HBT - The Year That Was 2017

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Growing Great Kids Celebrating excellence in Hawke’s Bay schools

he Year That Was is an annual project T Hawke’s Bay Today supports with enthusiasm. It’s a great pleasure to produce this publication which is focused solely on supporting schools and giving them the opportunity to ‘brag’ to the community at large.

This publication celebrates their successes and provides invaluable information to help the wider community learn about the exceptional young people, and their teachers, who represent the future of our region.

Our schools, city and country based, also strive to produce caring, helpful, honest, friendly, responsible and socially aware children. This is in addition to equipping them with the many skills necessary to compete and succeed in today’s world.

The world of education has changed beyond the imagination of many of our readers who are perhaps beyond child rearing days and now enjoy the pleasures of grandchildren.

A visit to any school today is an inspiration in itself as teaching methods have changed beyond recognition and continue to do so at a very rapid pace.

As centres of learning excellence we see enthusiastic children, motivated staff and

SPROUTS IN-HOME CHILDCARE Nurturing Children for life.

Sprouts In-Home Childcare is a service where trained educators provide childcare in their own homes. Educators are allowed no more

Quality care and education at home Sprouts children thrive working alongside loving Educators who delight in them and their achievements, mirroring to the child that they are worthy of time, attention and interest.

The first three years of a child’s life are uniquely important because this is the most sensitive period for brain development. The experiences a child has during this time will shape the architecture of the brain and build the connections that allow them to develop lifelong skills like problem solving, communication, self-control and relationship building.

than four children, so that each child receives individual attention and can form a secure relationship.

Sprouts Educators build strong, respectful relationships with their children and their families, understanding that babies and young children learn through the social and emotional interactions they have with the key adults whom they form strong bonds and attachments with.

Nurturing Educators Sprouts Educators are carefully selected, police vetted and have their houses regularly checked for safety. An experienced, qualified Early Childhood Teacher makes regular visits and contact with your child and Educator.

Educators are provided with ongoing training and professional development to ensure children are being involved in educational experiences.

The Sprouts advantage • Flexible hours 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year in a location that suits you.

• 20 free hours for 3-5 year olds and WINZ subsidies available.

• Sprouts has weekly playgroups, gym & music sessions and regular outings into the community. We supply equipment, toys, education packs, information and support to all our educators.

• We operate in Napier, Hastings, Central Hawke’s Bay, Dannevirke, Palmerston North, Levin and surrounding areas.

For more information or to entrol your child please go to www.sprouts.co.nz or phone 0800 777 688

Become a Sprouts Educator Sprouts is looking for people over the age of 17 who are interested in providing a learning environment that is nurturing and educational. This is a perfect opportunity for stay at home parents (who can continue to look after their own children while working), grandparents, Early Childhood Educators, Primary School Educators, and many others.

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We provide guidance throughout the stages of being an Educator, from initial sign up and meeting with families to the education of children in your care. Our coordinators are fully trained and able to provide individualised support and resources for you and your learning environment.

We collect parent fees, pay for training and first aid courses.

For an educator pack go to www.sprouts.co.nz or phone 0800 777 688

a huge range of learning, social, sporting and cultural activities designed to challenge our youngsters. Outdoor learning is part and parcel of the learning experience whether at the beach, at camp, at the local reserve or on the ocean. There’s plenty of fun incorporated into the curriculum and fun generally equates to learning.

Interactive technology has been embraced to support learning and the results are quite astounding with children happily accepting technology as a learning resource which has opened up even greater avenues for structured learning and fun. Life isn’t all about technology and iPads and our schools celebrate success in the full gamut of activities including sports, the arts, the environment, culture, and of course academically.

The introduction of academies is another initiative designed to support high achievement and channel those who have skills that need nurturing be they leadership, catering or sports.

This publication would not have been possible without the support of local businesses that have sponsored the schools in this publication.

These businesses have made a contribution to the region, and its future leaders, and deserve our continued custom as thanks for making this publication possible.

