Transitioning into new spaces

Timing can never be perfect, but as our Prefect Kōrero emphasises, “Just roll with it!”

We’ve just moved into our temporary new space, and we absolutely love it!

We love the smell of the fresh carpet and the newly painted walls. Our classes were amazing and so excited about shifting our furniture into our new learning environment. We’ve got a lot more wall space (though no staples allowed!), and the classrooms are ready for learning during the winter season.

The temporary new classrooms are soundproof – I wonder if we could incorporate ‘singing’ as part of our literacy warm-up? (Just a thought!).

A huge thanks to Mr Jacobsen and the builders who made this happen. Mr J has been instrumental in getting this done – we love you, Mr J! Our original classroom is a ‘work in progress’ with the builders, so watch this space to see how we maximise our new learning areas!

 

Team 3: All In for 100% Attendance!

Welcome back from the school holidays and as we reflect on Term 1, a significant concern across our nation is children’s school attendance. Research shows that student attendance directly reflects their learning and achievement. Last term, it was alarming to see that our whole school attendance for Term 1 was at 60%.

Why?

There are multiple reasons and complexities behind this question.

While there isn’t a straightforward answer, for those students who arrive at school each day, we are committed to optimising and maximising their learning & their well-being. We provide to empower our students by providing them a student voice and agency!

Our class goal is captured in our 3 P’s: Participation, Partnership, and Protection. This means  showing up, getting involved, and working hard so you can be proud of your achievements!

These photos celebrate our Team 3 students who achieved 100% attendance – when one wins, we all win! Keep coming to school – Well done everybody!

Term 2 – “Beyond the Sky”

Kia ora whānau!

Last term was absolutely packed with excitement, especially with our bi-annual “Fiafia night.” It was a massive success, bringing together our families and communities to watch our amazing performers dance and sing the night away.  What a brilliant way to wrap up Term 1 – “Joy, Koakoa mai, koakoa atu.”

Welcome back to Term 2! As we head into autumn and winter, it’s starting to get a bit nippy out there! This term, our learners are setting their sights on “beyond the sky.” Make sure to check out our Team 3 school immersion assembly,  which showcase our Team 3 inquiry. This ties in beautifully with Matariki Day and our Language Week celebrations.

Our learners will be diving into dictation this term. They’ll be listening to audio and using slides to help them write a couple of sentences about our topic. This will help frontload their knowledge about our inquiry topic. It’s been awesome to see how excited they are about learning about the Solar System, the stars (Matariki), and our seasons. One of our curious learners even asked, “Miss, where is Pluto?” … hmmmm?  Great questions, I wonder if anyone can help us?

Don’t miss our first dictation topic: “Phases of the Moon!” How does the moon impact our planet? Not only does it give us our superpower sleep, but it also affects our environment. Hmmm, interesting, eh?

Check out our class blogs to find out more!  Nga Mihi Nui

 

Starting Pr1me Maths (Book 1)

Today we introduced the Pr1me Maths, and honestly? The class was buzzing! Everyone was super keen to dive in, but we took it slow, step-by-step, to make sure everyone got it.

First, short-form dates at the top of the page. Then, we went through the example problem, so they’d be able to use it while working on the following questions independently. Essentially, we used manipulatives whilst building math vocabulary (incorporate maths talks). With our learners, they’re working on reading the questions independently and figuring out what they’re being asked to do mathematically—similar to DMIC

The Prime online platform reinforced the work we did with manipulatives and practice books. Our learners liked the aesthetic, challenges, and rewards.

Cybersmart Challenge – Bookmarks

To build our learners ‘digital fluency’ competency, today our class had its first Cybersmart Challenge, which focused on learning how to bookmark sites for easy access. We had a handful of students who have already mastered in this skill, while my newer students were still learning the terminology/language of using their Chromebooks. Good problem to grapple with.

It’ll be interesting to see how our students feel about using chromebooks, their level of proficiency and what are their goals with using their digital device? Hmmm .. watch this space!

A side note, most of the students said their parents don’t know how to ‘bookmark’ their favourite sites?  Interesting?  I wonder – if they don’t know how to bookmark, or don’t use the terminology ‘bookmark?   If you’re at home,  check out Manaiakalani Cybersmart Challenge – how many skills/terminology are you familiar with?

Check out a few of our developing digital Edubloggers posts about ‘Bookmarks’.

Click on this: Edublog post – book marks then click on their image and it’ll take you straight on their blog. Leave a positive comment on their blog.

Malo Room 14!

 

Rm 14 PENN – Joy ‘koakoa mai, koakoa atu’

Our first Room 14 PENN movie! We’ve had a busy and exciting start to Term 1, and we haven’t been able to capture all our findings yet. Our school theme has been ‘Joy – koakoa mai, koakoa atu.’

