Year 8 BBQ @ Mr S-W's House

I was immensely proud to host my 2016 Year 8's and their families at my home last week. The pre-prepared toasts you gave to each other were simply superb. Go well class of 2017!

Year 8 Challenges 2016

Awesomely Audacious EOY Auction!

where elements are born

We have been discussing and exploring our 'Element' (Robinson 2009) this year. Ever since packing and carrying my first pack on a tramp for the first time (way back in 1990), tramping and the great outdoors have been my Element. My experiences and memories from that first tramp are vivid still to this day. The exhilaration of having everything you need to survive strapped to your body and the freedom of exploration still thrills me. 

Nowadays, I get an even bigger kick out of providing students with similar wilderness opportunities. Like the caving, rock climbing, abseiling, rafting, sea kayaking and skiing, this tramp- for most - was a first experience. Being a part of this and witnessing potential Elements being born has been a great privilege. 

BBQ @ My Place!

TRAMP IS ON

Hi everyone

After reviewing all the weather maps extensively, I'm happy for this trip to go ahead. We may experience some drizzle over the course of the next 2 days (especially tomorrow morning) but nothing threatening. Good temperatures and a bit of wind hopefully to keep the sandflies away!

SPARE BIG TARP ANYONE? My awesome new tarp was accidentally donated to Temple Basin. Pleas reply to this if you have one we can use so I know I don't need to buy one today. 

Jeni Blacktopp has kindly offered to be our extra driver both ways. This is a big commitment Jeni considering you're not coming on the actual walk and we thank you in advance. I will organise a donation towards your petrol fee later in the week. 

Please ensure you're packed and ready to go at 0900hrs. Leave a bit of space for your group's food, cooking equipment and tent. It's a good idea to split the food and tent four ways (or for however many are in your group). Whoever's in charge of your group's food, please organise this tonight so we don't have any delays tomorrow. 

Please pack your waterproof jacket, beanie & thermals somewhere near the top of your pack for me to check in the morning. 

Don't forget to line your pack with a pack liner / rubbish bag and to double bag everything, especially your sleeping bag. 

APPROX RETURN TIME TUESDAY between 1430hrs & 1530hrs. I will phone the school if we're going to be significantly earlier or later than these times. 

Who's excited? I am!

See you in the morrow. I have my phone on me, so if you have any Q's, text / phone 027 6607 366.

Thanks, Andrew.

shaking it up

What a week. That was a big shake-up - and for many, a wake-up call. It makes you think doesn't it? Events such as Monday's  - although tragic, sometimes can be timely in terms of reminding you of what's truly important. I think being a parent gifts you with invaluable insight and a whole lot of wisdom. I get it. I get how much your child means to you and that is a responsibility I take very seriously. 

We're not quite at the finish line yet, but I want to thank you for your presence, encouragement, commitment and sense of humour. Education is, and will always be, a 3-way partnership. So thanks partner. 

*tramp postponed*

I'm sure you've all seen the forecast. I was hoping it would ease overnight but if anything, the outlook worsened - especially for Monday afternoon / evening. Hey, at least our WC athletes will be fresh! Although, the outlook for Wednesday is not ideal either :( You have to love the WC!

The tramp is therefore postponed until Mon 21st & Tues 22nd (following week). There is some flexibility in Week 7 from a scheduling perspective (depending on parent availability) so I'll keep an eye on the long-range and make a decision mid next week in terms of dates.

Thanks for your understanding.

Mad Lib Theatre Take #1

We have been experimenting with a new way of learning about parts of speech. I adapted the famous 'Never let You Go' scene from Titanic and students replaced key regular verbs, adjectives, adverbs, plural and singular nouns with some...shall we say, interesting selections!

