Danica and I have worked together to create a poetry slam poem. We also preformed one from last years poetry slam. I really enjoyed this task and it kept us busy. We loved the topic being summer because it gave us so many ideas. It was an awesome activity!
For this task I didn’t have a pre-made tube so I created one with paper and made tabs on the ends. I also created a box out of paper for some of the things to sit in. Pebbles were my weights and we had some string for tying things together. I already had a pen, piece of plastic, ruler, cardboard and some paper. This was a really fun task to do!
I had to complete a maths badge about the outdoors this year. Some of the activities were really challenging such as the tent task. I really enjoyed creating tangrams and the maze.
WALT write in a variety of ways for a range of purposes.
We had to write a letter to the staff and students of Karoro School. This was about our schooling years and memories.
Kia ora staff and students of Karoro School
My name is Emma Newton and I am a year eight student at Karoro School. I am writing this letter to thank all of the staff and students who have helped me throughout my schooling journey here at Karoro School. I can’t believe this is my last year at this school and I am really going to miss its welcoming atmosphere.
I have always remembered signing into Room Four and publishing our names with bright felt pens. I also loved having sticker charts and being excited to choose out of the treasure box. We also had a show and tell on Friday and we were able to bring in something to show the class.
In Room Three Ms Ewen always pretended to faint whenever seeing awesome work. She always said “You’ve blown me away” to the person whose work was great. I also experienced my one and only time on the lino in Room Three which I didn’t enjoy.
I was in Room Two for two years and I really enjoyed baking with the class. I also remember looking through my reading box for the books I wanted to read and doing phonics. Everyone all had their own designated spot on the mat and had a chance to get their name in the top workers picture on the whiteboard. Charlotte arrived in Room Two as well and Casey and I helped her settle in.
During my year in Room Six I really enjoyed the cooking and baking that we did for writing and creating instructions. Miss Hanley even found toothbrushes, which we wrote instructions on how to use.
We got our Chromebooks in Room Five which was very exciting! I liked experimenting and learning how to do things on them. Learning about the digidig and kawa of care was also talked about alot in that class. Room Five was my class for two years and I really enjoyed doing drama and art interchange.
In Room Seven we got to go on a three day camp to Arthur’s Pass. We did awesome day walks and played some really fun games. It was definitely one of my favourite camps with school and I really enjoyed it.
This year in Room Eight we have had the opportunity to do the William Pike Challenge Award which has been fantastic. We have done day tramps, bike rides, overnight tramps, rafting and even a beach cookout. This year has definitely been one of my favourites.
At Karoro School I have really valued the welcoming atmosphere and the lovely staff. I have thoroughly enjoyed my years at this school and have learned and developed so much. I think that this school can be for anyone and I am so proud to be a student here. I also value the wonderful outdoor space and classrooms that this school has to offer.
My message for younger students is to take all of the opportunities you have been given and to enjoy the experiences you get to go on. Karoro School gives you so many awesome opportunities and even if you aren’t sure about them, give them a go, you can’t say you dislike it if you haven’t tried it.
Once again I would just like to thank everybody who has made my schooling journey great. Thank you!
Here is a maths review slide that we had to complete.
We had to create a narrative about Tom Trueheart. It was really enjoyable, choosing the characters and settings.
Tom Trueheart and the Wild Voyage
Once upon a time, a long time ago during the medieval times in England, there lived a young man named Tom Trueheart. Tom really did have a true heart, always believing in himself and others. Tom and his community had a few differences; you might say, they were all the size of the average thumb. When the chance came for him to go on a wild voyage to save his brother, William the Wonderful and William’s wife, Poppy Powerful, he was in!
That Morning
During the early morning, Tom was woken to loud wailing and shouting.
“Oh William and Poppy have been taken” one said.
Tom couldn’t believe his ears.
“It can’t be,” he thought to himself. He jogged wearily towards his brothers cottage and sure enough not one of them was to be seen. The only thing left was a single pearl ring.
Tom sank down onto his brother’s mattress, asking himself,
“Where are you brother?”. Tom knew he had to help, he had to go looking for William and Poppy but he had no idea where they could be.
