The Arts Celebration 2021 - Whetukairangi Gallery

On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, we opened up the school as an Art Gallery. It was wonderful to share our Art with our whānau. 

Maggie: I liked how Autahi used a toy that was special to them. They also did a thing where you could make a face out of some of their play stuff. I liked how Tautoru used music. 

Fabian: I really liked the art from Matariki because it had a really good carving of the north island of New Zealand and I liked that they had little clay characters and they are gonna make a little stop motion movie. I liked the art from the little kids because they did photos of they themselves and made a background.

Sabine: My favourite piece of art in autahi was the ones where they took photos of themselves with their favourite toys and then made them into collages. They made it look a whole lot more abstract with what they put on their art. My favourite piece in tautoru was their music and beats I thought it was really cool the way they made the beat and rhythm and different sounds and their method of keeping the beat and time and when to actually play their instruments. My favourite piece of art in Matariki was the floating inspiration books they were really interesting and abstract the way they put them up. I also liked the spinning tops I thought the illusion was really cool.

Sophie: I liked the way Autahi did lots of different ideas of one style of art and my favourite style of art was the one were you could touch it and play around with it. I liked it so much because it was different to the normal idea of art which is to hang it up or do something like that and then you can’t touch it. I liked the way Tautoru also did one style of art in different ways, I also liked how they learnt about music and how to read their own little sheet of it. My favourite part about Tautoru’s art was watching them put all that work into learning about music because it was really cool watching them making music.

Luca S: When I walked into Matariki, I was overwhelmed with amazing art, it was so cool to see the finished product of all their art, i had seen a tiny bit of their art in the process but it was still so cool seeing the finished products. I am very proud of my art that I did this year and I have put in a lot of work, same as lots of other people, my stop-motion is one of the things I am most proud of because it started off as and idea, now it is a meaningful short clip.

This is our Matariki Māhutonga movie with some of our poems and some of our stop motion.

Mae S: In tautoru, I liked the greeting art. It was very tidy and colourful, and I liked the way they included Maori things in their art celebration. The tree that was next to them I thought was cool- with all the fairy lights and such. Overall their art celebration was very nice. I think Tautoru did an amazing job and worked VERY hard on it! I think that they did lots of hard mahi!

Addison: I loved how Autahi put play and art together and I thought that their art was pretty abstract. I loved how Tautoru made art of their own faces and the things that they loved and I think that was pretty creative.

Will: Visiting the Autahi and Tautoru art was actually really cool. It was very different to our art, and it was quite interesting too. Autahi’s art was about self portraits and faces. They made faces out of toys and lego, took pictures of themselves with their special toys, and sketched the photos. They all drew self portraits, and got their friends to do them as well. There was also a half and half game, where they would fold the paper over and do one side of the face each. They also did pop art collages in the corridor as well. The art in Tautoru was about the students introducing themselves. They took selfies (not like you would take a selfie though) and printed them out in a black and white filter. That way they could colour it in and it would be realistic and colourful. They also made art about what they enjoyed doing, what they liked, and some things about themselves. There was also a section with pop art including the words “Ko ***student’s name*** Au”, in messed around and jumbled up letters. They also made a lot of music and beat, to perform together in a group.

Nicolas: I enjoyed it, Autahi blew my mind! And Tautoru too! How are they doing this?! I really enjoyed going to look at the senior art too!

Sam M: This term I enjoyed the Art Celebration. It was fun to learn about the process and meaning of art. It was fun learning how to control paint. Before I didn't really know how to paint and I would rush and complete it in a day. I believe I have improved my skill of painting. I liked doing the Marc Chagall painting the most. I was really happy with the shading and look of my painting but I still can improve. During the Art Celebration I really liked working with my friends. I enjoyed making wire characters and objects and finding funny ways to arrange them then we made a stop motion movie with them. It was great seeing it projected in Māhutonga.

ASB Trip

On Friday, we went to the ASB. We played Netball, Ki-o-rahi, ultimate frisbee and we had fun on the inflatables. We appreciate the opportunity and are very grateful to the awesome coaches! We had a great time. 

Year 4 Netball

On Tuesday, we welcomed some top coaches from Netball New Zealand to give us a taster netball coaching session. Ask your child about it: there are opportunities to get involved in netball at our school.

