Totara 2023

Feb - Our composite class of 22 is made up of 9 year 4 children, 7 year 5 and 6 year 6 children.

We have made a great start to the year and have lots to look forward to this term with Banks Peninsula swimming and the Little River School triathlon coming up. Our school wide theme this year is “CHANGE.”

The class has been studying “Te Tiriti O Waitangi” and also exploring how the world and the things living in it have changed over time. In maths, we are nailing our basic facts and learning all about measurement - length, weight, height, temperature.

April - Wow, term 1 is over already and we have all been very busy - children, teachers and parents! What a wonderful community day it was at the pumpkin festival. The school is so appreciative of all the hard work so many people put into this. The children love this day. They have so much fun, working in vertical groups, designing and building their scarecrows, practising for their Kapa Haka performance and attending the day. Thank you all. In class the children have been presenting the learning they have been doing around Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi, and the 3 P’s of the treaty in education - Partnership, participation and protection. In our “Land Before Time” topic, the children have been researching dinosaurs and making diorama’s to show the habitat, adaptations, prey and predators of their chosen dinosaur. Tōtara class would like to thank Mr Couper for all he has done for Little River School and to wish him all the best for his next adventure.

June - A few weeks ago we had Shayne from St Johns in to teach first aid to the class. There was an emphasis on first aid “in the outdoors.” The children learnt how to use any cell phone to ring for help, how to place a patient in the stable side or recovery position, and looking at a tramping scenario with cold and wet weather. Thinking about what you should pack, decisions that needed to be made and managing hypothermia.

"Last Friday we attended the Banks Peninsula cross country at Duvauchelle. It was a cold day. The wind was howling, the trees were shaking, kids were shivering. After a bit of time the races started. Kids lined up. Children and parents from different schools were ready. Kids were running, some going all out, others sticking to an easy pace. Lap after lap, race after race, lots of kids puffing while their hearts beat rapidly. After racing kids gathered around the table where the food was put!” By Maria Coleman 

If anyone had any lego they would like to donate to school it would be gratefully accepted. We would like to start a Lego club!

August - Along with the other classes, topics to be covered this term will include the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme, which we will teach in conjunction with the Police Education Officer, and Relationships and Sexuality Education. In Maths we are exploring statistics, statistical investigations, interpreting and displaying data through graphs. Also, we will be looking at Multiplication and Division. Helping your child to become confident with their times tables this term at home would be a great help in them working towards their Multiplication Mastery Challenge. 

In addition to our routine phonics reading/writing programme, in Literacy we will also be investigating the skills of speech writing and the presenting of speeches to the class. The top 2 speeches from each age group will present their speeches in the finals to the whole school. The Lincoln Zone and Banks Peninsula Schools’ Winter Tournaments are coming up and we will be preparing for these in PE. We are also learning the skills of volleyball.

September - A very busy few weeks has been capped off with the Banks Peninsula schools' winter tournament in Akaroa on Tuesday. Our thanks to the AAS senior students for their organisation of the tournament, as part of their NCEA.

Jarod - “I had lots of fun playing my first ever game of netball.”

Niamh - “It was a good event and we had a great score of 20-2 when we versed Akaroa!”

Sean - “It was fun playing football and having time with the children from the other schools.”

To share our learning about species that have become extinct in New Zealand we are creating some board games.

We have been creating some beautiful spring art - daffodils and spring blossom - looking at using different mediums.

December - Last week Tōtara had 3 awesome days on camp at Living Springs. 

‘We learnt a new form of dodgeball called GaGa Ball, it was fantastic fun! ‘By Ollie

‘The mono rail made me scream, but in a good way!’ By Maria

‘The bouldering wall was challenging and rewarding.’ By Brayden

‘The animal survival game was epic, especially when the flood, disease and hunter joined the chase.’ By Reuben B

‘And the food was GREAT.’ By all of us!

…Anna Lopas & Di Cameron