Join us in celebrating their success and enjoy reading about today’s students and tomorrow’s leaders.

The Omni Gymnastic Centre is the largest gymnastic club in Hawkes Bay with a membership of just under 600. We provide programmes in Gymnastics, Rhythmic gymnastics and Trampoline at recreation and competitive level for 2 year olds up to adults.

Our Senior athletes competed at the Gymnastics NZ National Championships recently and came away with an impressive 14 medals. One of our Senior men has been selected to represent NZ at a competition in Texas next month.

As well as our preschool and afterschool program we have a very popular schools program. Schools and Early Childhood centres can book for a one off session or a series of sessions with our fully qualified coaches. These are all held in our purpose built gym at 58 Flanders Ave, Onekawa, Napier.

Each school holidays we run a holiday programme.

This will run Monday to Friday in January from the 8th – 26th of January. The children do a mix of gymnastics, craft, swimming and cooking. Our smaller numbers mean we can be flexible and often have last minute places available for those unexpected work days. Registration information can be obtained by emailing us.

Take a look at our website www.omnigymnastics.co.nz, or find us on Facebook.

All enquiries can be emailed to: omnigymnastics@xtra.co.nz

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Dive into Little Guppies for more fun-filled days with your friends

First Footsteps

irst Footsteps is a privately owned F centre in Hastings catering form birth - 5 year olds. We are open from 7.45am - 4.45pm Monday to Friday.

Special offer for new enrolments - 30 hours ECE free over 3 year olds.

First Footsteps Childcare teachers understand the difficulty for parents in making the decision to entrust their child to another persons’ care.

Our image of the child is based on the belief that they are competent, inquisitive, active explorers capable of leading their own learning journeys at their own pace.

Little Guppies is a licensed private kindergarten and child care centre nestled in semi-rural Havelock North and proudly boasts a recently renovated nursery for additional children in the under twos wing. This has been designed to accommodate 40 but places have been limited to just 25 children. Little Guppies caters for birth to five years old and has been full to capacity for more than two years.

The renovations have allowed the centre to increase from 30-50 children — spaces are now available in both the nursery and kindergarten wings.

Quality nursery care is in high demand in Havelock North, says team leaders Rennae O’Meley and Jamie Herries and children attend from all over Hawke’s Bay, including some as young as 20 weeks old. Open from 7.15am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, to cater to the needs of working parents and caregivers, the centre is open 52 weeks a year and only closes on statutory holidays. The commercial kitchen has been upgraded and a qualified chef prepares nutritious, child friendly meals for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, using fresh, locally grown produce. Children under two have their own cots and nappies are provided. All teachers are fully qualified in early childhood education (ECE), are first aid trained and are responsive and attuned to the needs of the children and babies.

The teachers work collaboratively to enrich children’s learning through the provision of responsive experiences.

They exhibit a high level of professionalism and commitment to developing new knowledge and skills.

Well managed procedures promote children’s health and safety. The outdoor environment is a particular feature of the centre with well-established gardens and trees, providing a natural setting and shade for the children’s exploration and play. Warm, responsive, nurturing interactions support children’s emotional well-being and emotional security.

Children play cooperatively and their social development is successfully promoted. Teachers foster highly positive relationships and the children and also with their families.

Parent input is encouraged and valued.

Teachers are seeing the children they had looked after as babies, now starting school. Little Guppies children tend to perform well at school and links are forged with local schools to help ease the transition.

Those interested in learning more are encouraged to contact our centre on (06) 877 2335 or email info@littleguppies.co.nz. More information can be found on the website www.littleguppies.co.nz

All our Centres provide children with stimulating, open, learning environments to play and develop to their full potential.

We invite you to come and experience the unique Little Guppies difference.

To find out more go to www.littleguppies.co.nz Private Kindergarten & Childcare Centre Nursery & Private Kindergarten 295 Te Mata Road, Havelock North | Phone 877 2335

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Providing quality education and care is at the heart of what we do. Providing a safe, nurturing and inviting environment supports the child to set the pace for their own learning and development according to individual and group interests.