He knocked on many oak doors and gates, hoping someone would know where William and Poppy had been taken. Yet no one seemed to know! Until finally when he was knocking on the last oak door, a small girl answered, her name was Lily Laughing. She was a small town girl with plenty of knowledge and humor, strangely she knew exactly where his brother had been imprisoned.
“You will find him amongst the tallest trees and slimmest swamps in a fortress’ dungeon.” Lily whispered, sounding very mysterious indeed.
Tom took her advice and asked a kind man if he knew where a large forest was,
“There is only one large forest, my boy, it is called the ferocious woods, beware!”
There was no time to waste, he packed his gear, this included: water, a small amount of food, sword and spear, a map and a few bandages. He knew he didn’t have much gear but he had to begin his wild voyage!
Trudging through fields, towards the woods with grasses tall as skyscrapers. He didn’t know how long it would take but he knew he had to get into the woods and find shelter before nightfall. Light drizzle began to fall and the valley clouded in. The situation had become extremely gloomy. On and on he walked, his tiny legs aching. Being so miniature he felt like he had been walking for hours. Some time later he stumbled into the woods. Strange noises filled Tom’s ears hoot, hoot! The sounds of breaking twigs and the creaking of old oak trees, scared small Tom. Hollow, rotting logs covered the forest floor.
“Perfect!” Tom cried as he clambered in and snuggled up inside the damp, dark tree.
He had only slept for a few hours, when he was woken, a worm was squirming over him.
“Eww” he said trying not to scream. He decided that was enough sleep for him and set off. He wasn’t sure that he was heading in the right direction but something told him he was. After walking in the dark for about three hours Tom suddenly tumbled into a soggy, slimy swamp! Pulling himself out he gagged noticing he was covered in slime but not just that, he was covered in teeny tiny leeches!
“Ouch!” he pulled the blood suckers off screeching in pain. His arms and legs were red and bleeding. Limping forward he noticed an outline of a building, through the fog, he had found the fortress.
Crouching down low, he could see search lights scanning the area. One guard was standing at the gate accompanied by a bulldog. Tom wasn’t completely sure how he was going to get in, but he could see bars over some of the windows meaning they must be cells. Tom tiptoed towards the building wall away from the guard. The smell of blood and carcasses filled Tom’s nostrils. Through a barred window he could see a man and a woman huddling in the corner. It was William and Poppy. Sadly the only way in was the main entrance.
Tom calmly walked up to the tiny guard and dog and asked kindly if he would be able to pass.
“Nobody passes me,” grunted the guard.
“You are a very kind and handsome gentleman, what is your name?” Tom greased.
“My name is Paul Proud and this is Bella.” he continued pointing towards the bulldog. Tom had to come up with a plan, how was he going to get in?
“Oh I do need to go to the toilet, may I come in and use yours?” Tom asked politely.
“Since you are so delightful, I will show you the way,” Paul said, very proudly. Tom followed Paul towards the toilet block but when seeing a narrow alleyway he ducked inside, without Paul Proud noticing and set off looking for his brother’s cell. On the way he nearly got caught, if he hadn’t heard the guards laughing, he would have collided with them.
Tom could hear William’s voice echoing throughout the fortress, he had found them!
“My darling Poppy, we are going to escape, someone will come looking for us.” William said.
“What if nobody does!” Poppy wailed. Tom turned a corner and right in front of him behind bars were William and Poppy. Signaling for them to stay quiet, he snuck up behind the guards, knocking them out with the hilt of his sword. The key was in his grasp, he thrust it into the lock, turning it as he went. He pulled the weighty door open and ran towards his brother enveloping him in a bear hug.
“You are a very brave and loyal brother, Tom, thank you.” murmured William.
Together they snuck out of the cell, knocking every guard to the ground. In the end Bella the bulldog was the only one left standing and Tom knew she hadn’t had a good life. Tom had to give Bella a better life, so she escaped with them. Suddenly someone called out
“It won’t be that easy, boy”. Paul Proud had survived, Tom didn’t like that one bit. Paul shot an arrow, hitting Tom Trueheart in the leg. Pain and agony filled Tom’s body. His vision blurred and went dark…
Tom awoke lying in a hospital bed, his brother nowhere to be seen. A lovely nurse walked over to him
“You gave us quite the scare, Tom.” she announced.
