11 Apr 2018

Year Seven and Eight students celebrate a great term at Matahui

by Paul Evans | posted in: Class Blogs, Education - Primary, Kauri yrs 7,8, Matahui School Community, Outdoor Education | 0

What a wonderful term Team Kauri, the Year Seven and Eight students have had at Matahui School.

The students have been learning to build and learn within a team and advance their ability as leaders. This has been achieved through an amazing array of outdoor activities including two camps, and skill building activities such as swimming, a deep-water confidence day and kayak skill development at Waimarino.

We have studied of the life of William Shakespeare and written a short biography. Following this we traveled with the Year Five and Six students to Auckland to see ‘A Comedy of Errors’ at the Pop-up Globe Theatre.

Other E.O.T.C. experiences have included our infamous boat day and a whole school beach education day.

In the classroom we have focused our mathematics on number and algebra. There are several budding mathematicians! We have buddy read a book called ‘A race to the pole’, a chance for our accomplished readers to share with and support their peers. This book was also part of our inquiry this term which has focused on the motivation to discover and explore. The high standard of presentations that concluded the inquiry are well worth visiting the classroom to see.

4 Aug 2016

Matahui Room 3 and 6 Buddies Visit the Art Gallery

by Paul Evans | posted in: Class Blogs, Education - Primary, Kauri yrs 7,8, Matahui School Community, Puriri yrs 3,4 | 0

Room 3 and 6 attended the Otherworld exhibition at the Tauranga Art Gallery last Thursday afternoon. he program gave the students further insight into a number of different forms of art including Sculpture, Digital Landscapes and Landscape painting.

20160728_124839

Hannah discuses the afternoons program under the the yellow installation in the main foyer.

20160728_130202

‘The Last City’ sculptography by Peter Madden

20160728_133238 20160728_133221 20160728_133228

Making our own sculptography! It was lovely to see the students engaging with in other in the creative process. Mel who hosted the students was very impressed with the degree of sophistication and imagination the students showed in the creation of their sculptures.

29 May 2016

Innovation and Invention Alive at Matahui

by Paul Evans | posted in: Class Blogs, Education - Primary, Kauri yrs 7,8, Matahui School Community, Teacher Blogs | 0

Room 6 Matahui Year Seven and Eight students have been developing their Term Two Inquiry which focuses on Innovation and Invention. As a part of this they have been receiving additional support from parents who are highly skilled in Technology and Invention. Darren Bruning and Simon McDonald are two such parents and their skills and experience have raised the bar with the students learning.

Darren has been visiting each week to show the students the first steps in computer programming. The students have been totally absorbed with the complexity and challenge associated with a learning area which will be an important part of their future.

In the photos above Connor, Alex, Blake and Olly follow a wiring diagram to prepare their electronic hardware.

The completed breadboard and Arduino board ready for connection to the computer.

The computer programming study has generated a lot of interest including a visit from the Bay of Plenty Times. To read their article and learn more about the students learning follow the following link:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11643968

25 Feb 2016

Room 5 & 6, Romeo and Juliet at the Pop-up Globe Theatre

by Paul Evans | posted in: Education - Primary, Kauri yrs 7,8, Outdoor Education, Pohutukawa yrs 5,6, Teacher Blogs | 0

On Wednesday the 24th of February Room 5 and 6 from Matahui School supported by some fantastic parents made the trip to Auckland to attend a performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Pop-up Globe Theatre.

2016-02-24 13.26.48 2016-02-24 14.31.33

What a wonderful experience! We were filled with the artistry, drama and wonder of Shakespearian theatre. The performance had us spellbound.

2016-02-24 14.36.02

30 Oct 2015

Matahui Room Five Students Win Prestigious WBEET Baymaths Competition

by Paul Evans | posted in: BLOG, Class Blogs, Education - Primary, Kauri yrs 7,8, Pohutukawa yrs 5,6, Teacher Blogs | 1

Matahui Room 5 students Rose Brunning, Rory Robertson and Bridget McGirr won the prestigious Year Six WBEET Baymaths competition last night against strong opposition from upper North Island schools. The three were first in the team challenge and second in the timed challenge and also highly competitive in the individual round. Another wonderful example of our students having outstanding success on the big stage. Congratulations!!!!!

Rose, Rory and Bridget show off their medals, cup and calculators following their fine win.

21 Aug 2015

Matahui Senior mathematicians share and learn with their Junior peers

by Paul Evans | posted in: BLOG, Class Blogs, Education - Primary, Kauri yrs 7,8, Kowhai yrs 0,1,2, Matahui School Community | 0

It was a case of the small fractions teaching the big fractions when Room 1 joined the Matahui Senior students.

The students enjoyed sharing their learning using play dough to create fractions from whole pieces.

The Senior students were impressed by how clever the Junior students are.

At Matahui School bringing different year levels together allows us to have an appreciation of where we are going and where we have come from.

