Tessellations: Exploring Patterns in Other Cultures

We are easing into Maths with Geometry, looking at the amazing geometric patterns occuring across the world in so many different cultures. Students are exploring these patterns, learning how they tessellate (is it a reflection, rotation or transformation?) and are trying to produce examples themselves. The really adventurous are then designing theor own versions. Proof that Maths is creative. The team work is also a great feature of this work.

Pōhwhiri Practice

Powhiri is next week and we have been oiling our Haka muscles. If you have been at pick up you might have heard some pretty powerful renditions of Toia Mai and some very sweet singing.

We have also been learning about the purpose of powhiri and the roles that the many different people play in order for the powhiri to take place. An example of this is the Kaikōrero who cannot speak without the support of the Kaikaranga.

The marae is a place where different people meet. They share ideas, sometimes dispute and argue and, in most cases they come to agreement. The marae is the domain of Tūmatauenga, the god of war but in our case we look to Rongo, the god of peace. Rongomātane is normally the god of the Wharenui where people meet after the powhiri. We don’t have a Whare so we conduct that part of the ceremony on our Marae.

Our place is one in which the kaupapa of peace, positive education and wellbeing are at our foundations so our Powhiri is welcoming and a beautiful occasion. See you there!

Manaakitanga

What is manaakitanga?! 

Manaakitanga

Mana being the important part here using manaakitanga means that you are lifting the Mana of yourself and of those around you. It's about take care of one another. It is about being a good host and making people feel welcome. 

A big part of this for us has been thinking about what manaakitanga looks and feels like for us as kids. We explored this more closely on Wednesday through role play. The students acted out scenarios (provided by them) in which people showed (or failed to show!) manaakitanga. 

Most solutions involved getting an adult, we wondered what are some other solutions we know? We are looking forward to exploring this concept more in the coming weeks. 

Please continue on the conversation at home, what does Manaakitanga mean in your family? What does it look like?

What makes a good leader?

 Year 5 & 6 got together today to start thinking about... CAMP! Exciting stuff. While we were there, we had a kōrero about leadership. 

Here's our hefty list of leadership attributes:

We then had to choose a leader of our own and think about what qualities they show, and how.

Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was a popular choice! Others chose family members, teachers, community leaders like Bobby from Re-usabowl and activist Malala Yousafzai. 

Tūrangawaewae

We have been exploring our own Tūrangawaewae. We have been thinking about where we grew up, where our parents grew up, our culture, our values and interests. 

Tūranga - Position

Waewae - Feet

Tūrangawaewae is translated as the place where we stand!

Tūrangawaewae are places where we feel empowered and connected. They are our place in the world and our home. 

A person’s marae is often seen as their Tūrangawaewae.

Global Play Day 2021

Unstructured play is recognised as an important part of developing social, collaborative and problem-solving skills for children. We celebrated Global Play Day on Friday 5th February. Our students enjoyed playing games with each other. It was interesting to see how they used their imaginations!

We spent half of the day playing at the beach and half of the day playing at school. We asked: Where is the best place to play? School or the beach? What do you think? 

Character Strengths in Action!

Welcome back to 2021! We are excited to share our beautiful new school. Now that we have access to most areas in the school, we thought it was time for a Character Strengths treasure hunt. 

The 24 strengths have been placed as plaques in different places in our outdoor environment. 

We have been appreciating that everyone is different. Everyone has these strengths in different degrees. We reflected on what strengths we use well, which strengths we need to dial up and which strengths would we like to know more about.