The Descent

This morning we packed out bags and prepared for the journey home after a magical week in the Bay of Islands. Once we were all packed and ready to go, we gathered as a group one last time to say farewell and thank you to Chris, Sarah and Michael from Adventure for Good.

After every student had thanked our guides we took our final group shot before boarding the bus in preparation for our 4.5 hour journey back to Glen Innes, Auckland.  One our way back we passed Kawakawa where our Tuhi Mai Tuhi Atu buddies in Room 5 attend school and we wondered what they might be up to at the time. We were hoping to visit the Hundertwasser toilets but had to continue on with our drive as we were attempting to arrive back for the end of the school day.

We also were lucky enough to see a pod of dolphins as we travelled on the car ferry. This was really exciting as it was the first time that a lot of us had seen dolphins before!

An hour or so later we stopped off at Whangerei were we had lunch by the water. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed our stop here, particularly as we all had an ice cream to cool us down. While we were there Amelia spotted a fudge factory and she and Miss Stone had a quick look inside. Amelia will be writing about this visit when we return to school, so please check out her recount next week!

After this we got back on board the bus and ventured towards Auckland for the remaining two hours of the journey. We could really see how big Auckland was when we realized that we had been driving through it for well over an hour before we reached Glen Innes. We arrived back shortly after school had finished for the day so we were greeted by lots of our siblings, cousins and whanau. Our tamariki left feel exhausted but content, bringing back new experiences and knowledge.

Setting off for Camp!

This morning the year seven and eight students at Glenbrae School assembled in the hall as we prepared to set off for camp. The room was abuzz of excitement, filled with baggage, students and family members who were both anxious and excited to see their tamariki set off for five days.

We said a karakia as a group before we boarded the bus and waved goodbye to our whanau and class mates. The year six students of room 8 said farewell before they made their way to different classes around the school, where they would spend their week learning and mentoring the younger students.

Our first stop on our long journey was to Ruapekapeka Pa, a defense that had been used in the land wars. We had read about the land wars as a class and we recognized that this was the site of the northern war in 1845, a war between Ngāpuhi, Hone Heke and the British. While the Pa was strong, the British greatly outnumbered the Maori and were eventually successful at taking over the land.

We then returned to the bus and headed to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Here we were welcomed with a Powhiri and tour of the museum.

                                       
We also met our Adventure for Good Camp Guides here and played a few sports games with them to introduce ourselves.

We then all traveled to Russell on the ferry for fish and chips on the beach before we arrived at our base camp (Orongo Bay holiday park) and settled in for the night.

Astounding Assembly

Kia Orana! As this week is Cook Island language week, we watched performances from the Cook Island group. It was great to hear the national anthem and to watch some traditional dances.

Not only were we celebrating this beautiful culture, but there were lots of awards for learners who have been working hard this term. Rachel Williamson visited Glenbrae School to give certificates to the students who participated in the Winter Learning Journey, a holiday blogging programme. In room 8, AJ, Anita, Charlie, Davarni, Fasi, Francesca, Po, Salote and Telesia blogged during the holiday and they received a certificate. We also celebrated Anita and Telesia who placed joint second in this programme for our school.

End of Term Celebration!

This afternoon Room 8 celebrated all of the hard work that we have put into our learning this term. We enjoyed a movie while eating the delicious brownie that we baked yesterday (which came out very well) and some popcorn brought in by Anita.

We were also celebrating AJs birthday and our house winners Kowhai and Kauri, so it was a very joyous occasion!

We hope all members of Room 8 have a safe and happy holiday and that they return ready for another term full of learning!

Respect for Others

This morning the year six students from Room 8 have been demonstrating our school value 'respect for others'. Aj, Tumanako and Mathew helped out in Room 9. They supported the year four students to use their devices for their learning and to complete their work.

Alison, Francesca and Anita helped in Room 1, but they were creating cultural costumes for the Tongan group. This was a wonderful way to support the school and Mrs Raj was very grateful for their hard work.