Packing a Pack

Don't forget to bring your fully packed packs (less food, pots & pans) THURSDAY for checks. If athletics is postponed until Thursday, please still bring your pack and I will check it in the morning. Happy packing :)

Food Groups & Menu Planning

Today we randomly drew the food groups for the upcoming tramp. Here they are:

Group 1: Isaac K, Connor P, Reed, Connor H, Levi
Group 2: Grace C, Catarina, Kate, Jordin
Group 3: Isaac M, George, Grace W, Cameron
Group 4:, Emma, Alyssa, Calder, Reuben
Group 5: Hannah, Bailey, Jayden, Jonathan

We talked about the fact that they'll need to carry all of their food in. 'Thinking light' without compromising on nutrition and taste is the key! Being smart about how the food is packed is important too as anything that isn't consumed (including plastic packaging etc) will need to be carried back out. 

Students are welcome to bring a packed lunch on the first day or organise this as a group. The group menu will consist of: Dinner, dessert (competition between groups judged by parents), breakfast, lunch and snacks. 

Groups are busy menu planning as I write this. It will be the responsibility of the group to finalise these and coordinate how they want to purchase the food. I've talked about the importance of doing this fairly and not lumping it all on one student or short changing parents!

Each group will be supplied with a cooker and gas. However, each group will need to bring cooking utensils / equipment - pots, pans etc. 

Here are some menu suggestions from my expert wife (have told students to use as a guide only):

Class Debate #6: Big Game Trophy Hunting in Africa is Okay

'We've got the Learning Fuel' - Paroa School School Anthem!

Famous Movie Quotes

We've had fun this term using our school green screen to re-enact famous lines from movies - enjoy!

Rotary Speech Contest

I am very proud of the efforts of both Alyssa and Levi at this week's Rotary Speech Competition. Alyssa was placed 3rd and, in my opinion, Levi provided the best entertainment of the night! His speech was very 'rock n' roll'...

does it get any better?

Over the years, taking into account my scouting, outdoor instructing and teaching, I would've organised and led close to 100 trips into the outdoors with youth. Having reflected overnight, I can earnestly say that our 3 day tramping and skiing adventure at Temple Basin was the best trip I've ever done with youth in the outdoors. That's a significant call to make so in this post I hope to articulate why I can make such a call. 

We've worked incredibly hard this year as a group to build resilience, self-confidence, trust, respect and camaraderie. I'll be frank, at times it's been a tough road. Like any group of learners, we've had a fair share of both highs and lows. Sometimes growth is difficult to gauge - especially when it hasn't been tested out of context, e.g. out of the school environment. Temple Basin is as out of context as you get! A club ski field requiring a 1 1/2 hour steep mountain climb to access not to mention all the challenges an un-groomed, rugged, untamed ski area poses! 20 out of 22 students had never done any real skiing and they were learning to ski on one of the toughest ski areas in the country. Our instructor kicked off her lesson with "Welcome to Temple Basin, this is not the best place to learn to ski but if you can learn to ski here, you can ski anywhere!"

As a class, we did a lot of mental preparation for this adventure. I didn't want to disguise how much of a challenge this was going to be so was brutally open in terms of what students could expect of such a challenge. I think this 'no surprises' approach really paid dividends. 

Learning to ski at Temple Basin is a lot different to learning at some of our larger commercial ski fields. When learning, you do your best to stay on your skis but fall or crash more times than you can count. There is no travelator or chair lift available to transport you back to the top of the slope. You have to kick out of your skis and walk back up! Every time. When learning at Temple Basin, you also have to avoid rocks, ice, un-groomed snow mounds and terrain traps. Our students got knocked down time and time and again but got up again time and time again. They were positive, resilient and confident. On day two, we got the higher ability skiers to pear up with the lower ability skiers and the result was simply magic. In fact, it gave me goosebumps. The trust, support, respect and camaraderie I witnessed was breathtaking. 

By day three, due to their attitudes and mental and physical resilience almost all students were skiing with confidence and most were turning on intermediate slopes. Almost all had mastered the rope tow and the formidable, infamous nutcracker. Many are now 'talking up' more trips with their families and friends before the season ends. 

When skiing at Temple Basin, you're part of a larger club family. You're sharing the lodge and all its facilities with other skiers. This means you have responsibilities. I was incredibly proud of how our students behaved in and around the lodge. They turned up for their duties, which included clearing plates, washing dishes and wiping down tables and did these without complaint. Their behaviour in the lodge was exceptional. They went to bed on time, got big sleeps and kept quiet in their bunkrooms in the morning out of respect of the parents, each other and other club members. I got two of the best sleeps I've had in years! The feedback I received from the Temple Basin staff as a result was overwhelmingly positive and inspiring. 

