We are Connected!

Our Learner Attribute focus this term is "I am Connected." Marlon and Tommy made a movie to see what we think being connected means to us... 

 

Brindas School

Bonjour, how have you been doing sorry we have took so long to reply 😅

We are connected

We have been connected to nature when we were gardening and pulling out weeds in the garden and helping the plants. When the year 10s and Gabrielle came to help us. We were connected by being with the year 10s from Scots college.

Positive Purpose

We have positive purpose days on Thursday and Friday and an example of that is moving bark chips and sand for the juniors.

Letters

We have written some letters to you, Te Aro school and Zurich school.

The letters will be coming to your school in maybe term 3 or 4. We hope you reply.

Brindas School, We have been friends for so long now and we are happy to reply for the first time in 2023 and ‘merci’ so much for the video and see you later bye 😃😃😃

From Worser Bay School /The Star Gazers

Writing by Marcia and Ethan

We made this movie for our friends in Brindas School in France to say "bonjour."

You can read more on their blog: http://cm1.galligani.eu/auroa-school/friends-2022-2023/

We have also been connected to our teacher and friend, Jenny who lives in London now. 

Otto: It was good to see Jenny today. We haven't seen her in so long. I wonder how it has been in London. We know that she has visited Porugal, The Netherlands and is going to Italy soon. I wonder how it has been in Britain. Is it similar to New Zealand? 

Chloe: Kids at Jenny's school get told off if they take off their shoes. They need to wear uniforms. It was really nice to see her. 

Fabian: It was good seeing Jenny. We sang to her. I wonder when she will come back to New Zealand to visit. 

Rowan: Jenny, I want to let you know that yes, we are annoying John for you!

Gigi: I wonder what different food Jenny has had in the different countries that she has been to.

Zen: It was nice to speak to Jenny. We would love to hear her talk in a british accent and say something like "A bottle of water!" I hope we get to Zoom call again.

Jasper: It was nice meeting Jenny. I wonder what food she likes in England. 

Amelia: It was really cool to see Jenny. We haven't seen her for 6 months. It was very exciting. I didn't want to leave the call as she has been one of my favourite teachers. I wonder what the kids are like at her school. I wonder if they behave themselves. 

Soma: Jenny said that the coffee is not so good. New Zealand coffee is much better. She is drinking tea instead. 

Amber: I really liked talking to Jenny, but I really miss her. I wonder if we can facetime again... I wonder what life is like in London.

Kia ora Brindas School

Kia ora and bonjour to our friends at Brindas School in France,  

We have made a short video for you. 

We hope that you all have a great Christmas break and we look forward to collaborating again next year!

Here are some messages for you...

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!

Being Connected: Travelling Tales

During lockdown, some of our students were involved in Travelling Tales. Students were allocated a section of the story to write and illustrate. After they finished their part, it was passed on to the next student. What a great way to demonstrate our learner attribute of "being connected." 

In the past, we have been involved in Travelling Tales with other schools across the globe created by Joel Bevans. 

Story Mountain Planner:

Beach Day- Reconnecting at the Beach

Today was our first day back at school. We went to the beach to reconnect with our friends and teachers. We were also immersed in our beautiful surroundings. What a wonderful day. It is great to be back!

What have we been up to?

Here's a wee update about what we have all been up to!

We went for a walk around Zealandia before lockdown

Saying goodbye, just before we went home on the Monday for lockdown!

Jenny

Kia Ora!

How are you? I have been missing our Māhutonga Matariki whanau, but I am really enjoying seeing all your wonderful learning on Seesaw. Especially when you leave a voice message explaining what your thinking was. I am also enjoying reading your jokes and seeing your book recommendations - very cool. 

I am knitting a hat for my friend. I like to listen to podcasts while I knit. It's pretty fiddly at the start and I have to use perseverance and grit to get through. It'll be worth it in the end!

I've also been baking almost every day (I’ve also been exercising everyday). Last night I made pasta for tea. It was yum! Are you cooking for your families?

I am making sure I am staying active and getting out for a walk and doing yoga just like we do at school every morning. It is helping me get ready for the day and keeping my mind clear.

I'm really keen to see more questions go on the science padlet. If you want some help, let me know!

Be kind. Happy Easter!

Jenny

Nik

Kia ora koutou!

I hope everyone is having a magical time in their bubble. I’ve been really impressed with everyone’s home learning posts on Seesaw, it really proves how powerful and connected our learning community is!

I was meant to be going up to Gisborne for Easter, so I’m a bit sad that I can’t go and spend it with my family. How lucky are we to be able to so easily connect through technology though? We have been using Zoom and Houseparty to catch up with friends and family from all over the world - we’ve probably seen more of them than we would’ve otherwise! There are many, many silver linings to this crisis. 

Apart from cooking, cleaning and looking after my wife (who had knee surgery the day before the lockdown started) I have been working really hard on my fitness. I’ve been doing P.E. with Joe, going for lots of runs around the hills and doing a daily press-up challenge with my friends. 

