Our Room 1 and 2 whānau welcomed back some rather tired tamariki on Friday. After two years of planning, COVID disappointment and rescheduling we had completed our senior camp experience at El Rancho. Despite the weather and the rain, a great time was had by all and good memories were made that will stay with our tamariki for life. 

Alongside this Room 5 and the Year 6 students from Room 2 were able to experience three great days of EOTC and creative activities here at school- weather was no barrier! 

EOTC activities provide a challenging and exciting context where new strengths and interests can be encouraged. Our teachers all commented on how they saw a different side of their students through the way they tackled physical challenges or worked together to support their peers as they tried something new for the first time. We plan to keep EOTC activities as a part of our local curriculum as they are rich in learning opportunities. 

I know that Nik was very grateful for all the parent support that came his way to help the Year 5 and 6 days go so smoothly. Nik also put a lot of effort into providing an engaging range of activities. 

There are a number of people to acknowledge related to our camp- 

Parents- you supported your tamariki’s efforts to fund-raise, gather gear, pack bags and provide baking or biscuits. 

Parent helpers- a dedicated, hard working, fun team of parents helped the activities go so smoothly. I was fortunate to go out on Thursday and see the program in action. Our parents were outstanding in the way they interacted and supported the students and enabled Ethel, Tala and Sonya to carry the weight of organisation, responsibility and problem solving.

El Rancho staff- such a well organised and resourced place, we are blessed to be able to access their site so easily. The staff were accommodating and extremely helpful. 

The students- the weather could have been a big stumbling block to enjoyment, but I was very impressed with the positive, can-do attitude our students had to making the most of their time in camp. They worked together as a great team and were a wonderful group to work with. Camp was an opportunity where our values- aroha, whanau and yes, were highlighted in the lives of our tamariki. 

The teachers- Camp planning and organisation is a huge job. Tala and Ethel did an outstanding job of making this camp come together and flow so well. Sonya was also the extra helper that made a difference. 

COVID update. 

Currently there is some COVID in our community- staff members have been away either isolating or sick. There are isolated cases amongst our families as well. In general, this time of the year is always a time for increased sickness. We appreciate your vigilance around monitoring for symptoms and keeping students home when sick. We do have some RAT tests at school should your supplies be getting low- contact the office if you need some.  

Part of living a life of Faith is to participate in holidays, feast and holy days. This can give our lives a sense of rhythm and tradition and provide opportunities for us to reflect on the God who loves us. Matariki, our latest holiday, is a significant time for us to pause and reflect on how we are living our life in connection with God, with the past,  with each other and with the world that surrounds us. 

We have activities planned as a school to help children engage with the significance of this first holiday - 

+ a combined dawn ceremony with Miramar Central Kindy at 6am on Tuesday 21st June which you and your whanau are welcome to attend. Holy Cross will be sharing a waiata.  

+ an art project in conjunction with Bunnings, creating the Matariki stars and illustrating their meaning and significance. These will become a part of our school environment and provide inspiration for prayer.  

+ a celebration of learning where parents and other whanau members are welcomed into each class to share soup and experience some of the learning that has taken place over the beginning half of 2022- this will happen on our last day of term 2- Thursday 7th July. 

Our hope is that in the midst of this activity, we would know God’s blessing in our lives and have our hearts and minds drawn to Him. 

A Matariki Blessing 

The new light of Matariki has risen!

May it be to you a sign of resurrection and new life.

May it be to you a sign of hope in times of darkness.

May it be to you a sign of the wondrous mystery of Atua who loves you.

May it be to you a sign that the eyes of the Eternal One are ever upon you and that the

presence of the Holy One is ever with you. And may this be the cause of your rejoicing.

Go in peace.

Through Christ and in the perfect unity of the Holy Spirit, we pray.

Amen

What a special celebration this morning as 5 of our students received the sacrament of baptism and now begin their own faith journey.

Congratulations to Jack, Flynn, Zachary, Hendrix and Tyrese it was a real honour to be part of this special occasion and we thank Father Bill and Nik Solia for all your hard work in preparing the students and whānau and for organising the day.

This is a whānau event, parents please stay with your children. Students attending must wear their school uniforms. Following the ceremony, we will come back to school to share kai.  Please bring a plate to share.

2022 - Camp El Rancho 

by Maxwell, Rm2

     It’s the day we set off to camp El Rancho and my heart was racing because of how much excitement there was in the air. The bus ride was about 1 hour so I had to hold my excitement but it’s hard for me because I’m the kind of person who is excited about everything.

     It felt like a day but we finally made it to El Rancho. I was in a cabin group with me, Mikey, James, Wilem, Phoenix and Rueben. We put our stuff on the bed and then joked around after because our excitement was fast like the blink of an eye. Our cabin had everything, a window, a heater and leather mattresses. 

     Then we were given an introduced by a staff member of the Camp, Anya who told us everything about the camp grounds and how to navigate the area. Next it was lunchtime, so we ate our packed lunch from home. After that, we then had free time around El Rancho. There was a basketball court, netball court, a big field and 3 trampolines.

     The next day on Thursday, there was a big problem. 3 out of the 5 five activities were cancelled, Mini Golf, Go Karts and Horse Riding. Luckily Archery and Rockwall climbing were still on. We had a plan to replace the activities with, Nerf Wars, Air rifles and soft archery. I was the best air rifle shooter in my group. Before you knew, it was time for bed! I thought that it was fun at camp and I wanted to stay a little longer.

