Athletics Practice

This afternoon, Māhutonga Matariki ventured down to the beach for an afternoon of Athletics practice. After a soggy start to the week, it was refreshing to spend some time in the sun (wearing sunhats and sunscreen of course!) and prepare for our upcoming Athletics Day. We practiced Long Jump, Quoits, and Vortex. Our main focus was on refining our technique.. We are looking forward to returning to the beach next Tuesday for the big day!

Consensus Maps: Learning to Negotiate and Reach Agreement

Negotiation is one of our big foci this term. We have been collaborating in Maths, during Inquiry and honing those skills with Survivor. The consensus map builds on these, really digging down into what is involved in effective negotiation. It's a way to organise and present different ideas or solutions to a problem. The middle circle is where the group present their solution, after having a conversation and achieving consensus.

We know that, as we grow up we will have to work with people from all walks of life, often people who are not our friends but, we can still be productive and achieve positive outcomes working with these people. Critical thinking, developing solid arguments, listening, compromising and thinking flexibly are some of the many parts of completing a consensus map. Quite a challenge!

From an educational point of view we know the benefits of students building knowledge together. In a recent article, 'Collaborative Learning and Knowledge Building', Fred de Jong notes that, 'All students are legitimate contributors to community goals and take responsibility for advancing the community’s knowledge, not just their individual learning.' We are very much in the process of supporting each other to create new knowledge and ways of understanding.

In this case we have been wondering about the gender pay gap; why women are paid less than men and we are expecting a solution. This will be one of the many issues we cover during our current Inquiry; Wahine Toa; The Gender Dilema.

Reports: Marine Science.

As mentioned last week we are well into report writing, bringing all of our considerable knowledge together in this final piece of writing for the term. There is some impressive work nearing completion as we develop expert knowledge about our chosen species. Did you know for example that Ocotopi have 3 hearts!

We are proud of the quality work being prodiuced and the great effort that kids are putting into it. They have researched the subject thoroughly and are telling these amazing stories of adaptation and survival in challenging environments. Here are a few samples to go on with.

Orchestra

Orchestra members attended our second big Orcestra Extravaganza, the Wellington Orchestra Festival on Monday. There were close to 150 musicians involved, an incredible number. The orchestra was made up of a huge variety of instruments from strings, guitars, wind instruments, keyboards and percussion. The end result after a day of rehearsals together was an afternoon concert where the six pieces were performed to parents. The students showed determination and enthusiasm as they challenged themselves with new music styles and skills. The pieces played were: Pepeha by Six60, The Jurassic Park Theme, Moritat (Mack the Knife), Toreador Song (from Carmen), Big Fish, and Another Day of Sun (from the movie Lala Land). So, what did the kids who went think of the experience? Sammy: I enjoyed it and I want to do it again. Finn: The hours were very long and my legs hurt but it was fun in general. My favourite song was Pepeha, I played both the bass and guitar parts on the keyboard, it sounded really good. Jack: I really enjoyed it, it was really fun and I'll definitely do it again. My favourite song was Pepeha. It was pretty easy and fun. Amelia: I loved playing in the big group because all 160 people sounded so good togher. Even though I didnt know all the songs I felt I did well. My favrouite song was Big Fish. It is a Chinese song. There were some bits that all the violins plucked the strings. I thought it sounded so good. Cam: It was so fun playing guitar all day it was great! My favourite piece was Pepeha. Finn: It was really interesting and fun. Marco: It was really worth the effort and if everyone keeps trying they can do it too. Alexander: It was fun. It was hard and I feel proud that I did it. It sounds like an amazing experience. Thanks to Kirsten for taking our entourage of minstrels.

Bottle Rockets!

Today, we took our science lesson outside to launch bottle rockets. Each group worked together to set up their rockets, pump the air, and measure the results. As we increased the air pressure, the rockets shot up, demonstrating the relationship between force and motion in a clear, hands-on way. It was great to see the students engaged, asking questions, and refining their techniques with each launch. The lesson brought theory to life, showing how air pressure can create enough force to send a simple bottle flying into the sky.

Eastern Zone Floorball Tournament

We had a fantastic day at the Eastern Zone Floorball Tournament. The focus of the tournament is good sporting attitudes which our kids showed in spades full! The Wolves, Wildcats and Bears all showed great spirit, supporting each other while competing.

It's always good to get out and do something different and see our kids so positive! Great job everybody!

Marine Science Tic Tac Toe

While we were working in small groups to develop dance and musical ideas, we were also working independently on our Marine Science project. We planned our own set of activities; many people choosing to research a species in the plankton stages, how they develop, their habitats and how where they fit into the food web.

We have worked through the Tic Tac Toe idependently, showing great Learner Agency to complete tasks and have produced some real quality work.

We have been writing reports too, bringing all of the research together and presenting our knowledge and opinions about how to best care for these species, many of which are endangered in some way. We will be putting the finishing touches to these tomorrow and early next week.