Sharing Soft Toys Online

At Hauraki's Friday class Google Meet we all had to bring a soft toy to the conversation and tell each other what the story behind our soft toy was. This was fun to both see the toys and hear where they came from. Some were gifts when we were born, some we bought ourselves, others belonged to parents and were much older, a few were gifted by family and one was from the winter Olympic Games. Ms Sands's grandson also joined some of the session with his favourite toy that he calls Bunbun. Here are a few screenshots taken from the recorded video.

Hauraki's Lockdown Fun Activities

Term Two begins like nothing in our lifetime! Wednesday the 15th April was our first day of Term 2 and we were meeting online because the whole country is still in Lockdown. Covid-19 is having an impact across the whole world. Seventeen of our class of twenty five managed to log in on our google meet and share some of the things we had been doing over the time away; the holidays! Here are some of the great activities that have been memorable to the students. Many students are enjoying doing activities with their parents and siblings.  Some in our class have parents that have to still go out to work. It was great fun linking into everyone's homes and sharing stories. Our Syndicate have set lots of different activities on our site for students to tap into and complete. 

Two Weeks Passed

Wow Wow Wow! I can't believe it has been nearly two weeks since we were told that schools would close the next day. It was Monday the 23rd March at 1.45pm when Jacinda Ardern addressed the nation. We adults stopped and listened. She told us the country would go to Alert Level 3 for two days and then into Alert Level 4 for a month, because of the Covid-19 virus. That meant school would be closed from Tuesday for at least 4 weeks.

It was a crazy rush to get everyone that was at school that day, organised with what they would need to go home and stay home. Over the next two days our school worked on how we would be in contact with all our students during this time and how we would do our online distance learning. Many parents came in to pick up the equipment needed for students who had been absent on Monday. It was a crazy busy two days for the whole country. I was very proud of New Zealand's response to this crisis that was affecting the whole world. It would be hard but was the right response I felt. Many emails were sent out through Seesaw, Skool Loop, etap, and students. If your family still haven't connected to us let us know. 

Through students blogging over the last two weeks, we have heard many parents bought extra games and activities in those two days for their families, to try to make the lockdown more interesting and fun.  It has been awesome reading about all the activities that students in Te Waka Ako especially, are doing to amuse themselves. So many people are doing exercise, creating art and crafts, making food, playing games with families, making music with families, connecting online with video calling, gardening and clapping for all those people who have to work in essential jobs. And more. 

My bubble has grown by one as Shannon and Catherine's baby was born on the 3rd April. They had a little girl and called her Bellamy Mary. She was born the day before Micah's birthday! So Micah had to have his birthday with just Ms Sands and his Dad, as Mum and baby were still in the hospital. We created lots of different activities for him in the garden and gave hime presents at different times over the day. We feel very lucky Bellamy was born healthy and well. Our days have been filled with the same kinds of things as everyone else, exercise, food, playing, cleaning and contacting our people. Kia atawhai kia kaha

Miss Daly in Lockdown

Hi bloggers
Well it has been over a week in lockdown and it has been a very interesting week. In my bubble I have my daughters Madilein and Kya. Kya had to leave her uni in Tauranga and come home when the lockdown started. She had only moved out at the start of February...but I am very happy to have her back home.

Madi and I have started a 30 day yoga challenge as well as doing mindfulness and yoga with Miss Ikinofo and the rest of the teachers at Waikowhai. We do this every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Zoom.

We have been very productive in our little whare. Kya has still had to sit exams while in lockdown,  so she has been studying very hard. I have been sewing and gardening. We have repotted old pot plants and have got some vegetables growing. Madi has made shampoo bars using a kit I had got her for Christmas. They are really creamy, smell divine and leave our hair so shiny. I am going to break out the 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles next!  It is great to see what we can do when we aren't allowed to go places.  Get creative!

 

I hope everyone is finding interesting things to do at home with your families. Don't forget to make blog posts sharing your lockdown projects. Keep smiling and be kind to each other. Stay safe and stay home! Kia kaha.

Mrs Jones - Life in Lockdown!

Kia ora Te Waka Ako! 

Life in lockdown has been good so far.
In my bubble are my husband Stacey, my children Chellcey, Waiana and William. Also in my bubble are
Kobie, Chellcey’s partner, and my mum Roberta. Then we have our two dogs Jess and Poppy, who are
getting walked at the park A LOT!

We have been keeping busy doing different things. Our house goal is to exercise every day, so we have
been working out together at the park. There are lots of people at the park walking and getting fresh air
too but everyone is being careful, making sure to stay 2 metres apart.
I’ve been getting big chores around the house done, while I have everyone around to help me and they
can’t escape! Ha! Ha!

Every night we have a Kiwi quiz night. We have split into two teams and we have to answer 30 questions
using the cards from the kiwi quiz box. The losing team has to do something for the other team. My team
won the first night so the other team had to do the dinner dishes. But then we lost and so my team had to
cook breakfast for them the next morning. We’re going to try and play some other board games as well.

Have you heard about the Teddy bear in the window? People have been placing teddy bears in windows
at the front of their houses, so children can look for them when they go for walks around their
neighborhoods. I thought that was such a neat idea and I have put some in our front window too. Maybe
your family could put a teddy in your window too?

I look forward to reading on your blogs what you have been up to. What has been the best thing/activity
you have done so far?

Ms Sands in Lockdown

Heya Te Waka Ako Students, I thought I would use our syndicate log to post some of the things I have been doing over the last three days and ask you to comment on some of the things you have been doing. You could also create a new post on your own blogs about some of the activities you have been up to with your family at home.
In my bubble are my son Shannon, his wife Catherine and their son Micah. Catherine is also pregnant and her baby is due to be born in 10 days. We have been walking everyday and I have been running, making sure we are always 2 metres away from anyone else doing the same.


We have played a game called Rummikub, which is a favourite,along with Bananagrams! 
I have played heaps of different games with Micah, who will be two years old in a week, and he has helped us do chores a lot too. He LOVES machines and vehicles so I am creating a drawing for his birthday of heaps of different trucks and cars and emergency vehicles. Today I cleaned all the Waipu dirt off the outside and inside of my car!

We were given bunches of flowers from someone who could no longer sell them, which makes our house look happy and friendly I think.
So... that is some of what I have done. What have you been up to? Who is in your bubble during the next four weeks?

Safety in the Water

Last tuesday at Cameron Pools we all got a great safety lesson in the water. We put life jackets on and practised entering the water safely. This involved jumping in the deep pool from standing on the side as though we were jumping off the side of a boat or wharf.

We then got in small huddles and held each other's arms and kept afloat, we moved together in a chain from one end of the pool to the other.

 

Next we had to practise entering the water from a lifeboat. We had to hold our noses and the front of our jackets and roll off backwards.

 

Then we had to swim under an upturned lifeboat and pop up inside, take a breath and then swim back out. This was so much fun! The lifeguard under the boat said the air got quite stinky after all of us had been breathing under there!