Thursday, 30 April 2015
Monday, 27 April 2015
Week 1 Term 2
Kia ora koutou
My apologies for the lateness of this week's blog post. Unfortunately, I have been away for the second half of the week. Please excuse the short post.
STAR STUDENT
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| Ted the Super STAR! |
WHAT DOES LEARNING LOOK LIKE?
Guest star photographer Amelie took some candid pictures this week of teaching and learning happening in Nikau. Fantastic to see such engaged learners in literacy time.
WHAT IS AN ANIMAL?
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| Reading to learn more about Bats! |
Ella has performed a diagnostic interview with each child to see how much they already know. We will continue to grow in our knowledge of the animal kingdom and be focusing on the way scientists classify (group) animals.
We look forward to an upcoming trip to the zoo on Tuesday 12th May (Cost $10 including bus).
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| Carefully taking note of the features of animals. |
Friday, 3 April 2015
Week 9
Kia ora Koutou and Happy Easter
We Have Moved...
The team in Nikau have now relocated into the hall ready for Term 2. We had our first day sharing the space with Kowhai on Thursday and it went remarkably well. We have set up distinct spaces including a common area to share in the middle. It is exciting going forward and planning to make the most of the opportunity to teach and learn in a team environment.
Farewell Nanny Piggins
This week we completed the first Nanny Piggins novel and learned a little about the author R. A. Spratt. It is a funny and engaging series you might like to check out of your local library for some holiday reading.
Letters from the Past
Ella brought in a Nikau letterbox this week that contained letters from the teachers from a year ago. The children then wrote a letter to their future selves. We look forward to receiving these in the future and seeing how far we have come in 2015.
How do you use maths?
Tom's dad, Steve, came in on Wednesday to talk to us about how he uses maths in his job. The children were very interested and asked lots of great questions. Thanks to Steve for taking the time to come in and share with us.
Self-portrait Painting
When I was four I took off down the road and tried to walk to school. I had my pram and my dollies and was reported to be insisting I was "Going to gool, going to gool!" all the way down the country road we lived on. Why was I so keen to get there? Because I thought you got to paint every day at school. It is still something I love to do and share with children. What fun to be creative and a great way to finish a great term!
Weetbix Tryathalon
Congratulations to all the children who took part in the Weetbix Tryathalon last weekend. An impressive contingent from CQS took part and Nikau were well represented. Well done.
Star of the Week
Congratulations to Eleanor for being awarded Star Student this week. We appreciate your kindness and playfulness. What a great leader you will be for the first week of Term 2. The children of Nikau value you and the way you greet us so warmly every day.
The Lorax
Another highlight of this week was reading the Lorax by Dr. Suess to the children. Many were familiar with the story and we used the themes in the book to reflect on the things we care about. We thought about creatures and things that cannot speak for themselves. What would you speak for if you were a lorax?
We Have Moved...
The team in Nikau have now relocated into the hall ready for Term 2. We had our first day sharing the space with Kowhai on Thursday and it went remarkably well. We have set up distinct spaces including a common area to share in the middle. It is exciting going forward and planning to make the most of the opportunity to teach and learn in a team environment.
Farewell Nanny Piggins
This week we completed the first Nanny Piggins novel and learned a little about the author R. A. Spratt. It is a funny and engaging series you might like to check out of your local library for some holiday reading.
Letters from the Past
Ella brought in a Nikau letterbox this week that contained letters from the teachers from a year ago. The children then wrote a letter to their future selves. We look forward to receiving these in the future and seeing how far we have come in 2015.
 |
| Sammy sending Future Sammy an encouraging note |
How do you use maths?
Tom's dad, Steve, came in on Wednesday to talk to us about how he uses maths in his job. The children were very interested and asked lots of great questions. Thanks to Steve for taking the time to come in and share with us.
Self-portrait Painting
When I was four I took off down the road and tried to walk to school. I had my pram and my dollies and was reported to be insisting I was "Going to gool, going to gool!" all the way down the country road we lived on. Why was I so keen to get there? Because I thought you got to paint every day at school. It is still something I love to do and share with children. What fun to be creative and a great way to finish a great term!
Weetbix Tryathalon
Congratulations to all the children who took part in the Weetbix Tryathalon last weekend. An impressive contingent from CQS took part and Nikau were well represented. Well done.
Star of the Week
Congratulations to Eleanor for being awarded Star Student this week. We appreciate your kindness and playfulness. What a great leader you will be for the first week of Term 2. The children of Nikau value you and the way you greet us so warmly every day.
 | ||
| Eleanor sparkles her way into the Star Student role. |
The Lorax
Another highlight of this week was reading the Lorax by Dr. Suess to the children. Many were familiar with the story and we used the themes in the book to reflect on the things we care about. We thought about creatures and things that cannot speak for themselves. What would you speak for if you were a lorax?
