Down the red and white track, children go racing,

As fast as cheetahs, I can feel their heart pacing.

People cheer and roar so loud, left and right,

And the sun shines down, a very bright light.

Some enthusiastic kids sound, almost as loud as a lion,

And I wonder why, I see some poor junior kids cryin’? 

The speaker shouts loud, “Year 6 girls discus come down!”

Losing the race, must’ve made some kids frown.

But the thing that’s most important of all,

Is that all of us just, have so much fun! Doesn’t matter if you’re not tall!

Me and a few other students went on a tree planting trip to Mrs Fowlers farm! I never knew she had a farm in the beginning, so I was a bit surprised to hear it. This group was hand picked, but we could decide if we wanted to go or not. Even though the fee for the bus was $20, I still went so I could get a new opportunity. As I had never been tree planting before!

The bus ride felt like it was about 20 minutes long, I was sitting next to Chad’s dad which felt pretty awkward. Although my friends Joel and Joshua sat in front of me so I was talking with them the whole way through. And when I saw Mrs Fowler’s farm… I didn’t NOT expect to see

Her farm was so big! It was practically a villa! She had these really cute sheep in the paddock, obviously, they weren’t tame. But they were so adorable. There was even a black lamb. We met this lady who was in charge of the trees for survival, and she was telling us the rules on how to plant trees, and to keep them a metre apart.

He had to put these fertiliser tablet things before we planted the tree to help them grow healthier, I assumed it was like a tree’s vitamin tablets. Multiple trees were spread across this big slope, and there was like some sort of a marsh land and the very bottom. Sassy was with us, she helped to motivate everyone.

I noticed this really big tree that needed to be planted, I asked the lady about it and she said I’d need some people to help me. Luckily, Joshua C, Joel, and Matthew B came along to help. We managed to dig some of the dirt, but most of it was clay, so we got this really cool machine to dig for us. And we put in a tablet, planted it and made sure it was sturdy. 

That day, my group and I managed to plant 4 big trees. I know it doesn’t seem like a lot.. But it was hard work planting them! And overall I planted about 25. But in total with everyone who came, we planted 700 trees! Which was a big accomplishment for everyone. 

Lunch came and Mrs Fowler hosted a sausage sizzle, there was pork, beef, and vegetarian. Although I had one, some kids had 5+ sausages. I’m not sure how they could psychically stomach those down, but my mind changed when I saw it. I was so tired, my eyes were struggling to stay open. But overall the day was really fun, dirty, but fun!

Hey, you there! Have you heard of a thing called house colour day? You… have? Then why don’t you dress up in your house colours?! C’mon! I’ll show you all of the joy that comes with participating in house colour days.

First of all, it’s basically a mufti day. But in your house colours, of course. Who wouldn’t take an opportunity to not come in uniform? I know for sure I would love to take it. Also, you can dress up in different humorous outfits. Like if you’re in Tawa, a Smurf. Kauri, why not come as broccoli? Or even shrek? Rimu is easy, come as a skittle or an M&M! And kowhai is probably the best of them all, a banana.

Also, it’s really fun to show support to your house! Chanting and singing songs… sometimes we even get to play games. Four corners is one of the most common game, but also one of the funnest games! And it’s an opportunity to gain house points and tokens, everyone has a chance to get tokens and house points! Just show pride in your house! Certificates are also an option, rarer to get. But super worth it.

Lastly, it’s just a super fun time to spend with your house colour, and all of the teachers who are in your house showing support. Even when it’s days like cross country or athletics, being supported by people on your side is a great moral booster. And can improve your experience in sport events.

So… next time, are you going to take part in house colour day?

Kaitiakitanga:

Our theme for launch this semester is Kaitiakitanga! Which generally means being guardians of our own environment/taking care of the things surrounding us and our homes. We went to the botanical gardens and Totara park in separate weeks. Here are the pros and cons of them!

Botanical Gardens:

Pros

• Fun experience
• Different varieties of plants, monocots, dicots, etc..
• Trying to take action on pests, this includes using sprays, traps, and more.
• Scavenger hunt was really fun
• Uses different types of water filtrations

Cons

• Had to go back to the starting point whenever it was morning tea/lunch (Had to stop what we were doing)
• When one person had to go to the bathroom, everyone had to go
• Seeing the same plant over and over again
• Backs hurt from carrying bags
• Odd weather

Totara Park:

Pros

• Beautiful scenery
• Gorgeous lakes
• Got to walk with friends
• Trees covered us from rain
• Traps set out to capture pests

Cons

• Legs hurt so bad
• Lots of cardio had to be done (Like 10 million+ steps)
• Extremely slippery 
• Not much variety of flowers
• Birds are nowhere to be seen?

In conclusion, these trips were very exhausting. But sometimes enjoying the scenery of nature and its beauty can be mind-changing. And having friends by your side can certainly make things better! I hope we will be able to do things like this again.

1. Start training and competing in your desired sport as early as possible in your life.
2. Seek expert coaching, training and guidance to refine and improve your performance.
3. Develop a well-rounded out training schedule that includes practical skills, strength, endurance and agility exercises.
4. Participate in various competitions, both nationally and internationally, to gain experience and exposure to competitions.
5. Continuously evaluate and overlook your performance and make adjustments to your training program as needed.
6. Establish a regular fitness routine to ensure you maintain optimal psychical and mental condition. 

Dear people living in the gardens,

My name is Miya Botha, and I have been living in The Gardens Community for almost 7 years now. As most of you probably know, we have a holiday called “Matariki” coming up. If you don’t know what Matariki is, to sum it all up..  Matariki is the tale of 7 star sisters, and can be a sign of many things.

I have started to think about the ways people celebrate Matariki, one in particular. Coming together. And what event brings people closer together, and is full of laughter and joy? Parades. We should raise money for a Matariki parade.

We can all do this by selling things we bake, or donating to raffles, plenty of stuff. The parade would be awesome, people could enter it and design floats, hire marching bands, and show their cars off. But, obviously. The theme would be Matariki.

This parade should be held before the crack of dawn, and end sometime around night. Matariki should be visible then, too. Competitions for the best float, band, costumes, everything will go out. But most importantly, it’s spending time with our whanau and friends.

ANZAC day means a lot more to me this year, but only because my Brother joined a military school. And on ANZAC day, they did a march. In memory of the brave soldiers who sacrificed their life for New Zealand, it was special.

My family had to wake up really early, it takes two hours for us to go all the way to where the march was going to be. I couldn’t believe my brother did that every day he went to school! We woke up at 6, and needed to be there by 8. When we got there my brother went to the other “cadets” he called them. But they’re really just his peers. 

My dad bought me an ANZAC biscuit, it tasted really good, you could tell it was fresh because the biscuit was still warm. I heard a bell and the cadets came and marched, there was also Navy seals there and other soldiers. People were singing the national anthem, it was beautiful.