Show me the Money

It was interesting to see Hollie from ASB work with the various classes today. She has a great way of working with the children and presented age appropriate information in dynamic ways.  It would be worthwhile asking your child what Hollie talked about with them today and see what they have gained from their session.

The year 6s have started their news bulletin in earnest.  They started interviewing today and have some footage to work with for their first production which will hopefully be in the next few weeks.

Bridget's after school care programme is running along nicely with the children actively engaged in a variety of activities. If you wish to use this service on either a casual or regular basis please don't hesitate to contact Bridget at bridgetmortlock@yahoo.co.nz or alternatively you can ring the school.

Wet day

This is the first real wet day we've had since I have been here and it's great to see that the children are able to occupy themselves inside and a few brave soles even made it out to make the most of a scooter day.

It was nice to meet Chloe this morning. Chloe is a student teacher who is here for a visit today and will be working in Karen's class starting next week.

This afternoon the senior were busy planning events they could run for the school in conjunction with their leadership positions, so it will be interesting to see what they finally come up with.

Tomorrow we are having financial literacy sessions in all classes so your child should be able to help you sort out your budget when they get home. They are delivered by the ASB and will be supported with followup activities in the class with the classroom teacher.  It is so important to give children these concepts from a young age so they grow up with an appreciation of money and how it is used.

Family

It's always nice to spend the weekend with family, playing in the sandpit, going on a bike ride, going to Star Wars 3D. It's also nice to be able to trace the origins of your family as the junior school have been doing. It was interesting to see everybody's family tree this morning and how far back some families were able to go.

This afternoon, Val's class were busy drawing shoes as part of their art programme. They are fortunate to have Val to guide them in this endeavour and teach them the nuances of this activity. The results were impressive.

Course

I was at a course today so didn't make it in to school.  I did have fun at the camp after school yesterday. I arrived to find everyone playing a survival game which was most entertaining, especially with the parents having to be rabies and floods.

Butterflies

Yesterday our resident artist, Kim, worked with the year sixes to create laminated butterflies.  Then she spent time putting them up in empty lots in Colombo St.  I drove past them on the way to work this morning and they look amazing.  A big thank you to Kim for having this idea and following it through with the students, then spending all that time putting them in place.

Piwakawaka are on camp at the moment and I'll be heading out there soon to see what they are up to.

Feb 22

Nice to catch up with 2 students new to our school today.  They were looking very happy and busily working away in Moira's class this morning.  It's such an important time because all to soon they are big year 8s and thinking about high school.

The Year 6 group are continuing with their movie making and today finished a movie of which they are rightly proud.  They are developing a range of skills that will serve them well in making news reports. Today's movie was of the action genre and not only were the technical skills evident but the acting was also of a high standard.

At 12:51 today we gathered together in the shade and took the time to reflect on the last year, think about Christchurch, other people and ourselves.  Afterwards a number of children shared with me what they had been thinking about.  It was a nice way to mark this special day without making too much of it for the children.

Today the senior class 'imagined a day' with inspiration from the book of the same name.  They are a very creative and talented class and I'm looking forward to the finished results.

It was a very warm afternoon in the classroom so we took the opportunity to head outside to complete an obstacle course and a couple of class challenges which were very well received.

Thank you to the parents who were able to make it last night.  The traffic talk was very valuable and when the project starts to go ahead we will have a road safety push throughout the school to coincide with the new design.  The 'meet the teacher' sessions were very successful and it was good to see so many parents in the library for my Q&A session.


Tomorrow we will stop and come together at 12:45 and after a few brief words we will have a minutes silence to give the children the chance to reflect on where they were at this time last year, how it has effected them and their family and how they are feeling now. Then they will go back to play and I will be available to talk if anyone wants to. Anyone in the community is welcome to join us if they would like.

Pirates!

There was a real pirate theme around the junior school today as they were involved in everything from pirate spelling to pirate storytelling and puppet shows, to a pirate treasure hunt! Always pleased to have an excuse to get out my pirate hat, hook and eyepatch, I enjoyed being amongst the piratical rumbustifications and seeing everyone all dressed up and really getting in to the theme.

I am currently working on the school charter which involves me setting goals for the school.  It is pleasing to see that the general level of achievement in the school is high and all children are encouraged and supported to work on achieving to the best of their ability. It is a great school to work in, with dedicated and highly talented staff and I look forward to being involved in its further development over the coming years.

I'm also looking forward to seeing many of you tonight at the traffic safety talk and perhaps even at my question and answer session. I'll be sure and finish by 8:00pm at the latest so you can all get back home in time for 'Desperate Housewives' at 8:30.