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.