It was really fun and we got to play netball against each other. We practised and learnt new skills. 

By Maggie

The Arts Celebration- The Inspiration Book!

We have been busy exploring and creating in our Inquiry, "The Inspiration Book" 

We asked: 

How do artists use Art to share ideas and influence change?

We are looking at the purpose of Art and why we do Art. We are thinking about how we can portray a message and influence change through Art.

Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate: Celebrate The Arts!
Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 September, 6pm to 7.30pm

It’s time for our Arts Celebration, a highlight in our calendar.
It’s a chance to recognise, validate and... celebrate other ways of learning and expressing ourselves.

Tuesday Autahi and Tautoru families
Please arrive at any time from 6pm – 7pm

Wednesday Matariki and Māhutonga families
Please arrive at any time from 6pm – 7pm

Level 2 Protocols:

One way circuit through the school – entry via Seatoun Heights driveway and exit through Awa Road – see map below.

We will keep to a maximum of 100 people indoors.

Face coverings are to be worn.

Please arrive at any time from 6pm – 7pm.

Families with children in both junior and senior are welcome to come on either night but only once please.

The whole school will be open on both nights.

We look forward to celebrating with you !

Maths is all around us! Collaboration with Auroa School

Maths is EVERYWHERE! It surrounds us in nature and technology. Everyday tasks such as driving, playing sports or cooking, require us to use Maths.

Maths influences our daily lives. Galileo said, "Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe."   

In collaboration with our friends at Auroa School in Taranaki, we asked the students to put on their "Maths Eyes" and look for Maths around them. We started adding to these slides in lockdown. 

Can you answer the questions? Can you create your own Maths questions? 

The purpose of having Maths Eyes is to show that Maths is meaningful and it is not just something that we do in school. 

'Why is it important to have Maths Eyes?

• Having maths eyes promotes the usefulness of mathematics – Everyone has maths eyes they just need to be opened. Involves individuals, parents, children, young adolescents, pensioners, teachers, tutors.
• Having maths eyes builds confidence in mathematics.
• Having maths eyes encourages the use of the real world as a starting point for the relevant exploration in the maths world.
• Having maths eyes provides excellent opportunities for linking education (primary, secondary, adult) and community.
• Having maths eyes provides a platform for adults and children to share their maths eyes in their everyday life whether they are shopping, walking, driving, at sports events – everywhere. Open a channel for dialogue about real world mathematics.
• Maths Eyes provides parents with opportunities to talk about mathematics that are not related to homework
• Having maths eyes promotes active citizenship and informed decision making.
• When teachers, and tutors have maths eyes they can identify real world starting points for mathematics teaching and learning that are relevant to the social, cultural and educational context of their learners.
• Developing maths eyes helps to create a new inheritance for future generations –‘ we are all real world maths people’

This list was directly quoted from the Maths Eyes Website: http://www.haveyougotmathseyes.com/

Playing Maths games are fun!

Inspiration Book: Inspired by Matisse

Our Inquiry is called, "The Inspiration Book." We asked: How do artists use Art to share ideas and influence change? We are looking at the purpose of Art and why we do Art.

On Friday, we were inspired by the work of Henri Matisse. We are dialling up our strength of Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence! We are getting ready for our Arts Celebration. Watch this space...

Please have a look at our Matisse inspired Art:

Positive Relationships - Back to School!

We were all so happy to welcome students back to school on Thursday!

In conversations, emails and Seesaw posts, students said that the thing that they missed the most about school during lockdown was friends! Our focus on Thursday and Friday was to spend time reconnecting with each other. The research says that social relationships are an integral part of happiness and flourishing. You can read more In the Institute of Positive Education - Literature Reviews.

The Institute of Positive Education- Positive Relationships review summarised: 

Positive Relationships and Flourishing: Relationships between whānau, teachers, friends and other members of the school community help students to flourish!

Relationships and Accomplishment: Relationships benefit student achievement. It helps motivation and engagement in school. Relationships also help students to communicate, which sets them up for success in later life. 

Emotional and Social Intelligence: 

We aim for students to develop:  

1. the ability to perceive emotions in self and others

2. an understanding of how emotions influence thinking and decision making

3. understanding the emotions of self and others

4. managing and regulating emotions

At Worser Bay School we strive to uplift the mana of others by being inclusive and having a mutual respect. 