     Friday came, the day we were leaving camp! I packed everything up and while I was doing that, something came to my mind. It was how much fun we had as year 7 & 8s! I know I will keep this memory forever. Then we headed back to school, a lot of kids fell asleep, but I didn’t!

Popping Manu’s in the Puddles

By Avalani Wright 

“ 3..2..1.. GO!! ”

I ran as fast as I could, getting ready to leap into the water. Splashhhhh!!  Water, Grass, Leaves, just everywhere. I couldn’t even look straight, I was so dizzy. I got up, laughed a little then did it all over again. Tilomai and Shalom were with me. Laughing, screaming, acting psycho. Same as always. We did it a few more times until I decided to do a Manu. I stood up, found the deepest part of the puddle, did my form and then jumped. Nothing felt better than that moment.

I opened my eyes. My hands were filthy, covered in grass and leaves. All I could hear at that moment was the screams of Tilomai and Shalom. The smell burned my nose. Water rushed up my nostrils. What…disgusting... It hurt when I inhaled and my nose felt cold. It was in my mouth too, but at this point I honestly didn’t care. It tasted like seaweed, making my tongue itchy. I felt something in my shirt, pointy and sharp. I pulled it out. Um a stick ? What the actual heck.

After a few more Manu’s I got tired and tried teaching Tilomai how to Manu but she just sat in the mud with her toes poking out. “Paruuu!!” We needed to go shower now, I felt so yuck and I stunk so bad. Before my shower I went running around for 10 minutes with mud dripping down my leg, asking everyone if they wanted a hug. They all said no ( obviously ) so I just ran to the showers with Tilomai and Shalom. 

 

Gardener of the Day - Angelina

Today in the garden, I learnt that it is now winter, that means it is cold, plants grow slowly and there are no summer fruits or vegetables in the garden.

Lydia, Parina, Olivia and I collected some mulch from Olivia's car. Parina and Lydia got some saw dust and dried leaves. Olivia and I put them in the new compost bin.

Flynn and Ninor cut up long pieces of wood and put it around the garden bases because they were dusty and muddy. Leya ,Austin and Dhrumil tried to fix the T frame because the thunder and lightning had destroyed it.

Something I think we need to be careful about is, to not stand on the plants.

Something I found interesting was that dried leaves and saw dust makes carbon which is good for the garden. 

Chef of the day - Blythe

Today in the kitchen we made rhubarb muffins with Aleksandra.

Mason, Cian, Kena, Jenson Ryder and I sliced the rhubarb while Serena, Amalia, Willy and Kruz made the batter.

It's Jenson's birthday today, so can I get a "Happy birthday Jenson"

We set up the tables for our kai. The muffins are light and fluffy- at least I hope so!

I like slicing the rhubarb.

Something we need to be careful about is knife safety and the oven.

An idea for next time is sushi with blueberry and strawberry smoothies, so lets dig in but first let's say our prayers.

Recipe

Light & Fluffy Rhubarb Muffins

Preparation time

15 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Serves 12

Ingredients

Butter, melted - 100 g

Brown sugar - 1 cup

Eggs - 2 eggs

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Cup milk - 1/2 cup

Flour, sifted - 2 cups

Baking powder, sifted - 2 tsp

Rhubarb, chopped into 1cm pieces - 1 1/2 cups

Icing sugar, to dust

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).

Grease a 12-hole regular muffin tin.

Beat the butter and brown sugar together until it pales. Add the eggs and continue to beat for 1 minute.

Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and add to mixture.

Fold in the flour and baking powder. Add the rhubarb pieces, reserving enough for the tops. Mix until just combined.

Spoon into muffin tins. Add the reserved rhubarb pieces to the top of each muffin.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

Rest for 5 minutes before removing the muffins from the tin.

Dust with icing sugar and serve with soft butter.

Part Time Swim Instructors

 Monday – Friday 9.30am – 2.30pm

Weekends and School Holiday’s off

$23.70 per hour

This could be a great opportunity to return to work or to start your journey to progress into a full-time role within Wellington City Council.

Do you enjoy the water? Have you worked with children? How about combining the two in an enjoyable part-time role at Wellington City Councils pools? If your passionate about making a difference to lowering New Zealand's drowning rate and get a buzz out of seeing kids progress and develop, you could be doing just that.

We're after part-time aquatic education instructors to help teach our SwimWell programme at each of our pools - Karori Pool, Keith Spry Pool - Johnsonville, Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre - Kilbirnie and Tawa Pool.

SwimWell runs year-round swimming education programmes for all ages: Infants through to Adults. Our staff are trained to teach our students important safety skills for when they're in and around the water and aim to provide positive experiences to help our tamariki enjoy water-based activities.

If you're positive and energetic, with a passion for the water, have a great approach towards customer service and would enjoy teaching life skills, you're just what we're looking for! In fact, you can look forward to a range of benefits. It's a fun work environment with a lot going on - subsidised gym membership, sports and social activities.

If this sounds like you, apply online now, or email swimwell@wcc.govt.nz for more information. Applications close Sunday 26 June 2022.

This is a safety sensitive role; applicants must be prepared to have a pre-employment drug and alcohol test and a health check if they are offered this role. Applications must be made online.