This term, fifty students from the Ext(reme) Writing programme spent a couple of hours at Katherine Mansfield House and Garden in Tinakori Rd, Thorndon.

What an opportunity to immerse themselves in the rich history of Thorndon, from the 1820s to the early 1900's! Making discoveries about the changes over that time led them to greater understandings of daily lives in one of New Zealand's oldest suburbs.

Prior to the visit, the group explored how one setting could be used in many different ways to tell many different stories. Alongside this, they were experimenting with using settings to help create a mood or atmosphere for the reader to experience. And now, Katherine Mansfield House itself will become the setting for all the students to use in their next piece of writing. This learning focus has become known as "One Setting to Rule Them All!' Each student's writing can be set in the past, present or future and be in a genre of their choice. We look forward to sharing some of that writing with you in an upcoming Rāroan newsletter.

Meanwhile, please enjoy some photos from our visit. Thanks to the KM House educators and to our parent helpers, Brooke, Namrata, Morgan and Ellen.