Eco Warriors Unboxing Our Eye On Nature Treats

 Today, our Eco Warriors excitedly unboxed the treats from Eye On Nature. There's so many cool things to help us take action to help our local environment!

We can't wait to make beeswax wraps, put out tracker tunnels, make cardboard bikes, plant carrots and much more!  Thanks so much to the Manukau Beautification Trust and all the groups involved! 

Room 21 Investigate Waka Waste

 Today Room 21 met with Ms Daniel to investigate waste at Waka.  We learnt about the difference between circular economies, where waste isn't really waste as it always turns into something else and linear economies, that end up in an earth filled with trash.

For example, in a circular economy we grow apples that are harvested and their cores are turned into compost that is then put on the apple trees to grow more. Nothing runs out and nothing is junked up. It is sustainable - keeps on going round and round.

For example in a linear economy we grow apples and turn them into apple sauce that we package into plastic pouches.  The plastic pouches can't be recycled and end up in a landfill.  The nutrients from the food scraps are wasted and the earth and oceans are quickly junked up with plastic that doesn't break down. It's a one way street.

We collected litter to see if the waste at Waka is a problem.  There was much less litter than last year, but sadly there was still plastic packets from lunchboxes.  

In Room 21 there was 12/31 litterfree lunches.  Well done to those families making the extra effort!

We decided a litterefree lunchbox competition next term would be great.  We also decided to make emotive posters to share around the school and online.

Year 4 dive deep into looking at our Healthy Moana

 Today Year 4 continued their inquiry into our local moana.  We were concerned with how humans are acting to preserve the precious seas.

Did you know that New Zealand has the 5th largest ocean space on the planet!

We learnt about marine reserves where humans can visit and enjoy the moana, but there is absolutely no taking of anything natural and no feeding of wildlife. Long Bay is our closest reserve.  Have you visited?

We did a bus stop activity in groups. What do we already know? What is the purpose of a marine reserve? What can't you do at a marine reserve?

We saw videos that showed the amazing difference between the seas in reserves and inside our unprotected harbours.

Our last action was to create a chart in our books showing what can and cannot occur in marine reserves.

Year 6 Introduction to our local Esturary

 Year 6 launched into their new inquiry looking deeply into our local estuary.  We began by defining what an estuary is and locating the Tamaki Estuary.  We read information and recorded what we had found alongside our own experiences. You can see our mahi here

We're looking forward to devising questions to guide our action learning, talking to experts and creating actions to help our local waterway.

Our estuary is a beautiful place to spend time.

Our estuary is a beautiful place to spend time.

Ms Daniel walks her dog along the estuary every morning.

Year 5 Get Active with Travelwise

Our Year 5 tamariki started our Ready Steady Go programme today.

Firstly, we brainstormed different ways to come to school actively:

scooter, jogging, walking, skipping, park and stride, wheelchair, ferry, train, tram, biking, kayak, bus, carpool. That is just to name a few.

We are going to be learning about what active travel is, how it is good for our bodies, minds and the environment and lastly how we can encourage safe active travel.

After we downloaded the digital student handbook we took a quick quiz to establish our prior knowledge.

Next it was time to complete a cool giant jigsaw puzzle.  We made it a competition:

Room 16 & 17 Girls - 8:15

Room 16 & 17 Boys - 7:58

Room 14 & 15 Boys - 10:43

Room 14 & 15 - 5:45

🌟Winners Room 14 & 15 Girls 🌟

Lastly, we annotated the puzzle with ways active travel is good for our body and the environment. 

While one group was busy with the puzzle, 

Ms Everitt took the other group out to collect litter waste from our green spaces. 

What wonderful Kaitiaki we are!

That's 4 bucket loads not going out to the ocean! 

Next week is WOW WEEK (Walk and wheel). We'll be learning how to get to school sustainably and safely. If you walk or wheel to school next week, you can enter the prize draw.  GOOD LUCK! 

2026 Eye on Nature

Ever year the Eye On Nature day lights up our Eco Warrior's imaginations and deepens their aroha for the environment. 

They're introduced to experts that can help them lead actions for their community and who open their eyes to a whole world of new opportunities.

 Thank you so much to the Manukau Beautfication Trust, the volunteers, sponsors and all their partners. 

This year we met with Auckland War Memorial Museum, Tread Lightly, Bee Things and Auckland Parks. 

Check out all the photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/bPqqi4AKn5BVUaS2A 

Year Five Welcome back for 2026 Eco Action

 

Room 14 shared our Karakia in sign language AMAZING! 

What are the places and practices that make us a GreenGold Enviroschool?

"Bushwalk" Roxanne

Azariah "We grow plants and fruits"

Muller "We have bees"

Nova "We have chickens"

Shae "We have a worm farms"

Rachel "We have lots of trees"

Jamila "We encourage litterfree lunches"

Jacques "We pick up litter"

"Senses garden" Jasper

"A lizard lounge" Cody

We went on a scavenger Hunt to find all the ways we are a greengold enviro school.

We looked at the Guiding Principles of Enviroschools that guide our teaching.

These are: 

Sustainable Communities

Empowered Learners

Te Ao Maori

Respect for Diversity

Learning for Sustainability

To embed our learning, we did a Kahoot!