Room 14 discovered joy in three key areas: knowing our identity and feeling connected to our community, our hobbies and interests, and engaging in learning, especially with digital devices.

A lot of our students shared in a verbal survey that family is a pivotal source of joy. One student even joked, ‘they can be a pain… lol!’ but ultimately, family is important.

Check out our Term 1 short PENN movie and see what brings Room 14 joy. What brings you joy?

#joy in the small things!  #Happy blogging everyone!
#this song gives us joy vibes!

2025 School Lunches

This is the first year that the Ministry has taken over the reins of our lunches. Due to high costs, they’re wanting to reduce the cost of lunches and ensure all the nutrients are right for our tamariki.

The last couple of years, we’ve had our free lunches catered by Colin and his team (Height’s Baker & Cafe, address: 3/114 Reeves Road, Pakuranga Heights – if you have time, check them out) and they went above and beyond with their selection of delectable lunches that would make your mouth water.

Our learners are adjusting to the new lunches. In the first week, we had hot lunches in aluminum foil containers that were too hot to handle.

I’m not sure how the new caterers handled the high demand for lunches in the beginning (teething stages), because our lunches were late. For the past couple of weeks, Pit has catered our lunches. Our learners appreciate the lunches, but we still miss the sushi, teriyaki chicken, fried pork rice, and fish/cheese burgers with their baking from Height’s. baker.

 

But here’s a picture of a delicious scone (the photo doesn’t do justice to its taste… lol!) baked by my wonderful Year 7 student, Iesha, back from her Tamaki College tech rotation. It was delicious, Iesha! I hope you get to bake some for your family too!

#Happy Living, everyone! #JoyInTheSmallThings

Getting Started with Our New Chromebooks

This week, our learners are transitioning to Chromebooks, moving from iPads. As a former Year 5 teacher, I sometimes forget how much there is to learn when starting with a new system. For example, our Year 4 learners must learn to enter long email addresses, navigate keyboards, input passwords, bookmark frequently used websites, and use Google Drive. These seemingly simple tasks can feel like they take forever to teach, but our learners usually pick them up quickly. Our school’s core values are learn, create, and share. Manaiakalani keeps us updated and informed on ways to improve our digital skills.

Manaiakalani supports our students and staff by using new teaching methods, teaching digital responsibility, and involving the community. It aims to give everyone equal chances, encourage creativity, and prepare students for a future where technology is important. They set up weekly Cybersmart challenges to help our learners develop their digital skills. Our learners have already signed up for affordable Chromebooks. It’s never too late to sign up; please visit our Office Administration.

We begin with the ‘Kawa of Care,’ an agreement between students, parents, and the school to ensure responsible Chromebook use.

We’ve got this, Year 4! Let’s go! #JoyInTheProcess”

Treaties, Visions, and Picnics!

2025 began with a short week due to the Waitangi weekend. Our learners explored the Treaty of Waitangi, focusing particularly on how the principles of ‘Participation, Protection, and Partnership‘ apply to their daily lives. We’ve been working on our class treaty, our learners have signed our treaty by colouring in their feathers.  Our learners are working on a sheet “All about Me”, I’ve found some interesting facts about our learners – one thing i’ve been intrigued is their ‘vision’ of what they’re wanting to become.

We also enjoyed a beautiful school picnic, with high tide providing a perfect opportunity for our swimmers. I am reminded that our learners require clear instructions and ample time to complete tasks. What feels like a lifetime to me passes in the blink of an eye for them.

I sometimes take for granted our familiarity with digital devices. As we are in the early weeks of term 1, we begin each day with handwriting practice, emphasising capital letters, finger spacing, and legibility.

Due to the ongoing process of establishing expectations and routines for our energetic learners, we managed to read only one text this week. But I wonder how our learners are finding their new teacher and space?

Welcome to 2025 “Joy – koakoa mai, koakoa atu”

Our theme for 2025 “Joy – koakoa mai, koakoa atu“.
This is a new year of “Adjustments”. We can find joy in the nuances of our new space and learners.

This is my first year, being part of term 3 – I still get nervous when I start a new year, but even more nervous being in a new space.

However, we have a group of enthusiastic Year 4 learners who are ecstatic about returning to school after what they described as a ‘long‘ holiday. We’re looking forward to 2025, when we’ll be introducing ‘Pr1me Maths‘, a globally recognised structured mathematics curriculum with proven high outcomes.

I also plan to develop our learners’ digital fluency skills and implement a more personalised learning approach (Their learning styles, learners profile and tracking their progress). Super excited! Stay tuned for updates.