27 August 2021

Post date: Aug 27, 2021 2:5:13 AM

We find ourselves in the place we have been before.... this time, stronger, creative and generous! Generous of time, ideas and heart!

I asked the staff to note down things that are going well in terms of student learning and connection with others and teachers, parent/teacher link, noticing strengths and passions and who needs what right now? Also, in terms of staff learning - there has been a lot happening!

So I've ended up with pages of thoughts from the staff as to 'the gems' over this time. Ready............ it's an outpouring in no particular order!

  • Seeing the kids!

  • Students are following their passions, eg. Art, practising bike skills, creating a wonderful biography and developing a website about their family.

  • Travelling Tales has been good so far to connect students with writing.

  • Students have been practising basic facts at home.

  • Parent/teacher communication is individualised - for what is needed.

  • Learner agency - Students have been contacting each other and interacting online in positive ways. We have Kahoot quizzes and collaborative art happening.

  • We have been finding new and exciting ways to keep the momentum going for all our students including our learners who need something different.

  • Feel like everything just kicked into gear. :-)

  • Kids are getting used to using the technology.

  • Teachers' videos and tutorials are great examples of Resilience and positive messaging.

  • Some of our children are seasoned pros at home learning and have slotted back into what worked in 2020. Good mix of following our home learning plan, engaging with our Zoom sessions, but also doing what works for them, self-directing. (One is reading the complete works of Shakespeare, another creating game characters with backstories.)

  • The Family History Inquiry. A lot achieved that would have been impossible in class. Kids touching on or unearthing some much deeper ideas.

  • Prompt response from kids/whānau - questions coming through quickly - because we’ve been here before.

  • A great outpour of appreciation from parents - emails are really positive/thoughtful.

  • Kids have been contacting each other more readily, organising their own catch ups which shows a bit of grit/bounce back and that social cohesion we are seeking.

  • Many kids are showing how resourceful they are and are doing things which are unexpected, conducting research into things which we are surprised by.

  • Teaching is a creative process and we are all having to think about what works. I have had really good 1:1 discussions and think this is a good use of time when working online.

  • The variety of activities on offer for students to choose from and the different ways they use Seesaw to display these (videos, pictures, etc).

  • Great engagement from our families from the word go this week. Loads of stuff being put on Seesaw (it comes into its own in Lockdown) and almost the entire class at storytime. It's impressive as many of or families are new to this way of learning.

  • If Seesaw is anything to go by, lots of practical, off-line activities happening, which is really in tune with the ‘Autahi way’. We seem to be on the same page as our parents, and our parents are very creative! I also feel like many of them are having fun with this.

  • Some great conversations with parents around their children’s learning. It’s interesting how it’s one thing being told about what your child is working on, and quite another experiencing doing learning tasks alongside them.

  • Lots of great questions: how do I help them with their writing (how much do I tell them)? How can I help my child to learn their Rocket Words? What else can I do to encourage my child to read?

Then some more ' staff-y' comments ...........

  • The new style Professional Learning 'Smackdown' was inventive and worked well. Good chance to go deeper into the debate around Maths education, reflect on practice, our students' achievement, our balance between “progressive” and “traditional” (if that dichotomy even exists).

  • Seamless transition to us all working from home.

  • Keeping up with Quiz and many 'office' things are all via technology now anyway.

  • Time to think clearly.

  • The team has been awesome and staff-wide too. Some great discussions about Maths today and about Writing during Monday’s PLD. These discussions have thrown up actions too which we can get into soon.

Wow - thankyou for all that you are doing in your homes. We know it won't always be smooth sailing - some days there may be lots of learning, others not so much. Just do what makes sense for your whānau and try and keep focused on the bits that are working well.

"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

And thankyou for your thoughtful appreciation of our team.

Expect communication over the weekend if Alert Levels are changing and what this may mean for school.

Friday 3 September is no longer a Kahui Ako Staff Only Day. This is now postponed until 1 April 2022.