Term 2 has been a feast for all of Motuhake’s learners with the banquet piled high with new maths strategies and writing tools as well as the overall fun-filled atmosphere.

During the start of this term we started our team pakiki ( inquiry) and based it around the migrations to Aotearoa. I, for one, became completely engrossed in the learning and was delighted to branch out and interview my family for the second part. Mostly we asked questions about when they came to New Zealand and how the world worked back then but some of us started to show an interest in particular historic events our family member was in and made our presentations revolve around them. These presentations included dioramas, paintings, stories and even family trees. We hope to be finished in due time so that they may be shared with our families.

I thoroughly enjoyed the problem solving maths we did near the end of the term as it revolved around collaboration and the ability to work with a wide range of people. While in these sessions we would be put into groups and given a few slips of paper. Upon them were our questions that we worked over throughout the session. Of course the teachers wouldn’t just leave so they lended a helping hand if you were stuck and encouraged you to persist even when you were starting to think the computer had made a mistake (quite often) and you had moved onto the next one. I have to admit although I did often struggle with the problems I still deeply enjoyed that maths topic.

Happening around about the middle of the term was the annual Tough Guy & Girl event held in Wainuiomata. The Motuhake team was pretty much halved on that day, so as you can imagine the buses were incredibly crowded. The day was slightly wet but that just added to the fun. After emerging from the forest we were all drenched head to toe in sludge and leaves. That was probably my favourite part.

Another big event we had during this term was Pink Shirt Day, a day devoted to anti-bullying.

We celebrated this by wearing pink, drinking pink and finding pink. The rainbow group got together and made delicious pink lemonade (drinking pink) as well as organising an incredibly entertaining scavenger hunt (finding ink.) Other fun days this term include Pride Week, Tawa exchange and much more. During these times we helped ourselves to the masses of fun activities on offer ranging from contributing to a sports team during the exchange to creating the winning window decoration during pride week. Room 14 aced that one which gave them privileges such as an ice-block lunch.

As you can see term 2 has been as fun-filled as I promised and we are all looking forward to another brilliant term just like this one.

by Ashleigh Mc 

In the first week of term, the students who participated in Te Rangatahi had an overnighter at school. The Te Rangatahi students had a fun night, with shared food, meeting new people, as well as having a ‘good night’ with their mates. Hope they had a comfy sleep!

On the nineteenth of may, the school celebrated Pink Shirt Day, supporting the Pride Community with a sea of pink, a disco, and a march around the ring road. The sea of pink that flooded the halls symbolised our love, support, pride, inclusivity, and empathy.

The tournament of mind, body and spirit: Athletics day. The students displayed a substantial amount of loyalty and courage during this gauntlet of competition.

The houses, Raki, Rawhiti, Uru and Tonga — we fought for real, thriving and growing to be and stay in the lead, thriving and growing to win the house shield; to be a champion.

Our Raroa football teams brought back two trophies for us; they brought back pride and victory. Their outstanding sportsmanship, skill and team effort won the hearts and memory of other teams, as well as the other spectators. Good game and well done!

The teams across the schools have been exploring the histories of Aotearoa New Zealand for Pakiki (Inquiry). The teams went on trips to Te Papa to observe and investigate several exhibitions. We did a Mana Whenua activity trail to discover about the culture of Maori people and the different types of waka they came in. We now need to dive deeper into our own culture, our own Whanau history to discover how they came to Aotearoa.

The students of Raroa wish you luck in the years to come; never forget to Aspire! 

by Lyndey J 

Term 2 has been a whizz of excitement, laughter and learning. This term we have been focusing on collaboration and inquiring about our personal family's history. Throughout the duration of term 2’s Pakiki (inquiry), we have been questioning our past and educating ourselves on New Zealand’s history. Personally, I really enjoyed diving deeper into the history of my family and their voyage to Aotearoa over the years. A highlight of mine from this particular project has been creating a visual representation, showing all of the tiny details of our family’s past. I chose a diorama, where I’ve selected all of the unique things that make my family special and confined it all into a box. Others have chosen posters, skits and even puppet shows to appreciate their family.

Our goals for maths this term have really revolved around collaboration, and mixing our own skills with others to get the absolute best out of every project, so we can celebrate not only ours, but others' learning as well. We intertwined different skill levels and classes to create 2 groups for maths. Our group's objective was pin-pointing each individual child's spot where they need growth and improvement, and assisting each other to prove stronger in every area. Lately we’ve been reading and analysing graphs to find accurate results about popular opinions.

Quite a few kids in my team especially, were out of class for a day, to travel all the way to Wainuiomata to participate in the annual event….. Tough Guy and Gal! All the kids had a blast, covered from head to toe in sludge and mud. Raroa represented the school

amazingly well, while having tremendous fun at the same time. Funnily enough, my highlight, and I'm sure a bunch of other kids, was waiting in line to get the famous hot donuts. Of course I loved having a load of fun, racing around the course with all my friends, but the obvious favourite was the food on offer for the participants after.

Overall, term 2 has offered me and a load of others, fun opportunities, leadership chances and ways to grow your learning. Throughout all of the friendly competition and collaboration, fun moments and learning growth, Term 2 has been amazing, and after a well deserved 2 weeks of holidays for all of the children, we can’t wait for term 3.

by Macy S