5 Aug 2015

Matahui Year 7/8 Seniors Soft Materials Technology

by Paul Evans | posted in: BLOG, Class Blogs, Education - Primary, Kauri yrs 7,8, Matahui School Community | 0

What an asset to have someone with the experience of Kate Bruning come and teach the Year 7/8 students about soft materials technology. The class have enjoyed working in a medium that many of them are not familiar, producing some wonderful cutlery bags. They are now working on cushions with hand stitched Kiwiana symbols.

Before you are considered competent on the sewing machine you have to get your license!

Here we are preparing and sewing our cutlery bags!

In the photos above we are choosing our our Kiwiana silhouettes and preparing our blankets for hand sewing. Watch this space for photos of the finished products.

22 Apr 2015

Year 7/8 Tarawera Leadership Camp

by Paul Evans | posted in: Class Blogs, Education - Primary, Kauri yrs 7,8, Outdoor Education, Teacher Blogs | 0

It is hard with a few pictures and words to describe the wonderful learning that takes place at any of the four major outdoor camps that Matahui School Year 7/8 Students partake in each year. The Tarawera Camp is no exception. At Tarawera we look to strengthen the students leadership, cooperative teamwork skills and self confidence through an array fun experiential challenges. These photos give a glimpse of some of these practical, life changing experiences.

Camping

Challenging

Achieving

Bonding

Celebrating success

A big thank you to the camp and class parents who through their support made this another successful and exhilarating learning experience for our students.

19 Feb 2015

Matahui Senior School Leadership and Teambuilding Camp

by Paul Evans | posted in: BLOG, Class Blogs, Kauri yrs 7,8, Outdoor Education, Teacher Blogs | 0

The Matahui Senior Leadership Camp took place at Mount Maunganui in week three. The weather was wonderful and the students were very lucky to be involved in some wonderful experiential learning. The photo above shows us waiting for the first of these a sailing trip on the beautiful catamaran Kindred Spirit. On the far right is Waikato University Hillary Scholar Sam Shergold who joined us to speak about what it takes to be one of the worlds best paddle boarders.

Apart from the learning that took place upon the boat the students also had the fun of being hung from an arm off the side of the boat where they could swing and bounce from the hull. Some took a bit of a dunking but this was of course not intentional!

In the photos above we listen to the skippers safety instruction and Ella takes a swing.

A walk up the Mount on dusk meant we all slept very well.

Day two saw us White Water Rafting upon the Rangitaiki River. You can see by the faces that it was a wonderful experience.

A visit to this part of the country would never be complete without a walk in the beautiful Whirinaki forest. Our guide Tom was extremely knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of our native landscape and he shared some wonderful stories of one of the most untouched corners of Aotearoa. We met our parents for dinner back at the camp. We were meant to cook for them but because we were a little late they fed us. Thanks parents! Another walk at dusk this time out to the tip of Moturiki (Leisure Island) and we were asleep before our heads hit the pillow.

Day three and time to go surfing! Another bluebird day and after a breakfast of pancakes prepared by one of our fantastic camp parents Carly, it was off for some waves. We walked over Mount Dury on our way back to dismantle our camp and head back to school. A wonderful camp with lots of hands on learning and experiences. That’s what we do at Matahui.

27 Nov 2014

Matahui Senior Hike

by Paul Evans | posted in: Class Blogs, Kauri yrs 7,8, Outdoor Education | 0

This year the senior hike was compiled in three parts. In Week two of the term the students demonstrated their leadership skills by leading the Year 0,1 and 2 students for a hike to the twin kauri on the Tuahu track. Here are some lovely photos of this experience.

The following week we entered the Kaimai Range at Upland Road and after short hike in we made camp on the banks of a small stream on the North/South track. We were joined by three of last years Year eight (now Year 9) students who were eager to finish what was last year hike! That night we completed a wonderful solo in a dense and highly active bush. After hot chocolate we slept soundly. The following morning after what can only be described as a hearty hikers breakfast we set off to conquer the North/South track exiting at the end of Thompsons Track Road. What an tough walk! What a determined team! This is what sets Matahui apart from the rest. Check these photos out…

The final stage in the Senior Hike took on an experiential/eco-learning perspective which supports this terms inquiry learning and the focus for our Leigh Camp. Our visit to Maungatautari showed us the continual work involved in protecting and restrengthening our native bird, plant and animal species. On day two we hiked to the highest point of the mountain by now a light stroll for the class. That afternoon we made our way to Karapiro and on a cold and windy day abandoned our shelters and booked into cabins. The day concluded with a bike ride on the Te Awa cycle way and upon dark a game of spotlight. On our final day the class partook in a high ropes course and at morning tea we visited New Zealand Rowing’s high performance facility. There we had the good fortune to meet Hamish Bond. For our final afternoon we completed a return trip on our bikes to the Arapuni Swingbridge on the Waikato River Trail. Fish and chips and home! Here are some more shots…

Senior Hike 035

Author Archives: Paul Evans