Active Constructive Responding: We have been sharing positive experiences. 'As people tell their story they relieve and savour the experience thereby enhancing the positive emotions drawn from it... This research supports the importance of encouraging students to take the time to be genuinely and sincerely supportive of the accomplishments of their family members and peers.'

Using Strengths- Gratitude and Forgiveness: These strengths help to enhance Positive Relationships. These link with relationship satisfaction and increased happiness. 

The Flourish Model

Positive Engagement at Home

My sea life diorama

The 'Flourish' model is a road map of what we want for ourselves, our students, our teachers, our whāanau and our communities. This model is at the heart of what we do at Worser Bay School. We strive to develop a culture of wellbeing towards ourselves and others. Social and emotional learning is inextricably linked to academic learning outcomes. It’s this holistic approach that we value the most - where supporting the building of a student’s character is just as important as the academic. It’s not a case of either/ or.

Our Year 6 leaver profile states that students leave Worser Bay as connected, curious and confident thinkers. This means that they leave with a strong sense of Positive Engagement. it is important that our students experience concentration, interest, and enjoyment while taking part in activities that they find motivating.  

Positive Engagement is about getting into the "flow." This is a concept describing those times when you are completely absorbed in a challenging but doable task. 

We have loved seeing many of our students getting into the "flow" during lockdown. 

"This is my car and truck that I made. It took me 386 pages to make it. It took a lot of time and I finished it."

"This is our bird feeder we made with the help of dad"

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was one of the first psychologists in Positive Education to identify and research flow. He describes 8 characteristics of "flow."

1. Complete concentration on the task

2. Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback

3. Transformation of time (speeding up/ slowing down)

4. The experience is intrinsically rewarding

5. Effortlessness and ease

6. There is a balance between challenge and skills

7. Actions and awareness are merged

8. There is a feeling of control over the task.

"My construction project. I’m really enjoying building."

Jake: This was the Huia I finished yesterday! It was very hard. We didn't make it its natural colour of black because you couldn't see the lines and the separations of everything.

"We’ve made some superhero puppets, writing a script and painting a background and putting on a father's day puppet show for dad."

Cleo: I was inspired by abstract artist and thought that I could do something similar of Gus (my dog).

Kura: My Art inspired by Matisse

Haru: We put some Shapes on top of the painting to cover stuff and that's how we got the shapes. We used a toothbrush and a paintbrush. I put the colour on the toothbrush then I hold it at the end where you use on the canvas. I pressed the toothbrush on the end of the paint brush and went back in forward. The paint splattered on to the newspaper and painting. When we took the newspaper shapes away there was white shapes there. My grandma show me the technique. She is an artist.

By Emelie

"for the art competition, I made my dream vacation HOBBITON, even though I have already been there. I still like it."

"We made some burgers with some sesames seeds and rosemary."

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says,"When we’re challenging ourselves with a task, our mind reaches full capacity. If the activity at hand happens to be something we enjoy and we’re good at, we achieve a flow mental state — and it can leave us feeling ecstatic, motivated and fulfilled."

We need to be in stretch zone!

The more we (or children) spend in the stretch zone, or flow the better our lives will be for well- being and overall happiness!

Tō tātou whakapapa - Family History Inquiry

After a very successful sharing of family taonga/heirlooms and stories at the beginning of Term 3, our attentions turned to digging a little deeper on our own history. We became curious! What caused our ancestors to move around? What experiences did they have? A great chance to make some connections not only to our Aotearoa New Zealand History Inquiry but also some of the history of the world at large. 

We began exploring, by interviewing family, friends and grandparents and doing some background research. Then it was time to sort and create - either through historical fiction, biography or artistic expression. 

In the middle of all this, we were plunged back into a nationwide level four lockdown. Fortunately this played right into our hands. It meant we had a much more direct line to those interviewees. More time and space to check out artefacts, photos etc. The Inquiry rolled on, and for many of us it gained momentum. 

When we meet again, we are looking forward to celebrating this learning with each other. For now, here are a few examples of our mahi. Enjoy! 

Family story collage - what an amazing mix of countries/cultures!