Camp Info/Transition 2022

Year 5 + 6 Camp  - 9 -11 March 2022 (Year 4 - day at camp 10 March)

Aims of Camp

• Managing self 

• Participating and contributing

• Relating to others 

• Thinking (particularly goal setting and reflection)

 It is a great opportunity for our kids to develop Resilience and amazing to see them overcoming their fears and achieving success.  We need to plan carefully prior to camp to ensure that this is a positive experience for all.  

Health and Safety

All activities are well planned for and managed by YMCA staff. Safety guidelines and procedures are highlighted before all activities. Camp documentation is up to date with current practice in the sector.

Staying overnight

One of the greatest challenges of Camp is of course, simply staying away from home overnight. If your child has never stayed away from home before - practise!  Those who are nervous can choose (to a degree) who they share a cabin with, so they have the support of their close friends. Teachers encourage those who are homesick to hang on and overcome.  They are really proud of themselves when they manage this. Students are expected to pack their own bags so that they are able to keep an eye on their own belongings, a practical side of managing themselves.  

Top Tips - from a parent

1. DO NOT pack their camp bags for them! Despite how much easier it would be.  If  they physically choose and put the items in their bag they are building vital life skills in self-care, and setting themselves up for success at camp where they are responsible for finding what they need.

2. Discuss with them why each item might be important as they pack. Maybe hold the checklist and help check off the items as they pack - this also keeps your hands busy so you can’t help!!

3. If they don’t usually use a sleeping bag, practice taking it out of the bag and repacking it. If they want to let them sleep in it before camp at home so it feels more familiar.

4. Get them to name their belongings themselves. Lots of kids have similar clothing or sleeping bags – pack up and cabin clean up time on the last day is CHAOS! Named items are much easier to find and if they have written their own name they know what to look for.

5. Help them choose to pack snacks that will give them a longer energy boost, in case they don’t like the food.

6. Last reminder, because this is perhaps the hardest! Do not pack for them :-)

Transition 

Base Groups

Each child will be assigned to a Base Group made up of students in years 4-6. The teacher assigned to this group is your first point of contact ( pastoral care) and coordinates the pulling together of assessment and reporting and also conversations with yourselves.

Your child has spent time in their new space over the last term.  This is an opportunity to get a feel of the sorts of learning they will be involved in, as well as getting to know the new learning spaces and teachers that will be part of their learning journey next year.

Learning groups

As well as spending time learning in their base group, your child might have a different group of peers for Reading, Writing and Maths. This teacher may or may not be the Base Group teacher. These groups are organised according to need and can change over time. The Base Group teacher will still be the first point of contact in regards to learning.

Learning

We run an exciting programme based around big themes and questions connected to Inquiry.  There is a focus on Positive Education, The Arts and Te Ao Māori running alongside and integrated with our Literacy and Numeracy programmes.  We support the learning needs of our students and offer many opportunities for students to work to their strengths.  Learners in the Māhutonga Matariki Whānau are exposed to authentic and stimulating learning experiences and are given the opportunity to express themselves via their work.  Creativity is at the forefront of our approach to learning.  We communicate learning and notices through Seesaw, this is a great place to see what’s going on in the classroom.

What about devices?

In the Seniors, children can bring in their own specified device, if they wish to, but it is in no way compulsory at all. Technology is great if it can add value. We are trying hard to limit screen time across the school and ensure there is a good balance of physical, academic, social, emotional, relational activities happening that do not require a rectangle box. It’s a balancing act! You will already be familiar with the Technology Agreement. Any inappropriate use is taken very seriously and you will know about it. 

Our Teachers

Our teaching team is one fewer next year. John will be in the Matariki space and Nic and Jenny in the Māhutonga space. Please introduce yourself to us if your child is new to the spaces. Cloe is a Learning  Assistant spending some time in Māhutonga Matariki. We are already excited about 2022!

 

Ngā mihi nui, 

John, Nic, Jenny and Cloe

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!

Being Powerful in Lockdown

Our learner attribute this term is "I am Powerful." We have been demonstrating this at home with all of the creative and wonderful things that we have been doing in our "bubbles". We are overcoming challenges, persevering, taking action and making the most of the situation. 

For our Arts Inquiry, we have been thinking about things that inspire us. Maybe some of these will inspire you... 

How to make a Spiderweb

A ping pong challenge!

Being creative with graphing about Covid-19 data by Emelie

"If you google 'giraffe' you can choose to see it in 3D then put it anywhere you like! It is heaps of fun and you can try all sorts of animals."

"We have started to stitch plants out of felt. Yesterday I finished my Venus Flytrap. Now I am working on a spider."

"We have been really inspired by all the memetic and compositional art... thanks for the wonderful ideas."

"You mix 2 cups of cornflour with 1 cup of water, and you can put 3 drops of any food colouring in. Very simple. Mix it up"

Ajooni: When I visited Weta cave last year, there was an artist who made sculptures out of tinfoil. I decided to do the same. Here is my cactus.

Petra: We did a taste test. I got everything correct. I loved the marshmallows and candy floss but the blue cheese was yucky!

What a great way to focus on our Positive Health and practice Maths at the same time!

How to Garden

These guys followed the pattern of one of their favourite YouTubers who translates english text into about 10 other languages, then back to english. This was the result... it is not recommended you follow the google translate version if you want to succeed at your gardening!!!

 

Art Gallery Recreations

Even though we can't visit Museums and Art Galleries at the moment, we can still enjoy the art in other ways. People across the world have been recreating famous paintings. If you would like to add to our Art Gallery, please post your recreations to the Padlet below.

 

Add your own on the Padlet below: 

Rock Art by Hayley

All along the Seatoun waterfront there is something magical happening...

Rocks painted in all sorts of characters are popping up weekly. Do you recognise some of these?

There are also smaller rocks that have been painted by children around the neighbourhood.

Would you like to get involved? Easy!
Just collect a rock or pebble and paint it - it doesn't have to be fancy. 

Then put it somewhere for passers by to discover and enjoy!

It's a lot of fun!