Our science experiment

Totara class is doing an experiment using bread to see how much germs grow.  We started this experiment 2 weeks ago. 

After 1 week Georgie took this photo of the bread slices.  There is white mold/germs growing. 

I wonder what they will look like when we are allowed to go back to school after the lockdown?

School kit #Get NZ writing

This term we opened up the parcel from school kit.  

It was called get NZ writing...  We found these cool 3D glasses and some other paperwork which did not make sense (we had to put on the glasses to try and read it....)

First the whole class wrote poems about something naught we had done... we called them our naughty poems.

Then we had to make our way from Fielding all the way to Oruaiti using google maps, this was really interesting as we found heaps of cool place names around Aotearoa.  

This was our poem that we produced together in Totara class.
You probably need some 3D glasses to read it all.

Fern Flat Pottery trip - By Colin Kerehoma

On Thursday Totara class went on a trip to the fern flat pottery place it was a long way to fern flat when we arrived there we had morning tea it was cool there they had grape vine lemon tree and a water fountain.
After that they showed us the showroom that had heaps of clay designs we all looked around in the showroom at the clay then we get to make our own clay but we made clay pigs we rolled it up into a ball same size as a ping pong ball. 
next we mad a round hole in the middle like a bowl.
We also add the legs the snout and the tail and tusk if we want to add tusks when we all were done we had lunch and got to play we all got our bags and said thank you. 
we were going to go for a swim at the swimming hole but we were late it was shallow so we jumped in the pool and had a swim.
The pool was cold when we first jumped in but manuka came and warmed up the pool.
We all jumped out and went in class and it was time for hometime here is some pictures at fern flat pottery.

By Colin Kerehoma

Dice champs

We learnt how to play dice champs on Tuesday the 18th in Totara class.

First we got into a class circle and learnt the game with a big yellow foam dice that had 12 sides.  

We had to take turns, first we played doubles then we did another game where we added tens.

After that we got to go play with 2 or 3 people.  

It was loud and fun.  It was exciting and exhilarating.  I liked this game and we can play it again in maths time.

Painting and cleaning our school sign

The school sign that was taken down off the fence when the new class was moved onto the school has been lying in the grass since last year!

Totara class decided to go and clean it up, sand off the old paint and then repaint it.  

It was hot work!!!!

We are now waiting for the caretaker to put it up again outside the school gate, hopefully it will be up on Monday.

Totara Class learning to be safe in and around the water

On Tuesday we had Aevril in the school to teach us about water safety.

First we had to discuss water safety and then put on a life jacket.


Then we made a huddle in a small group to keep ourselves warm and also so if a plane or boat is trying to search for us in a group they will spot us more easily.

After we made the huddle we then put an injured or cold person into the center of the huddle.

Then we moved out of our huddle making a line with a leader at the end and we all lay on our backs and kicked.


Some of the comments about this water safety session were:

"I thought I was going to drown - but I didn't because the life jacket saved me"   Daetyn

"It taught me how to keep safe in the water" Colin

"When we made the huddle, I got to go in the middle and it made me warm"  Kadee

"It sort of scared me" Bella

Welcome to Totara Class

Welcome to Totara class for 2020.

Today we made a mandala of our class.... 

This is what we looked like:

We felt like sardines all squashed up.  

It felt unusual because we hadn't done it before.  

Our class came up with this chant:

Totara Class chant

In Totara class we inspire, create and grow together.  To do this we must work together, be honest caring and kind showing respect to people and equipment. 

We've got each others backs, we are resilient and if something is hard we try and tell ourselves not to give up.

E hara Taku toa I te toa takatahi. 

Engari he toa takatini.

My strength is not the strength of one, 

it is the strength of many