Being a small homely centre allows us to foster an environment which promotes Tuakana/Teina where our tamariki play and learn alongside each other.

We are committed to developing meaningful, caring and respectful

relationships where the child and whanau feel valued. Through valuing open communication and promoting inclusiveness, allows the child and whanau to gain a sense of belonging.

We acknowledge our bi-cultural heritage through partnerships with our tamariki and whanau and the essence of te ao Maori throughout the centre.

First Footsteps is a home away from home for our tamariki where warmth, trust and aroha are woven into the fabric of our philosophy.

Located in St Aubyn Street East, Parkvale Convenient location for Havelock North and Hastings Phone: (06) 8787484 Email: elysia@firstfootsteps.co.nz Website: www.firstfootsteps.net

Frasertown School

Frasertown School Principal, Tangi Geary

2017! What a year it has been! There have been so many awesome moments at Frasertown School this year. Our students have continued to experience a variety of activities across the curriculum and have immersed themselves into their learning under the careful and thoughtful guidance of their wonderful teachers and whanau.

Travel isn’t a barrier as we commit to ensuring our students experience the best of our region. We have been well supported by our whanau and community which enables us to actively participate in

all events in our local area and the wider Hawkes Bay region. Our students love to learn and try new things. Their inquisitive nature and ‘give it a go’ attitude sees them engage in a wide variety of learning experiences and enables them to explore and develop their talents. 2017 has been another successful year at our school and we wish you all the very best for 2018!

Next year is a very special year for us as we celebrate 150 years of education, fun and learning at Frasertown School.

Take care out there!

Our Year 5&6 Netball team took out top honours in the Hawke’s Bay Year 5&6 Netball Tournament and finished their local season undefeated.

We have one crew of students preparing for the National Waka ama sprints in Karapiro next January. They have been busy learning and training with Coach, Christina Stockman.

Captain Jerome Paku points out a hazard in the high seas, during a recent visit to the Wairoa Museum, exploring our local history.

Our young builders created wooden animal figures in the building zone this year as part of their inquiry projects

Our entry this year into the Wairoa Music Festival, our very own band. This picture shows their performance of an acapela item, Tai aroha. They were a hit with the crowd, showing off their drumming and keyboard skills alongside their amazing vocals.

Our Senior Classes proudly display their St Johns People Savers certificates after completing their annual first aid course.

We celebrated Fathers Day by completing Dads and kids challenges. A fabulous day enjoyed by all.

Our senior girls share their beautiful voices with the crowd at the Wairoa Kapahaka Festival

Oryn Fasso navigates the slippery seesaw at the Mitre 10 tough kids event at the Hastings Sports Park

Mums and Dads joined us for the final race at our Annual School Cross Country, “The Gut Buster”.

A great day of fun!

Congratulations to Mya Harris who was crowned Top A Grade Gymnast at the Wairoa Gymnastics Festival this year

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Heretaunga Intermediate Principal: Michael Sisam Staff: 29 Students: 320

2017 has been a very positive year for Heretaunga Intermediate. We have had many achievements, successes, and changes happening inside and outside the school.

On the sporting front, we won two Super Six titles; Rugby with impressive performance from both the girls’ and the boys’ teams, and Athletics where all athletes performed admirably. For the first time we sent students to AIMS for netball

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and canoe slalom where we had very creditable placings.

The ‘Voices of Heretaunga’ competed in the Kids Sing competition, a lot of hard work went in and it definitely paid off, Heretaunga tied with Hereworth, as the Best Overall Choir. We were also awarded the Adjudicator’s Award.

During S.E.T Time a group of students all designed and made an item in the sewing room for the A&P Show Handmade Competition. We were very fortunate that Ella won 1st place with her amazing felted doll, Daniel was 2nd with a computer bag and Ruby was 3rd with a pinafore dress and bolero.

