I-time question questions

Today we started planning our next I-time projects. I-time is a time to research questions we are interested in, and to develop a learner skill (like researching, collaborating, thinking, communicating, managing self, etc.). We are trying out using some questions that Yoram Harpaz developed for use in Israeli Communities of Thinking schools to help refine our research questions. We added some of our own questions, and adapted some of his:

What sparked your interest in that question?

What do you mean by _____?

What are your initial ideas about the answer to that question?

Are you and your buddy in agreement?

What other possibilities might be worth checking or looking in to?

How do you think you might go about researching that question?

Why are you asking a question to which you know the answer?

Who do you think might benefit from an answer to your question?

Is your question open or closed?

Do you think you’ll actually learn anything from that since you already know a lot about that topic?

Mahuri Term 4 Newsletter

Kia ora parents, caregivers and children,

Term 4’s looking like our best yet: Rongoā Māori workshops with Enviroschools Rongoā expert Arihia Latham, Athletics day, the school fair, kids-as-experts-workshops, visiting William Kentridge’s The Refusal of Time at the City Gallery (for the Y4s) and creating a shadow pageant, swimming (for the Y3s), a student-led Amazing Race, walks to identify local native plants for Rongoā Māori, Zoo sleepovers, democratic classrooms, making kawakawa balm, walk to Red Rocks, hackschooling, school picnic, percussion jams…!

U-Learn conference

Last week Shanon and Amy A travelled to Rotorua with six other teachers from school for the U-Learn conference. We heard some fantastic international academics and New Zealand practitioners who gave us lots of food for thought that has inspired us to keep developing our teaching and learning practice. In M13 we are looking at how our classroom can be more democratic, handing over as much power as possible to children. Check out the hackschooling TED talk, posted below...

Inquiry: Rongoā Māori

Through the context of Rongoā Māori, we will explore the physical and chemical changes that occur to substances when they are mixed, heated and cooled. We’ll get hands-on, identifying and classifying local native plants, learning about their medicinal uses, and creating our own balms and other kinds of Rongoā Māori medicine. Enviroschools Rongoā expert Arihia Latham will come and run workshops with us in the Learning hub to teach us about Rongoā practices. Our reading and writing programmes will integrate with our Inquiry learning.

Our maths focus areas this term are Number, Problem Solving, Basic Facts, Algebra, and Statistics – probability. In physical education we will focus on athletics.

Music: percussion

We are running a music rotation this term – each class will spend 2 sessions with each teacher in the team, across the term. From rākau to sāsā to Stomp beats, we’ll be drumming and exploring different elements of rhythm, beat, and percussion.

Parent help

If you can support our class programme with either regular or one-off parent help, we’d love to hear from you. Spelling testing and reading with children are particularly useful ways to help. We always welcome parents visiting to read a favourite book or share some knowledge or expertise; even if you’ve already read to the class, we’d love you to come back again!

Home learning

A reminder to return home learning folders to school on Mondays. Each Monday children will bring home a new list of ten spelling words, an updated Reading log (if needed) and basic facts to be learned off by heart during the week.

Dates this term

Tuesday 21 October                         Rongoā Māori workshops in the Learning Hub

Wednesday 22 October                   Whole School Athletics Day at Wakefield Park

Thursday 23 October                       postponement day for Athletics Day
Friday 24 October                            Whole School powhiri, 9.15am

Monday 27 October                          Labour Day

Saturday 1 November                      School Fair

Tuesday 4 November                       M13’s trip to the City Gallery

Wednesday 5 November                 M12’s trip to the City Gallery

Thursday 6 November                     M14’s trip to the City Gallery

Tuesday 11 November                     Southern Zones Athletics

Tuesday 2 December                       Mahuri inquiry exhibition, 9am – 10.30am

Thursday 4 December                     Day walk to Red Rocks

Monday 8 December                       Amazing Race

Wednesday 10 December               M12 & M13’s zoo sleepover

Thursday 11 December                   M11 & M14’s zoo sleepover

Monday 15 December                      Whole School picnic

Tuesday 16 December                     Portfolios come home

Thursday 18 December                   Poroporoaki, last day of school

Thank you for your ongoing support. As always, if there is anything you would like to discuss regarding your child’s learning, please get in touch to make a time to talk.

