Page 18 - Southwell School Year Book 2020
P. 18

 YEAR 5 SYNDICATE
   CAMP ROTORUA
The Year 5 syndicate was pumped as we got ready to leave school for a week in Rotorua. This year was extra exciting because we were going to spend four whole nights away together on camp.
On the way to camp we did the Blue Springs walk in Putaruru. It was long and hot, but the springs at the end were worth the exhausting walk because they were breathtakingly blue and clear.
The Museum on Tuesday was great fun. We learnt about early Maori games and how the children entertained themselves without the technology we have nowadays.
Wednesday was the highlight of camp for most. We had an action-packed day full of biking in the Redwood Forest, orienteering and another long walk up to a Trig station. The biking was awesome. There were a few scratches and bruises from the falls but everyone came out of the forest smiling.
Our syndicate production was based on Maui and the Sun. Fortunately we had Jeremy Hentler come and show us some traditional Maori instruments and teach us some waiata. Due to Covid-19 we were unable to perform the show.
On the last day we were pretty exhausted and keen to get home. Stopping off at the Blue Baths on the way was great to cool off and end our week on camp on a high.
Petal Carver (5PM)
     SPORT
Some sporting highlights this year for the Year 5s have been Swimming Sports and Athletics Day.
Swimming Sports was a great day. We were at St Paul's and the opulent sun was shining. It can be quite challenging for some students as it is the rst time we race in a full length pool. It was so cool to see everyone giving it their best and racing even if they weren’t condent. It was all about the House Points! The relays were a highlight of the day. It was high energy and the crowd was going wild.
Athletics Day was our last major sporting event for this peculiar year. It was fantastic because it is a day full of fun, friends and family. We dressed up in our house colours, we yelled out chants trying to uster the other houses and we all competed to the best of our abilities. It was fascinating watching the nalists and seeing the winners come out on top.
Considering we had a quirky year, we still had some great sporting events and we didn’t miss out on too much.
Lily Sandy (5AR)
  2020
This year we experienced something very unique. We went into a nationwide lockdown for four weeks. It was kind of fun but also very confusing.
I found having to do all our work on our computers VERY unusual. Plus, we had to be on time for all the meets as well as some extra ones, like music / instruments. I had overlapping lessons and THAT was frustrating. We also didn't have a teacher telling us which lesson to go to, they just sent us emails.
Managing my time was tricky, but after the rst week I seemed to get into the swing of things. One of the best things was not having to get up at 6:00 in the morning and get into my school uniform. I just got into some normal clothes and worked in my bed until my rst class, so that was a massive bonus.
Having the freedom to eat and drink pretty much whenever I wanted was great!
Being on hangouts was so good. I got to see my friends every day and catch up with them. It was quite different to being at school, but we talked and talked although the stories got shorter and shorter as the excitement of being in Lockdown wore off.
I really appreciated being able to spend time with my family. We did some awesome things together, like make jam and go bike riding. There were a lot of pros and cons of Lockdown and my overall feeling is that it was an exciting, but hopefully a one-off, experience.
Henry Rushbrooke (5AR)
    Founder's
s Day Relay
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