Jahziah Hart turned 12; Mackenzie Baldwin was 11; Eden Ross turned 8; and young Harry Brunt is now 7 years old.
While Jahziah, Mackenzie and Eden made do with small family birthday celebrations at home in lockdown conditions, Harry enjoyed his 7th birthday in a bubble of 100 people.
"I live at Collegiate," he says. He was treated to a "big treasure chest cake". Harry's father is on the Collegiate School staff. But his school friends couldn't attend.
Lockdown bubbles limited birthday parties for all the students so Brunswick School made it up to them.
The school did this last year after lockdown, and the tradition continued with a special party for those four last Friday. The entire school, students and staff assembled in Room 3.
To make the celebration more special, school principal Jane Corcoran ordered a huge chocolate cake from Stevos and decorated it herself in the school colours on Thursday night. There were even two little gluten-free versions for students with gluten intolerance.
To a rousing chorus of "Cut it!" the cake was cut, with enough pieces for all 48 students, and the four birthday kids received their pieces complete with candles, which were lit before everyone sang "Happy Birthday" in English and te reo Maori, followed by three cheers.
In keeping with Covid rules, the birthday children turned around away from their friends before blowing out the candles.
In the afternoon the school participated in an "amazing race", with activities organised by teacher aide Barbara Benadie.
She says they include an Olympians challenge in which children have to identify pictures of seven Olympians; a scavenger hunt; a puzzle has a missing piece and someone has to find it; a sack race, a school quiz and much more.
"And we've got goodie bags for prizes," says Jane Corcoran. "It's just a fun day."
Brunswick School has a lot going on with a building project under way and the recent acquisition of a 12-seater van for picking up and dropping off students.
"One of our school dads helped us get it. We had a big fundraiser last term and raised about $13,000 and got a bit of a grant. We got the sign writing sponsored."
The van is decorated with the school logo - a representation of the 'school tree' which stands across the road. It's a miro tree which came from a farm out the back of Brunswick, transplanted into the school paddock where kids used to leave their ponies to graze before riding them home.
