Celebrating Our Cultural Heritage

To identify, acknowledge and celebrate our unique cultures and where our family links are, we created a Cultures wall with the main feature being a map surrounded by the flags of the countries that our families are connected to.  This was a good exercise as it taught students that the connections of our grandparents are strong connections and a part of who we are.  

We then created a Google Drawing that shows our country of origin and some features that help connect us.  These are to be displayed in our learning space also.

• Create an environment where learners can be confident in their identities, languages, cultures and abilities.

Growing Our Te Reo Māori

Learning Te Reo Māori

In 2019, students worked on their mihimihi.  In Whakamanawa, our aim was to build on and add to what akonga already knew.  Fir some, they were able to add their grandparents and siblings.  We revamped our template that we have been using for mihimihi learning and used this as a base for what we need to include.  

Template we use in Te Ara Takitini:

Basic Te Reo Māori Assessment

At the start of the year, to determine what level of Te Reo Māori my students had and what I need to teach them, we did an assessment using basic language.  

I have been working on a package for teaching and learning of Te Ao Māori for the whole school.  This will have teaching outcomes and resources to support teaching and learning.  I will be sharing this with staff in Term two.

• Practise and develop the use of te reo and tikanga Māori.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi 2019

Our Treaty Learning

To start 2019, in Te Rōpū Whakamanawa, we reviewed what we know about The Treaty of Waitangi.  We looked at what a treaty is, what the main parts of the Treaty of Waitangi are, the history around the time of signing and what it means for us today.  

We then created our own class treaty and display this on our wall.  As the term went on, I though about how it sits on the wall but that's all we were doing with it.  I then added the reading of our treaty into our daily class programme.  When the roll is called in the mornings, a student will choose and read three points from out treaty which we repeat and discuss.  We can relate this to the Treaty of Waitangi and whatever value you are looking at for that week.

• Understand and acknowledge the histories, heritages, languages and cultures of partners to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Sensational Steps Stars

Our Steps Web

This week, we have tried to have more time using StepsWeb.  We noticed that for a few weeks, the amount of time we were spending on it, was quite low.  We have made a massive improvement and have been looking at our progress.  

I have been really impressed with how we are going.  Here are some screenshots of some of our results.

Our goal is to spend at least twenty minutes a day on Steps.

Teaching as Inquiry 2019

Teaching as Inquiry 2019

This year my TAI is Feedback. I am looking at feedback in Writing and the types of feedback that are most beneficial for student learning and progress.

Appraisal 2019

2019 Teaching Appraisal

UBRS Session #2

Understanding Behaviour Responding Safely

Module 3~Responding Safely

‘Me he whakawhiti o te rā.’

‘Personify that of the sun. That which removes adversity, brings calm

and provides light.’

• Whatever goes bad, it will pass and things will get better.

This can be a process that we need to follow and be supportive to help children return to the Ready to Learn phase.  

Kathleen shared about a student who seems to be ready to learn but escalates in an instant.  These strategies don't seem to support him.  It could be that he is actually out of sorts.  The kids who show these extreme behaviours will need alternative intervention.

Mahi mo te kainga- Our work from home

We had these questions to ponder throughout the week and then had a brief share in pairs.  

What have you been able to control  in yourself this week?  has this been easy to do?

Positive reinforcement and an increase in this.  Being more descriptive about the behaviours being shown.  Loads and loads of positives.  

Think of a positive example of this example of this and the impact that this has had on your teaching or a specific person?

General vibe within the class is quite settled.  One student was all over the place and the first chance available, I was able to throw a positive in.  He lapped it up and was able to remain more focused and motivated for a longer period of time.  

Reflect on an example, where you can be honest, and think about a time this week that was not so successful and why.

There was an afternoon where boys seemed to not be doing much very quickly and I felt that I was repeating myself.  Tried the positives and there seemed to be no affect.  Praised other children with no effect on the group.  Got students on the mat and spoke about how if I am waiting, time would need to be made up and taken off their golden time. 

Thought/ponder? How do we ensure that we are teaching children and support them to be able to be at the same level...I struggle to visualise this when considering the level of needs of some of our learners.  

Need to give kids opportunities to explore and experience social behaviours.

Escalation Scale

Reflection:  I think we were all coming into this training expecting something quite different to what we got.  It was good having the whole staff being there and some good back to basics type stuff.  At the time, some of our more explosive behaviours are what we need support with however it feels like a struggle to get much of this.

Wellbeing at School

28 August 2018

Somerfield School

Kathy Johnson

Purpose: To determine what the Wellbeing at School tool can offer and to challenge how we use it.

Main Messages:

• This tool allows you to stop and take a look at what you have done and where you can go.  
• Is a whole school approach.
• Focuses on the school climate...the way people feel.  Culture is the way we do things, climate is how we feel.
• If people feel they belong to a positive school climate, achievement outcomes improve.
• There are three surveys in this, student, teacher, self review.
• Looks in to see if what you are doing is working.
• Lists what a positive school looks like.
• Key Idea 1: Systems Thinking is increasingly being used as a lens to think about behaviour and schools.  What you might be trying to do, can be undone by somebody within the system.
• Layers: School wide climate and practices, teaching and learning, community partnerships, pro-social student culture and strategies, aggressive student culture.  

• Website is set up under these five layers.  Has templates and next step planning within.  Link to Wellbeing at School Website
• When looking at data, use the scale descriptors alongside.  Descriptors are on the website and are crucial for when looking at data.
• When you have done the survey, bring a self review team together.  Include the people who will implement policies and procedures. Often, the leadership team data differs from the student perception.  From perception, determines reality. This graph is the first thing you should look at.
• Administration-student understanding.  Good to have the same person implement the survey, it’s ok to have a discussion around the questions.  Why the dissonance? How well do teachers know the learner? Have guiding focus questions. They should come from any initiatives you have undertaken this year.  Professional development, inquiry, appraisal goals. Use these to refine and drive what you are looking at in the data. Come up with statements that you hope to achieve.  
• Teacher survey:  Could be done at a staff meeting as shows that it is valued.  Takes about 45 minutes. Raising awareness to why we would want to do this.  
• The Aspect Report: When looking at graphs, stop and look at these to see if there are any cohorts that stand out.  You are interested in the cohort that stands out. Use the filters to check for trends. Remember we are looking at perceptions.  (Looked at an example where girls thought they were pro social, however, their aggression was high).

• Two things under your control:  How we teach and how we organise our school.
• Data is about improvement.  If there is no place to improve, there is no pint gathering data.  An inquiry question comes out of data. Then gather more data.
• Be deliberate and purposeful in where you are heading?