Friday, 27 March 2015
Week 8
Kia ora Koutou!
THANK YOU
It was so good to see you all at Parent Interviews on Monday and Wednesday this week. I am so glad I got to meet with someone from every student's whanau and I appreciate the effort you all made to be there.
NEXT TERM
I hope you all received the notice that came home with your children tonight about arrangements for Term 2. We will now be in the hall while building work around and inside Nikau is completed. The current plan is for us to move in on Thursday next week after all the resources are reshelved in the basement. The shelves are due to be installed on Monday. If you have any free time and are able to help with moving the resources out of the hall to make room for us, we would certainly appreciate your assistance.
STAR STUDENT
The students of Nikau were on a roll today as Aryan was announced to be Star Student. I am impressed with the feedback the children gave Aryan about his positive personal qualities. Aryan, you are such an accomplished student and a pleasure to teach.
AFL (Australian Football League)
On Wednesday we had the chance to have a go at Aussie Rules Football. The children did some drills and learned the skill of punting.
"Laces away from faces" was the mantra of the beginner punters.
NANNY PIGGINS
Ella has been reading the class novel - Nanny Piggins by R. A. Spratt this week and we have all been enjoying the rollicking adventures of this naughty but lovable pig. As we snort with laughter through to the end of the first novel in the series, it is my hope some of the children might become inspired to read some of the other adventures of Nanny Piggins (available in the school library).
CAN YOU SPOT THE MYSTERY STUDENT?
On a Friday, table group points are tallied and the winning table pick a game to play. Today's game involved hiding - which isn't as easy as you might think in a wide open classroom. There were some very creative and stealthy students!
Please leave a comment and guess who this Hide-n-Seek Master is. Fantastic cushion camouflage there.
THANK YOU
It was so good to see you all at Parent Interviews on Monday and Wednesday this week. I am so glad I got to meet with someone from every student's whanau and I appreciate the effort you all made to be there.
NEXT TERM
I hope you all received the notice that came home with your children tonight about arrangements for Term 2. We will now be in the hall while building work around and inside Nikau is completed. The current plan is for us to move in on Thursday next week after all the resources are reshelved in the basement. The shelves are due to be installed on Monday. If you have any free time and are able to help with moving the resources out of the hall to make room for us, we would certainly appreciate your assistance.
STAR STUDENT
The students of Nikau were on a roll today as Aryan was announced to be Star Student. I am impressed with the feedback the children gave Aryan about his positive personal qualities. Aryan, you are such an accomplished student and a pleasure to teach.
 | ||
| See how Star Student Aryan is so well respected. |
AFL (Australian Football League)
On Wednesday we had the chance to have a go at Aussie Rules Football. The children did some drills and learned the skill of punting.
"Laces away from faces" was the mantra of the beginner punters.
NANNY PIGGINS
Ella has been reading the class novel - Nanny Piggins by R. A. Spratt this week and we have all been enjoying the rollicking adventures of this naughty but lovable pig. As we snort with laughter through to the end of the first novel in the series, it is my hope some of the children might become inspired to read some of the other adventures of Nanny Piggins (available in the school library).
 | |||
| Relaxing, visualising the story and enjoying a laugh. Thanks, Ella. |
CAN YOU SPOT THE MYSTERY STUDENT?
On a Friday, table group points are tallied and the winning table pick a game to play. Today's game involved hiding - which isn't as easy as you might think in a wide open classroom. There were some very creative and stealthy students!
Please leave a comment and guess who this Hide-n-Seek Master is. Fantastic cushion camouflage there.
Friday, 20 March 2015
Week 7
Kia ora koutou!
Star of the Week:
I'm pleased to announce Sam Gordon as this week's star. One of the comments the children made about Sam is that he is always doing the right thing. That is admirable indeed. I hope being in a class with Sam this year will rub off on me and help me be a little more like him.
Happy St Patrick's Day
On the 17th of March we learned an Irish song, in honour of St Patrick's Day. You may have caught wisps of "Molly Malone" this week. We had some great discussions about leprechauns,
rainbows and even some interesting questions about Irish immigration and The Potato Famine.
You may notice the boys sing the first part while the girls hum, then vice versa :)
Run-a-thon
Well done to all in Nikau! Everyone took part in the Runathon today at Waitangi Park. I was impressed with the determination and stamina shown by the students. A special mention to Sam G for an impressive 32 laps in 30 minutes! Thank you to all the parents who helped walked the children to the park and back, and the tireless PTA for their organisational skills.
