Arbor Day

Last Thursday we had a fabulous morning planting trees on the bank by the field. It was a bit wet, but that did not stop the enthusiasm and vigour with which we went about digging, looking for worms, running to find that special spot for our trees, and getting our hands dirty!!
Here are some pictures of our day.

Matariki Hangi

Continuing with our Matariki celebrations

 Arahoe Primary School will be offering a Hangi on 

Friday 4 th July at 12.oopm 

Hangi Lunch - pre order tickets only

Children $5.00

Adults $10.00

Our menu includes : Halal Lamb and Chicken, Potato, Kumara and Pumpkin along 

with other traditional Maori food.

Our special guests 

Te Whanau o Te Waka Huia will be performing at 1.00pm.

We do require parental help on the day with lifting the hangi, 

carving the meat and serving to our tamariki and whanau.

If you are available please email Cat nurturebeauty@me.com

The order forms did specify that they needed to be in by today but this has been extended until tomorrow, so please parents if you could get your child's order in by tomorrow morning or afternoon that would be fantastic! 

Rainy season

Parents the rainy season is upon us! 

This picture perfectly sums up what happens when it starts raining. The kids get soaked if they don't get inside quickly enough, especially if they're on the field or the top playground. So please if you could include a spare change of warm clothes in a named plastic bag, it can live in the bottom of their bag or in the hook in the classroom.

Thanks so much to the parents who have already done this!

Worm Farm Extraordinaires!

A big thank you to all the parents who have helped create a worm farm at home as part of our Topic plan. So far we have heard back from the Fletcher family who purchased a worm farm for their home and the Fox family who made their own. Caleb was kind enough to bring it into the classroom today and wow doesn't it look amazing!! He used an old coke bottle, sand, soil, and rocks. His dad braved the rain late last night to collect the worms from the family's compost bin.

We were able to create some awesome stories this afternoon using Caleb's worm farm as inspiration.  

Arbour day

Hello parents,

As you will be aware Arahoes Arbour Day – Dig Deep or Donate is happening this THURSDAY at 9am. The event is going to go ahead rain, hail or shine– unless of course some crazy weather warning is issued.  

The event is taking place on the school field and will be approximately 30-45 minutes. All the classes are fortunate enough to be able to plant a native tree into the school field on Thursday morning. The event will go ahead if there is rain so please make sure your child is wearing weather appropriate clothing.

·      gumboots

·      clothes shoes

·      raincoat

·      warm jumper

·      pack spare clothes

 

After the Arbour Day the PSG have organized delicious home baking and hot chocolates to be sold outside room 5 for $2. All the money raised will go towards the re-vamp of the school gardens.

Also parents if your are coming along to dig in a tree could you please BRING A SPADE!!! The school only has a very limited number so the more we have per class the smoother the digging in will go.

Live Performance Coming Soon

Co-Theatre Physical presents 'Junk Food Detectives' live performance

9am on Friday 27^th June in the school hall to an Ara Teina audience.

The ‘Junk Food Detectives’ performance sits in the Health, Science and Drama areas of the curriculum and will explore:

·        The Food Triangle , define protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals.

·        The digestive system.

·        Foods to avoid and foods to eat daily.

Cost of the performance is $4 per child for Loyalty Card Holders and $5 for non-Loyalty members. 

Arahoe school look forward to hosting a live theatre group and participating in the positive messages about how to better manage our health. 

Make your own Worm Farm

Create your own Worm Farm at home!

As part of our Term Studies we are asking parents and whanau to help their child to make a simple worm farm. Below are a few links to websites to help you create your worm farm.

http://www.yates.co.nz/kids-gardening/in-the-garden/build-a-worm-farm 

http://www.planetkids.biz/documents/How_to_Build_Your_Own_Worm_Farm.pdf

http://letkidscreate.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/making-worm-farm.html

http://www.createyourowneden.org.nz/schools_docs/Create%20your%20own%20Eden%20School%20Resource%20-%20Composting%20at%20School%20.pdf

Once you've made your worm farm please send in some photos because we would love to feature it on our blog. We would love to have them completed by mid next week (week 7).

Below is some extra information about worm farms to help you get started.

Worm farming - what is it?Worm farming is the process of using tiger worms in an artificial
ecosystem to convert organic waste into nutrient-rich fertiliser. This
process is also called ‘vermiculture’. Solid castings and a liquid are
produced as worms digest and excrete food and paper waste. These
products known as vermi-cast and vermi-liquid provide beneficial
nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) for the soil,
encouraging plant growth.
Vermi-cast can either be diluted into a liquid fertiliser for plants or be
used in solid form as a compost-like soil conditioner to mix in with soil
in order to enrich it.
Vermi-liquid (also called worm ‘tea’ or worm ‘wee’) is the liquid
produced in a worm farm. It is used as a liquid plant food that is high in
minerals and nutrients.
What can worms eat?Worms can eat organic waste from the kitchen (except the items
listed in the section below), including teabags, ground coffee
beans, eggshells, paper and cardboard that breaks down when
wet, paper lunch bags, serviettes, paper towels, (unwaxed) lunch
paper, hair trimmings, vacuum cleaner dust, and even toe
clippings!
You should aim to include about 20 percent paper and 80 percent
food scraps in your school worm farm (by volume). This provides a
good living environment and food source for the worms. Adding
items such as shredded paper and screwed up paper towels or
lunch paper will ensure the worm farm remains aerated and does
not become too wet.
What should not be put in a worm farm?Do not put garden waste, citrus fruits or peals, spicy foods (such as onion, garlic and peppers),
meat, oils and fats, cooked food, bread, dairy food, or plastic into your worm farm.
Biodegradable bags (such as those made out of cornstarch) may be used to collect food scraps
for the worm farm. If these are added to the worm farm they must be torn or cut up, or they will
not break down and will create a barrier blocking airflow and access to food for the worms.
A poster showing the types of materials than should and should not go in a worm farm can be
found online at www.createyourowneden.org.nz.