In our senior pod of Room 1 and 2 the ‘Creativity Centre’ was born. A group of students decided to make a play. They produced a quality reenactment of the ‘Tale of the Three Brothers’, out of Harry Potter. The hard work paid off, the group won our school a brand new piano!

Over the year some students and Manu Bird carved our beautiful Magnolia tree located outside the Art and Music room.

Then this term the finished Magnolia tree was blessed by Tuterangi Nepe-Apatu.

We had students compete in the Hawke’s Bay Edible Fashion Awards. Liv, Georgia, and Sophia were finalists in the Intermediate Category and Ruby who 3rd in the

Intermediate Category and was a finalist in the Avant - Garde Category.

At the end of this year we farewell our talented Year 8 students, where 16 of them won scholarships to high school. We then start to look forward to 2018 with our new Year 7 students and our 2018 Year 8 students stepping up and becoming the new leaders of the school.

There is so much more that we would love to share with you but we only have a limited amount of space, so come and visit us at school or online at www.hint. school.nz, or follow us on facebook.

Written by Liv Birnie, Ruby McEvoy, Ruby Jarvis, Shona Jenkinson, Arnold Cave and Grace Sayer. (Year7 and 8)

Frimley School

Principal’s Message

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2017 has been another busy and full on year at Frimley. Scho ools are such dynamic and exciting places to learn and work in, and our year has been full of learrning, exciting opportunities and also a few challenges to face. You can read about a few of the exciting happenings below and more can be seen on our school website and Facebook page.

Culturally, 2017 has been a stunner! We have learnt about and celebrated Matariki in Term 2 and and Diwali at the beginning of Term 4. The number of children involved in Kapa Haka and Pasifika has exploded and we enjoyed perf rforming at both the Kapa Haka festival and Polyfest. Our choir has sung for Kids Sing and a number of groups competed in the HB Dance Festival. Within our school, we have a House Singing competition, 2 bands and large numbers of children learning recorder, ukulele and other instruments which has been great to see. In Term 4 one of our Learning Communities (Year 2/3 children) even put on their production “Around the World in Eighty Minutes”.

Our Triple A’s underpin what we do. We want our students to have the right ATTITUDE towards life and learning, the desire to put learning and attitude into ACTION and where ACHIEVEMENT involves making progress, being well rounded and developing the skills of self-directed learning.

Attitude

Action

I’d like to take this time to thank the dedicated and hardworking staff, PTA, Whanau and Pasifika parents groups along with our hardworking Board of Trustees. It really does take a com mmunity to raise a child.

Merry ryy Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Achievement

Tim White, Principal

Student Leadership

2017 saw a continued focus and consolidation with leadership opportunities for our Year 5 and 6 students. Most students are involved in at least one leadership responsibility with many involved in 2 or more. We have over 60 regular road patrollers who keep us safe before and after school. Our Physical Activity Leaders continue to be the most popular responsibility with 26 children being responsible for running lunchtime games and refereeing house sport. A group of these children were also trained to be Fundamental Movement Skills Experts. Sports monitors and peer mediators have been operating all year. Both responsibilities continue to have a positive influence on our lunchtime culture. Our librarians continue to work closely with Mrs Aldridge and make a massive contribution to the smooth running of this important part of our school. Finally, our 16 House Leaders cap off our leadership responsibilities. They have been heavily involved in all House competitions, ran House Assemblies, organised activities and fundraising days and made huge contributions to all areas of school life. More importantly they have consistently demonstrated leadership qualities in everyday school activities that have more than justified them wearing a house badge in 2017.

Kapa Haka

Once again we have had a great year with our Frimley School Kapa Haka roopu. The group represented themselves proudly by performing at the Ngati Kahungungu Kapa Haka Festival.

