Festival flower blooms

Matahui School creates a sustainable sunflower.

Read the full article on the front page of Katikati Advertiser, Thursday September 16 2021 below.

Bursting into spring is giant sunflower – not quite the plant species – but a creative one made of upcycled plastics and reuseable materials, that will be displaying during Katikati’s Festival of Arts in October.

Matathui School’s giant yellow sunflower is one of 111 large wooden sunflowers that have been distributed to preschools and schools in the area, to be decorated for the Festival of Art, hosted every two years by Katikati Open-Air Art.

Festival organiser Jacqui Knight says is was a real gift to see the sunflower from Matahui School, iwth all the Covid uncertainty about what events can and cannot be run at the upcoming festival.

“I think it is absolutely amazing, I don’t know here people get their ideas from, this one is fantastic!”

“I can not wait to see the others too.”

Designed to reflect the bright community spirit that surrounds Katikati, the Matahui School community has been working as a team – staff, students, parents and community members – on the giant sunflower. The students played an active role planning the project aimed at utilising reusable materials and upcycling plastics.

Principal Mary Woods says the focus on upcycling was thought to be the best use of plastic, as no further resources are required to process or recycle the plastic, it goes directly into another use – the ultimate in reducing consumption.

“It’s incredible the things that can be created out of a plastic bottle, can or glass container if you put your mind to it.”

The students reached out to the community for donations towards the sunflower which was painted before lockdown. They took their investigation of sunflowers a step further by examining them in great detail, up close, to find and develop the aesthetic and design.

During the lockdown “MrsB”, Kathryn Burtenshaw, teachers of the year 7 and 8 class worked on the project while communicating remotely with the students about here parts were glued on. Each piece was strategically placed to add character to the sunflower.

Students and families from Kauri Point village donated an array of plastic items, some from children’s toy boxes, and adults delved into their plastic recycling. Mrs B often found packages of plastic bits in her letterbox during alert level 4, a contactless delivery from community members.

“Every time the students see the flower they try to hunt down and identify where their donated piece is glued.”

“it’s almost like a Where’s Wally activity – one can spend hours looking at all the parts of the flower, so many different items have been collected and used.”

Mary says it has been a huge community project bring people together. “It represents more that just an art project. It shines a brightness on our community as we move forward into spring and summer.

“A time of colour, vibrancy, abundance, fresh food and good health.”

The sunflower will join others, soon to be on display at the Katikati library showcasing the talented work of our local children.

Chris Steel, Katikati Advertiser.

Year Seven and Eight students celebrate a great term at Matahui

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.

Matahui Room 3 and 6 Buddies Visit the Art Gallery

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.

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

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‘The Last City’ sculptography by Peter Madden

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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.

Innovation and Invention Alive at Matahui

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.

 

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

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

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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

Matahui Senior mathematicians share and learn with their Junior peers

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

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

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

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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.

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