8 year old breaks Kilimanjaro record

August 2, 2017

An 8 year old named Roxy Getter has become the youngest girl to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro.

Roxy and her family, including her 10-year-old brother Ben, USA, tackled the 19,341-foot mountain earlier this month during a family vacation to Tanzania.

They had originally intended to sign up for a safari when a friend suggested they look into hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro.

The family has also never done an overnight camping trip before, and ended up spending nearly a week on the mountain.

Roxy spoke in a video on the day she completed the hike. “I made it up and that was hard. I was so tired. I could barely even walk,” she said. The same video shows their first day, where her mom Sarah comments that the tent was “a bit chilly.” The temperature was only seven degrees at the top.

MOUNT KILIMANJARO FACTS
Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano in Tanzania.

It is the highest mountain in Africa, and rises approximately 4,900 metres (16,100 ft) from its base to 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level.

The first persons known to have reached the summit of the mountain were Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller in 1889.

The mountain is part of the Kilimanjaro National Park and is a major climbing destination.

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week 2 term 2 Antartica ice berg breaks free

Trillion tonne ice berg breaks free

July 25, 2017

A giant iceberg has broken away from Antartica after the enormous crack that scientists have been closely watching finally gave way.

The giant block is estimated to cover an area of roughly 6000 sq km, which is roughly three times the size of Stewart Island!

The crack was near to an important scientific research station, which was based at the Brunt Ice Shelf. The research station has had to move to a new location.

Now, the block of ice has broken away from the icy continent, forming one of the biggest icebergs that has ever been recorded, weighing a whopping TRILLION tonnes!
It is believed the iceberg finally broke away at some point between Monday and Wednesday.
It has not caught people by surprise though. Scientists have been monitoring the crack for more than 10 years and expected that this would happen at some point.

It will be important to see what happens to it now as it could get in the way of ships’ routes, depending where it travels to.
Chris Borstad, from the University Centre in Svalbard, says: “At this stage, we really don’t know whether there is some larger-scale process that might be weakening this zone, like ocean melting at the base of the shelf, or whether the current rift was just a random event that was bound to happen at some point.”

118-year old painting discovered in Antarctic hut

June 15, 2017

An “almost perfectly preserved” watercolour painting has been discovered in an historic hut in Antarctica, dating back more than 118 years.

The painting, dated 1889, is of a ‘Tree Creeper’ bird. It was painted by scientist Dr Edward Wilson who died alongside Captain Robert Falcon Scott and three others on their return from the South Pole in 1912.

It was found at Cape Adare and was originally discovered in September last year among dust, mould and penguin excrement.

The find was kept confidential until now to allow the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust to preserve more than 1500 other artefacts.

The Antarctic conditions were the perfect way to preserve the painting.

Water colour paintings are particularly susceptible to light so the fact this work has spent more than a hundred years tightly packed between other sheets of paper in completely dark and cold conditions is an ideal way to store it.

Trust general manager Francesca Eathorne says it is a poignant reminder of the legacy the early explorers left behind.

1. Who is the main person or group of people in this news article?

2. What was the key event from the news article?

3. Where did this event take place?

4. When did this event take place?

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School Cross Country

Sunday, 11 June 2017

School Cross Country

Guess what? Today it’s cross country day! I’m feeling proud, challenging other people and I’m also happy that people can try their best. Caleb  

I feel nervous because I get scared when people watch me running- Sophie

I feel proud because we have been training for five weeks. Maddie

I feel proud because I have been practicing for five weeks and I have been looking for this day. Cathy

I feel very proud because I have been training for 5 weeks. Micah

I feel nervous because I might not win but I hope Keiren wins too. Connor

I feel nervous because my mum is going to be there and Alaska is going to watch me. Millie

I feel nervous because I don’t want to get beaten by Curtis. I feel weird because I’m

excited but I’m not. Niall  

I feel nervous because I don’t know what place I will come. Oliver

I feel very proud because I could come first. I also feel nervous because all the parents are watching me. Daniel

I feel nervous because I might come last. Makayla

I feel nervous and happy because I am going to give it my best shot and just do my best. Katie

I feel nervous because parents are watching me as I run my three laps. Emily

I feel nervous because I feel like I’m going to get last. I feel proud because we have been training for five weeks. Casey

I feel nervous because there is a big crowd. I feel nervous that Ben might beat me. Curtis

I feel nervous because I might come last. Sophia

I feel glad because it is finally over because it was tiring doing the training. Nico

I feel nervous because all the people are staring at me. Tayla

 

  

Pupu Springs

Golden Bay springs gets water protection order

June 7, 2017

Te Waikoropupu Springs are located in Golden Bay, near Nelson. They are a hot spot for tourists, and are thought to be some of the cleanest and clearest water in New Zealand.

The Springs will have the highest possible protection for a water body – a Water Conservation Order (WCO).

The Government says WCOs are the equivalent of National Park status for a water body.
There are currently 15 WCOs in New Zealand – 13 rivers and two lakes. This is the first application for a springs.

It’s a long time coming for local iwi Ngati Tama, who have been fighting to get protection for the pristine water system, and consider the springs wahi tapu, a sacred place.

Environment Minister, Nick Smith said “These springs are part of what gives Golden Bay, Nelson and New Zealand a strong environmental reputation, and we must ensure they are protected for future generations.”

1. Who is the main person or group of people in this news article?

2. What was the key event from the news article?

3. Where did this event take place?

4. When did this event take place?

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Oamaru Penguins

Oamaru builds tunnel to help penguins

November 24, 2016

Oamaru has built a 25 metre tunnel to help their local penguins pass the busy road between the sea and their nests.

Penguins in the town are rare ‘blue’ penguins, the smallest kind in the world, and are an endangered species.

Before the underpass, the birds crossed the road protected only by a “penguin crossing” sign.

The underpass was started in September this year, and was opener earlier this month.

Oamaru’s blue penguin colony is one of the few populations in the world that is actually growing.

1. Who is the main person or group of people in this news article?

2. What was the key event from the news article?
They have built a 25 metre underpass for the penguins to get from the sea to their nests without crossing road.
3. Where did this event take place?
Oamaru- NZ
4. When did this event take place?
September 2016.

My opinion-

I think now that there is a underpass the penguins will have more of a chance traveling from the sea to their nest so they can increase the population- Caleb

I think the penguins were interested in the tunnel because they looked around.- Connor

I think  it was better having the tunnel than having to get run over- Emily

I wonder how long it took the penguins to find the tunnel ?- Niall

learning about insulation

We have been learning about insulation.  We learnt that blubber or fat keeps animals warm, especially animals that live in the sea.  Some whales have blubber that is over 30 cm thick!  Some animals have two layers of fur that keep them warm in the winter like the moose.
We did an experiment that showed that fat keeps us warm.  We used fat and put it on one hand and kept the other hand free.  We put both hands into icy cold water.  The hand with the fat on was heaps warmer than the hand without the fat on it.
Fat is an insulator.

Check out our photos!