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Middle School Blog

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Middle School Blog
November 1, 2024

Bringing Ideas to Life with 3D Printing

In the Middle School, we're excited to announce the recent setup of seven brand-new 3D printers, opening up a world of possibilities for our students!…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
October 18, 2024

Exciting Learning Adventures

The start of Term 4 has been positive for our Middle School students, who have engaged in a wide variety of activities from furthering their…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
September 20, 2024

Off They Go

On Monday 16th September, the annual Owairoa Sprints took place at the Howick Domain. Learners from Years 3-6 opted in to the event earlier in…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
August 9, 2024

Discovering the Wonders of the Universe

This term, the Middle School embarked on an exciting adventure to the Stardome Observatory and Planetarium. Students did lots of learning about Planet Earth and…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
July 27, 2024

Inventors Fair

In Week 10, Owairoa hosted the highly anticipated Inventors Fair, showcasing the incredible creativity and ingenuity of our students. Throughout Term 2, each class devoted…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
June 27, 2024

Poetry in the Middle School

On Thursday 6th June the Middle School poetry competition buzzed with excitement in the bustling hall. Representatives from each class showcased their poetic talents, aiming…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
May 31, 2024

Icy Weather Intrigues Our Y3 Learners

As we head towards the wintery months, last week autumn decided to share an icy blast. Learners were treated to not one, but two hailstorms.…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
May 17, 2024

Middle School ‘Strikes’ Again

The year started off with a bang, and with excitement in the air, it was clear that Middle School was the place to be. Many…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
April 12, 2024

Planet Earth and Beyond

Learners in the Middle School have been enjoying getting underway with their ISTEAM learning. Our science focus for Terms 1 & 2 is Planet Earth…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
March 28, 2024

Seas the Day! Adventures in Sea Week

From March 2nd to the 10th, Middle School embarked on an exciting journey into the depths of the ocean with our Sea Week celebration! Sea…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
March 15, 2024

A Love of Water Lessons

As the long-awaited warm summer weather continues, our Middle School learners eagerly launched into another term of swimming lessons. Our very excited learners have jumped…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
March 1, 2024

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Year 3 have been busy learning all about the Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is an annual celebration of new beginnings, happiness, and family reunions.…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
February 9, 2024

Welcome to the Middle School

The first week back at Owairoa for our Year 3 and 4 students has been filled with excitement, curiosity, and a lot of happy chatter.…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
September 22, 2023

ISTEAM

At Owairoa Primary School we value the idea of developing problem-solving skills in all our learners. Problem solving and teamwork are essential in society and…
Diane McIntyre
Love15
Middle School Blog
September 8, 2023

A Busy Term Three Lineup

The start of Term 3 has been nothing short of fantastic for the Year 3 students, who have eagerly participated in many different activities already.…
Diane McIntyre
Love15
Middle School Blog
August 18, 2023

Middle School Maths Week

During Week 4 of Term 3 the Middle School was buzzing with the excitement created by Maths Week. NZ Maths Week is a week dedicated…
Diane McIntyre
Love15
Middle School Blog
August 4, 2023

Celebrating Maori New Year

Students in Year 4 returned to school this term with smiling faces, eager to learn about the celebration of Matariki, the Māori New Year. Matariki…
Diane McIntyre
Love17
Middle School Blog
June 30, 2023

Book Week in Middle School

Ahoy there - me hearties! Week 9 was a mighty week, buzzing with books and pirates. Classes enjoyed daily reading - Drop the Anchor and…
Diane McIntyre
Love15
Middle School Blog
June 9, 2023

Simultaneous Storytelling Experience

Middle School students recently joined forces with over 2 million students worldwide to participate in a simultaneous storytelling event centred around the children’s book "The…
Diane McIntyre
Love15
Middle School Blog
June 2, 2023

All About Measurement

The Middle School have been busy this term, learning about measurement units in Maths and ISTEAM lessons. Classes have been investigating time, weight, length, capacity,…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
May 26, 2023

Learning about ANZAC Day

Middle School students have been learning about ANZAC Day. They explored the way we as New Zealanders remember the brave soldiers who fought in World…
Diane McIntyre
Love16
Middle School Blog
May 12, 2023

Battle of Forces

As part of Year 4 Science this term, students have been busily learning about the different types of forces. They have investigated gravity, friction, and…
Diane McIntyre
Love15
Middle School Blog
May 5, 2023

Wild About Learning

Recently students in M5, M6 and M9 had the opportunity to visit Auckland Zoo. What an exciting experience it was for them to see animals…
Diane McIntyre
Love15
Middle School Blog
March 24, 2023

New Block Fire Drill

We would like to share the success of our recent fire drill from the new two-story block and highlight the amazing performance of our Year…
Diane McIntyre
Love15
Middle School Blog
March 10, 2023

