In Room 7 we have been focusing on who we are and where we come from during our Whakapapa inquiry. Students really enjoyed learning our school pepeha and creating their own. They look absolutely fantastic displayed in our classroom.
Students also enjoyed Wacky Whānau Day in Week 7.
Room 9 has been learning about the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi and some fun facts, such as, it was partially eaten by rats!
For art, we focused on creating portraits of ourselves. We used pastels and contrasting colours to make our artwork stand out!
Room 9 also used their basic facts knowledge to create questions where the answer revealed something about ourself, like our age, the number of people in our whānau, or our post box number.
We had so much fun on Wacky Whānau Day! So many of us dressed up and represented our bright yellow Pīwaiwaka whānau!
The Middle Team have been loving our swimming sessions this year.
Twice a week we have been practising a range of swimming skills such as how to use a flutter-board, backstroke, freestyle, floating and much more.
All students in the Middle Team participated in the Swimming Sports and fun races in Weeks 6 and 7. It was great to see students representing our school motto, Kaha i ngā wā katoa – Our Best Always during these events. We finished our swimming season with some fun races.
The Intermediate camp was a great success. Students had plenty of opportunities to display our school values and Triple A vision throughout the trip, and represented Bell Block School with pride. The students’ spirit was not dampened by a bit of wet weather.
Turangi Day:
Students challenged themselves with a 10km bike ride. With spectacular views at almost every bend, a highlight was biking across a swing bridge over the Tongariro River. The Intermediates then rafted down the Tongariro River, eagerly awaiting every rapid. The students enjoyed spotting the whio, highly endangered native blue ducks who call the Tongariro River home. They ended this high energy day back at the campsite, with a movie, campfire and smores.
Taupō Day:
Curiosities flourished at the beginning of the Taupō Day, as during our hike from the Huka Falls to the Aratiatia Dam, students noticed a huge amount of pumice rock. Unfortunately, the other group could not go on the hike due to bad weather, but were able to visit the Volcanic Centre instead. Students were amazed to see the Aratiatia Dam spill, before heading on a river cruise back down the Waikato River. Our guide was extremely informative, and drove us right next to the Huka Falls. We then headed to Rock n Ropes, where students showed our school value of Tū Māia (Standing Brave) when completing the high ropes course. A highlight was watching Mrs Davis and Mr Groen leap off the highest level at the Rock Drop! A great day ended with a pizza dinner at DeBretts Hot Springs.
Campsite Day:
Orienteering, archery, sling paint, team building, disc golf and even a waterslide, the Campsite Day had something for everyone. It was amazing to see students trying something new, challenging themselves and showing perseverance.
We would like to thank the PTA, the Intermediate teachers, our parent volunteers, the office staff, the Senior Leadership Team, The Board and our community for making this camp possible.
