Paparore School Film Festival 2025

This month our class have been working hard to complete films for our Te Whare Kuaka Film Festival. We had six film ideas and aimed to get at least four films completed for the film festival.

The films we completed were;

Our School Values – a film for us to learn how to be film makers and actors, and actresses whilst showcasing our school values.

Plastic Revolution – The Young Ocean Explorers save Te Oneroa a Tohe from Trashzilla!

One Shot – The basketball team won’t let Ariana join in but she doesn’t give up and shows them that all she needs is ‘One Shot’.

Pink for the Future – The future is  grey and bullies rule. Mia and Leo travel back to 2025 to find out what kindness looks like to take ‘Pink’ back to the future.

Congratulations to Tanner and Reuben (and the rest of the cast and crew) as Pink to the Future was voted to represent our class at the Manaiakalani Film Festival.

Click on the link to our films

Our ‘Emotions’ film should be completed by the end of Week 8 and our Rahi and the Patupaiarehe film will begin filming in Week 8.

 

 

Year 4 Speech Semi-Finalists

Congratulations to our wonderful Year 4 speech semi-finalists! Each of these Year 4 speakers did a fantastic job, and we are so very proud of all of them. Sir was the judge and he had a very tough decision to make. A big congratulations to Janie, Alexis and Arthur, who will present their speeches one more time on Wednesday (after morning tea) as part of our Senior Speech competition. Best of luck to all of you!

A huge congratulations to Janie for winning the Year 4 Speech Finals with her speech ‘All classes at Paparore School should have a class pet’.

Far North Mobile Library visits Paparore School

Today we had an exciting visit from the Far North Mobile Library van! The van rolled into Paparore School, bringing shelves full of amazing books right to our doorstep. Our tamariki had the special opportunity to hop on board and each choose one book for our classroom.

There was something for everyone – from funny chapter books to colourful picture books, cool non-fiction and exciting adventures. It was awesome to see the smiles and excitement as our students carefully chose a book they thought their classmates would enjoy too.

These new books will help grow our classroom library and support our goal of encouraging reading for pleasure. When tamariki have access to books they love, they’re more likely to build a lifelong love of reading.

Ngā mihi to the Far North District Council and the Mobile Library team for helping bring the joy of reading to our kura!

 Our Class Speeches – So Many Great Ideas!

Over the past few weeks, our class has been full of big ideas, strong opinions, and some awesome speaking! We’ve been learning how to write persuasive speeches – and everyone did such a great job.

First, we looked at how to structure our writing, using paragraphs to organise our ideas. The kids learned how to grab attention with a strong opening, give solid reasons to back up their opinions, and wrap it all up with a convincing ending. Then came the fun part – choosing a topic!

The topics ranged from “Every Class Needs a Class Pet”, “Plastic Should Be Banned”, and “Paparore School Needs a Cycle Track”. The students were passionate and thoughtful – it was clear they cared about what they were talking about.

Once the writing was done, it was time to practise presenting. Everyone stood up and gave it a go – even if they were a bit nervous. We were super proud of the effort, confidence, and support they showed each other.

It’s not easy to speak in front of a crowd, but our tamariki proved they’re up for the challenge. Tau ana!

Click on this link to listen to our class speeches …

 

Mahinga Kai

Our Mahinga Kai Journey Begins!

This week marked the exciting beginning of our Mahinga Kai project – a hands-on, minds-on exploration of growing our own food, learning from nature, and making connections to science and te ao Māori.

We kicked off our mahi by planting on Orongonui. To support our understanding, we began learning about biology – especially what seeds need to grow. This led to a great discussion and our first hypothesis challenge. We asked the big question:
Can a seed grow in just a plastic bag with a damp paper towel, stuck to the window?

Some students predicted the seeds would grow just fine with sunlight and moisture. Others thought they would grow better in soil.

To test our ideas, we’ve got two growing experiments happening:

  • One group placed pea seeds in a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag, taped to the window.
  • Another group placed seeds in soil, also in bags on the window.

Ngā mihi nui to Whaea Darlene for supporting our class to get this planting done.

Now we wait and observe! Which hypothesis will be correct? We’re excited to watch, measure, and learn as our Mahinga Kai journey grows – just like our seeds!

 

Prisha turns 9!

Our lovely Prisha turned 9 on the last day of the school holidays! She kindly invited everyone to her birthday and everyone who went had a fabulous time. Prisha was also kind enough to share a whole bag of treats with the class! There are so many treats that the tamariki will enjoy them for the rest of the term – Ngā mihi nui to Prisha and her lovely whānau for thinking of our class.

National Library Books

We love seeing kids discover the joy of reading — not just for learning, but for fun! That’s why we borrow books from the National Library to bring fresh, exciting stories into our classrooms.

When children read for pleasure, it helps them grow in so many ways. It builds confidence, boosts their language skills, sparks imagination, and even helps them better understand others. Whether it’s a favourite series, a graphic novel, or a non-fiction book about something they love — it all counts!

With the National Library’s support, we can offer a variety of books that inspire children to read just because they enjoy it. And when kids enjoy reading, they’re more likely to become strong, lifelong readers.

We’d love your support — talk about books at home, read together, or simply encourage your child to pick up a story they enjoy. Because reading for pleasure really is a gift that lasts a lifetime.

 

Matariki Festival

Last Friday our school celebrated Matariki alongside Awanui School, Waihārara School, Pukenui School, Ngataki School, Te Hapua School, and Te Kura o Te Kao. It was a wonderful day which reflected each of our Paparore School Values of Porihanga, Rereketanga, Hiranga, Ngakau and Kaitiakitanga! Our whānau came to celebrate with us and it was so fantastic to watch each of the kura stand proud and passionate during their performances. We finished the day with a delicious hāngī. A huge thank-you to Awanui School for hosting this year’s Matariki Festival. We can hardly wait for next year.

Mānawatia a Matariki!

Check out Simeon’s writing:

Last Friday we had a performance at Awanui School. Our school’s performance was second to last. It was so good, there was such a big crowd. My dad and my mum were there. I was in the front with the big boys when we did the haka. I had to be in the middle of my line because I am one of the leaders in the haka. I was proud to let my voice out for my family to hear. I was so proud to be one of the leaders in the front. I was standing up straight and as proud as can be. I love performing the haka and doing a pukana!