Setting the Scene

Over the past few weeks the Year 4 learners have enjoyed settling into their new classes. They have been busily creating beautiful pieces of art…
Diane McIntyre
Love13
Middle School Blog
February 10, 2023

Motivated Middle Schoolers

Welcome back to a brand new academic year! How wonderful it is to see Middle School students back at school and enthusiastic for the new…
Diane McIntyre
Love13
Middle School Blog
December 9, 2022

Ho! Ho! Ho! Celebrating our Learners

What a delightful afternoon we had celebrating the learning achievements of our students at the Year 3 End of Year Concert. The students have spent…
Diane McIntyre
Love14
Middle School Blog
November 25, 2022

Forehand, Backhand or just Getting it Over the Net

Coach Aaron from the Howick Tennis Club recently spent four weeks with our Year 3s, introducing them to the game of tennis. Students started by…
Diane McIntyre
Love11
Middle School Blog
November 15, 2022

A Song and A Dance

In the Middle School, classes are already busy preparing their musical and drama acts for the Year 4 Concert on the 6th of December at…
Diane McIntyre
Love10
Middle School Blog
October 28, 2022

Lunchtime Sliding By

Today the Year 3s were keeping a close eye on the wall clocks in their classrooms, wishing for lunchtime to arrive faster, and not because…
Diane McIntyre
Love10
Middle School Blog
September 14, 2022

Together Again….

The Middle School learners have finally returned to having weekly assemblies together in the hall. The children were super excited to be celebrating achievements and…
Diane McIntyre
Love9
Middle School Blog
September 2, 2022

Penguin Rangers In The Making

Some Year 4 students have been learning about little blue penguins. As part of an ISTEAM project Room 26 learners were given the challenge of…
Diane McIntyre
Love9
Middle School Blog
August 18, 2022

Explosive Knowledge

We’re living in an area characterised by more than 50 extinct volcanoes, many of which are easily recognisable. Rangitoto, the youngest and largest dormant volcano…
Diane McIntyre
Love8
Middle School Blog
July 29, 2022

A Rocky Lesson in Business

At the end of Term 2 Room 25 were set the challenge of creating their own businesses. These businesses would market and sell New Zealand…
Diane McIntyre
Love7
Middle School Blog
July 5, 2022

Extending Vocabulary through Games

Students enjoy playing games, even when games are learning focused. There are many literacy focused games available to students in Year 3, many of which…
Diane McIntyre
Love7
Middle School Blog
June 22, 2022

Sparking Our Learning

Our Year 4 students have been studying electrical circuits and all things electrical. We know the difference between mains electricity and electricity from a battery.…
Diane McIntyre
Love7
Middle School Blog
June 10, 2022

Out With The Old, In With The New

The time has come to say goodbye. The old classrooms have been packed and moved, with the help of many fabulous parents and staff. The…
Diane McIntyre
Love7
Middle School Blog
May 23, 2022

Lava Landmarks

In Term Two students across Year 4 have enjoyed studying the formation of rocks, in science. This week, during ISTEAM, G4 explored the different parts…
Diane McIntyre
Love7
Middle School Blog
May 13, 2022

Nearly Moving Day

Excitement is building in Year 3 with the students counting down the days till we move into the new building, with a classroom close to…
Diane McIntyre
Love7
Middle School Blog
April 13, 2022

Year 4 Challenge

ISTEAM activities offer the opportunity to have fun and productive learning in subjects such as digital technology, art and maths. Some ISTEAM activities even allow…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
March 29, 2022

Powerful Learning

If you would like to learn about the importance of renewable energy sources such as Solar Energy, Wind Energy and Hydro Power, students in Year…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
March 15, 2022

ISTEAM in Action

At Owairoa ISTEAM activities offer the opportunity to have fun learning in subjects such as technology, art, maths and inquiry. G3 students last week were…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
February 28, 2022

Sizzling Summer Cool Down

The 2021/2022 summer seems to be heading towards being one of the sunniest and warmest summers that Auckland has experienced. It therefore shouldn’t be a…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
February 11, 2022

A Very Middle Welcome

Welcome back to a new academic year! It is fantastic to see the Middle School students back at school, looking refreshed and ready for the…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
December 10, 2021

The Year 3 Christmas Sprit

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas from the Year 3 students and teachers! We aren’t going to let lockdown ruin our Christmas cheer, so with Santa…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
December 3, 2021

Courage and Character to Combat the Covid-19 Challenge

In Week 5 this term we welcomed students back on-site part time. Year 4 classes are required to wear masks indoors. Additional safety protocols meant…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
August 13, 2021

Electricity

Over the past few weeks, the Year 3 students have been learning about Electricity. They have been engaging in lessons that have taken a closer…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
July 30, 2021

Matariki

Matariki is the traditional Māori New Year, named after the star constellation Matariki, also known as Pleiades. Matariki is first seen in New Zealand skies…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
July 2, 2021

‘Gulp’, where does our food go?

