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.