On the last day of Term 1 2025 to celebrate our awesome tamariki following our school values this term, we had an easter egg hunt. While we were at karakia, chocolate eggs and bunnies were hidden around the school playground.
Rourou was first off the mark as the nohinohi, the youngest of the kura.
It wasn't long before eggs were being found!
They ran here, there and everywhere!
Nearly 200 eggs and twelve rabbits were found around the school. There was an egg for everyone taking part. What an awesome way to finish our first term for 2025!
Kia pai te hararei e te whānau! Hei te wahanga tuarua!
The full school duathlon is a big event in the Ōtaki School calendar. The tuakana race first thing in the morning, then the teina race after morning tea. We sat on the mats with the rest of the school, cheering each class on as they had their turn.
Then it was finally our turn!
Whew! That was a long way!
Now the bikes!
It was a great day and the tamariki gave their all! Ka mau te wehi!
He mihi tēnei ki ngā whānau hei tautoko ā tātou taonga i tēnei rā!
A big thanks to all the families who came out to support our tamariki today!
Because we thought you could never do too many things in the last week of school - we did some Easter Art to get us in the mood for the exciting happenings at the end of the week (EASTER EGG HUNT!!!).
We've had a bit of a bubble theme in the last weeks of school - and along with this we've talked a lot about doing some popping of a different kind. Not many of the tamariki from Rourou had ever popped their own popcorn, rather used popcorn bags in the microwave or eaten pre-popped corn.
Well, we thought, that needs to be addressed immediately!
We had a bit of a discussion about how water expands when heated - just like when we boil the kettle for a hot drink. We looked carefully at the corn kernels. It was hard to imagine they had any moisture inside of them they are so hard and dry. But in the very centre is a little bit of moisture that gets heated and expands inside the kernel until it pops.
First we put some oil and popcorn in a pan. We had a good look to see what it looked like inside the pan then we sat down. Then we turned the cooker on and waited...
After sitting down we talked about what we could smell - well not much at this stage honestly!! Then we talked about what we could hear - we had to be very quiet to listen! There was a lot of sizzling for what felt like a very long time. Then a little pop followed by a bigger pop - then we were away! It was very exciting!
Then of course the best part! After smelling the delicious popcorn popping - we were able to eat it!!
Athletics day dawned bright and sunny for Ōtaki Kura this year. Tamariki are in four separate houses reflecting the colours of our school values. Kaitiakitanga - kākāriki (green). Manaakitanga - kikorangi (blue). Whakapapa - whero (red). Whānaungatanga - waiporoporo (purple).
In Rourou we started our day by painting our own faces using the colours reflecting the house we are in.
It was a really exciting day with many whānau joining us to cheer our tamariki on!
Tamariki were involved in different athletic pursuits over the morning, peke roa (long jump), peke teitei (high jump), rēhi oma, and throwing frisbees and paoro (balls).
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