As part of our weekly set up for the classroom, we collaboratively sit down and work out what is happening for the week using a weekly plan. From here we can click into subject tabs which then have our names, student names, or group names, for us to write in our individual plans. Attached to these plans is also a link to a formative assessment page which lets us keep track of how our students are going on a weekly basis. This then allows us to shift students as needed, or see where extra time is needing to be spent, allowing us to create lessons and groups that are more student/group specific and orientated.

Near the end of term two, we needed to complete running records, and spelling tests on all the students in Mahi Tahi. Collectively we decided to test the students in our own groups, rather than in our class homerooms.  This decision was based on the fact that we A) knew the students expected from our groups, and B) that this was how we planned to write our class reports.   This involved the testing for my students, as well as loading them on the databoard and Edge. Testing was to be both a summative test for report writing, and to let us see what students had/had not improved on, as well as a formative test to allow us to see where we needed to make adjustments in groupings and teaching so that we could plan for the following term. 

Our term focus this term for IPC  has been a unit called 'space explorers'. This is the 'Big Idea' for this unit We know that when we look up at our sky we will see the Sun, the Moon and the stars. We take them for granted. But why are they there? What do they do? How do they affect the Earth? Astronomy, like all sciences, is about asking questions. By becoming space explorers, we can find out more about our solar system and the deeper mysteries of the universe. In Science, we’ll be finding out: How to compare the size of the planets and their distance from the Sun. About the movements of the Earth, Sun and Moon and how they affect us. How to create a timeline to show the life cycle of a star. About the planets in our solar system. In Art, we’ll be finding out: How we can capture the shape, colour and patterns of nebulae in art. How we can create our own satellite images. In History, we’ll be finding out: About what people in the past used to t...

IPC This term has introduced our school to a new international curriculum (IPC). We are the only school in New Zealand and we are piloting this new curriculum in NZ. "  The IPC is our International Primary Curriculum for children aged 5 - 11 years old. It is used by over 730 schools in 92 countries worldwide. It is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum, with a clear process of learning and specific learning goals for every subject. It also develops international mindedness and encourages personal learning." The first part of the IPC is the brainwave unit.  These are the Brainwave learning goals Children will: 3.01 Know about some of the recent evidence and research into the brain and learning 3.02 Know about some of the different areas of the brain and their function 3.03 Understand the different ways that they can learn 3.04 Understand how they can improve their learning and their attitudes to learning 3.05 Understand the importance of cooperati...

This year I have been put in charge of organising the year 5/6 camp. We are going to be going to Wainui from the 3rd-5th of December. I have had to do all the organising, sending out notices, deciding what activities to do, organising a budget, contacting the camp organisers/ hosts, sorting out medical needs, diets, grouping, transportation, sleeping arrangements and all of the health and safety including RAMS and SAPS. Below is a copy of the doc i have created to keep track of everything. Here is some of the contact I have had with the organisers at Wainui. I have really enjoyed organising this camp and cant wait for the time when we get to go!

Through the process of our syndicate inquiry, I am able to show a number of the teaching standards. The above link goes to our inquiry folder which contains the inquiry process, meetings with our PLD provider, Core Ed, links to resources that can be used and student voice obtained by the process of a google questionnaire. The decision to base inquiry around literacy this year (specifically writing), was a school and board directive, as it is an over all concern and focus.  To begin the process a google form was sent to all students in Mahi Tahi, asking them a series of questions about literacy (see above link to writing questionnaire). This was to give them some voice, and also to allow us to see if their were any commonalities and to give us a point of reference to start from.  The outcome of this process lead us to believe that students mostly found writing either difficult to do, or were bored. Most students indicated that they enjoyed free writing/writing about a subjec...