While performing is an important part of belonging to Kapa Haka, of equal importance is Whanaungatanga, and this is shown in the way we work together with kindness, and we learn from one another. Our new school haka is being performed enthusiastically, with the older children supporting the younger ones in a true tuakana teina relationship. We acknowledge Whaea Kerri, Adam Russ, Tipene Cottrell, and Pomare Sidney for their wonderful contribution to developing Te Reo and Tikanga Maori.

Music

2017 has been a busy year for our Frimley musicians. The start of the year saw the choir working hard towards ‘Kids Sing’, where they gave two beautiful performances under the direction of Mr Tattersall. All Houses rehearsed frantically for the House Singing competition in Term 2, with Lyndhurst taking out the top spot this year. Every year the performances are more polished, creative and fun! Miss Bymolt created ‘Music Mondays’ in Terms 2 and 3, which gave all children in the school an opportunity to take part in music-making, from boomwhackers to African drums and everything in between. Mr Russ’s senior rock band and Miss Bymolt’s Year 4 band continued to rehearse enthusiastically and have built up quite a repertoire.

To conclude the year, we are looking forward to performances from all our musical groups at the breakup evening event.

Thanks should go to all the staff members who supported the music groups this year, and we look forward to another exciting year in 2018.

Coding and Robotics

Our second year of coding and robotics across the school has been very successful. The children love the activities and have continued to develop their programming skills. The effort and determination can be seen at all levels, as the children work together with a range of robots and applications. 2017 has seen the introduction of some new devices like the dash robots and ‘Makey Makey’ as well as further development of our lego robotics. Over the course of the year, the children have reinforced their knowledge of directions, angles, measurement and procedures. They all look forward to this unique experience with Luke Fitzsimons.

Pasifika

Wow! What an amazing year our Pasifika group has had. During the year, we had the honour of working with a small group of young men from Hastings Boys’ High School, creating a sense of pride and engagement in our boys. Once again our students performed with heart, passion and charisma in the Hawkes Bay Primary Polyfest. This year we added extra talent and ‘cuteness’ by involving a selected group of enthusiastic Year 3 children. It was a pleasure to watch our older students take on leadership roles, guiding and nurturing the younger ones to get them ready for the upcoming performances.

Sport

What an amazing year it has been for sport at Frimley School.

This year our children had the opportunity to play cricket, barefoot 10s rugby, touch rugby, volleyball, Year 4-6 netball, Year 1-2 netball, basketball, canoe polo, hockey, soccer (girls), and softball. Consequently, the number of children participating in sports has grown exceptionally. Students have worn our new sports uniform with pride and displayed the Triple A’s when playing against other schools. A big thank you needs to go to all of the parents who have coached teams, transported children, and provided words of encouragement and support on the side lines. Without you we can only offer so much and we are truly grateful. Bring on 2018 and what that has in store for us!

Dance

2017 has been a great year for Frimley dancers. We entered 3 fantastic teams into the local Dance Festival that we participate in each year. This year’s teams were The Pink Nerds, The Indian Tigers, and ‘The Boyz.’ They did us proud showing true Frimley spirit. This year there was another competition called ‘Just Dance,’ with schools from all over Hawke’s Bay. We entered two teams who worked extra hard; The Indian Tigers and The Frimley Shakers. This year our Indian Tigers took out a prize for originality!

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Tiaho School of Excellence iaho got off to a roaring start with an T influx of new enrolments, really great to have you all in our learning community

and certainly had us rearing to go.

Tiaho welcomed Miss Doole and Hinenui Lawton to the teaching staff at Tiaho this year.

Mrs McCallum has stepped up to lead the, “Community of Learning,” in our area so she has had an extremely busy year and is supported by dedicated staff and BOT. Mrs Winiana left us on maternity leave late term three and is now enjoying her beautiful little daughter. We look forward to her returning later in 2018. Room 13 and staff welcomed Mrs Kavanagh to Tiaho for the rest of 2017.

Throughout the year staff and children have planned a wide variety of learning contexts across the curriculum. Thanks to all the amazing teacher aides who support all of us as we learn through our inquiring journeys.

