By purchasing a range of skipping rope classes were able to start with the basic skills – overhead with the arms and to use the double bounce to keep time.
There has been chatter in the staff room about the improvement in skipping capabilities across the rooms.
The Health and PE team set the date for the jump-off challenge. This added to the intensity. All classes rotated outside and into the hall to get their daily dose of skipping.
A skipping tricks video was forwarded to the classes. This prompted a wide range of skipping skills to be used. Including jumping on a short rope while skipping in the large rope. To achieve this required timing and concentration.
Teachers in the Te Mihi team used the video as a motivator for students to make their own skipping tricks videos. What is evident in these videos is a layer of compilation and stage setting that we have not seen before. Ropes make capturing on video hard if the scene is not planned. One student out of rhythm means the shoot had to be retaken. And then dealing with the bystanders who just walk through the middle of the shot. All good learning experiences for our budding cinematographers.
A poster on the classroom windows and a Facebook reminder saw whanau come into the school to join in at the jump off. Teachers were jumping in and out of ropes and landing in awkward ways on the ground. No ACC claims as yet.
The basic setup of a rotation around four stations in whare taiki groups. No longer than an hour – or so we thought.
A playlist of songs to be sung and red faces at the end. One student told his teacher at the end of the first rotation that he had had enough now. Yet, at the end he was still skipping, smiling and laughing.
The aim to learn to skip was a bi-product of the fun the school had together. There is nothing like hearing group chants and seeing our student leaders step up to support others in their group. Together we raised $400 for the Heart Foundation.
Thank you to the team of teachers who prepared the rotations and skills sheets. A very successful school event.
My River's Journey
Like the rivers that have carved their paths through the landscapes of my life, my educational journey has flowed with purpose and determination, gathering strength and wisdom along the way.
My story begins in Mosgiel, where the gentle Taieri River cradled my earliest moments, nurturing my first tentative steps into the world. Like a tributary joining a larger flow, my family's journey carried us northward to Hamilton, where the mighty Waikato River embraced us in its steady current—this became the first place my heart truly recognised as home.
As the daughter of a New Zealand Railways family, our lives mirrored the rivers themselves—always in motion, always seeking new paths. The sacred Whanganui welcomed us next, its ancient waters whispering stories of generations past as I began to form my own identity. My family journey continued upstream to Taumarunui, where the Whanganui and Ongarue Rivers converge in perfect harmony—much like how my early experiences were merging to shape my understanding of education, community, and the interconnectedness of all things.
We briefly anchored in Napier, where though no dominant river commanded the landscape, the network of smaller waterways reminded me that even subtle influences can nurture growth and transformation. These coastal streams, less visible although no less vital, taught me that leadership sometimes flows quietly beneath the surface, supporting life in ways unseen but deeply felt.
The current then guided me to Palmerston North, where I trained to become a teacher. It was here, along the banks of the Manawatu, that I met Andrew, who would become my husband and fellow traveler on life's journey.
In Rotorua, the river of my life expanded into a lake, mirroring the growth of my family as children joined our voyage. The unique thermal waters of the region seemed to infuse me with a special energy and perspective that would influence my approach to nurturing young minds.
The return home to the mighty Waikato River called next, drawing me to Cambridge where I first emerged as a Team Leader. Just as the river carves its determined path through the land, I began to shape my leadership style, guiding others with the same natural confidence.
My journey continued over the ranges to Tauranga, where like a river meeting the ocean, my leadership horizons expanded dramatically. It was here I truly discovered my calling as an educational leader, flowing naturally into the role of Deputy Principal, navigating both challenges and opportunities with equal grace.
Now, my journey has brought me to the southern reaches of the magnificent Waikato River, beside Lake Taupō—the largest lake in Oceania. As Principal of Wairakei Primary School, I draw energy from the geothermal currents that define this special place.
Rivers couldn't be more fitting—just as this remarkable landscape harnesses natural power from deep within, I channel my wealth of experience and passion to fuel success in a school community.
You know, I've always felt connected to the waters that have shaped our beautiful country. Each place has taught me something different about leadership, about community, about what it means to guide young people toward their potential. And here at Wairakei, I feel like all those streams of experience have come together in the most wonderful way.
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