Year: 2026

Junior School Blast Off Into Space!

Today, the Junior School embarked on an exciting journey through space! Students travelled around the solar system in their Kaiawhina groups, visiting different classrooms where each teacher shared fascinating facts about a specific planet.

As they explored, students collected stamps in their very own Intergalactic Passports, marking each planet they visited along the way. From the scorching heat of Mercury to the icy reaches of Neptune, our young astronauts learned all about the unique features of each planet in oursolar system.

To finish their space adventure, students created a fantastic rotating fan that showed all of the planets orbiting around the Sun. It was wonderful to see their creativity and excitement as they brought their learning together in a hands-on way.

The day was filled with curiosity, discovery, and plenty of fun. We are so proud of how engaged and enthusiastic our students were

 throughout their journey across the solar system.

Take a look at some of these awesome photos of our space explorers and their finished planet fans!

 

Learning about our Brain and our Bones!

During CRT with Islay, Papatūānuku has been learning about the human body. We discovered how the brain acts as the ‘boss’ of everything we do and explored how the right and left sides of our bodies work together.

For the last few weeks, we have used our ‘brain gym’ to practice tricky exercises, like walking in sync with a buddy. We also got creative by sculpting mini brains out of clay and building moving hand models using straws and string. It is amazing to see the fingers move when you pull the strings!

3-2-1 Blast Off! Space is AWESOME!

Our resident scientist (Lenny’s Grandad, John) came to visit our studio and showed us his homemade telescope. We found out how a telescope worked and then scanned the sky for objects. We also learned about the night sky and what we could see at the moment – Jupiter, Venus and of course the moon – it is a half moon at the moment!

Then, last Friday, John returned for rocket launching – what a great event! We mixed baking soda and vinegar together to make the reaction that launched the plastic bottle into the sky! It was amazing and some flew very high! You could watch this video and try it for yourself.

We had a great time discovering lots more about space.

Anzac Day – from our window to the war memorial!

Last week, we learned about Anzac Day. We listened to stories and poems and reflected on the sacrifices made by so many. To bring our learning to life, we also created a beautiful poppy wreath, proudly displayed in our studio window.

Today, on Anzac Day, that learning became something even more special.

Early this morning, Zayieh and her family attended the Dawn Service in Cathedral Square, Christchurch. They laid our studio wreath at the war memorial. Seeing our work included in such a significant ceremony was incredibly powerful and something we will all remember.

A huge thank you to Zayieh and her family for suggesting this idea and for representing our class in such a meaningful way.

If you’d like to see this special moment, you can follow this link to watch the full service, or skip ahead to 1 hour and 14 minutes.

“We will not forget.”

    

 

Let there be Bubbles!

     

Every fortnight, the Cool Rise Team comes into our studio and takes us for some different activities – like Beebots, Art, and Mindfulness.

In one of our sessions, we talked about mindful breathing, slow breathing to blow our worries away! We practised slow breathing by blowing bubbles, and then we made giant bubbles. Here are some of the giant bubbles we made – they were amazing!

     

On The Road Again…

We owe a big thanks to Jasper’s Mum for taking a random idea off facebook and turning it into a reality for the tamariki in our studio.
She created a set of roads for us to use with our new set of cars. They were made using fence pailings and paint.

These have been truly cherished by our tamariki- thank you for your mahi! Now for the next project…

Welcome to 2026 and Our Hauroa Hive

There’s a real buzz happening in our studio… and it’s not just from excited tamariki!
We have been busy building something very special – our very own Hauroa Hive nestled under our kōwhai tree filled with flitting fantails.

We have been buzzing with creativity, teamwork and big smiles as we created a giant hive display to remind us how we can all help our tamariki thrive. Inside our hive are our three very important expectations:
💛 Bee Kind
“Bee kind means using kind words and helping our friends!”
We practise sharing, taking turns, and cheering each other on. Even a small act of kindness can make someone’s day brighter!
📚 Bee Ready
“Bee ready means having our learning brain switched on!”
We come to school ready to listen, ready to try, and ready to do our best. That means bringing our gear, sitting nicely on the mat, and showing our teachers we are prepared to learn.
🛟 Bee Safe
“Bee safe means keeping our hands and feet to ourselves.”
We walk inside, use equipment the right way, and make safe choices in the playground. When we are safe, everyone can have fun and feel happy.

Why a Hive?
Bees work together to make something amazing — and so do we! We all have an important part to play. When we all follow our three expectations, we have a place where everyone feels welcome, ready to learn, and safe to grow.
The best part? Each student added their own little bee to the hive! 

We are all working together. We are so proud of our Hauroa Hive and living out:
Bee Kind : Bee Ready : Bee Safe

Keep buzzing, everyone — our hive is thriving!