I need to thank our incredibly helpful and proactive parents that came. Our trip wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful without your positive guidance and sense of fun. Sarah, Steve, Rob, Warren and John, you helped make the experience very memorable.

So far this year, we've been caving, rafting, sea kayaking, abseiling and rock climbing. We're going for an overnight tramp next term, a day's mountain biking and possibly some sailing. So many more outdoor experiences to look forward to. Most importantly, from a teaching perspective (and this is the best part about education outside the classroom for a teacher), I'm looking forward to transferring our experiences at Temple Basin and all our prior adventures to their academic, social and behavioural achievement at school. 

Powerful real-life wilderness experiences like this, without the distraction of devices, the internet or T.V can make a real difference to learning. Bring it on.    

speeches, cantamaths, basketball & calendar art

It's been a busy, bitsy week this week. Students have been working tirelessly on their speeches in addition to participating in the Cantamath competition in Christchurch, preparing for the basketball finals and exploring some options for calendar art. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate all our basket ballers. I'm proud of their commitment to such a long season and especially the sportsmanship they demonstrated throughout the season. A HUGE thanks must be given to our awesome coaches and managers. Robbie, Rose and Chris - you have been awesome. Terri, Penny and Karen you're regular texts I'm sure will be missed!

Well done to both our Cantamath teams too. It sounds as though you competed really well and had a memorable time overnight in Christchurch. Thanks to Sharon and Jen for tolerating supervising our boys for the two days. 

Rewindable Learning

Rewindable Learning

Kia ora,

To get to any of the tutorials or videos that Damo and I have recorded, they are easily accessible on our sites. Or you can click here on this link:

REWINDABLE LEARNING

I hope you find something helpful...

Debate #5 - Superman will always defeat Batman

Took a break from the 'heavy' topics this week for a fierce debate on the two most famous superheroes. 

Looking forward to next week's: 

'The First Moon Landing was a Hoax'!

Class Debate #4 - Girls are better than Boys

Sorry about the 'Cam' quality - my iMovie has not been playing nicely...

new running leader

Calder takes the yellow scarf today with a storm'n run! He's in hot form going into tomorrow's weekly timed run. Best of luck tomorrow Calder!

Daily 2.6km Run

On Mon, Tues, Weds & Thurs, for the entire year, our class has been running 2.6km down to 4 Jays (shop) and back on the Cycle Trail. Once a week we time ourselves and graph our times and it's incredible to see how far our fitness has come this year! This week we decided to take inspiration from the Tour De France and give our current leader (the person who finishes first on any given day), a yellow scarf. Congratulations to our current leader, Bailey....but watch out, Mr S-W is hot on your heels!

Halfway

At the beginning of the year I wrote an open letter to my students. Yesterday, in preparation for another monumental term, I read over the letter again. I'm so proud of how far we've come as a class. I've seen some big shifts socially, academically and behaviourally. The key to this term is momentum. I have a big term planned with the bar of expectation being raised several notches. Students will continue to be challenged, academically and socially. 

I have 3 key professional goals for this term:

1. Momentum and consistency. Term 3 can sometimes be a 'foot off the gas' term due to some of the extra-curricular school activities easing. My goal is to 'floor it' and ensure that students are energised, motivated and building on their achievements from the first half. 

2. Curriculum coverage. We have been primarily focused on raising achievement in the core curricula areas. This term I want to ensure students benefit from the broader curriculum, which will include: The Arts, Health and Languages. 

3. Balance work and life. Last term I did some seriously late nights and too many hours over the weekend. I need to be more disciplined in terms of my 'cut-off' time and make sure I do more weekend adventuring with my family.  

'Donald Trump will be the Greatest American President Ever' Class Debate

Class Debate #3: 

Donald Trump will be the Greatest American President Ever

Round 1 Winner: Pro

Round 2 Winner: Pro

Basketball Training with Sam Dempster!

