Te Awa's Enviro Journey Term 1 2021

Oturu School Classroom Names

We have been learning about the meaning behind our classroom names. 

Te Roto, Te Puna, Te Awa, Te Moana.

We created some visual art to represent our classrooms.

Te Roto represents the Lake. It is situated next to Papatuanuku and Te Wharenui o Oturu. It was given its name because it is close to our centre. At this point in time it is our new entrant class. 

Te Puna represents the spring. Te Puna is where the fresh water begins its journey, preparing itself to travel to Te Awa, the river and out to Te Moana, the sea.  Te Puna is likened to the journey our junior tamariki take when beginning their learning journey at Oturu school. 

Te Awa represents the river. Te Awa is the middle point of the water cycle. The place which connects Te Puna to Te Moana. It is the home of our middle school tamariki. 

Te Moana is the name given to our senior class. It is the final journey of the water cycle. And the final journey at Oturu school for our Senior Students. Just like the sea it is a big place with a diverse culture. We begin a new journey and learn more about ourselves, the wider community and the world. 

Funday Mondays Are Back!

Each Monday morning (9-10.45am) we focus on replenishing our students hauora in a fun and engaging way. Each week is slightly different but we will always try to work on all four dimensions in Whare Tapa Wha. We want to make our students feel comfortable and safe in our classroom and to give them a little bit of time to get back into the routine and kaupapa of our classroom. 

We will always complete some type of physical movement such as fitness, games, activities and structured free play outside with P.E gear. We also eat a nutritious filling meal together. So far we have had butter chicken, and nacho's. 

Since starting our Funday Mondays we have noticed that we have more students attend school on a Monday. Our students are more determined to come to school as they don't want to miss out on any of the activities or games for the morning. We have also noticed that our children’s relationships with one another have strengthened. All of the activities that we do are to allow our students to create better relationships with others in the class. We encourage them to move around often so that they can interact with a variety students.