During Science this term, the Year 3s have been learning about animals, the food chain, skeletons, and the digestive system. The learners carried out an…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
June 21, 2021

Seeds in Space

JAXA, the organisation representing the Japanese Space Agency have been growing seeds on the International Space Station to determine how the effects of gravity affect…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
June 3, 2021

Learning in Nature

The Middle school students have been learning about measurement in Maths this term. Year 3 took part in the Outdoor Classroom Day a few weeks…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
June 2, 2021

Engineering Design Process

Room T3 have been making bookends for their ISTEAM learning. This project has lasted several weeks. Initially they discovered the books in class kept falling…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
May 7, 2021

Plants are aMAZEing

Have you ever noticed how plants grow towards the light? Year 3 scientists decided to investigate this observation. They used the knowledge they had acquired…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
April 9, 2021

Learning from History

Year 4 students have been learning about New Zealand’s history of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day. In Room 28, the students have learnt about the…
Diane McIntyre
Love6
Middle School Blog
March 26, 2021

Cooling Down

During Term 1 we have been lucky enough to partake in swimming lessons once a week. The warmer weather has made swimming lessons a day…
Diane McIntyre
Love5
Middle School Blog
March 16, 2021

Artistic Flair

Art allows us to demonstrate our individuality and the Year 4 students have certainly started to show their artistic flair so far this term. The…
Diane McIntyre
Love5
Middle School Blog
February 26, 2021

Exciting Learning Experiences

It has been wonderful to see how well the Year 3 learners have settled into their new classrooms and have built a great rapport between…
Diane McIntyre
Love4
Middle School Blog
February 10, 2021

Welcome to the Middle School, 2021

A very warm welcome to a new school year. I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer. The children have certainly had lots of exciting stories to…
Diane McIntyre
Love5
Middle School Blog
December 7, 2020

A Middle School Merry Christmas

On Wednesday 9 December the Year 3 students had our End of Year Celebration. The students worked hard to put on a great puppet show…
Diane McIntyre
Love4
Middle School Blog
November 16, 2020

Fabulous Fossil

This term in Science the Year 3’s have been learning about fossils. We have learnt about the differences between bones and fossils. There are three…
Diane McIntyre
Love4
Middle School Blog
November 2, 2020

Auckland Museum Visit

Years 3 and 4 have been rocking this week with a visit from the Auckland Museum. The students have learned where the many different volcanoes…
Diane McIntyre
Love3
Middle School Blog
October 19, 2020

Owairoa Story School

On Tuesday 22 September Owairoa Primary School celebrated Book Day. Learners arrived at school with great excitement and eagerly waited to see what their class-mates…
Diane McIntyre
Love3
Middle School Blog
September 4, 2020

Brilliant B Block

During Alert Level 3, the Year 3 Teachers were busy setting up in their brand new rooms. All Year 3 classes are now in the…
Diane McIntyre
Love4
Middle School Blog
August 14, 2020

Middle School Is Buzzing

Year Three have been busy learning about bees during Term 2 and 3. They have investigated the importance of bees in nature and what an…
jadecreative
Love3
Middle School Blog
July 24, 2020

‘Flying’ in the New Year

The Maori New Year, Matariki, was officially celebrated on July 13th July.  Before the school holidays, Middle School classes learnt about the significance of Matariki. Room 30…
jadecreative
Love3
Middle School Blog
July 3, 2020

Great Learning Taking Place

Students have been busy researching and writing some wonderful insect and animal reports to share in their classrooms. They have been investigating New Zealand native…
jadecreative
Love3
Middle School Blog
June 12, 2020

The Bush Walk

Monday 15th June marked the reopening of the Owairoa School Bush Walk and Chinese Garden. They had been out of action since mid-last year due…
jadecreative
Love3
Middle School Blog
May 29, 2020

School Life

After being reunited following the lockdown, it has been an exciting first two weeks. The children have settled into school life and loved spending time…
jadecreative
Love3
Middle School Blog
May 22, 2020

Distance Learning Experience

Distance learning proved to be a unique experience that allowed learners’ hidden talents and passions to shine through. Amazing art skills were demonstrated by a…
jadecreative
Love3
Middle School Blog
March 9, 2020

Owairoa Adventure Rangers

The Middle School have been lucky enough to take part in a new learning initiative called Environmental Studies. Once a week, learners are taught by…
jadecreative
Love3
Middle School Blog
February 21, 2020

Engineers Everywhere

It’s been a busy week in Team 3 with aerodynamics, glyphs and physics all topics of discussion – and that’s just the start! Room 36…
jadecreative
Love4
Middle School Blog
February 14, 2020

Welcome to the Middle School, 2020

Welcome back to 2020. It is wonderful to see the Middle School students back at school, looking refreshed and ready for the new school year.…
jadecreative
Love2
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