The last two weeks of term are now upon us and what a busy term it has been. Our Korimako kids have enjoyed a number of exciting learning opportunities recently.

Debating Success

Last week we enjoyed hearing a debate between our two Year 5/6 debating teams. The moot was: That in NZ, health care is more important than education. It was a fantastic debate, with plenty of rebuttals and interjections flying between the two teams. Both teams had planned a strong argument and should be congratulated on their confidence and skill in delivery. 

Our Ōhoka 1 team of Wyatt, Arlo and Harry took out the win, and in so doing, took out first place in the North Canterbury competition for Year 5/6. Huge congratulations! The team will be presented with their trophy next week after the Year 7/8 final debate that will be held at Amberley School.

Congratulations also go to our Ōhoka 2 team of Grace, Declan and Amelia who finished 3rd overall. The public speaking skills of our young debaters leave us in awe. Ka rawe!

Kaiapoi Pā

After two postponements, we are looking forward to our trip to Kaiapoi pā today. We hope to learn some interesting stories about the early history of the Kaiapoi area. Thank you to our parent helpers Abbe King and Ray and Karyn Payne.

Youth Leadership Day

Last week, Arlo and Grace represented our Year 5 / 6  group at a Kahui Ako Youth Leadership Day hosted here at Ōhoka School. They worked alongside students from the other 17 schools in our North Canterbury cluster and shared their thoughts about their learning and school life, in general. Their thoughts will help guide the future direction of our schools, and will be particularly helpful as we strive to increase student agency in learning. 

Financial Literacy 

This week, Adam Sutcliff came to visit to teach us a little about managing money and developing good financial habits. We talked about the difference between needs and wants and learnt a little about the cost of living. 

Sporting Success

Congratulations to Declan who has achieved some amazing results recently in swimming. Last weekend, Declan competed at the Otago short course championships, winning seven gold medals out of seven races with five personal best times! An amazing effort!

Last month, Declan was also selected in the XLR8 U12 Canterbury swim squad and has been training really hard to achieve his goals.