Motupipi School’s hands-on learning
Above: Erin Riley and Ayala Riley.
At Motupipi, the school day finishes with ear-piercing squeals as the two black school piglets have tiny harnesses fitted so they can be taken for a walk.
The new secretary Kirsten Nalder has her hands full, as she not only looks after the school’s affairs but is currently the main caregiver for the orphaned piglets.
The school has taken over the care for the piglets while they need bottle-feeding, grabbing the “teachable moment” to learn about applied animal care.
“There is lots happening this term and it’s going well,” summarised principal Mark Cullen while walking away from the screeching noise. “We have started with big numbers this year with 90 children on the roll. We had a large intake from people who have moved here from around the country and had an influx of new entrants. While it means a healthy school we will also have bigger classes.”
Lots of the activities so far have focused on making the most of the last warm days, and the older students have just returned from the legendary school camp at Bridge Valley.
Other events and achievements included the Tinbum Triathlon—entered by 48 children, 32 of whom were Motupipi students—swimming sports, and Year 3 and 4 students having their winning entries published in Newspaper in Education.
“The Tinbum was an excellent day and we were well supported by our local sponsors. The bike track we had built last year had some good use, and the kids are really keen on bike practice and practised most days for the Tinbum. We also had a golf development officer at the school and a soccer development officer who worked with each class. Our students had fabulous results at swimming sports and the increased use of the pool over the long, hot summer has really paid off. Overall swimming skills have greatly improved,” said Mr Cullen.
“We make the most of the opportunities that come up; we climb right into it. Today we had an apple tree cut down and so we got the children involved in making apple pies and apple crumble.”
The school has also signed up to become an Enviro School and is working towards the bronze award. The goal is to look at the school’s own sustainability and to find ways to cut down on rubbish and energy consumption. Ecohuts from willows are planned for the back field and the school garden continues to grow with heaps of input from the students under Sol Morgan’s guidance.
In the meantime, the students are awaiting the results back from the Seaweek poetry competition, and the whole school is gearing up for a rocky seashore study at Patons Rock.
The school’s hands-on learning approach and staff were acknowledged in its latest Education Review Office report, which praised the school’s leadership for fostering a culture of “inclusiveness and community” and being dedicated to the improvement of student well-being.
“The culture of the school is friendly and fosters a healthy community spirit,” stated the report. “Teachers use authentic contexts for learning and utilise the school environment and locality to add value to programmes.”
Ina Holst
