting. We have noticed that every time the story is retold it changes! The story is embellished, parts are exaggerated and maybe other parts have been left out. The same is true of the much loved myth concerning our local Taniwha, Ngake and Whataitai. Everytime we encounter the story it has developed and become more interesting. It is an extremely dynamic story and it explains some of the local geographical features of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. It is also a tale of friendship, challenge, and grief. We will be continuing to work with our local stories as we go toward term 3's Arts Celebration. We want to unpack them, understand them and tell them again in our own words. Here are some of the story mountains which students have begun developing to capture the main events and the dynamic shape of this story.

Positive Education in action!

Strong relationships amongst peers play a crucial role in the wellbeing and resilience of children and adolescents, whereas poor mental health outcomes are associated with unstable school environments and peer relationships.

The influence of relationships on health is diverse, as they promote self-care, endorse healthy habits like balanced nutrition and physical health, and nurture positive emotions that support overall bodily functions.

We all possess an intrinsic biological and psychological inclination for social connections and a sense of belonging and have a fundamental need for secure interpersonal connections and to perceive ourselves as worthy of care, empathy, love, and respect.

In the Māhutonga Matariki classroom spaces, we're diving deep into the importance of Teamwork, and what it entails in relation to positive peer relationships. You may have heard your child talk about 'Survivor'. This is a framework used to teach the explicit skills of developing Healthy Relationships, Teamwork, active and constructive communication, creative and flexible thinking.

Here's how it works: each term, students from each base group are organised into groups (using a random mixer so it's truely random). Each group comes up with a team name (my personal favourite so far is 'Lord of the Parakeets'!) Every Tuesday, we teach a Positive Education lesson which is focused around a different Learner Attribute/s and the Positive Education focus (this is currently 'Positive Relationships'). The learning from this lesson is taken into the Reward Challenge where students have to work in their teams to complete the task.

An example of this is the Week 2 challenge: 'Marble Roll'. 

During the challenge, groups were asked:
- How can each member of the group contribute? 
- How does our group make decisions together? 
- What does healthy communication look and sound like?

Points are added to the leaderboard and contribute to an overall score for term-long programme. On Wednesday's, we do a 'Tribal Council' where each group must unanimously vote for one other team to have a deduction of 50 points. Teams must practise their active communication skills to reach an agreement together. Every Friday, the groups take part in a 'Kahoot' which includes questions from each Learning Area and serves as a 'round-up' of the week's learning. The winning team receive immunity for the next Tribal Council.

Using a framework like 'Survivor' to teach skills related to Healthy Relationships, Teamwork, active and constructive communication, creative and flexible thinking is beneficial for all students. It has been rewarding to see students connect with each other and it is a fantastic vehicle to nurture Leadership skills as well.

Watch this space for updates!

Winning teams from the Week 2 'Marble Roll' Reward Challenge.

Cross Country

We have been training for our school Cross Country event, trying to raise our speed and levels of fitness in preparation for the big event. We have set personal goals, emphasising the aim of pushing and extending ourselves over competition with others. We are already seeing some great results with increased levels of fitness across the board and some really enthusiastic runners. We will be at Worser Bay Beach at about 9:30 on Wednesday the 15th. The event usually involves a quick dash up and down the beach, through the dunes, across the grass and back to the start/finish. Please come to support our amazing runners if you are able to. Those who are particularly keen may qualify for the Eastern Zone Event to be held at Scots College on the 22nd of May. More information about this event will follow when we know who is in our Cross Country team.

Memoir Writing:

We have kicked off Term 2 getting straight into some new writing. Memoirs are an interesting genre, usually the preserve of the elderly, reflecting on a complete life but we aren't waiting for our eighties. We have begun our memoir collection writing about our old soft toys. They hold a lot of power, good memories and comfort. Identifying the features of a memoir was our first step. These include:

Then we had a go at writing a piece all together about John's sad old stuffed (in every way) elephant Alpo.

Over the course of the year students will add to their collections of personal stories and reflections, retelling important moments of their lives to date and musing about the thoughts and wonderings which occur to them. Maybe this process will help make sense of events for them. Watch this space for examples of kid's writing.