Year One & Two 2026 Showcase

 Check out the Year One & Two 2026 Showcase

Year Four Taking Action with the Youth Project

 

Today Year Four are working with the Youth Project to learn about the importance of being kind to the environment and our community.

Being kind has three elements - friendliness, generosity and consideration.  Being kind doesn't need to cost any money and it is contagious.  What could you do to be kind today?

Each Year Four child made a small key ring gift to be delivered to our neighbours. Hopefully it will brighten their day and they will pass on the kindness. 

Lastly we took action for our local environment by going on a litter hunt.  We discovered a lot of the litter we found came from lunch boxes.  We acknowledged the children making the extra effort to pack a litterfree lunch with a random prize draw. Congratulations prize winners.

Year Six Being Kind to our Community Heroes

 Today Year Six were lucky enough to work with the Youth Project.   We were learning about what it means to be kind and the importance of kindess in our community.

Our next school wide inquiry is 'Community Heroes'. We wanted to do something to be acknowledge the wonderful people in our community who do amazing work like fire fighters, police, conservation volunteers and aged care workers.

Each child worked carefully to create a origami manawa (heart) then they decorated it and wrote messages thanking the community volunteers for their service.

Claire will distribute the hearts in the community.  Last year the response from the people who recieved our gifts was overwhelming.  One of the gifts made it all the way to a volunteer fire fighter in Antartica! We wonder where our kind words and thoughts will reach this year.

Year Two Being Kind in our Community with the Youth Project

 Today Year Two had Enviro with Ms Daniel.  We were lucky enough to work with Claire & Claire from The Youth Project.

First we learnt about what it means to be kind - being friendly, generous and considerate.

The tamariki had wonderful ideas about how to be kind including:

- if you make a game ask other people if they want to play

- if someone is upset cheer them up

- say hello when some one is new

- keep our friends safe

- smile

- wait patiently

- ask them if they are ok

- get help from the duty teacher

Kindness is contagious so we decided to do something for someone in our community.  We created kindness bugs to hide in our neighbourhood. When people find them it will brighten their day.  Hopefully they will pass on the kindness to someone else. 

Learning to be generous, and give away our creations, is part of learning to be kind.

Thank you for cheering up our community Year Two!  Maybe if you visit a local library or community centre you'll find a kindness bug.

It's also Sea Week so afterwards we went on an adventure walk to clear litter from the drains.  As well as lots of litter, Emme found a ripe pumpkin in the Mara Kai.  Wow! Thank you to everyone who packs a litterfree lunch.  It really makes a big difference to keeping our grounds clean.

Year Five Digital Scavenger Hunt and Autumn Harvest

 

Today Year Five went on a digital explore of the Enviroblog to reflect on our learning and actions over the years.

Madeleine "I saw my sister eating quince"

Aavin "I saw my little brother eating too"

Milana "I saw students who used to be at the school"

While they were working Ms Daniel prepared some of our autumn harvest for them to taste.

Room 3 ate quince.

Room 2 & 1 ate kamokamo.

Constance "The kamakamo tasted like pumpkin.  It was sweet and salty."

Gihansa "First I thought it was very yummy but it was too sweet and sour"

Flynn "The texture was soft"

Emily "I first thought it would be yukky but turns out it was yum"

Camellia "The skin tasted like apple"

"The texture was pamello" Alice

Luci "It tasted a bit like potato but the texture was like noodles and it was sweeter"

Hazel "The skin tasted like nothing"

Briar "I did not like the taste"

Joseph "It tasted like a pumpkin"

Year Three Curious About Quince

 Today Year Three explored a strange fruit growing in our orchard. It's yellow, lumpy, a bit fluffy and very hard.  They're called quince!  You can't eat them raw or they taste super bitter and sour.  Instead we picked them to cook in the hall kitchen.

While we waited for the quince to cook everyone explored the Enviro Blog on their devices.

Billie "I saw me when I was in Year 1.  I was eating spinach"

"I saw my sister in a video about the compost" Zoey

Margaux "We saw the people who are at a different school now talking about the gardens"

"The quince looked like a yelllow lumpy apple.  It felt smooth and fluffy" Evie C

"It smelt like peanuts" Ibrahim

"It smelt like perfume and a little bit sour" Evie K

We boiled the strange fruit in sugar syrup and then tasted it:

Zoey "The quince tasted like a sour sweet pineapple"

Elsie "It tasted really really sweet"

"It tasted like a sugar apple" Christina

Keaton "It sort of salty and sweet almost like a lemon"

Jasper "It tastes like boiled apples and sugar"

"Quince skin looks like banana skin" Thiweyn

Chevan "It tastes like toffee apples"

Zoe "I think quince tastes like a sweet and sour lollipop and it looks like a lumpy lemon"

Sri "It was soft and it tasted like sugar, a pinch of apple and it was smashed like potatoes".

Reyna "It smelt like candy and it tasted like sugary and sour apples".

Jaxon "It tastes like apple and pear combined with some melted sugar on top"

Sammy "It smells like raspberries.  It tasted like sour lemon. I want to try more fruits".

Year Five Turangawaewae

 

Year Five took responsibility today of our Turangawaewae.  We reminded ourselves of all the places and practices that make us a GreenGold Enviroschool by watching this video:

Isabella "We grow food in our gardens"

Jin "We give nutrients to our plants in our compost"

Ella "We are tidy Kiwis"

Ciara "We ban vaping in our school"

Hunter "When you see rubbish pick it up"

"We have edible gardens" James

Jessica "We have lots of trees"

Briar "We don't allow dogs cause they could dig up the garden"

Next we took part in a fun scavenger hunt all around the school.

Room1 put their hands up to take responsibility for the hot compost while we wait for our Eco Leaders to be selected.

To get ready for the Matariki Hangi in July, Room 3 potted up cabbage seeds in the Green Room & Room 2 planted carrot seeds in the Edible Gardens.

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