Kia ora Parents and Caregivers

Last year we offered children the opportunity to take part in the Kiwi Competitions. Following the feedback we received, we have decided to return to offering the ICAS assessments.

ICAS is an independent, skills-based assessment program which recognises and rewards student achievement. ICAS is unique, being the most comprehensive generally available suite of academic assessments for primary and secondary school students.

Entries are administered by the school. For further information, please consult the ICAS website - https://www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/icas/about. Each participant will receive a certificate and a detailed report of there performance.

The assessments will be administered on the following dates:

Subject/Paper	Official Sitting Date
Science	29 May 2018
English	31 July 2018
Mathematics	14 August 2018

You can find the link to the entry form here by clicking here

Are we there yet? Another fabulous day down here in the south, though getting home to our families and beds tomorrow will be just as fabulous!

The morning was spent with the children and staff from Carisbrook School. The sports teams headed to an indoor stadium to compete in touch, volleyball and basketball. The children gave of their best, displayed good sportsmanship and it was great to see the children develop skill and confidence during the games. The trophy went to Carisbrook this time.

Meanwhile at Carisbrook School, the children were working and playing together.  The time started with an official welcome to which our gorgeous children replied with real confidence and enthusiasm.  Carisbrook had organised teachers to take groups for Silks (aerial acrobatics), dance lessons, chess, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths challenges). They had a blast! A huge thanks to Carisbrook for their warm welcome and fabulous activities.

After a hearty lunch provided by Carisbrook, we were off to Cadbury World. Many children found their happy place! The chocolate freebees flowed generously and sugar levels soared. Just under half the group then put that sugar to good use by walking to Tunnel Beach, while everyone else had a great time at the Early Settlers Museum. Tunnel beach was wild, windy and wonderful, such a majestic section of the southern coast.

As I write this post, excitement is building as final rehearsals for the camp concert are underway. We are in for an entertaining evening to finish off camp.

We are looking forward to seeing you all when we return tomorrow. Our ETA is 5pm, however we will let you know a more accurate time when we are on the road, after lunch.

Exploring the beautiful railway station.

A hearty Carisbrook welcome.

Lots of new dance moves.

STEM challenges...

Another birthday...

Today we headed out with layers of warm clothing, a cosy jacket and woolly hat. First destination was Baldwin Street. The rain stopped for us to complete the epic climb. Everyone made it to the top, some of us much faster than others. The three jaffas that we rolled downhill, weren't as successful, all becoming casualties of the journey.

Then we headed into the museum and university. We were so impressed with the surveying dept and the learning they put together for us. A number of children were inspired by this potential future career pathway. The Planetarium was an awesome way for the children to learn about our solar system. A number of the adults, caught a few zzs as the stars twinkled down on us. Next it was off to the butterfly rainforest, another magical experience. As was the discovery centre, where we could have spent the whole afternoon.

After a day of learning, we climbed aboard the bus, and headed up to Moana Pool. We had the hydro-slide to ourselves, as well as use of the leisure pool and diving pool. There were many first time experiences and lots of wide smiles, as we embraced challenge!

After a dinner of yummy nachos and a birthday celebration for Maddi, we headed out again on the Hair-raiser Tour and glow worms walk. What a day! All tucked up in bed now, recharging the batteries for another full on day tomorrow.

We all made it to the top of Baldwin St!

Some were faster than others!

There were casualties, but not the human kind.

A surveying lab experience.

That drone was very impressive and mighty expensive!

Learning about our solar system in the Planetarium.

The exhibits in the discovery centre were highly engaging.

Learning about Dunedin's spooky history.

The serious contenders!

Made it!

What a day we have had! The weather, while cold, gave us snippets of sunshine, hail showers and enough fine breaks to make being on the go outside OK. It was perfect albatross weather and we saw lots of them flying. The Monarch cruise was a fabulous way to see the wildlife and provided some thrills along the way. Four chicks were nesting in view of the albatross observatory and we even saw one being fed by its parent! This was a real treat. Then we were off to Larnach Castle to hear its interesting and slightly spooky past, and admire the work of art that this building is. It was cottage pie for dinner, divine (thanks to the cooks), before we jumped back on the buses for night time exploration. The lodge group went off on the hair-raiser tour (and a few hairs were raised!), while the cabins group explored a bush track, lined with glow worms. Just the right amount of scary and magical! It was great to have Megan Harris join us for dinner and be our glow worm guide. We finished the day with a some more of our shared novels before heading off to bed. The troops have settled to sleep very quickly tonight, as you might imagine after such a fun-filled day.