This term has been full of exciting events, from the Gala to Swimming Sports and the Triathlon — but learning hasn’t slowed down!  Students continue to engage in reading, writing, and maths while exploring hands-on projects and real-world themes.

Resilience and teamwork have shone through in both academic and physical challenges, with students setting goals and supporting one another.

Check out these class learning updates to see the amazing work happening across the Year 7 -8 Team!

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During Science in Term 2, students in the Intermediate Team have been learning about polymers and discovering their fundamental properties. From everyday materials like plastics and rubber to advanced uses, learners explored how polymers are created to meet specific needs. Through hands-on experiments, students learnt about different types of polymers, and explored the environmental impact of these materials.

What We Did:

Room 17 learnt how to signal with their hands to show other cars and cyclists what they were doing, for example if we wanted to take a right or left we would signal which way we would go. We also learned how to be pedal ready and stay on our left side because on the right the cars and trucks are coming on the right side and on the left side you have gardens, fences and grass. We also learned how to put our helmet safely on our head, tighten the back of our helmet, clip in the chin strap and pull it tight so you can just about fit your two fingers under your chin and on your forehead and the V straps.

We also learned how to keep our bike safe by using ABCDQ:

A = Air                    D = Drop               B = Breaks                 Q = Quick release               C = Controls/Chain

We also learned how to use bunny ears, a door and a bit more – feathering brakes, stop sequence, left and right look, in and out look, 45 degrees foot on curve, giveaway, eye contact, hockey stick turn, centre of the lane. These all will help us in the future and keep us safe on our bikes.

What We Enjoyed:

In Room 17 our class enjoyed going outside of the school to learn how to be safe on the road and footpath. Our class was lucky enough to go for a bike ride up the Mangati Walkway and Coastal Walkway. We enjoyed learning new things and practicing our signals, over the triangle and bike safety.

Games/Activities:

• Line stop 
• Traffic light
• Up and of the cone
• Stick pass
• High fives
• Feathering
• Pedal ready
• Eye concentration
• Signaling
• Many more

A Challenge:

Some of the challenges we faced were keeping our feet in a pedal ready position and bunny ears on the brakes at all times. We also found remembering the signals hard at the start but we now have the hang of it. A few other things were the giveaway, biking in the rain and the stop sequence. Although some of these things were challenging we still gave it our best and supported others. We would like to thank the teachers and staff, the Let’s Go cyclists and Mr Hailes for this amazing opportunity. We really enjoyed it because we learned a lot of new things and techniques to use in the future.

By Ty and Heera