Prizegiving Highlights

Slip n Slide - Round Two!

Camp Fires At The River

This afternoon we visited the Rangitikei River.  We had not been able to have our 'campfire challenge' during our camp to Nydia Bay, so today was the day!  We had to build, light and feed our own fires, and we did a pretty good job!  While we were waiting for the right moment to cook up some marshmellows, we went for a walk, threw rocks in the river, had stone skimming competitions and just played around!  The marshmellows were delicious, even though some people had very dodgy roasting techniques!  Thanks to Mrs Manson, Ms Lord, Mrs Pettersson, Mr Bartlett, Mr Poulsen and Mr Brazendale for being wonderful parent helpers.

Athletics Day

What an awesome day we've had!  We had heaps of fun doing all kinds of activities this morning, and then things got serious with the sprint races.  Congratulations to everyone on a great day, and a special congratulations to Levi and Emma J who won the finals of the 100m and to Seth and Emma J who won the 400m.  Well done to Matai who won the Junior house relay, and Totara who won the Senior house relay.

Here are some photos of the Year 8 students in action at the obstacle course:

House chant time!

Slip n Slide Fun

We just HAD to play Slip n Slide Rounders again this year...

Long Jump

Warming up...

The real thing...

Discus Time

High Jump Action

Warming up...

The real thing...

Athletics Time

Athletics has begun!  Today we started off with shot put.  Some of us could remember quite a lot about how to throw the shot correctly, so it didn't take long to get into the groove.  Check it out:

Nydia Bay

Wow, what a week!  We had an AWESOME time at Nydia Bay and definitely made the most of our experience.  We did tramping and fishing and swimming and jetty jumping and made a mudslide and performed skits and played heaps of fun inside games and made huts and played spotlight and explored the rocky shore and... had loads of laughs along the way!  Experiencing all that Mother Nature could throw at us was something we'll remember for a long time too - a 7.8 earthquake, a tsunami warning, a massive storm that included two thunderstorms and 24 hours of torrential rain, flooded streams and rivers, and last but not least, a pretty interesting journey home on the Kaitaki!

A huge thank you to our wonderful camp parents who looked after us for the week - Mr Pickford, Mr Humphrey, Mr Alcock, Mr Darling, Mr Jukes, Mrs Pettersson, Ms Lord and Mrs Mudgway - we hope you had fun too!

Safety Information For Nydia Bay

Today we had a detailed discussion about how we are going to keep safe at Nydia Bay.  We thought about some of the things that could go wrong, WHY they might go wrong, and how we could PREVENT them from going wrong.  We can't wrap people in cotton wool, but there are lots of things we can do to keep people safe. 

Sand Duning - Castlepoint

Nydia Bay Rock Tower Record

The current Nydia Bay Rock Tower Record is 29, set by Madison and Jorja in 2014.  Wonder if this record will be broken this year?

Hunterville Interschool Cross Country

We had lots of students from our class involved in the Interschool Cross Country in Hunterville on Friday.  This is where the best of the best runners from around our region come to compete in a very challenging race.  Congratulations to you all, you did really well.  It was especially awesome to have three Y8 girls in the top 10 - well done Greer, Emma J and Mya!

Pet Day

Pet Day was a great success again this year!  Congratulations to all those who brought along their pets - it's not easy to make your pet behave itself for a whole morning!  An extra congratulations to those who won prizes for their pets - well done!  Unfortunately we missed out on the Country Kids Challenge because of the weather, but we'll try and fit it in later in the year.  Overall, we had a great day.

Here are some of the Room 6 kids with their pets:

Pet Day - Indoor Exhibits

We are super excited about Pet Day tomorrow.  Here is a sneak peak at our indoor exhibits - animals made from recycled plastic bottles and rural photos.  So cool!

DISCO!

What a super awesomely cool night we had!  Everyone got right into the spirit of the event, and had loads of fun.  Thank you to the Student Council for organising the disco - you did an excellent job!  We're already looking forward to the disco next year...

Cross Country

We have been training hard for the cross country over the past couple of weeks, and Friday was the Big Day.  Despite a dodgy weather forecast, we pushed ahead and it was awesome!  Congratulations to all those who achieved their goals and gave 100%.  We're proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself!

A special congratulations to Georgia, Greer, Emma J, Mya, Seth, Cody and Jack, who all achieved Top 3 placings.

Nerves before the race?  Nah!

Cross Country Training

Things became a bit more serious today - we tested out the track for the cross country!  The mud was muddy, the bog was boggy, the prickles were prickly, the killer hill was killer and the creek was.... wet. We had a great training session and are 95% ready for the real thing on Friday.  Bring it on!

Don't do it like this:

Interschool Speech Competition

Last night was the Interschool Speech Competition between North Street, St Josephs and Halcombe.  Catherine was our representative in the Year 8 competition, and Emma H in the Year 7.  The standard was really high this year, and everyone did very well - even though they were super nervous!  Tom from St Josephs won the Year 8 competition, and a special congratulations to Emma, who won the Year 7 competition with her speech about how she can't live without sleep.  Well done Emma!  