Early in term 1 all students experienced a night at Camp Kaitawa. Each day two classes combined and headed for the bush and returned to school the following afternoon. How amazing to have such supportive whanau who enjoy the opportunity to get to know their tamariki’s teacher, peers and support staff. Next year all classes will be heading to Kaitawa again but this time it will be one class at a time, over two weeks.

Years 1-4 students learnt about walking and biking safe during the year.

adviser to keep us up to date with the changes and challenges across the maths curriculum.

The junior school have started the pathway to play base learning. Teachers had visited different models in action in Napier and Hastings and were keen to design a way of play learning to enhance our tamariki’s learning. They have become good at scavenging and hoarding bits and pieces around the community that have provided inspiration for hands on language experiences. Many businesses in Wairoa have been generous with recycling materials for our little imaginative minds to be inspired with.

The senior school have introduced two afternoons a week where children are being challenged in a variety of club activities.

One afternoon has a physical approach while the second day in a hands on craft theme around the activities. This learning transfers to everyday life and encompasses cross curriculum learning in the class room.

Tamariki thank all who supported this programme for sharing your skills with them.

Principal’s Message We were off to a flying start this year with a huge bunch of enthusiastic new learners, teachers and BOT members joining us at Tiaho.

The roll soared to a high of 199 and everyone was engaged and bu usy as the days flew by.

A huge e word of thanks to the teachers who embraced the new arrivals and de espite bigger than usual class numbe ers, kept the learning happening and th he opportunities coming.

Strive for Excellence Whaia te iti kahurangi

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Whanau involvement has been at an all-time high and we really apprec ciate their help and support, the highlig ght of which would have to be hosting g the District Kapahaka Festival this terrm!

Ka mau te wehi whanau!

Tiaho is proud to be part of the Wa airoa Kahui Ako – Te Mata Nui o Kahung gunu -and we look forward to seeing this gain momentum next year and the e opportunity to form closer learning g partnerships with our local learning g centres as once again we Reach for the e Stars Whátorohia ngá whetu Reach for the Stars Whátorohia ngá whetu

Students took part in swimming sports, a tech challenge, cross country drama and wearable arts, and athletics.

This year Tiaho hosted the district science fair and kapa haka.

Miss Grant is to be congratulated on such an awesome kapa haka festival. The whole day came together well and the support from the BOT and whanau for the whole community has reinforced our focus of engagement through learning.

During term three and four we have been privileged to have the Adventure Wairoa bikes in the playground once a week. This is a great opportunity for our tamariki to learn physical skills and burn some energy off. Many thanks Adventure Wairoa, another great group supporting the community.

Wairoa police have also joined us some lunchtimes for games and sports- heaps of fun.

Curriculum focus this year has been in the literacy area with each class teacher working closely with a group of children to accelerate within each teacher’s personal inquiry spiral of learning. Some amazing results have been achieved. Each term we had an inspirational session with a maths

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Ko whai Special School

Principal’s message owhai Special School K is a leading specialist school in Hawkes Bay,

have a fantastic set up that allows our students to have a supportive, inclusive education between our Base School and 10 satellite classes in local mainstream schools.

This allows our students to have a supportive pathway throughout their education

catering for 5-21 year old students with ORS funding. Our growing school community is spread around the greater Hastings and Central Hawkes Bay districts. We

according to their age and ability. The inclusion of Kowhai Tec for our 18-21 year olds is an exciting next step in this pathway.

Sarah Roil Principal www.kowhaispecial. school.nz

2017 HIGHLIGHTS •

Po-whiri for our new buildings at Base School

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Hastings Central School production

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Sibling night.

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Visits from Nonu the Therapy Dog

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Tec student recipient of Hastings Young Achievers Awards

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Special Olympics swimming and athletics

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School Red Carpet disco

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Polyfest

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RDA

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Playground rebuild

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Grandparents/Special People Morning Tea.

