The Waves Pushed Me by Grace

We went to the beach. We jumped over the waves. The waves tasted like salt. It felt like it was pushing me.
Grace R

I Went Kayaking by Isabel

I went to the hot pools. The water was warm like a bath. It was fun. We had a barbecue there. The food was yummy. When we went home it was dark.
Isabel

We Built Sandcastles by Ashley

We had to have a competition to see who was the best sandcastle maker and who had the prettiest castle. Everybody’s castle looked great.
Ashley

We Went To The Chocolate Factory by Tiana

We went to the chocolate factory. It was really nice. We saw them making white and brown  chocolates. The lady gave us all a chocolate and it tasted yum. I liked going there.
Tiana

I Tried An Oyster by Micah

I tried an oyster at the oyster farm. The oyster was really really salty and squishy. I learnt that mud can be a sun cream. We had yummy fish and chips afterwards.
Micah

The Hydroslides Were Fun By Logan

I had fun going down the hydro slide. It was cold jumping into the pool. It was so silly when Lochy went down the slide head first. I had a lot of fun.
Logan

There’s nothing better than a beach trip, and when that beach trip is made by the New Zealand’s most geographically distant school from the sea, well you’ve got to make a good go of it!
Pukeokahu School set off on a sunny Sunday morning, to the beautiful Bay of Plenty, with warnings from the locals to ‘watch that weather, it’s going to rain’.  Well, I do believe that Whakatane turned out to be the best place in the country that week since not a drop fell from the sky.
While the swell was unusually high on one day of our five day camp, it didn’t stop our tough country kids.  As locals wrapped in their woolies watched in disbelieve, the Pukeokahu Kids charged through the surf and battled the waves.  From boat fishing to crab hunting, from fish filleting to oyster gulping, from shell hunting to giant hole digging, our kids did it all.
Sustained by excellent baking, and the Principal’s sneaky chocolate stash we all trouped around the amazing Kohi Point walk.  From up on high we surveyed the lay of the land, the view extending from the distant haze of Motiti Island, to the looming presence of Moutohora (Whale Island), and the ever puffing volcano of Whakaari (White Island).
Shell collecting reined supreme for the junior girls, though I wonder if any smelly treasures have turned up under car seats over the last few weeks.  Amongst the boys, catching and filleting a Kahawai was a definite highlight, with a few brave souls treated to their first taste of fresh raw fish on the back of a boat.
Finally, the digital light show and epic sorry of the Mataatua Marae, ‘The House That Came Home’, was an extraordinary experience which enthralled even the smallest Pukeokahu Kid.
A huge thank you must be given to the hard working adult helpers, who with their good humour and flexibility made this camp possible and a great success.  And finally a big thanks to the Pukeokahu Kids, who’s impeccable behaviour and manners, made this old Principal so very proud.

The Magic Apple by Andrew Law

There was a young teacher, I’ll call Harriet Potter
When she got an idea in her head nothing would stop her.
She had done all her research, she knew all her business
Harriet had a great big ginormous wish list
We need new computers, these old ones are stuffed
I done my very best but enough is enough
What sort do you want, asked the Board of Trustees
After all the moaning had brought them to their knees
Compaq, Asus, HP, Acer or Dell?
Harriet frowned, looked down and said, They all smell!
I need something special, magical classy
Something with style and cojones a brassy
A machine reliable and super dooper good
Saving money’s not an option, is that understood?
The one that I want is the magical Apple
It’s the one this school needs to snaffle
So the Board counted it’s pennies and doled out the cash
For the magical Apple to make a big splash
Harriet was pleased, she chuckled with glee
Now all I need is another three!
What! cried the Board.  This is not cricket
We seem to be playing on a sloping wicket
I need them, I need them, I need them, cried Mrs Potter
And once again, nothing would stop her.
More Apples were purchased, they are very good
Incredibly reliable the Board understood
Then came the sad day when the magic was gone
An Apple broke down.  What’s going on?
Did the Apple have a worm or coddlin moth
Harriet didn’t know, it had to be sent off
To the Apple workshop to have the magic restored
Meanwhile of course the kids were all bored
Cause school’s no fun without magic Apples to educate and amaze
Wistfully and sadly the Chairman looked back through the haze
To a time when all a school needed were paints, pencils, and paper you see
And Boards could afford to send Chairmen on trips to Fiji.

Also a special congratulations to Ashley and Grace who shared First Over All Place for Five Year Old Girls.  As well as our birthday boy of the day, Logan, who came Second Over All for Six Year Old Boys.

You can also read about what the juniors thought about the day here: Ashley, Grace, Isabel, Logan, Tiana, Micah

Next they took their own photos to go with their stories then, Mrs Gilbert helped them put it all together as a movie in iMovie.  You can see their finished product below.  Well done, Pukeokahu Juniors.  You have done a fantastic job writing such interesting stories!

Check out our cool photos from our trip to Te Manawa.  I got some really good ideas for our school from our time in the 1906 classroom, what do you think?  Should I bring back the strap?  Lochy had a trial run, and he didn’t seem to cry too much?

Hatupatu and the Bird Woman by Wheelie Whizzers Productions (Tristin, Millie and Jonny)