Noho ora mai koutou! Stay safe, be kind and have a lovely Easter staycation 😃

Nik

Nic

Kia ora all, How are you all going? I have loved seeing your posts on Seesaw and hearing about what you have been

up to. It has been lovely to see you all connected socially whilst physically distancing.

I have been running and doing yoga every day since the lockdown. My husband (Nick) and I have
started every day with yoga. It has been a great way to start the day! Running every day is quite tough
but I am enjoying the challenge. Yoga helps me to stay flexible so that I can keep up with the running.
I have also been doing some weights and been on the spinning bike too. 

I have also been cooking. I have been sharing recipes with my brother, Stuart, who lives in the UK.
I have been cooking lots of new things! I find cooking quite relaxing. I’ve been talking with my family
lots too. They are all safe and well. 

I have been looking in my backyard and investigating some of the interesting flora and fauna out there.
I have been surprised about some of the things that I have found when I have looked more closely.
I will be interested to hear what you find in your backyard!

I have also been getting stuck into my personal reading. I am grateful to have the time to do this.
What are you reading? 

Worser Bay staff have been meeting each morning to do a daily quiz. This has been a lovely way to

stay connected!

We miss you all. 

He waka eke noa !! We are all in this together.

Love Nic x

Teuila

Talofa Guys!!!! What's up!!I bet you guys are doing awesome in your bubbles.  I've been doing heaps
of fun stuff and lots of DIY (Do It Yourself) like….

ANT EXTERMINATOR the ants at my house have been staying home too but being real pests so had to make my ant bait to get rid of them arrgghhh!

SHOE DESIGNER look how I turned a pair of plain white converse into Zebra Kicks can't wait to wear them at school to show off my styles!

TIK TOK & INSTAGRAM CAMERAMEN...my daughter Lani trying to do her Handstand Challenge to Shakira music we must have shot a 100 takes and still haven't perfected it!

Do you like my Cactus Top Bun? I think it will go great with my Zebra Kicks lol!!

So get into some DIY, it's so much fun and you'll learn new and fun stuff. Stay safe Peeps miss you all Teuila xx

John

Kia Ora e te Whānau!

We have been really impressed to see so many of you involved in Home Learning and expect we will see
still more of you this and next week.

Being in lockdown has had all sorts of effects, many of them strangely positive.  I have really enjoyed
spending heaps of time with my family. I have been appreciating them and I am grateful for the different
things which they bring to our whānau.  

Louie for example is a fantastic chef!  We have been eating some quite fancy food.  He approaches
cooking much as a scientist approaches an experiment, with a great deal of thought and planning.  The effects are superb! For example one night he made a Lamb Ragout with Pappardelle, a homemade pasta. He cooked the Ragout for about 6 hours!  Mia helped make the pasta dough and then they rolled it out together on the kitchen table. We got dressed up so everybody looked as fancy as the food. 

Lamb Ragout & Pappardelle!                                                                            

Woah! Fancy!

                            

I have spent a lot of time in the garden too.  Weeding, weeding and weeding some more. And, trimming a very large Karaka tree.  That’s where I found the old Tui nest. It has been really hard work but also very satisfying.

I made a basketball hoop for Zico so that he gets some exercise, a challenge for us all.  We have been using a Spin Bike, running and doing yoga to keep healthy.

Miranda had her birthday in lockdown so we couldn’t buy her a present.  I made her a song as a present instead. She had been whistling to the birds, making us all laugh, so I made a song with a background of bird song to celebrate and remember. 

I think that it’s good to keep a creative life going, no matter what the circumstances.  When the weather was bad I was painting, reading and writing. And doing school work because work doesn’t stop just because we are confined to our homes.

 

This is one of my paintings.  Geez John, did you do that at Kindy?

My son Pirimi is in London so we chat to him on Facetime most days.  He gives us recommendations of good shows to watch. His Dark Materials, the Phillip Pullman series on Neon is the best so far.  Absolutely brilliant. The books are even better!

Looking forward to speaking to you all soon. 

Arohanui

John

Cloe

Hello everyone

It’s a lovely day in our bubble.  Tony is working already, hidden behind a screen.

Even so...I miss you, I miss my friends, I miss the kids....I miss the butcher and the baker. I miss the pool (you know how much I love to go to the pool….)

So I talk to people I love.....

Bubbles are short-lived, that’s why they’re so lovely....

So see you soon.

Clotilde

Suzanne

Kia Ora Koutou ,

Kei te pehea koutou ?   We are all good in our bubble and missing everyone !   We have been up to all kinds of things and like many of 

you, lots of DIY !  Lucy and I have been making lots of sweet treats 

and we are waiting to see how our rock crystals turn out !     

We have been working together and practising our te reo maori.  I have done lots of extra study too.
We have also been taking advantage of the lovely weather.  We had the tent up for 2 days before the
wind started. 

Lucy also had her birthday 

lockdown so we had a little 

party for her and she saw 

her friends online.  

We are looking forward

to returning to school 

whenever that may be so 

until then we will be watching and connecting online from our bubble  :-)   

Love 

Suz, Ren and 

Lucy xox