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Tae Kwon Do

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The Year That Was

2017

S.T.E.A.M Alex Cave Looking back on this year, what’s a highlight for me? Definately S.T.E.A.M! S.T.E.A.M is a very cool and unique way of learning, it’s a combination of science, technology, engineering, art and maths. Sounds hard right? Wrong!

It is super fun and yet the learning is huge! It works like this, you are given a number of activities to complete and solve either working in teams or individually; whether it’s building a tower that’s 30cm high out of popsicle sticks or using playdough to turn a light on! You really need to have your thinking cap on when you're doing S.T.E.A.M!

Mahora School Sports Bianca Ching This year we have had an amazing year for sports. We were provided with a lot of sporting opportunities which heaps of kids were willing to take up the challenge. At Mahora we are all about having a “Give it a go” attitude and with these sports it gives us the perfect opportunity. Some of the sporting opportunities that the students have been given at Mahora are: Volleyball, Dodgeball, T Ball, Cricket, Mini ball/Basketball, Netball, Hockey, Canoe Polo, Barefoots 5, 7 & 10’s and Girls Soccer.

Sports are for all ages and abilities at this school. Though, of course, some things have to have age limits. In a team we also make sure we show all of the Mahora School Values for being in a team as well as showing and being good sportsmen. Some kids like to play sports for fun. There are always options for these kids. Sporting opportunities are also given in class time or events in school as well. This is something everybody does. Something else that we can compete in are competitions such as Mitre 10 Tough Kids. Last of all I would like to give a big thumbs up to Mrs Pearse for being in charge of all the sports and sporting opportunities.

Shop Day Cole Baker & Centorious Te Hau Shop Day Is basically a tradition at Mahora School. We´ve been doing it for years! Every year small groups of one, two, or three Year 6’s get together and plan and create their little store. The Year 6’s have a choice of what they want to do with their store like selling cakes, having a sausage sizzle, horse rides, water slides, guess the number of lollies and even Torture the Teacher. A decision is then made on which charity will receive the proceeds of our Shop Day. After they have chosen their activity or service that they would like

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Principal’s Message

Kia ora koutou. It’s a real pleasure to be able share some of the exciting progress at Mahora School in 2017. A group of our senior students have spent time putting this page together that celebrates just a few of the special and memorable moments this year. These are their thoughts and reflections about another fabulous year of learning at Mahora.

Our school and community continues to grow and develop strong links. We are proud of the partnership we have with our families and we all embrace our motto of “Piki Haere – Keep on Climbing”. Our children enjoy coming to school and we work hard to ensure it is a place of fun and learning for both adults and children. To get a feel for our school and what we are about, call in and visit or read through our facebook page…there are so many celebrations of learning and life at Mahora. Enjoy reading about some of the special times this year. We all wish you a wonderful festive season ahead with your family.

Rohan Pearse Principal

to sell, they create some signs to tell the customers what they are selling or doing.

On Friday 24th of November the Year 6’s got to school at around 8.30am and set up their stores. The Junior, Middle, and Senior children got to go to any store of their choice and spend their money. After a morning of lining up at stores, lots of laughs and plenty of smiles, the Year 6’s raised lots of money for the special charity. It is great to be a part of something like this and to feel like we’ve made a difference. This year we made a huge profit which was amazing! The charity we chose last year was SPCA but this year the charity was Little Elms. We hope through the money that we have made we get to help families with sick children.

Being a Black Cap Alron Rajal & Krishna Singh At Mahora School, you will have a chance to get a Black Cap when you’re a Year 6. To be a Black Cap you must show your Values, leadership skills and be a fantastic role model. The majority of the Year 6’s earn it on the day of the Black Cap ceremony but some get it later than others. This will be because they need to improve on something because they’re just not quite there yet.

Achieving a Black Cap is a challenge. It is not just a thing you get like a gift but you will also need to show that you can keep the great attitude you have and use your manners as well as behave yourself. At the end of the year, you get to keep the Black Cap, which has the year on it. It’s a cool thing to look at and remember. You will be rostered on to a duty called Black Cap duty. They let us do duties because they trust us to take care of the school and the people in it.

