What an amzing week exploring our universe - To Tatou Ao Tukupu | Our universe

Two schools, over 530 students, 40+ visitors, four days, one evening, one planetarium, eight VR goggles, two rovers, and a solar telescope created an extraordinary week of curiosity-packed activities.

Oxford Area School is absolutely thrilled to express our heartfelt gratitude to the wonderful collaboration between View Hill School and the amazing Milky-Way.kiwi social enterprise astronomers, the incedible Sam Leske and Haritina Mogoșanu. We are overjoyed to have had the pleasure of welcoming back Sam and Hari to our school, as they had last visited us in 2018 accompanied by the esteemed NASA Scientists, Dr. Mitch Schulte and Dr. Jen Blank. Their return has filled our hearts with joy and excitement. The experience they shared with our students was truly inspiring and unforgettable. We wholeheartedly appreciate their dedication and passion for astronomy, and their efforts in promoting an enthusiasm for space exploration among young minds. A warm thank you from the Oxford Area School community goes out to Sam, Hari for making such a positive impact on our students and their learning journey. The memories created during this joint endeavor will be cherished for years to come.

Students from five years old to 18 engaged in various learning opportunities with additional time given to our Year 9/10 Earth 2 Moon Connected class and our Senior Tourism classes focusing on the impact of Dark Sky projects on tourism. And of course least we forget the Year 5-8 Moon Missions today. These learning opportunities provided our students a chance to strengthen their creativity and critical thinking competencies. On Wednesday evening we opened up the Observatory and the planetarium for our community to get involved - with an opportunity to check out the Jewel Box star cluster at 160 million years old and 6,400 light years from Earth.

A highlight for staff was the professional development session focusing on European and Pacific navigators and the techniques used when discovering Aotearoa New Zealand. The film "Ngā Tohunga Whakatere | The Navigators" by Executive Haritina. Just picture 30+ school teachers squeezed into the planetarium!

Noho ora mai | stay well,

Mike Hart
Tumuaki | Principal
Te Kura o Te Poho Rakahua
Oxford Area School