Sam Dempster, from the Nelson Giants, came to school today to coach our Senior and Junior basketball players. 

Working late?

Working late? No problem, bring the family to you and have a picnic (& epic nerf war)!

2nd Class Debate HIGHLIGHTS

Riveting footage from our 2nd Class Debate: 

All Zoo's Should Be Closed: Wild Animals Belong in the Zoo

Winner Round #1: Con

Winner Round #2: Pro 

Stay tuned for our 3rd Class Debate (going live Thursday): 

Donald Trump will be America's Greatest President Ever

Calculating Percentages

Catarina & Calder explore strategies for calculating percentages

Sea Kayaking Reflection

This year we split our Year 8 group into two groups. Half went rafting with Mr McAulay and other half went sea kayaking with me. The trips were planned and facilitated by outdoor education students at Tai Poutini Polytechnic (TPP). 

This reflection will focus on the sea kayak trip - please read the student blogs for reflections on the raft trip. 

What an experience! Forecasts leading up to the trip were, frankly, disgusting. Wind, rain and less than ideal temperatures with no real let-up in sight. Despite this, the TPP had contingencies in place to ensure, with careful planning and consideration, that our students still had an epic, safe experience. They did not fail. In my experience, as long as participant welfare is at the forefront, such conditions have the potential, not to limit, but to embellish an overall experience. They did. I strongly feel, especially in this technology driven, low-risk world, it's important for our youth to experience some 'hardship'. I talk about this lots. Experiences like this can really test a persons character. It did. We've working really hard in Room 8 on positivity and resilience. It was a real buzz to witness these character traits being tested to the limit on this trip. The positivity and strength shown by this group of students was inspirational. Not once did I hear any students react negatively to anything on this experience. Not once - despite being cold and wet the whole time - did I hear any of them whinge or moan or regret their decision to come. Both the lead tutor and the instructors commented on this too. They were, in effect, 'mind-blown' (for want of a better superlative). 

The 'hardship' these students experienced was not all attributed to the elements they were exposed to. Their capacity to look after themselves and take personal responsibility was also tested. All participants were required to pitch their own tent, cook their own food and be responsible for their own clothing, equipment and personal hygiene. For some, this alone, may have been the greatest challenge! It's fair to say some shortcomings were exposed. The interior of one of the tents looked like the aftermath of a pipe bomb explosion! What's important though is that the positivity and resilience of the participants (and strong guidance from the guides and myself) got them through. 

Well, all in all, I was as proud as punch. These students got to experience something - that once again - most adults won't experience in a lifetime. They've earned some memories that they'll cherish for the rest of their lives. But most of all, they've come away from the adventure better equipped, more experienced and certainly more resilient than they were before. Now that's something to feel good about. 

rock climbing *UPDATE*

Hi there

Just had a phone call from the lead instructor for tomorrow. At this stage the trip is going ahead. Can the Thursday climbing group and drivers (Warren & Kristine) please come to school with appropriate gear (as per gear list attached) regardless. If it's too wet in Charleston, we'll use the indoor wall at the Civic Centre. 

Thursday group (11):

Georgia, Catarina, Grace C, Kate, Levi , Connor H, Isaac M, Isaac K, Bailey, Connor P, Grace W

Rock Gear List

Any Q's, fire them my way. 

How was school today?

Getting your child to talk about school

Are you feeling perplexed or frustrated as to why your child won't talk about school? When asked "How was school?", the responses, I bet, are invariably "Good" (I hope) or similar. Please take comfort in the fact that this is a global phenomena that has existed for millennia! Think back to when you were 12 years old - how motivated were you to feedback to your parents about the ins and outs of school? Chemical changes currently taking place in your child's body are starting to change the way they interact with you. During puberty, their pre-frontal cortex (the CEO / organiser of the brain) is beginning to shutdown and the amygdala (non-thinking / fight or flight) is starting to fire-up. Therefore, a question like "How was school" is actually perceived as a threat or attack as their ability to process an answer swiftly is greatly diminished. 

