Camp Wakarara

Camp Wakarara
On Friday I went on a leadership retreat with some of the student leaders (who are elected in position of prefects or counselors) and a few teachers from the school. We went out into the hills of Hawke’s Bay to a camp called Camp Wakarara. Here, the students had seminars on what it meant to be a good leader and focused on what leadership skills were needed and what skills they had. They also focused on taking ownership of the school and what they could do to improve the school. Students cooked their own meals on barbecue hotplates after gathering their own wood to cook with. I cooked the meal for the staff. We had sausages, hashbrowns, coleslaw, and eggs on toast. Then the night ended with a game of spotlight (similar to flashlight tag). The next morning we were all up at 6:45 am to run the obstacle course. Camp was a nice balance of games and seminars on being better leaders. After afternoon tea (lunch), students had to run the obstacle course again, but this time, in teams of 3, and with an egg in a spoon. The winning team took on three of the teachers. I competed on the teacher’s team and am pleased to say that the teachers won. : ) Camp Wakarara was a wonderful time to bond with the students and staff. It was beautiful, similar to some of the scenes in Lord of the Rings. I hope to post pictures soon, so you can see where I have been. Have a great week Summit Stars!

My First Week at Heretaunga Intermediate School

Kia Ora! (Translated means: hello and hope you have good health)
New Zealand is beautiful! After my long journey from the United States to New Zealand, I am happy to say that it only took me a couple of days to adjust to the time difference here. After I arrived at the airport in Napier, one of the deputy principals picked me up and took me straight to the school. Everyday there is morning tea, when the students have a recess and most of the teachers gather for coffee, tea, and biscuits (similar to cookies). For my first morning tea with the school staff, the teachers brought in foods that are special to Kiwis (people from New Zealand). Some of the treats that they had made for me were Pavlov topped with kiwi fruit, lollycake (delicious), lamingtons, sweet potato chips (fries) and a variety of locally grown fruits. The staff also set out several different books about New Zealand customs and foods for me to flip through. After tea, I met my class. There are 33 students in my new class. All of the students at Heretaunga dress in uniform when at school.
My first week was spent observing and getting to know the students. When students come to class, they must take off their shoes and store them on a shoe rack. All students do this in respect of the Maori culture and beliefs. Many students are barefoot when they play sports during recess and PE. The students always eat lunch outdoors here. If it is raining then they sit under the overhang of the classroom roof. Students must bring their own lunch, since the schools do not have cafeterias or cafeteria workers. Students have reading, maths (which is what they call math here), spelling (they use spelling city), music, art, hard materials (like woodshop), food tech (home ec.), writing, P.E. and digital projects (which include social studies, science, and language arts). Classrooms here have themes. My classroom’s theme is digital classroom, where most of their work is done through computers.
I am staying with a very nice family that live about 2 miles from the school, where I am teaching. I walk to and from school every day. The weather has been beautiful here. It has been sunny and warm with an average of 26 degrees Celsius. Yesterday I walked downtown and explored Hastings a little bit. Most of the architecture is in art deco style, as the town was leveled by a serious earthquake in 1931.
People here are very friendly and willing to talk about their country. One family even offered to take me out for some hokey pokey ice cream. Hokey pokey ice cream is vanilla ice cream with honey, caramel, and bits of honey comb all mixed together. It is really delicious. It’s my new favorite ice cream.

Packing and Preparing for my Kiwi Adventure!

Hi Everyone!

It's nearly time for me to start my kiwi adventure! I depart on March 13th and will be arriving in Hastings, New Zealand on March 15th. My new home, for the next couple of months, will be on the north island of New Zealand in the city of Hastings. I can hardly wait to meet my new students and coworkers. I'm not sure what kind of internet access I will have once I get there, but I will try to add posts regularly.

To the sixth grade Summit Stars: I'm looking forward to delivering your letters and hope that you will enjoy writing to your new kiwi penpals. Please send any questions that you have about life in New Zealand. Have a great semester! I'll be in touch.

Cheers,
Mrs. Marks