Student Teacher
On Monday we welcome Ella Cavander, a student at Victoria, to Nikau. Ella will be with us for 7 weeks observing, teaching and developing her practice as a teacher. It will be wonderful to have her in our class and we look forward to getting to know her and learning from and with her.
Swimming
It was sad we all missed out on a free swim this week because of an 'incident' that closed the pool just before we arrived. This Thursday is the last swimming lesson of the term. Thank you to all who have come along to support the children. I also just wanted to acknowledge the effort that goes into making sure your child has their togs, towel, goggles, warm after-swimming clothes, hearty lunch and all the other things that need to be remembered on a swimming day. Thank you.
What We Are Learning: Literacy
To understand what the author means, we often have to infer or read between the lines. This week we have been having a go at showing what we want to say rather than telling.
Here is an example of what this means:
Telling sentence - He was angry.
Showing sentence - His feet slowly pounded across the room and his face was red, pinched in and wrinkled like a screwed up paper bag.
You can see that the second sentence never actually says that the person is angry, but infers it by the authors description.
This has been helpful inspiring the children's creative expression and also in thinking about how to understand what they read.
Parent/Teacher Interviews:
Still some spots available at http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz if you haven't booked already. Please see me if the times on Monday and Wednesday do not suit and we can arrange a time that will work for us both.
Star of the Week:
I'm pleased to announce Sam Gordon as this week's star. One of the comments the children made about Sam is that he is always doing the right thing. That is admirable indeed. I hope being in a class with Sam this year will rub off on me and help me be a little more like him.
 |
| Sam, shining particularly brightly. |
Happy St Patrick's Day
On the 17th of March we learned an Irish song, in honour of St Patrick's Day. You may have caught wisps of "Molly Malone" this week. We had some great discussions about leprechauns,
rainbows and even some interesting questions about Irish immigration and The Potato Famine.
You may notice the boys sing the first part while the girls hum, then vice versa :)
Run-a-thon
Well done to all in Nikau! Everyone took part in the Runathon today at Waitangi Park. I was impressed with the determination and stamina shown by the students. A special mention to Sam G for an impressive 32 laps in 30 minutes! Thank you to all the parents who helped walked the children to the park and back, and the tireless PTA for their organisational skills.
Student Teacher
On Monday we welcome Ella Cavander, a student at Victoria, to Nikau. Ella will be with us for 7 weeks observing, teaching and developing her practice as a teacher. It will be wonderful to have her in our class and we look forward to getting to know her and learning from and with her.
 |
| Welcome Ella |
Swimming
It was sad we all missed out on a free swim this week because of an 'incident' that closed the pool just before we arrived. This Thursday is the last swimming lesson of the term. Thank you to all who have come along to support the children. I also just wanted to acknowledge the effort that goes into making sure your child has their togs, towel, goggles, warm after-swimming clothes, hearty lunch and all the other things that need to be remembered on a swimming day. Thank you.
What We Are Learning: Literacy
To understand what the author means, we often have to infer or read between the lines. This week we have been having a go at showing what we want to say rather than telling.
Here is an example of what this means:
Telling sentence - He was angry.
Showing sentence - His feet slowly pounded across the room and his face was red, pinched in and wrinkled like a screwed up paper bag.
You can see that the second sentence never actually says that the person is angry, but infers it by the authors description.
This has been helpful inspiring the children's creative expression and also in thinking about how to understand what they read.
Parent/Teacher Interviews:
Still some spots available at http://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz if you haven't booked already. Please see me if the times on Monday and Wednesday do not suit and we can arrange a time that will work for us both.
Saturday, 14 March 2015
Week 6
Kia ora koutou!
What a wonderful weekend we had for the 125th Reunion, despite the downpour just as we started the Haka Powhiri. The children did an amazing job and I know many people were moved by the stirring welcome.
GAMELAN PERFORMANCE
We were very fortunate to see the group Sekaa Selonding Semeton from Bali on Friday.
Selonding is an ancient Balinese ensemble that has never before performed in New Zealand. Vaughan and Evie Hatch (a Kiwi-Balinese couple) have brought a newly constructed replica set of instruments to Wellington with their family-based group of performers. This includes their 8-year old son who plays, composes and dances and 5-year old son who also plays.
You can see a clip of them performing here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6mDbOjJZFE
FRACTIONS
It is easy to forget how tricky a concept used to be before you understood it. Understanding fractions is not an easy task for most young people. Even though they use the words half and quarter everyday the concepts when applied to different shapes and groups of objects takes a while to grasp.
