PRINCIPAL’S AWARDS
Our Principal’s Awards are currently focusing on the following:I am a goalsetter... - I can reflect on my learning
- I can share and discuss my achievements
- I can plan my next learning steps
Autahi and Tautoru Isabella, Eva, Billy, Cameron, Coco-Inez, Pyrenees and Hanna. Matariki and Mahutonga
Isabel, Orla, Nela, Caitlyn, Jan, Adam, Ari and Charlotte Bl.
Welcome Welcome to Coco-Inez, Eliza, Romy, Olive, Otto R, Ella, Eva, Albie, Zac, Isabel, Hunter, Cameron, Otto O, Isabella and their families who are new to Worser Bay School.Welcome, too, to Billy, Liora, Kate and Suki-lee who already have siblings at Worser Bay School.We look forward to guiding your development and learning.
Powhiri 2017We are preparing for the Powhiri in which we welcome our new students and Whanau to the school. This has become an important ritual for us at the beginning of each new year. It is a powerful and moving experience and, for many, involves a great deal of learning, staff included. This is a place of learning, so that is appropriate. Traditionally, Powhiri were used to greet Manuhiri (guests), to address issues and problems with discussion. In our case, it is more simple; we want people who are new to the community to feel that they belong and having this formal ceremony plays a part in that. Because some of the Powhiri will be conducted in Maori, we wanted to clarify what is being said and help everybody understand what is happening, and the why. If you would like to see further examples of the Powhiri, Powhiri-on-a-marae. The Powhiri begins with the Karanga, a call and response exchange between the Tangata Whenua (people of the land) and the Manuhiri (visitors). This acknowledges the ancestors who have passed on and the kaupapa (purpose) of the Powhiri. This is the role of women. When the Manuhiri are seated, the first Kaikorero (speaker) will begin. A Karakia (prayer) is typically used at the beginning of the Whaikorero (speech) and then mention of the ancestors and the important people of the past who are connected with the Marae, in our case, Whetukairangi Pa. Then the attention is drawn to the world of the living, Te Hunga Ora, the Tangata Whenua and the Manuhiri are both addressed and welcomed. Then the Kaupapa of the meeting is introduced. Much of this will be explained in English as we go. Example of Simple Whaikorero. The next speaker will be from the Manuhiri. They too begin by greeting the dead and then the living and respond to the ideas raised by the first speaker. To understand the origins of the rituals, Tane and the Rituals of the Marae. A waiata (song) follows each speaker. The waiata will be available for all parents and Whanau on the day.
Powhiri Invitation - Friday 17 February 2017You are warmly invited to a Welcome Celebration for new children, new staff and their families into the heart of our school. As we have a welcome Powhiri on an annual basis, this invitation is for children and their families who have started during Terms 3 and 4, 2016 and who will start in Terms 1 and 2, 2017.
We recognise that some of you already truly belong, but this is an opportunity to be formally welcomed into the unique and vibrant learning community which is Worser Bay School.
Welcome to the whānau.
Who? Children, staff and their families who have started/are starting school from Term 3, 2016 through to the end of Term 2, 2017. Where? Worser Bay School/Te Kura o Whetūkairangi When? Friday 17 February, 9.15am - 10.00am (approx) What do we do? Families are 'called on' into the courtyard by staff members and are seated. A bit of chat and waiata follows. We hongi and then children already at school return to class. Parents, grandparents, younger siblings, etc, are invited to morning tea and to mix and mingle in the staffroom. It's all a little weather dependent, so same place, same time but we may need to change to inside. You will be guided, so don't worry!
Parent Workshop - Tuesday 21 March - 6.30pm-7.30pmDeveloping Children’s Speech and Language with Speech Language Therapist, Jennifer Lyons
Our NZ Curriculum relies on oral language as the foundation for student learning. It is essential for literacy learning, and successful use of language is critical for students’ wellbeing. Almost all learning relies on oral language.
Like anything, Students’ abilities vary and they progress at different times. The level of oral language knowledge and competency of some students impacts on how they access the curriculum at any level. It is not easy for some! The English alphabet has 26 letters and 44 distinctive sounds. Some sounds are made up by 2 or 3 different letters, so how and when do you learn these?
Jennifer Lyons will be coming to share her expertise on these areas that we often have questions about: - Speech and language
- Developing oral language and vocabulary
- Developing phonemic awareness (the foundations for spelling)
She will be covering these areas and providing some very helpful information about what speech and language development to expect at different ages and stages. She will be giving practical tips on how we can improve all of these areas at school and home.
“Writing floats on a sea of talk” is a favourite saying of ours - actually “All learning floats on a sea of talk”!
We hope to see you all there.
Family Picnic Family PicnicThe Family Picnic was lots of fun. It was great to play some games, old and new! It was great to see so many children, teachers and parents joining in. 
Autahi We are learning about working together and being a kind and caring class. We have been doing lots of thinking and showing how you can fill someone else’s bucket! Have a look!  Teaming up with Tautoru We have been teaming up with Tautoru and doing lots of great learning and discovering. It’s really nice to work across the spaces because then we know more people out in the playground!  A different base group from Tautoru has been spending time in Autahi each day. Students have spent time identifying their strengths. The students have begun talking about their learning and what they feel they can do confidently. At the Goal Setting Meetings next week, our students will set goals for themselves for the term and beyond. Please spend time talking to your children about their strengths, character strengths, and what goals they would like to set for themselves. Powhiri Songs with Autahi It has been fantastic getting back into the rhythm of school. We have had Autahi come into Tautoru to learn some new Waiata for the Powhiri next Friday. The students are really enjoying the songs and we look forward to performing them next week. TapuaeWe have been playing a Maori game called Tapuae. You can learn how to play the game on our blog. We have been starting the day with activities designed to wake up your brain. See some posts on our blog: Skipping and Bootcamp Wake up your brainWe asked what our students did in the holidays. Here are our responses Holiday Padlet on the blog. If you haven’t done so yet, feel free to add to it. Chinese New YearWe have been learning about Chinese New Year and have begun to make Dragons in our learning groups. Dragons continued...We are continuing to work on our Dragons. They are a symbol of courage, good luck and brilliance. Because we are building them together, they are also a symbol of collaboration. Everybody is very excited, which shows the value of this sort of activity.  Dragon design in the initial stages Making the dragon mask to resemble the designWe will be working on them again tomorrow so watch this space! Earthquake DrillOn Thursday we had an earthquake drill. Everyone knew what to do and got down very quickly!  Our Class Tree-ty (Treaty)  We have been thinking about the Treaty of Waitangi and making connections to our classrooms. | |