The winners:

Special Visitor

Today we had a visit from Trevor Shailer, and what an interesting guy he is!  Trevor competed as a boxer in the 1992 Olympics, and 1994 Commonwealth Games.  Since retiring, Trevor has been in an athlete support role at many Olympic and Commonwealth Games.  Most recently he was Deputy Chef de Mission for the New Zealand Olympic team in Rio.  In 2013, Trevor was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit.

I enjoyed Trevor's story about Sir Mark Todd and the opening ceremony at the 1992 Olympics.  It was funny!  Willow.

It was funny how Eric Murray bought 75 Big Macs at the Rio Olympics.  They were free!  Hannah.

Trevor had an awesome sense of humour, and a lot of what he told us was really funny.  Jack.

When Trevor was talking about how a boxer could knock Jack out straight away, I couldn't stop laughing.  Hamish.

It was surprising and funny to hear that when Trevor was standing on the track while the Olympic torch went past, he wanted to blow it out.  Lydia.

The message that Trevor gave us about self belief was really important.  Emma J.

I liked it how Trevor was open about his life, and was funny at the same time.  Catherine.

It was funny when Trevor told the story about how his coach had called him a 'thoroughbred'.  Olivia.

Cross Country Time

The cross country is next Friday!  Unfortunately that does not leave us many days to train, so we need to make the most of the few days we do have.  We certainly had a great start today!  We have all set goals, and you can read about these on our blogs.  Good luck everyone!

DISCO TIME!

More Dubsmashing!

Four Thousand Comments..... So Close!

Tech Fun

Today we enjoyed our second-to-last Tech session for 2016.  What an awesome 20 weeks it has been!  Thank you so much to our Tech teachers, Mr Stoneley, Mrs Nevile, Mrs Penfold and Mrs Henderson.  We have had a lot of fun, and learnt HEAPS of new skills.

The ICT group made some great movies today...

Wheels Day And Spider Day And Sausage Sizzle Day And The Social - What A Day!

We had a lot planned for Wild Wednesday.... and wild it was!

First up, we had awesome fun wheeling around the school!  It was a bit wet, so we all got soaked and muddy!  The jumps were cool, and there were lots of races around the school.

Next up, the Student Council whipped up a fabulous lunch of sausages and spiders.  They had to cook 195 sausages and make 153 spiders - quite an effort!  The kai was delicious!

Then, it was time for the Social - a way to celebrate the end of our dance unit.  Everyone looked AWESOME and scrubbed up very well.  The dances were fun and we shared a delicious supper.  Well done team!

The traditional selfie!

Awesome Writing!

Over the past week, we've been doing some writing about some rather 'unique' inventions!  We have also been learning about persuasive language, and the kind of language we often see in advertisements.  Have a read of these awesome examples:

The Butter Stick - GREER

Do you ever struggle with spreading butter on your daily toast? Are you sick and tired of getting told off for leaving butter on the side of the container? Well we have a solution for you! Use this brilliant invention, the Butter Stick - a handy tool used in the kitchen to evenly spread butter on your toast. Turn the black twisting device at the bottom and start spreading, it’s as easy as that! Not only does it taste delicious, it is refillable. Wait there’s more, buy one now, and get one free for limited time only.

Portable Tissue Station - MYA

Have you ever been caught out with a horrible runny nose and no tissues? If so, this may be the invention for you. You are storing a lot more tissues than ever before and you will never misplace your tissues again! Not only that you are setting the latest trend! Allowing you to walk around in comfort, this invention only includes adjustable straps and light weight material to keep your precious head supported. This genius invention is very portable and allows you to quickly pull it out in any situation without any difficulties! From the feedback from our highly satisfied customers, you will never plan on taking it back.

The Hobo Disguise - HAMISH

Have you ever needed to look cool or hobo like? Then this is the perfect beanie for you! It’s really comfy and changes your entire look! If you have ever tried to grow a beard and couldn’t, then this incredible invention is just what you need! It’s also an excellent disguise! Not only that, but it comes in different colours and sizes. WOW! Also if you spill milk on it, it’s washable. Also call now and get another one for the exact same price.  Call now for more amazing merchandise.

The Baby Wipe - HANNAH

Have you ever been too busy looking after your baby and haven’t had any time to clean? Do you have a problem with a dirty floor and a baby that crawls around on it? Well we have the perfect invention for you! Not only does The Baby Wipe keep your floors spotless, it also keeps your baby entertained for hours! The Baby Wipe comes in a variety of colours and sizes for your girl or boy. The soft mop-like material is glued on the legs and arms of the onesie, and provides a comfortable and safe experience for your child. One of the benefits of this invention is that when your baby is older and lives in their own house, it won’t be a pig sty because they would’ve had a lot of practice cleaning before. The Baby Wipe is suitable for kids that can’t walk yet.