“Where are Will and Poppy?” Tom croaked, his leg still searing with pain.
“Both of them are safe, they are very worried about you though, you have been out for nearly two days.” the nurse explained. Tom couldn’t believe it, he had been sleeping for two days. A few hours later William and Poppy visited him,
“You are my hero.” William said. Tom’s heart lit up, he had never felt so good in his life.
By Emma Newton
We had the opportunity to participate in an overnight tramp for William Pike! I really enjoyed the experience, it was so much fun.
Overnight in the Outdoors
Beautiful beech stretching up tall towards the clouds
Looking very similar indeed we all thought
Packs on our backs tramping together
Walking across bridges, gravel and creeks
Playing fun games to fill in the time,
like I Spy and guess who?
A balanced bench marked half way
We cheered as loud as fireworks,
when It came into sight
Resting our legs we nibbled on snacks
and guzzled some water
Everybody chatted,
Then we continued our trek
Soon we could see Lake Daniell
Everyone was thrilled
Sprinting down the twisting trail
Reaching our destination well before tea
We unlaced our shoes and entered the hut
Manson Nicholls was its name,
because of three men who lost their lives there
The lake was so tempting
We put on our togs
And dashed toward the luring water
I stepped into the lake
It was like a sheet of ice
Target practice with slingshots followed,
creating utter chaos throughout the forest
Molly hit a bullseye and I was close
The dads chopped rounds of firewood,
Which we carefully loaded into the woodshed
A tiny mouse was hiding in a tree stump
Poking its face through the gaps
We started making our meal
Which seemed to take as long as a century
The sausages were fantastic
A ten out of ten
The sun was disappearing
Ms Kemp took us outside into the woods
We told stories,
Either scary or funny
Mine wasn’t great
But Ms Kemps was a cracker
We all walked back towards the hut
Shivers moved down my spine because of the stories
Climbing into my snuggly sleeping bag
I tried to fall asleep
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone was knocking on the window
“Dad!” Pippa yelled
We awoke the next morning and started breakfast
Pancakes and bacon were top of the list
We cleaned the hut and said our goodbyes
Then set off back towards the cars
We talked and talked the whole way back
Light drizzle started to fall
We reached the bench
Sliding into our rain jackets
To keep out of the wet
We crossed the sluice box
We were nearly done
The cars were in view
We kept moving forward bit by bit
We had made it
-Emma
Callaghans Ridge
Rain drops covered the windows, this was the start of a wet adventure! On Wednesday 28th September Ruma Waru once again set off on a William Pike outing. Meeting in Ruma Waru we checked our gear, collected some essential supplies for bivvy building and were reminded of our car groups. Mum and I had Lucy and Aden in our car. We piled in and set off towards Dillmanstown, where we would then go down a road to the start of the track. Along a bumpy gravel road we drove turning a few corners on the way until we finally turned up at a big sign. Most cars pulled onto the side of the road to let their kids out because of the lack of space in the carpark. Our car was one of them. The rain was pouring as we climbed out of the vehicle.
Everybody hopped out and we waited at the sign for our teacher Ms Kemp and her car group. Once they arrived we walked to the carpark while the other adults did a car shuffle to the other end of the track, so there would be vehicles there when we arrived. We then got into our checklist groups, my group was Lucy, Charlotte and I. We were the dream team. We ticked off heaps of things before starting the track! I was even kind enough to accidentally tell everyone where a rimu tree was. So was Ms Kemp who yelled out something like “there’s a kereru” this happened to be one of the items on our list, thanks Ms Kemp! Throughout that whole wait we were all getting drenched! Trees sheltered us a little and finally when the adults arrived including: Jo, Angus, Rachel, Laura and Luzanne, everyone soggily started the tramp around 9:30am.
Trying not to slip we trudged along the muddy track. Using the checklist soon became very difficult as the rain washed the whiteboard marker off. We found chicken wire on every bridge to help with stability but couldn’t exactly tick it off. There were many undulating parts throughout the track and everyone did great on the uphills and down. We kept going through the amazing bush filled with terrific trees and raging rain. Mum was at the very front and a big line of children followed. We stopped quite a few times to let everybody catch up and to make sure everyone was alright, also to have a snack, then kept moving.
