We were fortunate to have a fine day for our annual athletics competition. The day kicked off with the children rotating around four of the six field events, including; quoits, sprints, high jump, long jump, cricket-ball throw and the shot put. After a quick refuel and break for morning tea the children were straight back into the action with the 400m sprints and the completion of the field events. The day ended with the 800 meter sprint races and house relays.
The children were enthusiastic and showed great sportsmanship throughout the day. It was great to see them encouraging one another and yelling at the top of their voices for their fellow house mates.

Room 23 have been putting together reflections of their experiences at athletics day.
Athletics Reflection for 2011

I Felt…….
The sand digging in between my toes, once I landed in the sand pit after my long jump.
The sun in my eyes so bright.
The relief when the day had finally finished
I Saw…..
Quoits in the middle of the back field.
Cricket balls flying around in different directions.
I Heard….
The yells of children supporting their different houses when the whole senior school watched the house relays.
The thump of heavy shot put balls.
The victory yells of the winners of all the events.
By Alison Kindley

I Felt….
The sun beaming against my skin.
My muscles burning in my arms, as I swang a quoit.
My heart pumping like a car warming up as I jogged to the high jump.
The sweat running down my face.
I saw….
Crowds of parents cheering for their children.
Children spinning their arms around for shot put.
The sun gleaming in my eyes.
I Heard….
Excited kids running to loved ones telling them their scores.
The patter of children racing their hearts out to win the sprints.
By Hannah Watson Room 23

Matakana Trip

The Senior School of 7 classes enjoyed a great EOTC experience on Tuesday of this week.  We all walked one way between the mainland (end of Matahui Road) and Matakana Island.  The other leg was by ferry from Omokoroa.

Rooms 17, 19, 22 and 24, who left from the mainland, experienced deep water in the channel and had to hold their backpacks above their heads and wade in waist deep water across the channel.  This did not deter the children who walked on to the beach, where they were picked up by Eddie, the Island’s bus driver, and transported to the jetty to catch the ferry to Omokoroa.  All children arrived back safely, with only one school bag going over board!  We were very grateful to the Captain of the ferry who turned the boat around and collected the bag!  Phew!!

Rooms 18, 23 and 25, who set off on the ferry in the morning, also had a great time.  There was less water in the channel by the time we got there, so we did not get as wet.

On arrival on the mainland in the afternoon, we were greeted by deep, sticky mud.  The children had a fabulous time, slopping and slurping through the mud.  Many fell over (some intentionally) and ended up rolling around in the mud, like hippos!  Thankfully, there was a trough nearby and most were able to wash off in order to get into parent’s cars to go back to school.

The 7km walk was a great way for us to view the harbor and get a close up look at the environment that surrounds us.  This experience was a great topic for our unassisted writing samples and will provide great learning for our inquiry learning this term.

Melissa Nelson

WALT:  Create a list poem

WASW:  We can use adjectives, nouns, verbs and adverbs to describe an experience or object.

LUGE HEROES

Two, three, four

Off we GO!

Butterflies flying in our stomachs

Heart pumping, pumping

Enormous dips appear up ahead

Hands grip tightly

Zooming down gigantic hills

Swiftly we go

Screeching out with excitement

Smiles gleaming

Hallelujah!

By Te Kane and Jazmine

RABBITS

Cute rabbits hopping happily

Sparkling fur shinning brightly

Sharp claws scratching wildly

Sensitive nose twitching rapidly

Tiny mouth nibbling

Enormous ears flapping peacefully

Silky tail wagging gentle.

By Anne Maree, Amy and Toni-Rae

SPEECHES

Hot legs trembling

Clammy hands sweating

Red face burning

Butterflies fill my grumbly tummy

Heart beating fast

Blushing, shivering face

Tired, watery eyes

By Jessie, Gemma and Atu

GLORIOUS FOOD

Candyfloss constantly spinning
Sucking lollipops madly
Crispy bacon sizzling crazily
Juicy nectarines constantly dripping
Colourful pizza madly cooking
Pink and white marshmallows roasting on the fire

Tenneille & Louie!

Snow camp 2011 -

Bus B's Awesomeness!

Rooms 17,19,23 & 25 left Katikati Primary for our Y5 & 6 camp.  With the weather letting the central plateau have it, we boarded the bus hopeing to see some snow…  and snow we saw!

Winter Wonderland

Lone Wanderer Comes Back With Bad News

Our first day we went on a two hour bush walk through the snow.  It was amazing!  Beautiful seeing the white blanket contrasting with the green bush.

Day two we headed up to the mountain and hoped for better weather.  But this was not the case.  Blue sky, but -6 degres and 30km winds made it very cold.  It was still fun.

Day three we headed to Taupo.  Saw the Huka falls, had an ‘amazing race’ through the city, and finished off at the AC baths.

Day four was another blizzard up the mountain so we headed to Rotorua.  3D maze left us confused for 40 minutes, we then headed up the gondola and down the luge…  Wicked times!

The White Carpet

Snow Camp is fast approaching.  Thank you to all families who have returned permission and medical forms.  Please get these into school as soon as possible next term if you haven’t done so already.

Gear:

In week one of term 3, there will be an opportunity for anyone who is interested to come to school to buy/sell and swap any snow gear.  The date and time is as follows:

Tuesday 2 August at 3.30pm.

Please come along if you have gear form last year to sell or swap.  If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Emma Stride through the school office.

Mountain Passes:

Mountain passes, gear hire and lessons are all covered by the camp costs.  This pass includes a beginners pass to the Happy Valley area at Whakapapa and beginners lessons.  For the children who attended the camp last year and for children who already know how to ski or snow board, we are offering lower mountain passes and intermediate lessons at an extra charge of $15 per day.  If your child can stop safely and turn accurately, they are eligible for these intermediate lessons and access to more of the mountain.  If you would like to take this opportunity for your child, please fill out the form below and return it to the school office by Wednesday 3 August.

Please note that if your child already holds a season pass and has their own gear, you are required to subtract $100 for the camp costs, making the cost of the camp $295 for your child.

Change of Itinerary:

When we reviewed the camp in 2010, we received feedback from some parents that taking cars to the camp was not ideal.  In response to this feedback, we decided to take two buses to each camp this year.

As a result, the cost for the camp is considerably increased.  In addition to the usual rises in costs, the taking of two buses would have pushed the price of the camp up to around $450 per child.  We feel that this is unacceptable.  As a result, we have changed the timetable around and will now return to school on Thursday evening, instead of Friday at 2pm.  The children will not miss out on any planned activities, as Friday is just a pack up and travel day anyway.  By returning to Katikati on Thursday evening, the cost for the camp remains UNDER $400 at $395 per student, before fundraising costs are taken off.  We realize that this decision may not please everyone and urge you all to understand that it is our intention to make this experience accessible for as many of our students as possible.

We also have received feedback encouraging us to vary some of the activities OFF the mountain, and so have some new excursions planned in the Taupo/Rotorua area in-keeping with our inquiry unit on “Survival” in Term 3.  These will take place on the Thursday of both camps and should provide new and exciting experiences for the Year 6 students who are attending the Snow Camp for the 2^nd time.

Gear lists and recent up dates have been uploaded to the school website, so should you have misplaced any notices, have a look on there.

Have an enjoyable holiday with your children.

Kind regards

Melissa Nelson