Monday, June 4, 2012

Muchas Gracias from the Year 8 Awhitu Camp



We would like to thank all the following people and businesses for their help and contributions towards our fabulous,  environmental, Spanish, educational, inspiring, enjoyable, breath-taking, early-waking, mouth-watering, zoom-sliding,  friendly, scenic, country, muddy, hard-working, healthy, helpful, successful camp:


Camp helpers: Mrs Garthwaite, Mrs Tofilau, Mr Rouse and Mr Cheng for making it possible for the camp to go ahead. We couldn't have done our camp without your help - especially  helping with transport to and from the Awhitu Fire Force and Hamiltons' farm, helping with orienteering, serving food, cooking on the barbecue, teaching us how to clean a toilet and going on long walks with us, and teaching  us CPR.

 



Mrs Lee and Julian for the mouth-watering, delectable and  irresistible cooking. You should be on Master Chef.


Harker's Passenger Services - especially bus drivers  Adrian and Conway for their safe driving, helping pack and stack the bus,  and helpful information about the Awhitu Peninsula


 
Waiuku Museum helpers - for teaching us about the olden days, including schools, entertainment, jails, dairy tools, local history, dental clinics and transport.
 
  
"I learnt a lot about the past. My favourite part of that was the school. You guys made me feel sorry  for the people at school in the 1920s. I never knew about milk bottles and dairy uses. The jail was very dark and  it was not very easy to get used to." Trent O
 "I learned how not to talk or laugh in the old school. I also learned that they used newspaper for toilet paper." Jackie


Mr Dillon at New Zealand Hothouse for the kind donation of cucumbers and tomatoes. They were crunchy and crisp juicy. We will look out for your vegetables when we are at the supermarket.


Bhanas' Food Market at Matakawau - for the  appetising, luscious, scrumptious  fresh fruit and vegetables. Our favourites were the huge, sweet, crunchy apples and the juicy oranges.



Mr and Mrs Hamilton and family for teaching us about dairy farming and how early you have to wake up to milk the cows - and that you don't get paid for a while.


Paul Dixon from the Manukau Heads Lighthouse for telling us all about the Orpheus shipwreck and the restoration of the lighthouse. Also, for  choosing us  for the premiere performance of his play about the  Orpheus shipwreck. We enjoyed re-enacting the sinking of it and learned a lot more by being part of the play. 


"When we did the re-enactment of the HMS Orpheus' last hours, it  gave us an insight into what took place nearly 150 years ago. " Rudadiso
 
Mr Patterson from Orua Bay  and Anna  Mc Naughton for providing us with the opportunity to plant trees to help regenerate  natural vegetation at the beach. We learned how to use a spade and how to work a little bit harder than we thought we could.

The Awhitu Fire Force to teaching us how to read and use a fire extinguisher, and how to roll up a fire hose, and how to hold and squirt a fire hose. We also learned how to line up for a roll call. 
  
"We were all fascinated by the equipment you use, from the water pumps to the very long ladders ... We got a really good work out and understood what it takes  to be a real life hero." Rudadiso 
Mr and Mrs Shuker for the use of orienteering equipment. Without the equipment, (and Mrs Whitehead's expertise) we would not have had so much fun running around the park.


To Wai care Kate and Paul the fish man for joining us for the walk and teaching us about eels and other interesting things that live - or die - in the water at the park.


To The Gardens School GST (PTA) for your support in helping fund some of our camp. It was much appreciated and we will all buy an extra sausage at the next sausage sizzle to help support future camps.









Friday, June 1, 2012

Narrative Dress-up Day

To help support our understanding of narrative writing, The Gardens School held a dress-up day where students could portray a character in a narrative story.  We had been reading and rewriting Aesop's Fables, and had a challenge to represent an Aesop's Fable character using a mask made from a paper plate and/or a dust mask.

Here are some of our class's efforts:

Spot the student not in correct uniform ... 

Glenton is either a lion (from Aesop's Fables) or a vampire - from our Gothic horror narrative writing ...

Creative uses for dust masks.