However, I have a simple strategy that might help (or make it worse)

Be more specific with your questioning. For example, "Hey, your teacher said on his blog that you're focusing on debating - can you tell me more about that?"; "Tell me about the latest maths you've been working on"; "Describe something that was difficult today"; "Did anything frustrate you today? Tell me about it"; "Tell me about something that made your proud today"

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.

Day 1 Journal Reflections

What better way to cap-off an awesome first day than to face the mighty Tasman while journal writing!

An important message to start the year

An open letter to my students

Dear Students

I write this letter to you whilst sitting in an empty and somewhat lifeless classroom. Soon, that will all change. Tuesday 2nd February 2016 marks the first day of your final year of primary school. Are you prepared?

Are you prepared to give it everything you’ve got? And I mean absolutely everything. I will greet you on your first with this expectation. This expectation will not fade. It will permeate through our room everyday. You have that promise from me. My attitude is, you’re either all in, or all out. Seize the day. Everyday in Room 8 is an opportunity to learn new things about yourself and the world.

Are you prepared to be treated with respect and as an equal? You have that promise from me. In Room 8 there are no bigots or bullies.  From the moment you step through that door, you become part of the Room 8 Whanau. The Room 8 Whanau is respectful of one another. We treat others the way we want to be treated ourselves. We value our peers for the ‘life stories’ and experiences they bring to our learning environment. We are respectful and tolerant towards their differences - we embrace these and learn from them. Above all, we like each other, we enjoy each other’s company and in doing so, make learning really fun! There will be times that this will be put to the test - that’s what life is all about - not being intolerant or indifferent, but interested. Interested in learning how to accept and learn from each other’s differences. Together, we will grow from these experiences.

Are you prepared to help others when they need it? You have that promise from me. I will stand-up and fight for you. As your teacher, I am loyal to your needs. The Room 8 Whanau has each other’s backs. That means if we see someone in difficulty, we go to their aid - no matter who they are. If you are having difficulty, take comfort in the fact that someone has your back.

Are you prepared to make mistakes, accept them and learn from them? You have that promise from me. I like to challenge myself as a teacher - if I don’t challenge myself and try new things, I’m not doing this job justice. The fact that I like to take risks means that I will make mistakes. Many mistakes. I will learn from them and so will you.

Are you prepared to accept that your brain has a capacity to grow? You are not born ‘smart’ - you have to work hard for it. In Room 8, we believe in a Growth Mindset. We understand that our brains are muscles that need training. You’ve gotta fight and fight hard to learn and cement new understanding. Don’t worry, I’ll be in your corner. I’m in this fight with you.

Are you prepared to run like your lives depend on it? Because your lives do depend on it! We will be running 2.6km 4 days a week and measuring your cardiovascular fitness with a Beep Test twice a term. Like last year, I will be doing this with you. You have that promise from me. What’s my motivation? My children. I want to be able to keep up with them and be a healthy and happy Dad and I want to thank you in advance for running with me and helping me reach my fitness goals. What’s your motivation?

Are you prepared to communicate - openly - with your teacher and peers to help you grow? You have that promise from me. I will communicate with you when I’m having trouble with something. I will communicate with you when I’m frustrated. I will communicate with you when I need help. In Room 8, we believe that communication is the key to everything. Being honest, open and addressing difficulties, not ignoring them, opens exciting doors.

Are you prepared to be a role-model? You have that promise from me. By moving into Room 8, you need to accept that all other students are looking at you and learning from your actions. You need to make sure that your actions are positive. You are positioned to have a huge influence on your younger peers. I’ll let you in on a secret, I’ve worked in a lot of schools across New Zealand. In my opinion, school behaviour has a ‘top down’ effect. The behaviour across a school is influenced by the oldest students. You are the oldest students. Honour this privileged role and maintain Paroa’s reputation as a positive, safe and exciting school.

Well I can’t wait. I love this job. There are no two days that are the same. You children are dynamic, exciting and mind-blowingly inspirational. I will try and match these characteristics as your teacher. You have that promise from me.

Game on.

Mr S-W.

A Message to Mr S-W

My Digital Stamp & Digital Legacy