Manaiakalani Information evening 29th October

We held an information evening for parents regarding the purchase of chrome books for students who will be in year four in 2020. We had 7 families out of 17 attend this evening. We were supported by Donna Yates and Lee Whitelaw from Manaiakalani. There was alot of discussion about our decision to do this and I think all questions were answered. The emphasis for this was on the fact that the chrome book is a tool and we are all still focused on 'Good teaching and learning'

Manaiakalani Wananga

I attended the Manaiakalani Wananga in Auckland last week. This was a great opportunity to talk with other Principals and Lead teachers and collaborate.  The link to the presentation is below. Also in this link is the presentations from the innovative teachers for this year.
I also visited Panmure Bridge School and talked with the Principal Richard Johnston about their journey as part of Manaiakalani. This was also an opportunity to discuss some of the initiatives they currently have in their school.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nUh6H9Bc9pVBGxb10DhtVSlfulMG81BWWCG6I9jNbp0/edit

Maths Teaching 04.09.19

On Wednesday last week I went into Puriri Room to support Petrina by modelling a Maths lesson. We had worked together the previous week to plan a lesson and think abut how we could use flexible groupings to enhance students learning. This made me remember how much I really enjoy teaching Maths! The students were amazing and it was great to see the childrens enjoyment when they were able to show their learning. This is something I want to continue, modelling more lessons and also co- teaching, not just in maths but in all curriculum areas and all classes. I will try to make times every week when I am available to any teachers who would like this support.

Fantastic Friday 23.08.19

On Friday last week I was fortunate enough to be involved in some of the students activities for enviro day. I went with Kauri students up to the dam in the hill above our school to see the ducks and lay rat traps to control any pests that may be staeling our eggs!
We came back down the hill and I worked with a group of students to make scrambled eggs, using some of our amazing duck eggs. We shared these scrambled eggs with students in Puriri and Kowhai Rooms.
The children in Kauri room were having a Teddy Bears Picnic, so I got to join in, as I had brought my Teddy Bear along to school (Very old and doesn't have much fur left)
After lunch I was in Rimu class until we went out with the whole school for cross country practise, very muddy, but lots of fun!
Days like this are fantastic. We are so lucky to have our school in such an amazing place where we get to enjoy all these experiences.

Reporting survey 21.08.19

At the start of term we sent home a survey to get feedback on our current reporting format. There have been 52% of these surveys returned. Many parents/caregivers have taken the time to give feedback which is valuable for us to take 'on board' I will work on collating the results of these surveys and add this to a future post.

Curriculum Update 20.08.19

Today I had the opportunity to work with Sue Holmes from Cognition Education again. From this meeting we have established a 'where to next' for our Local Curriculum. I will start looking at our Graduate Profile and asking our students in years 7/8 what they feel is important before this is shared with staff and the community for their views. I will talk to Joan (our Kapa Haka tutor) and others to find out some of the 'stories' relating to the history of our local community. I will work on an overarching curriculum statement relating to how we are using learning opportunities in all areas. I will also begin working on what our school vision - Inspire, Create, Grow, Together looks like in the areas of - What we understand, What teachers will do and what students will do.

Reading Observations 19.08.19

It was great to get in to all classes today to observe a reading lesson. There is some amazing work happening in our school. Our students are very lucky to have teachers who put the time and effort into programmes which cater for all students. The follow up discussions with Rob Arrowsmith relating to these observations were also very powerful. All teachers will be given feedback on their lessons and ideas for a future focus.