This week we have been talking about fractions and how we write them. Many children still need practice in saying 1/2 = one half (rather than a twoth), 1/4 = a quarter (not a fourth) and 1/3 = a third (not one-line-three).
It would be great if you could talk with your children and share with them times when you are using fractions in real life. e.g. sharing things, cutting up food etc and practise using the language of fractions.
INQUIRY
Who Uses Maths Anyway? Is the title of our unit. We have been finding out about the different branches of mathematics and learning to identify them in real life. This week we have been focusing on algebra in the form of patterns.
STAR STUDENT
This week's star student is Felicity. Felicity is a very kind and diligent student who is helpful to others. She asks great questions and is dedicated to producing quality work. Well done Felicity.
PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS
These will be held Monday 23rd March and Wednesday 25th March. If you have any issues booking a time you can see the lovely office staff or please chat with me if you need a time outside of these dates. Looking forward to seeing you.
What a wonderful weekend we had for the 125th Reunion, despite the downpour just as we started the Haka Powhiri. The children did an amazing job and I know many people were moved by the stirring welcome.
GAMELAN PERFORMANCE
We were very fortunate to see the group Sekaa Selonding Semeton from Bali on Friday.
Selonding is an ancient Balinese ensemble that has never before performed in New Zealand. Vaughan and Evie Hatch (a Kiwi-Balinese couple) have brought a newly constructed replica set of instruments to Wellington with their family-based group of performers. This includes their 8-year old son who plays, composes and dances and 5-year old son who also plays.
You can see a clip of them performing here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6mDbOjJZFE
FRACTIONS
It is easy to forget how tricky a concept used to be before you understood it. Understanding fractions is not an easy task for most young people. Even though they use the words half and quarter everyday the concepts when applied to different shapes and groups of objects takes a while to grasp.
This week we have been talking about fractions and how we write them. Many children still need practice in saying 1/2 = one half (rather than a twoth), 1/4 = a quarter (not a fourth) and 1/3 = a third (not one-line-three).
It would be great if you could talk with your children and share with them times when you are using fractions in real life. e.g. sharing things, cutting up food etc and practise using the language of fractions.
 | ||||
| Working in a cooperative group to sort out information from a book we'd read about different kinds of maths. |
Who Uses Maths Anyway? Is the title of our unit. We have been finding out about the different branches of mathematics and learning to identify them in real life. This week we have been focusing on algebra in the form of patterns.
 | ||
| Look at the patterns on the monarch. This one found Tom's shirt very appealing |
STAR STUDENT
This week's star student is Felicity. Felicity is a very kind and diligent student who is helpful to others. She asks great questions and is dedicated to producing quality work. Well done Felicity.
 |
| Peace to you, Felicity |
PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS
These will be held Monday 23rd March and Wednesday 25th March. If you have any issues booking a time you can see the lovely office staff or please chat with me if you need a time outside of these dates. Looking forward to seeing you.
Friday, 6 March 2015
Week 5
Just a short post tonight! It's been a busy day preparing for the 125th Reunion celebrations.
MUSEUM IN NIKAU:
Thanks to amazing Marie and her collection of vintage clothes - Nikau is looking amazing for all the visitors to the school. I hope you can come along and join us.
RIPPA RUGBY:
This week 8 of our students went to Petone to take part in a Rippa Rugby tournament. A great day was had by all and I am so grateful to all the parents that were able to help.
STAR STUDENT:
This week's star is the wonderful Isla. I really appreciate Isla's ability to work with anyone and show consideration to all. A well deserved honor.
FITNESS:
Every morning (weather permitting) we go out for a running game. Look at how fast we are getting ...
Have a great weekend,
Anne
MUSEUM IN NIKAU:
Thanks to amazing Marie and her collection of vintage clothes - Nikau is looking amazing for all the visitors to the school. I hope you can come along and join us.
 |
| Dresses from the 50s, 60s and 70s |
 | ||||
| Amazing shoes from many decades. |
 | |||
| Bloomers and cami-knickers! |
RIPPA RUGBY:
This week 8 of our students went to Petone to take part in a Rippa Rugby tournament. A great day was had by all and I am so grateful to all the parents that were able to help.
 | ||
| Many schools gathered for prizegiving at the Rippa Rugby Tournament. |
This week's star is the wonderful Isla. I really appreciate Isla's ability to work with anyone and show consideration to all. A well deserved honor.
 |
| Isla - you are a legend |
FITNESS:
Every morning (weather permitting) we go out for a running game. Look at how fast we are getting ...
Have a great weekend,
Anne
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