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ICAS INTERNATIONAL EXAM OPPORTUNITIES

Kim

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ICAS INTERNATIONAL EXAM OPPORTUNITIES

Each year, we offer the opportunity for our Year 3-8 students to take part in the ICAS International test series.  This programme is run by the University of New South Wales in Australia and consists of separate exams in Digital Technologies, Science, Writing, Spelling, English and Mathematics in August and September. This year exams are online.  Because of this, we won’t be able to run the practice tests as we have in the past.  There are practice tests available online which we strongly encourage all participants to have a go at in preparation for the exam day.  Learn more about ICAS here: https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas.

These tests are quite challenging and suitable for children achieving above the expected level.  They are not compulsory and are often chosen by parents and children as a learning extension challenge.  All entrants receive a breakdown of their results as well as a certificate.  There is a cost to parents for each exam.  The costs and dates of tests are outlined below.  There are online preparation tips and tests, which students can try at  http://www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/icas/preparatio

Subject Test Date Cost
Digital Technologies Tuesday 9 August at 9:30am $20.70
Writing Thursday 11 August at 9:30am $27.03
English Tuesday 16 August at 9:30am $20.70
Science Tuesday 23 August at 9:30am $20.70
Spelling Bee Thursday 25 August at 9:30am $20.70
Mathematics Thursday 1 September at 9:30am $20.70

 

To enter, simply visit the Parent Payment Portal (PPP).  Through this system parents can pay for ICAS directly online.  Simply go to the portal at https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps and enter the access code ABZ264 (by 1 August).

Enrolment timeline for Bell Block School NZ 2023, key dates for out-of-zone enrolments and decisions.

2022/23 ENROLMENTS

Parents/caregivers are encouraged to pre-enrol their children now for late 2022 and 2023.

We are currently planning for the new entrants who start during the second half of the year.  If you have not yet enrolled and have a child who will be starting school in the second half of the year, would you please enrol as soon as possible.  If you know of any other families in zone who are wanting to have a child start this year, please encourage them to make contact with the office.  This information is critical to enable us to give the best possible start to our youngest students.

Applications for out of zone enrolments for 2023 must be received by 3:30pm on Monday 26 September 2022 (please see the timeline below for further information) but in zone enrolments are also requested by this date.

To pre-enrol your child please download an enrolment form from the Enrolments page of this website and provide the required documentation.

Should you have any questions regarding enrolments, please contact Kim Thomas in the office on 06 755 0838.

 

Kids group at Bell Block School, New Zealand, on the stairs outside the modern school building.

INTERMEDIATE TRIP TO PUKE ARIKI & TARANAKI CIVIL DEFENCE

The Intermediate Team had the opportunity to visit Puke Ariki and Taranaki Civil Defence as part of our inquiry unit.  We began at Puke Ariki with a self guided tour of the exhibits.  The students loved learning about our local area and staff at Puke Ariki commented on how caring our students were with each other, taking turns with the interactives and being respectful to members of the public visiting the museum.  Students then had a lesson about conservation work being undertaken to help protect endemic plants and animals by ngā iwi o Taranaki, government agencies and community groups to become predator-free by 2050.  We look forward to having Predator Free Taranaki coming into school on Monday 8 August to help us build traps.  If any whānau would like to come and help us with the construction of these traps please come along at 9am!
The classes then walked up to Taranaki Civil Defence.  Students learned about emergency management and local hazards in Taranaki, the ECC and the command and control system of managing a response (CIMS), the 4 Rs (how they prepare for emergencies, warnings, resilience and recovery).  We learnt about the different roles in an emergency and how they help our community – students even wore the jackets for these roles!
Students are becoming well equipped to protect our mountain, both conservationally and with emergency preparedness.
We would like to thank the parent helpers who were able to come along and make these opportunities possible for our students.
Majestic tree viewed from below at Bell Block School New Zealand.

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM DEVELOPMENT

Kia ora,

We are currently undertaking a project to develop an outdoor garden classroom to help our students engage with the whenua and develop their understanding of our local area, korero and history.  We have received input from members of our kura and put together an initial plan.  Please watch the attached video and then if you would like to share some feedback or give us some further tips or ideas we would love to hear from you.
You can share feedback/ideas in the following ways:
Thank you for taking the time to be involved in our school community – we look forward to hearing from you.
Giraffe mascot representing Bell Block School life education in New Zealand.

LIFE EDUCATION

The Life Education Team visit us again starting this week. Harold the Giraffe and the Life Education teachers work with our students with lessons based off the health curriculum.

They will cover the following concepts:

Junior Team – Impacts of our decisions/How to be a good friend/Showing resilience

Middle Team – Friendships and conflicts/Empathy

Senior Team – Relationships with other people/Interpersonal skills/What is an upstander?/Managing big emotions

Intermediate Team – Peer pressure/Leadership

Each team has chosen a focus that suits the age and needs of their students. Each class is scheduled to visit the Life Education truck twice over their stay with us. Harold the Giraffe is always a popular visitor to our school and we look forward to hosting him for the next two weeks.  More information about Life Education can be found at https://www.lifeeducation.org.nz/ 

HAPPENINGS IN ROOM 7

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.

                

Engaging classroom display of students' math figures at Bell Block School, New Zealand.

HAPPENINGS IN ROOM 9

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!

SWIMMING SPORTS

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.

                       

Kids on boat ride at Bell Block School outdoor activity.

INTERMEDIATE CAMP TAUPŌ 2022

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.

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06 755 0838
office@bellblock.school.nz
31 Bell Block Court, Bell Block, New Plymouth, 4312
Bank account # 15 3956 0057371 02

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© 2025 – Bell Block School | Privacy Policy | Photography: Mark Harris | Website Design: About Image.

Bright modern school building at Bell Block School in New Zealand, supporting quality education.
NEGATIVE - white surround
06 - 755 0838
office@bellblock.school.nz
31 Bell Block Court, Bell Block, New Plymouth, 4312

© 2025 – Bell Block School | Privacy Policy | Photography: Mark Harris | Website Design: About Image.

Bright modern school building at Bell Block School in New Zealand, supporting quality education.