Ko Waianakarua te Awa

Exploring Katiki beach, 

stream mouth fan,

searching for agates,
sea washed taonga.

Rock tower winner,

27 precarious cobbles,

uneven substrate, 

balance,

patience.

Car part plastic,

sea stones, toki.

Kai Tahu trails,

Moeraki bound.

Professor Panics Parachute,
inclusive, cooperative,
games of fun.

Waianakarua river sampling,
rock licking prohibited,
native algae - kapai te awa!

 Ka kite ano te taonga,
your tapu - karakia blessed,
free to find your turangawaewae.

Ko Moponui Te Mauka

Orokonui Ecosanctuary visit,
following the Moponui water catchment,
from Peak to Blueskin Bay.

Sampling water clarity,
substrate, temperature, PH, bank erosion,
and invertebrate identification.

Room 1 students on a trip to the Orokanui climbed Moponui with educator Tahu. They went to find the source of the stream that runs through the Eco-sanctuary, the views were amazing and you could see all around blueskin bay and doctors point. Tahu told us all about how the catchment, or source of the river works- the catchment is all the mountains around a river which give water to the stream, also other streams and rivers that feed the river. Then we tramped down the valley, following the river.

The bush was really beautiful and untouched except for the tracks and bait stations.

Halfway down the valley we stopped at a bridge to do some water testing, like pH, clarity, conductivity, and temperature.

After that we continued our tramp down the valley along the river, which is one of the only rivers that is protected from its source to its outlet.

Florence Sorrel

Halloween horrors

The joy of living and working in the same community.
Sometimes your work follows you home.

Football South

Tuesday's session with Football South coaches - sweltering heat.

Touch rugby - Waikouaiti after match

Great game and company

Sealing

Warrington Room 1 meets a Seal!

September the 19th Monday, Room 1 Warrington School was out on a trip on the beach to find rocks to paint for the Blueskin Bay flower show. We walked along the beach and entered the pine forest so we could collect pine needles for stream planting on Saturday. Levi spotted the seal relaxing behind a tree. It looked undisturbed and harmless at the time. It started pouring down with rain. The seal woke up and looked at us curiously, then it moved out of its bed and hobbled towards the crowd of people, then it stopped for a moment.

The class fled towards the paddock that was up the hill, the seal rushed towards us, as we moved further away and scrabbling, flipping and flying over the gate, once we got over that we were safe. We ran towards the closest shelter from the rain and wind, a cow shed and then told some stories, we stayed there until the rain calmed, it was still slightly spitting but it was much better than it was before.
We ran to the road through mud, slipping and sliding down the hill, and then collected bamboo for more planting on Saturday. When we had finished we walked back to school and had a lesson about how to approach a seal!

By: Ashlie Carbines & Lichen Sorrel

Warrington’s  Cat Problem

As most of you know Warrington has a wild cat problem, I was the unlucky person to find 5 dead cats in the same place across the road from the school where the kids could see them from inside the school bounds but I only noticed them when I walked past them.
The SPCA has been called in and they have said that one had been shot in the ear, “the cats have cat aids and lots of other diseases that could be passed on to other pet cats”.
We just want to get rid of the wild cats so they don’t pass on diseases to our pets or eat native wildlife and we don’t want our pet cats shot either. 

By Joshua Carbines

10 Computers Sent to Papua New Guinea
Warrington School year 7 and 8 boys have set up and completed ten computers to send to a coastal village school in Gavuone  Papua New Guinea.
The Gavuone children will be able to learn how to use a computer. The computers will be used for more than writing and playing games.  In  Gavuone School  they are poorly resourced with a major lack in informative books. Because the school has no Internet a basic version of Wikipedia  has been installed on each computer, this will allow the students to find  and use the information for their learning.  
Gavuone students and staff  are  excited about the new computers that they are going to receive.
The computers that have been installed with Ubuntu 10.04, they are good quality retired computers donated by the Otago University.  The boys involved worked on the computers at the Dunedin Makerspace, a computer hang out place. 

by Miya El-Dessouky and Jade Okey

Warrington School Disco
On Friday the 16th Warrington School
had an 80s themed disco. You had to dress up like an 80s person.
There were two discos, one for the younger children with lots of games organised by the older Warrington students and one for the older students.
There were lots of children and many of our past students and friends came too.
Disco - all and all, most people liked the discos

By: Indy Perry  & Shea Abbott

Longer days

Term two ended with an icy blast but we have managed lots of winter fun with after school sport, Matariki week and the Dunedin mid-winter carnival. The weather has been superb, allowing us to spend significant amounts of time outdoors. Rugby balls on the field, rip-sticks and ponies on the court, open air play kitchens and lunch in the sun. Winter bugs seem to have been fewer and absences have been minimal for this time of year. 

The Board of Trustees has finalised funding for stage one of the playground development, this will enable us to build the rebound wall, fencing the court and new sand-pit, bank removal and stage area, asphalt of the pathway to the court and garage. We are hopeful this will begin this year. 
 