If you are a Black Cap you have to take on a few responsibilities. We have regular meetings where we talk about the positive things that are happening in Mahora, and we talk about things that could be improved. When the year ends, the Black Caps have a chance to get a trophy or certificate that

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determines what they are good at. The best trophy to get is the Black Cap Cup. If you win this cup it will mean that you were the best Black Cap of your year group.

The Arts – J-Rock Elise Lindsay J-Rock was an awesome opportunity opened up to our school. There were around 70 children who took up the amazing opportunity. It was only possible because of the awesome Mrs Pearse and Mrs Gempton, (who used to teach at our school). Thanks very, very, very much. We had about 5 different styles of dance! We made new friends and learnt what it’s like behind stage. It was a great learning experience, like how important timing is and if you make a mistake just go on so people don’t notice.

Without this experience I never would have known how important the people behind stage where - thank you stage crew! Many of us were nervous but those of us who were confident helped the nervous ones build our confidence.

We had really cool costuming. We kept it plain and simple, although awesome (as I said before), blue with different designs, you got to chose your favourite. We got 7 certificates for our stunning performance. There were 3 other Primary schools who danced and many more High schools and Intermediates.

Mahora School Camp Ezrah Eagle This year for camp we travelled to Te Whanganui O Tara also known as Wellington. We travelled in vans with two parent groups in each van. We went to the Space Place and learnt about our universe and even aliens.

Capital E was great fun, we learnt how to make music using beats and voices.

We also filmed a news report. During that visit, we learnt that to make a production like that work, everyone has to play their role to the best they can.

We stayed at Silver Stream for one night and had an awesome dinner and lunch provided for the next day. We visited Weta Workshop and learnt how they make amazing movie equipment and props and how long it takes to make them.

We got to hold and wear some of the equipment too. At Zealandia, we experienced the night walk, it was amazing! We learnt about different New Zealand birds and got to see kiwis in their natural habitat. We visited Te Papa and toured Parliament the day before the election so it was especially exciting! We took rides on the train and the Cable Car and experienced city life in a whirl. If you go on Camp at Mahora School, be prepared to be amazed and exhausted!

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

W B Yeats

these days have high Educators expectations not only about academic performance but also concerning values and behavior.

Inspiring school mottos such as “Be what you dare” are clear signals designed to instill confidence in the pupils along with affirming teaching methods. High expectations are the norm where every day should be a fun filled adventure.

Life at school is very much beyond reading, writing and arithmetic and there are plenty of opportunities for children to express their individuality and try out new activities. The New Zealand curriculum embraces eight key learning areas: English, the arts, health and physical education, languages, maths and statistics, sciences, social sciences and technology.

The vision is for young people to be confident, connected, actively involved and learn throughout their lives, not just at school. Students are encouraged to value excellence, by aiming high and by persevering in the face of difficulties.

They learn to innovate, ask questions and think critically. The children will accept diversity, as found in our different cultures, languages, and heritages and equity, through fairness and social justice. Respect for themselves and others along with integrity and ecological sustainability are all embraced in the curriculum.

The New Zealand Curriculum identifies five key competencies that it concentrates on developing in children throughout their time at school: thinking, using languagesymbols and texts, managing self, relating to others and finally participating and contributing to communities whether school, whanau or other social group.

The values and competencies in the New Zealand Curriculum are woven into each and every learning area. They are designed to encourage enjoyment of learning and the ability to think critically, manage oneself, set goals, overcome obstacles and get along with others – the attributes students need to succeed as adults.

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YEARS 1976 - 2017 Your award-winning, locally-owned, professional travel service provider.

Celebrating 41 years helping Hawke’s Bay kiwis experience the world differently.

Best Travel House

104 Market Street South, Hastings T: 06 876 5111 E: travel@besttravel.co.nz W: www.besttravel.co.nz Experience the world differently 11

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