Youth Week Mural - 2024

In Term 2 connecteen Rangatahi/T-RAP group (Thames Rangatahi Advisory Panel) invited schools to create a mural which represents their school and Kotahitanga to be displayed at Thames High School. Our students collaborated to design and paint a mural that demonstrates our unique location between the mountains and sea at the mouth of the Tapu River and the different people which have come together to make our school an amazing place to learn.  A special thank you to Kobi for helping the students to get the painting done before the deadline.

Conservation Day
In Term 3 we attended the Conservation Day at the DOC station in the Kauaeranga Valley as part of Conservation Week to learn more about how we can be kaitiaki o te ngahere. We learned how to investigate the natural world using a scientific approach. We learned that taking a baseline reading before doing any experiment or conservation intervention is essential, as we can then compare the before to the after. We also learned how to collect native fish and insects to study them, and how to treat them. We also learned a lot about Kauri and how to protect them. We learned about pests, their impact on our native species, and how to neutralise their threat to our unique environment.

Kaitiaki o te Ngāhere
We have been learning about the forest and horticulture. This has involved learning about Māori and Pākehā use of te ngāhere, including conservation which came about when Māori and Pākehā realised the consequences of their unbridled exploitation of the natural resources. It also involved learning about the needs of plants and how to grow them. As part of this our students and whānau have planted a vegetable garden, an orchard (with support from the TCDC), extended our native forest (with support from Paper4Trees) and have started growing native seedlings to plant around the school.  A special thank you to Kathryn Reed for letting us know about the TCDC initiative and to Sandra Rau for her mahi preparing the garden for planting at Matariki and for liaising with the TCDC to supply us trees and plants.

Kiwi Care

We were very fortunate to have Carol Nanning from Thames Coast Kiwi Care (TCKC) visit our kura to teach our students about kiwi and conservation. We learned about the population of kiwi in Tapu/Te Mata, how to listen for them and how to protect them. The students then used water colour paints to create art inspired from the taxidermy kiwi.

Music - Percussion

We were fortunate to have Jaqui Barrett, local author and musician, to teach our students about percussion. She provided a wide range of percussion instruments from around the world and discussed their history and use. Students  were taught how to use these instruments and then created their own compositions. 

Tapu School Fishing Competition

We held a fishing competition to help raise funds for the school. We had a lot of community support, including the donation of fishing rods for our students to use for the competition. Thank you to Tararu Store and Bait Station for the fishing rods and donation of prizes for the event and to the Royal Oak Hotel for hosting the event.

Geology Field Trips

We have been learning about geology, including the history of gold mining in Tapu and the wider Thames area. We visited the School of Mines, The Thames Museum and the Thames Goldmine Experience to get hands on experience with the history of or region. Students and whānau got to explore a gold mine, see gold stampers in action and pan for gold. The students found a lot of garnets and one parent found a flake of gold!

Paper 4 Trees 2025

With support from Paper 4 Trees we planted a range of native plants to add species diversity to our little native forest (ngahere) at Tapu School.

Music - Harp

We were very fortunate to have Anna Dunwoodie come to our kura to teach us about the harp. Anna explained the history of the harp and then taught the students how to play them. Our students had a great time and learned a lot!

Matariki

Each year we celebrate Matariki as part of learning about Te ao Māori . We learn about astronomy, agriculture/ mahi māra, atua, and the meaning of Matariki for Māori in the past and New Zealanders in the present. Our celebration also involves traditional arts and craft, lighting a fire and having a feast.

Kauri Protection Education Experience

We were very fortunate to have Rachael Cheeseman from EnviroSchools/Waikato Regional Council visit to share the Kauri Protection Education Experience. Our students learned a lot about kauri, including ecology, phsyiology and how to protect them. It included a VR experience and a really cool model of a kauri tree and its root network.

Driving Creek

As part of our learning about New Zealand, Aotearoa and New Zealanders, we visited Driving Creek to learn about Barry Brickell's life and work. The students learned about his early life, his passions and why he built Driving Creek railways and pottery. They came away inspired to follow their passions and with the knowledge if they strive to do something, anything is possible.

ANZAC Day 2026

Each year we learn about ANZAC Day at Tapu School. This year we learned about the different medals that participants were awarded for their bravery and sacrifice. We also went to the Tapu & District War Memorial Hall to create wreaths for the Dawn Service with Kathryn Reed.

Swimming Sports

Each year we take part in swimming sports at Puriri School. This year we were fortunate to have one of our swimmers make it into the Thames Valley interschool competition. A big thank you to Lydia and Puriri School for inviting us to take part in the trials at their school.

Embankment Planting with Thames High School and Enviroschools

This year we worked with Enviroschools, THS and Pare Hauraki to plan, prepare and plant a wide range of native plants along the embankment which protects the school from flooding. We selected species which were resistant to the coastal environment and which would not grow so tall that they block the afternoon sun on our orchard. Our students learned a lot from this experience and had a great time working and playing with the lovely THS students who came to help. A big thank you to the THS staff and volunteers, Jamie from Pare Hauraki and Rachael from Enviroschools for their assistance in making this happen!

Mountains to Sea - Whitebait Experience

In Term 3 we learned about the the Animal Kingdom, including evolution, physiology, behaviour and ecological roles. This involved a study of the Tapu Creek alongside a scientist, Shona Whittaker. We investigated the water quality and the presence of different vertebrate and invertebrate species. Our students had a great time learning about their awa and getting hands on experience. We found out that our awa is very healthy and contains a lot of highly sensitive species of vertebrates and invertebrates.

Music - Violin

We were fortunate to have professional violinists (Andrew and Denis Kasza) visit to share their passion for the violin as well as music theory and how to play the violin. The students enjoyed the opportunity to experience a performance of a wide range of music and practice using the violin.

Art Week
Some of the amazing work produced during Art Week.  From Miniatures to Maxi sized paintings, sewing bags and using other materials to create art works,  a great result.