The Seacliff Market is to relocate to Warrington School, it will continue to be run in the same manner; first Sunday of each month, 11am - 2pm, low-key and friendly.  The senior students are hoping to run a Fair Trade cafe from the Ubuntu kitchen and there is support from previous and prospective stall holders. 

Aart Brusse’s music tuition has taken off with 2 trumpets, 2 clarinets and a feast of recorders all being learnt.  

Pony club continues to be a hit with students with visits by local ponies for an end of term session.

Matariki

Science continues to feature highly this term with a visit from University of Otago Design Students who shared their electricity creating “artefact's” with Warrington senior students. It was great seeing the reaction of our students as they realised that turning handles, spraying water or spinning disks was creating electricity. The eureka moment as the light flickered on or the voltmeter arrow twitched. 

Most of the senior students are in the middle of conducting science fair experiments with some great questions being asked about making dirty water drinkable, comparing video editing software and can we tell the difference between low fat and ordinary milk. These have lead to some interesting discussions. Some students have also set up 3 computers and placed them around the school to monitor the child friendly operating system “Sugar”. 

 

 

Matariki week is coming up fast, our yearly dose of mid-winter sanity with beach clean up, lantern technology, pupils performances, drums and stilts. Juliet Novena Sorrel will be working at school assisting families to create their lanterns. 

The year 7/8s will be given the opportunity to design and create their own lantern. Matariki Lantern Parade night will be the first clear evening in the week of 20-24 June - all welcome.

 

Our recent cake stall at the Otago Access Radio’s market day was a great success with $330 raised for Christchurch and $87 for our sponsored child Fernanda. Money was given to NZSTA who are co-ordinating money raised for schools by schools. Well done Indy, Shea, Stephanie and Isaac who sold the scrumptious delights that were baked by family and friends of the school. Thank you to all who baked.

Swimming is coming to an end with the swimming sports and the surf group finished for this season. The BOT are looking at how we can improve the level of swimming at school. There has been a noticeable drop off of senior school swimmers and subsequent skills.

Sausages are back on the menu for Mondays (starting next week) to raise funds for Fernanda. We are aiming to raise more than is required for her and excess will go towards the senior school camp.

 

Our year 8s get to experience life as a teacher every Thursday afternoon as part of their own learning goals. They take their skills and interests into the junior class. Pictured is Isaac teaching racket skills, Florence sharing her artistic talent and Miya with her dance group.

Winter sports - if your child is keen to play a winter sport can you please let us know so we can work out teams and levels. Please see Keighley for netball, Nathan for mini-ball and Wendy for hockey. Please return permission slips where applicable.

This new (2 years), four storey building is Albany Senior High School in Auckland. They were the second school in NZ to begin using Open Source software and used Warrington School as their model. I was fortunate on Tuesday to spend time being shown around this wonderful facility. The most striking aspect was the multi-level learning with older students working alongside younger students, the 100 minute lessons (3 per day) and the high engagement of students and staff in the learning process. At times it was hard to distinguish staff from students as the teachers shared large learning spaces and worked alongside the students. While in the north I am presenting the Warrington School story to teachers and principals. Sharing our Ubuntu path and encouraging other schools to use open source software. The focus is on student involvement, environmental impact and the ability to save millions of tax payer dollars.

   

Cycling, poetry and art - a nice combination for an autumnal camp. The year 7/8s explored and recorded aspects of the local Sutton environs, swam in the deep Middlemarch pool and gathered enormous field mushrooms. Purakanui senior students became new friends for the week and the Macrae’s mine provided the final wow factor.    Thank you to our wonderful helpers.   

Senior pupils will be holding a cake stall at the Otago Access Radio this Saturday 11am-2pm. Proceeds will be split between thYear 7/8s will be holding a cake stall at the Otago Access Radio this Saturday 11am-2pm. Proceeds will be split between the Christchurch earthquake appeal and our sponsored child.

Okahau - Place of Winds

WWW - Collaborative Carving

2011 has welcomed moisture laden gales, painters and new teacher Keighley Donaldson.
Escaped calendula, ripening produce, newly erected sign and a bark chipped pirate ship - school transformation has begun.
Playground redevelopment is a priority for the Board and the school goal has been set to improve the exposure to Health and Physical Education activities by pupils. The teachers aim to start the year by sharing new games and encouraging more action throughout the day.
The school target focuses on improving student's writing abilities and better analysing the school assessment data.
ERO suggested last year we share the school's philosophy with our community and we intend to do so at an Open night later this term. 

Te one - the beach; is our term's theme, the Wawa triathlon shield to be defended and the Year 7/8s are Sutton bound for their bi-annual art and poetry, bike camp.
 
The Blueskin Bay book car begins its fortnightly visits next Wednesday with fresh supplies of readable goodness that assist our pupils in being top class readers.
Blueskin Bay FM continues to broadcast from the school 24/7 with senior students expected to be more actively involved in the daily operations of this community radio station.

Sunhats and togs, the pool opens this week, classroom swimming days 1=M W F  2=M T Th  3=W F. Please send a note if your child has an issue that requires they do not swim. Students without hats will be asked to sit in the shade of the school deck.