Ngā mihi,

Shanon, Adele, Ximena and Amy

Model-making resources

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

M13 are creating models of their designs for protecting/improving the land at the Island Bay Sea Wall or the South Coast Kids’ Bike Track. They have planned what resources they need and have discussed who is able to supply their resources for their model-making. If possible, could they please bring this to school tomorrow so we can get cracking?!

Nga mihi,

Megan and Amy

Mahuri Term 3 Newsletter

Kia ora parents, caregivers and children,

Can you believe we’re in to the second half of the year already?! We’re looking forward to next week’s Parent Teacher Child conferences when your child will lead us through their learning and we can set goals together.

Student agency

The teaching staff has been thinking and talking about student agency this year. During the holidays we had an excellent professional development day exploring this with Kath Murdoch, an Inquiry learning expert from Melbourne. Here’s one of her blogposts on How do inquiry teachers… teach? that gives a sense of her approach. We are keen to support children’s independence and self-determination in their learning as much as possible, and are exploring ways to do this. This may take the form of independent mini-inquiries or passion projects, allowing kids to pursue a particular area of interest, and to consciously develop their independent learning skills (like time management, researching, collaboration, communication, etc.) at the same time. Other ways we aim to develop children’s agency are through learning reflections, learner licences that offer greater autonomy and independence as students demonstrate their self-management skills, weekly learning goals and class reflections. If you have any ideas, suggestions or feedback please let us know.

Student teacher in M13

We are lucky to have a student teacher working with us this term. Megan Lindsay is a qualified early childhood education teacher who is now training to be a primary school teacher. She will join us from 11^th August until the end of term.

Inquiry

Building on last term’s wonderful inquiry into Changes to the Land, we are moving on to a design and innovation inquiry this term, exploring how we can be Kaitiaki of the Land. Children will identify a need and create designs for protecting and taking care of the land in our local environment. If you have, or anyone you know of has, expertise in design, landforms, erosion, local government, or the changing environment, and would like to share this knowledge with us, we would love to hear from you!

Our maths focus areas this term are Number: Multiplication & Division and Fractions, Proportions & Ratios, Problem Solving, Basic Facts, Geometry, and Measurement.

In reading, we will continue to develop comprehension strategies through reading texts about changes to the land, design, and other interest areas. Our writing programmes will flow from this as we write reports, explanations, procedures, and scientific investigations, interspersed with ongoing recounts, character writing and poetic writing.

PE

Our focus this term is striking and catching. We will develop these skills through games and activities using small and large balls and different strikers: hockey sticks, cricket bats, etc. Let’s hope for some good dry weather to get outside and get active!

Parent help

If you can support our class programme with either regular or one-off parent help, we’d love to hear from you. Spelling testing and reading with children are particularly useful ways to help. We always welcome parents visiting to read a favourite book or share some knowledge or expertise; even if you’ve already read to the class, we’d love you to come back again!

Home learning

A reminder to return home learning folders to school on Mondays. Each Monday children will bring home a new list of ten spelling words, an updated Reading log (if needed) and basic facts to be learned off by heart during the week.

Dates this term

Monday 28^th July:                           Speak Easy performance for Y4-6, 9am in the hall

Tuesday 29^th July:                           Y4-6 swimming sports

Wednesday 30^th July:                     Powhiri 9am

Parent Teacher Child conferences (Y4-6)

Thursday 31^st July:                         Parent Teacher Child conferences (Y4-6)

Friday 1^st August:                            Freedom Friday begins

Monday 25th August:                     ICT Parent meeting

Friday 12th September:                 Dancesplash performance, 5.30pm, Michael Fowler Centre

Thursday 18^th September:             Mahuri Celebration of Learning, 9.15am in the hall

Tuesday 23rd September:             Parent Teacher Child Conferences (NE-Y3)

Friday 26^th September:                   Last day of Term 2

To be confirmed:                             a school trip to the landfill

Thank you for your ongoing support. As always, if there is anything you would like to discuss about your child’s learning, please get in touch to make a time to talk.

Nga mihi,

Shanon, Adele, Ximena and Amy