Trees for Survival 10th Anniversary - 907 planted!

 

Eco Group Pestfree Cadetship

 Thank you to Peter and Zahara for taking our Eco Group through the Howick Pestfree Cadetship! We loved learning about our local ecosystems and how we can protect them by trapping pests. Did you know there might be native bats living in Howick?  We are going to find out more in our Enviro lessons.

GEMs Broadcast features our Eco Leaders

Thanks GEM Broadcasters for featuring our Eco Leaders and thank you to everyone who contributes to our compost.

 

Year Five Know How to Stay Alive

 

Today, it was the turn on Year 5 to work on their readiness for Natural Disasters. We're hoping to be one of the lucky schools selected for a special assembly and ipad prize draw. We took part in Civil Defense's Get Ready School Challenge: Look out for more information coming home with your tamariiki. Does your family have a fire evacuation plan? Do your tamariki know one parent's phone number and their address?

https://getready.govt.nz/involved/schools-challenge Get Ready School Competition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv5IxXf91uE

Howick Local Board Gather our Student's Voices

 

Kai, Damian and Brandii visited our Eco Group today to describe what they do and gather our feedback on what we'd like to see in our community.

Kai explained that the local board is in charge of libraries, parks, playgrounds, pools, transport,  walkways and activities like weed busting competitions, pest control initiatives, career expos and the Bike Hub.

Did you know there are 70 playgrounds in our area?

Kai asked for our feedback on the local playgrounds and parks. 

Here's what our Eco Group thought:

Matting on the playgrounds not bark please.

Traps on the drains to catch the rubbish

A merry go round on the playground that spins.

Can we get the trampolines that are in the ground?

Covers for the rubbish bins

Drawings in the parks to show how to take care of the environment.

Less concrete paths and more grass patches in the paths so the water drains away.

Paint murals with rubbish on the blank walls

3D pictures along the walkway like in Rotorua 

Visual displays telling people about the local birds.

A dog park with different areas for different sized dogs near the beach. Add toys, a stick library and lights.

More copies of popular books in the libraries

Tic, tac toe games in the playgrounds

More climbing walls please

Paintings around the Farm Cove Shops and walkways.  

Clear broken glass from the walkways.

Make the alleyways safer.

Lights at Sunnyhills Tennis Club

More gardens for the new builds

More hotels near Pakuranga for family to stay in

Exercise equipment that generates power. 

Solar powered / movement activated lighting

String telephone in the playground.

Shorter monkey bars for short people please

Damian told the group about the Youth Council they can join when they're aged 15 -24 years. Everyone has bright ideas so let's make sure young people's voices are represented.

Kai reminded us that just like with our own pocket money, the local board has to make choices about how to spend limited money, so we need to make careful choices.  We need to find balance with time, money, resources and what we value.

Thanks so much to Damian, Kai and Brandii for visiting today!

Year Four Learn about our Moana with a Marine Biologist

Today, Jess from the Young Ocean Explorers visited Year Four.  We were amazed to learn about Jess' career as a marine biologist working with Kelly Tarltons.  One career highlight was helping to save a three flippered turtle called Waiwai Toru. Jess also worked with NanoGirl and now is continuing her science education pathway with the Young Ocean Explorers. 

Jess gave a fascinating presentation that included a quiz, videos, a smoke machine and even giant bubbles. We were able to explore how animals communicate with sound under the sea and hunt with air.

What did you find out Year 4?

Jaxon "Whales breathe air and they sing by humming"

Leo "I liked hearing all the animal sounds"

David "Whales use sounds to find their friends and family"

Ken "I enjoyed when Jess put smoke into the giant bubbles"

Valentin "I found out seaweed can grow 70cm per day"

Lucy "Jess made a smoke ring push a cup off my hand.   She gave me a poster"

We were sad to hear that while 30% of land is protected in NZ, only 0.38% of the sea is protected.  What could we do to protect more of the sea?

"Build a robot to clean up rubbish. We've been working on that in digi.

Special drains that can't let rubbish out or in

Use a magnet that attracts the rubbish

Make more marine reserves

Put posters up that we make

Write letters to the Prime Minister

Call DOC 0800 DOCHOT if you find a sick animal on the beach."

Next time, we're going to write letters to the Prime Minister, toconvince him to protect more of the moana.

Year 5 Are Travelwise

 Today Year Five thought about how we can independent active travelers.  We want to be able to walk, bike and scooter more, because it's good for our bodies and good for the environment, but we need to be safe too. 

We began our lesson by checking our class rankings for The Wednesday Challenge.  Every Wednesday we try to use active travel more and log our results in an inter school and inter class competition.  WELL DONE to Room 1 who are currently in second place.

Next we created a giant jigsaw puzzle.  It was great fun to work as a whole class team.  We timed it to make an interclass competition:

Room 2 - 5 minutes 41 seconds

Room 1 - 7 minutes 23 seconds

Room 3 - 6 minutes 38 seconds

Then we looked carefully at the picture we had created and identified children who we being unsafe.  We marked them with red flags.  Lastly we labelled the children with flags to describe what they should be doing.

To review we completed questions in our digital workbook.

Next time we're looking forward to taking part in Civil Defense's "Disaster Readiness" Competition.

Natural Disaster Readiness with Year 3

 Today Year 3 learnt that nature isn't always kind, but we can be prepared.

What are some of the natural disasters we know?

Zoey "Tsunami & flood"

Rhyden "Hail, lightning, earthquake & fire"

Margaux "Whirlpool"

Shion "Volcano"

Isla "Slips"

Elsie "Hurricane"

Christina "Snow Storm"

Billie "Bee swarm"

Jack "Coconut falling on your head"

Mahina "Sandstorm"

Amelia "Cliff crumbling"

Milan "Cyclone"

Sammy "Tornado"

Ciaran "Forest Fire"

We revised the things we can do in the event of a natural disaster:

- drop, cover & hold in an earthquake 

- ring 111 in an emergency

- learn your address and parent's phone number

- check heavy objects in the home are secure

- learn the tsnami alarm that tells us to move to high ground 

AND lastly please discuss a fire evacuation plan at home with our families.

By completing these activities we are in the draw to win an iPad from  Civil Defense.  Fingers crossed!

Year 6 Work on Natural Disaster Readiness

 

Today, it was the turn on Year 6 to work on their readiness for Natural Disasters. We're hoping to be one of the lucky schools selected for a special assembly and ipad prize draw. We took part in Civil Defense's Get Ready School Challenge: Look out for more information coming home with your tamariiki. Does your family have a fire evacuation plan?

https://getready.govt.nz/involved/schools-challenge Get Ready School Competition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv5IxXf91uE

Year Six Continue Our Estuary Inquiry with Watercare

 Today Year Six learnt about how we can observe what live in our fresh water ways, with Kathryn from Watercare.  We learnt about the common risks to our local waterways - detergent, nitrates, oil, plastic litter and paint. Sadly litter is a main pollutant.  What could we do about that?

Next, we used magnifying glasses to find macro invertebrates in the samples.  Who knew there were so many bugs living in our freshwater?! Lots of life means healthier water.

Observation, identification and recording of data

Good news! We saw six types of macroinvertebrates, so the water was relatively healthy.

What we found:

- leech

- microvelia

- water boatman

- water mite

-damsel fly

Freshwater Leech

Water Boatman

Lastly, we chose one water bug to find out more about and created research posters. Check them out HERE

Thank you to Kathryn and Watercare for the wonderful hands on learning.