Junior School: Thriving sports community | After-school activities | Year 5 Production | MakerSpace | Farewell to Margaret Cann

JUNIOR SCHOOL

THRIVING WINTER PROGRAMME

With over 35 competitive teams playing in various sport codes, it’s safe to say that our Diocesan Junior School sports community is thriving. We continue to offer one of the largest sport programmes in Auckland at the primary school level. Over 270 of our students participate in sports during the winter months. The girls are incredibly enthusiastic, and our participation rates are very high. Our winter programme includes netball, hockey, futsal, ski racing, flippa ball/mini polo and gymnastics.

Netball girls with Holly Fowler and Senior School student coaches

Ex-Silver Ferns and ANZ League Super-Stars help out

We started our pre-season netball programme with some exciting, fun sessions delivered by ex-Silver Fern Courtney Tairi and ANZ Premier players Holly Fowler, Hannah Ward, Charlie Hodges and Mila Reuelu Buchanan. Holly and Hannah continued to coach our teams in the winter competition league. Some of our girls hit the limelight when Courtney, also a Sky TV Sports presenter, organised a film crew to record our girls in action with these super stars. Our 12 teams are in full swing in the winter competition, with six Years 5 and 6 teams competing at the St Johns Netball Centre and six Years 1-4 teams competing at the Windmill Park Netball Centre in Mt Eden.

Dio Hockey culture passionate as ever!

has many years of experience playing at an elite level and is now passionately coaching our juniors. She is ably supported by her sister, Aprill Anderson, our much-loved Year 5 teacher, who is similarly passionate, accomplished and experienced. Our 12 hockey teams are underway in the winter league and reports indicate great developmental progress, good sportsmanship and some fine results.

Hockey juniors Starfish flippa ball girls training with Senior School coaches

‘Most Outstanding Flippa Ball School’ looking to be even better in 2019

Our flippa ball programme is flourishing. As always, it’s a popular option. Our young girls are inspired by our senior Dio water polo prems who are the current New Zealand National Champions. Having won the 2018 award for New Zealand Water Polo’s Most Outstanding Flippa Ball School, we are continuing to refine and improve our junior programme. Our talented senior student coaches have created a vibrant community and our junior girls love it.

Futsal by popular demand

Futsal at the Dio Junior School is growing in popularity and, by demand, is now a year-round option. The girls love this fast, exciting, highly interactive code. There is an excellent pathway into the Junior High futsal programme. Our intermediate futsal girls won silver at the National AIMS Games event last year and have been an inspiration for our juniors. Our two futsal teams are competing through the winter months and by all accounts the girls are enjoying themselves immensely, playing some tough competition and developing in leaps and bounds.

Giving back to our programme

Over 45 Dio senior students are coaching our juniors in hockey, netball and flippa ball/ mini polo. They collectively provide more than 2,000 hours of service to our junior sports programme. We love the special bonds being built between younger and older students. Our junior girls are part of a wonderful sports community that extends up into the Senior School.

Afterschool activities

School no longer finishes at 3pm for our Junior School – through a rich range of after-school classes, our students have the opportunity to experience learning in creative, cultural and sporting domains.

Since its inception in 2015, the range of after-school classes offered has blossomed – along with the enrolment, with almost 200 girls participating across the week during this term.

Students can enjoy three different language classes, art and cooking classes, dance, gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics, science and technology, and hand drumming. This year we have introduced a Japanese language class and Taekwondo classes. Arriving soon are ballet and an extension of our art programme.

YEAR 5 Production

Our Year 5 girls excelled themselves once again by delivering one of the most entertaining musical extravaganzas yet, Seussical Jr. In a packed house each night, the audience watched with excitement as their favourite Dr Seuss characters, played by our very talented girls, sprung to life on the colourful and well-designed stage.

Audience members were transported from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus, while our Cats in the Hat narrated the story of Horton the Elephant, who discovers a speck of dust containing tiny people called the Whos. Horton bravely takes charge, protecting the Whos from a world of danger and also guards an abandoned egg. He faces challenges and trials but ultimately discovers the strength of friendship and loyalty, and emerges triumphant!

A big thank you to the fabulous team who put the show together in just 11 weeks, multi-talented Director Jeremy Hinman, Co-Director Renaye Tamati, Musical Director Mehernaz Pardiwalla and Producer Rachael Brand. And, of course, a very big thank you to our Dio community for all the support behind the scenes!

MakerSpace

This year in the Junior School a new MakerSpace has been developed where students, teachers and the community come together to create and make through hands-on learning.

In the MakerSpace there are zones for construction, digital learning, soft materials, green screen, cooking and hard materials. It is filled with an incredible range of engaging resources such as Lego, robots, sewing machines, tools and a 3D printer.

MakerSpace encourages our students to create and make in order to develop their understanding of their inquiry concepts. Year 2 recently designed and constructed a wharenui in connection with their inquiry into ‘Where we are in Place and Time’. Year 6, when exploring energy, experimented with different forms of kinetic, electric and magnetic energy in the MakerSpace. Year 1 girls have been making butter and bread, and more recently learnt how to dye fabrics using natural resources.

The MakerSpace is open at lunchtime for our students to continue exploring and working on longer-term projects.

Farewell to Margaret Cann

Margaret Cann joined Dio in 2008 and has been a valued teacher in the Junior School. She has taught Years 1, 2 and 3 and has always been much adored by her students. Margaret’s classroom and environment was always a delight as she calmly and quietly nurtured her students. This year Margaret moved to our Literacy Support role and her contribution has been invaluable. In this role she has been able to share her love of literacy to support learners. We acknowledge Margaret’s absolute professionalism in her almost 11 years at Dio and we wish her all the best on her next adventure!