NYLD//16 Reflection

Going into the National Young Leaders Day, I didn't really have any concrete expectations. I knew that we'd be spoken to by a series of guest speakers but I had no prior knowledge of their backgrounds or what messages they would be relaying to us on the day. 

Words cannot express how inspiring the speakers were. What I found particularly inspirational, was that these were ordinary people who, at some point in their life, had made extraordinary decisions. Decisions that are having a significant impact on the world. 

I was particularly inspired by Billy Graham, a larger than life character who's faced overwhelming obstacles to get to where he is today. Billy was identified as 'special' at an early age by the more judgemental cross-sections of society, in an era where such judgements were routine. During his youth, he met someone who changed his life - a master boxing trainer. I won't recount his life-story here, but if you're interested, check out his website: http://www.billygraham.co.nz/. His ethos is something that resonates with me as a teacher and as a person. Being successful is 10% talent and 90% hard work. I loved his quote "hard work works". Billy Graham is living proof. 

There was an unexpected moment which I found quite moving. They called it 'Attitude of Gratitude'. This was an opportunity for all 2000 or so Young Leaders to take a moment to think about someone in their lives who was and or had an impact. Picture this, 2000 young people all writing letters to the people who mattered most in their lives - in absolute silence. It was a stunning experience. The whole day was in fact. I'm confident that our school student leaders got just as much out of the experience as I did. They are all reflecting as I write this, so please visit their blogs for a different perspective. 

W4T2 reflection

From a teaching perspective, I'm encouraged by the learning which has occurred this week - especially in literacy. Last week we brainstormed some local issues in the greater Grey area to write to the editor of the Grey Star about. This week the students crafted some very convincing letters which we hope will be published in the near future. The letters to the editor were a precursor to a debating unit which we sunk our teeth into yesterday. Students have been randomly placed in 4 debating teams of 5 - 6. Two of the teams are 'Pro' and the other two are 'Con' for an agreed debate topic 'The NZ Education System is Broken'. The students are now using their recently acquired effective Google searching techniques to find studies, research papers, lectures and statistics to support their team's stance. We're placing a real emphasis on ensuring students are only using 'authoritative' and 'scholarly' websites. Students are being encouraged to summarise, paraphrase, quote and cite their sources. This, as you can imagine, is a very challenging task for students, who for many, copying and pasting / plagiarising and visiting non-authoritative websites such as Wikipedia and .com's is routine. This is not through any fault of their own, they just simply have not been taught or had an opportunity to apply effective searching skills. 

Although it's 'hard', practising and applying these skills now will give them an advantage later on when researching at High School and beyond. From my perspective, I want to hear students says it's "hard" because that tells me it's worthwhile.  

The 'maths brain'

To all those students who tell me that they don't have a 'maths brain' or are not a 'maths person' - please watch this clip. Lets redefine what maths means to you. 

Gif making using post-it art

Room 7 & Room 8 have been learning how to sketch post-it characters. When then used gifmaker.me to create fun gifs. 

Cross Country 2016

Congratulations to all our incredible runners on Thursday!

It was exciting to see how much your fitness, endurance and overall attitude has improved through our daily 4 J's run. Good luck to all runners who've qualified for the West Coast Cross Country!

Thanks to the ICT Team for editing video. 

Richie's on top of the world!

On 13.5.16 one of my oldest friends, Richie Hunter, summited Everest. This was his 3rd attempt as a guide for Himalayan Experience. Richie has worked his guts out to achieve this feat and has pushed through physical and mental realms that 99.9% of the human population will never experience nor fully understand. He is truly inspirational and at only 29 years of age, it is mind boggling to think about what he could still achieve in his lifetime. Mate, thanks for continuing  to inspire me and everyone else you associate with. Go well. Looking forward to seeing you 'state side'. 

cave stream reflection

I’ve been through Cave Stream many times but every time feels like the first. Yesterday was special. We’ve had a massive Term at school. We were all ‘hanging out’ for this challenge; we needed it. One of the best aspects of taking children into the outdoors is watching their unique cycles of anticipation; witnessing their anxieties and sharing in their excitement. Individually, they deal with the build-up in their own ways. Some verbalise to their peers, many internalise and a few are secure enough to make their worries and fears known to all! I love watching this. The whole process of adventure reveals a lot about the child - much of which would otherwise never be revealed in a school setting. Watching how they cope, then overcome their fears enhances my ability to cater for their needs both in and outside the classroom.

Cave Stream trip is on

Cave Stream trip is on. See you at school :)

boomwriter engages

Emma B, winner of Chapter 2, explains how Boomwriter works in Room 8: Boomwriter 

Parents, when Chromebooks start going home (Easter), please get involved with your child's current Boomwriter entry. Your feedback and encouragement is inspirational. If you'd like advice and guidance on how to give effective feedback in relation to their writing, please book a time to see me. I'd be happy to help :)

dynamic start

It's been quite some time since my last post. Our start to the year, across the school, has been full-on. We have been engaging in a number of new testing and follow-up analysis in order to report more efficiently and consistently across the Grey District cluster. Researchers from Auckland University are conducting studies of Toki Pounamu outcomes which has naturally placed a huge emphasis on reporting this Term. 

It's been nice the last couple of weeks to establish some routine in terms of learning in the core curriculum areas. Students are fully engaged with their 'Boomwriting'. It's awesome to see such high levels of engagement. If you're not sure what I'm I'm referring to, please have a chat to your child or visit boomwriter.com. 

We charged through some diagnostic testing in Statistics and students have been focusing on their challenges or 'gaps' in this area. I'm looking forward to starting our Numeracy programme next week with our re-designed progressions.

One of my key focuses this year is to facilitate a more balanced programme that incorporates more curriculum areas. I feel very lucky to have Mrs Gibson who is teaching French on my release days. Mrs Elvidge is teaching Science on Wednesdays for a session while I'm helping Room's 5 & 6 with their Toki Pounamu learning. My students were very proud of me for attending a Visual Art course this week. I am aiming to incorporate more opportunities in The Arts this year as I'm conscious of the importance of students being able to express themselves artistically. 

With the conclusion of the Swimming next week and beginning of the year testing, we will now be entering a 'settling in' and consolidation period where the depth of learning will increase. This period will also present more opportunities to explore The Element and Community components of the Year 8 Programme. I'm really enjoying these students, they're dynamic, fun and focused.