After a few soggy hours we arrived at our lunch spot. I was so glad it was lunch time. We got all of our bivvy equipment out, this was some rope, a pocket knife and tarpaulin. My group, which consisted of Lucy, Charlotte, Hayley, Mum and I found the perfect spot and started building our bivvy. We tied the tarpaulin to some surrounding trees with rope and that was it, our bivvy was complete. We scattered underneath the bivvy and unpacked our lunches. Suddenly an awful smell filled my nostrils “ that’s stink wood” mum said and she was right we had built our bivvy right beside a stink wood plant, ew! We ate our lunches in our bivvy out of that annoying rain. Soon enough the yell came for us to pack up our lunch and bivvy. So down came the bivvy’s and off we went.
It was pretty much downhill from there and I was really glad! I was nearer the back tramping down the hill. We talked and laughed and had a great time. Lucy and I and some others jumped in all the puddles and all sections of water flowing down the track completely forgetting about the challenge to keep our feet dry. Splash! Along the way I slipped over on a very slippery log, ouch! And then behind me Hayley did the exact same thing. Such an annoying log! We continued until another sign was in view.
Everyone posed for a quick photo and video then we kept going. The track turned into a bit of a four wheel drive track for the last part of the walk. Lucy and I were splashing in all the puddles we could and had so much fun. Soon enough we popped out of the track into the Goldsborough car park and sheltered ourselves in the information shelter. When all the children and parent helpers had arrived at the car park, the kids whose cars were there hopped in and headed off, while everyone else waited for the car shuffle to happen again. Heading back to town was definitely cold and wet but mum cranked up the heater and we drove home, first dropping Lucy off at around 2:30pm then picking Aden’s things up from school and dropping him off. Everybody was looking forward to a nice warm shower!
Bike Ride
On Friday the 16th of September Ruma Waru and some parent helpers including: Glen (my Dad), Seamus, Tracey, Jack and Laura set off to the Mananui Tramline and Hurunui Jacks trails. The drive to the start was great! Casey and Lucy came in a vehicle with Dad and I and we ended up taking six bikes which was crazy awesome. We finally arrived at the start, helped get our bikes off the vehicles and set off for an adventure around 9:45am. Karmi and I were biking buddies, which meant that we biked along the trail together. There was such beautiful bird call and lovely scenery along the way including grass green towering trees and blue skies. We kept going until we reached the car park where we had a much needed snack and of course a good chat. We turned back, heading to the vehicles again having a quick walk to Lake Mahinapua which was a great stretch for the legs.
Stashing our bikes on the side of the trail we headed to the lake along the bumpy rugged track. Through the trees the lake was in view glistening tannin stained water holding memories which was soon to be partly told by Ms Kemp. Walking back to the bikes, chatter filled my ears. When back at the bikes Nate, Shannan, Karmi, Seamus and I led the pack back to the vehicles. Zooming downhill, cruising on the flats, pushing through the uphill pain. We reached the home stretch, and we made it back in one piece. After the bikes were on the vehicles with kids aboard we headed off to Hurunui Jacks.
Lunch at the Hurunui Jacks carpark tasted great and it was at about 12:30pm – 1:00pm. Raring to go we hopped on our bikes and rode down the track. Twisty turns, sudden hills and my favourite down hills filled the ride as well as a few crashes for Charlotte who kept taking one for the team. After a while we came to a ford. I didn’t do it but I knew I would have a go on our return. A road appeared and we rode up a steep never ending hill. Luckily it did end and at the very top was a nice wee shelter and a small junction. We rode towards Lake Kaniere along a stunning water race, with small bridges and thin bits of track. After a while we reached yet another road and were looking over a beautiful lake. We clapped and cheered for the others when they arrived and accidentally started cheering for people we didn’t know.
Turning around we headed back down the water race to the junction. I really struggled to bike through the narrow bridges and hit the side of one after I had just said “ I made it ”. The return to the vehicle went pretty quick and had the awesome downhill after the little shelter which I ended up zooming down. A group of us went back so fast and of course I had to go through the ford even Ms Kemp did!
We peddled back to the vehicles from there really fast and before we knew it we were there. When everybody was all packed up, vehicles pulled out of the car park and headed back to school. We arrived at school at about 4pm so it was a big day out and such a great experience!