ACADEMIC
YEAR 8 FARM VISITS
By Alice Chaly (Year 8)
Over the course of the past few weeks, Year 8 students have had the privilege of going on farm trips to learn more about our social science topic for this year: kaitiakitanga. Kaitiakitanga is a Māori concept that means protection and guardianship of the environment. Our social science focus this year is looking at connections to our local environment (kaitiakitanga) and the responsibilities our community has to the land. Following the farm visits, we have been asked to write an information report to record what we learned from the visit in relation to kaitiakitanga and to practise report writing which is part of our English studies for Term 1.
Over the past few weeks, students have visited Red Bridge Berries and Cherry Orchard, Rippon Vineyard, Te Kakano nursery, Alpha Burn Station, Ben Elms and Mt Grand, and Lake Hawea Station.
My group of Year 8s was lucky enough to visit Rippon Vineyard and Te Kakano nursery. We were very fortunate to learn all about the history of the winery and everything the team at Rippon does to look after the environment including controlling pests and not using harmful chemicals around the vineyard. We also learnt some fun facts like how it can take three to five years before a vine produces good enough grapes to use in wine.
We then went on a tour of the winery and the views were absolutely incredible! You could see all the way over the lake to Ruby Island and as far as Treble Cone. Next, we took a short walk out to the lake with some people from WAI Wanaka and learned how to check whether or not a stream is healthy. It was really interesting to learn about the health of the stream, because at the start, almost all of us thought the stream was healthy but in fact it actually wasn’t.
After our visit to Rippon Vineyard, we walked up to Te Kakano nursery and learnt about the different types of native plants they grow, and how to identify different plants.
Thanks to these farm visits, we all learned so much about how to be great kaitiakitanga. Thank you so much to everyone who made these incredible trips possible.
YEAR 8 CAMPS
Over the coming weeks, all Year 8 classes are heading for an overnight adventure to Snow Farm. 8SSB were the first of the 7 classes to head out to Musterers Hut for the overnight stay. Needing to wrap up warm on Tuesday, the group of 34 which included whānau, kaiako and ākonga undertook a range of experiences which embodied the essence of whanaungatanga. A huge thanks to all who have supported this new initiative including Angela Rickard and the Outdoor Pursuits team.
RAFTING
Our Outdoor Pursuits subjects give our students personal and social development through adventurous and challenging activities in a variety of environmental and social contexts, and through a mix of theoretical and practical instruction.
Recently, our Level 1 Outdoor Pursuits students took to the Clutha River to enjoy a rafting skills session.
You can learn more about our Outdoor Pursuits courses in our course guide here: https://courseguide.mtaspiring.school.nz/.../outdoor...
