Embedded Files
Welcome
Term 3 | 2024
Welcome
Term 3 | 2024
Ngā mihi from the ASL team.
Ngā mihi from the ASL team.
Kia ora koutou,
Thank you to all WSL who attended the Week 3 Runanga on leadership and networking. It was so valuable meeting with you all and discussing all the gems that are happening at your kura, as well as workshopping areas that need support. We hope you were able to take some helpful tips away with you - we look forward to seeing you at the next Runanga in Term 4!
Just as the season has changed and our whenua begins to grow with new life, this term we too have seen changes that will prompt us to grow. In this newsletter we are delighted to share the many ways our kura within our Piritahi Kahui Ako are prioritising the learning, culture and sense of belonging of our ākonga despite the current changes afoot. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this terms newsletter and for allowing us all to celebrate your unique mahi that is happening in your school.
Tūngia te uruuru kia tupu whakaritorito te tupu o te harakeke
Clear away the undergrowth so the new shoots of the harakeke can grow.
Dates of Interest Going Forward
Dates of Interest Going Forward
Term 4/2024 Dates
WSL Runanga: 24th October 1-3pm - Understanding e-asTTle
e-asTTle training with Lynette: Wed-Fri, 23-25 October
Piritahi Staff Only Day: Friday 1 November
2025 Dates
Piritahi Staff Only Day: 30th January 2025
Featuring guest speakers Dr Paul Wood, Ngahi Bidois, and James Nottingham
Check out their profiles below...
Piritahi Staff Only Day (Maths Curriculum Day): Monday 3 March 2025
Matariki in our Piritahi
How did we celebrate Matariki in our kura?
Matariki in our Piritahi
How did we celebrate Matariki in our kura?
Redwoodtown School
At Redwoodtown we celebrated Matariki as a whanau in a range of ways. Some of us were at school from before sunrise and stayed until sunset! Our Year 7/8 made laterns in the ngahere from driftwood and wire. Our junior akonga made lanterns using paper and balloons.
Witherlea School
On Thursday 27th June (the day before the Matariki public holiday) we had a Matariki event at Witherlea School. As a school community, we went on a hikoi up to the top of Harling Park (the Tea House) to watch the sunrise and view the 9 stars of Matariki. At the top of the Harling Park our Kapa Haka group sang waiata and did a haka. When we got back to school, we had shared kai and milos. Parents were able to view our lovely Matariki Art in the hall and classrooms. Once we had shared kai and milos, we invited whanau into the classrooms to look at the students learning from the term. For the first block in the morning, we had a buddy morning with our buddy class where we played games, sang waiata, made arts and crafts, and spent time with each other. It was such a fabulous morning for our school.
Ward School
At Ward School we celebrated Matariki through hosting an event where the children went around in their house groups. Each rotation was a different activity; planting, rakau, cookie making and crafts. We learnt about the roll each of the stars have and finished with a whole school scared lunch. It was great to have community members and whanau join us for our event.
Marlborough Kindergarten Association
During the MKA Teacher Only Day, on the 18th of July, each Kindergarten's team of teachers came baring gifts they had made which they gifted to another Kindergarten. These gifts were inspired by the learning about Matariki that had taken place in each Kindergarten and included: a hand painted rock game inspired by the nga whetu Waipuna-ā-rangi, a hand made Matariki big book, cookies, Kindergarten made Kawakawa balm, hand made harakeke manu, a basket of Kindergarten grown seeds and a paua bird feeder. What a thoughtful way to celebrate Matariki together.
Bohally Intermediate School Presents... Fiafia Night 2024
Bohally Intermediate School Presents... Fiafia Night 2024
As a Principal, I am always looking at ways we can connect with our school whānau. Once students reach Intermediate School, parents are happy to drop and leave, often heading back into full-time work. Therefore, we don't have the same connection as primary schools. With the support of some key parents and Creative Fua we held a Fiafia. The purpose of the Fiafia was to engage our Pasifika community specifically and look at ways in which they could share their skills and talents. A Fiafia, a celebration or get-together, is traditionally a public social occasion where different people and groups share food and exchange their music and dance performances. Marlborough Boys and Marlborough Gils College Pasifika groups also performed; this was a specific highlight as it was an opportunity for our students to see the pathway they can take from our Pasifika group into theirs in a year or two. We had a good turnout, and everyone enjoyed the Pasifika food at the end of the evening, prepared by our Pasifika community.
Nicky Cameron-Dunn
My Voice, My Culture Pilot Programme
Bohally Intermediate and Richmond View Schools
My Voice, My Culture Pilot Programme
Bohally Intermediate and Richmond View Schools
Marlborough is a multicultural and multilingual region and this initiative is all about celebrating our cultural diversity. The impetus for this project came from hearing about something similar in place in Palmerston North.
Welcoming Communities and REAP Marlborough collaborated to develop a pilot programme for 2024. Thank you to Bohally Intermediate and Richmond View Schools who agreed to participate in this initiative.
During term 3 2024, 24 students from Bohally Intermediate and 7 students from Richmond View School met at Te Kahu o Waipuna Marlborough Library for the first My Voice My Culture writing workshops.
Our guest speaker , Audrey Xie (Manutaki Tāwāhi, International Leader Marlborough Girls College) opened our workshop by speaking about her experiences as an English Language Learner recently arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand and the benefits of speaking and writing in more than one language.
The students and their language mentors then completed an introduction activity and began their writing about Foods They Eat on Special Occasions. Language mentors worked alongside students to discuss the topic and help with translation between languages.
Jone from Bohally Intermediate shared that he had the best day speaking in his home language, Fijian, and working with his mentor. He mentioned that she was very nice, and they talked a lot about Fiji. Samvritha, also from Bohally, said she enjoyed the writing workshop and sharing her culture. She loved connecting with other bilingual students and learning about their cultures, and she especially enjoyed the food!
The ‘My Voice My Culture’ book of students' writing will be launched at a special assembly at each school later this year.
A celebration of writing, language and culture by Marlborough students from non-English speaking backgrounds.
A celebration of writing, language and culture by Marlborough students from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Grovetown's mural
"Tuia"
Grovetown's mural
"Tuia"
Last term Grovetown School captured the current 2024 story of this 158 year old kura in their new mural "Tuia". Tuia (to bind together) brings together the people, places, values and taonga that make Grovetown unique and visually reflects the unity of the Grovetown school community.
Grovetown has had a longstanding relationship with Rangitāne o Wairau and were honoured when Corey Hebberd offered to sponsor the new mural.
The Grovetown akonga have also designed symbols that represent each of them and these have been combined to create a collaborative mural. This collaborative mural is being painted on the outside of the pool fence in celebration of the re opening of the school pool since it was damaged in the Kaikoura quake. Grovetown Schools PSG (Parent Support Group) raised over $15000 to repair Grovetown Schools pool.
Springlands
"Springlands School Nikau Syndicate’s Exciting Science Adventure!"
Springlands
"Springlands School Nikau Syndicate’s Exciting Science Adventure!"
Springlands School Nikau Syndicate’s Exciting Science Adventure!
The Nikau Syndicate (Years 0-1) from Springlands School has been exploring states of matter as part of their inquiry unit this term. They had the exciting opportunity to visit Marlborough Girls' College (MGC) to see science in action. Hosted by Year 9 and 12 students, the children were captivated by experiments such as dry ice extinguishing flames, learning about CO2 and O2, elephant's toothpaste, bubbling lava lamps, and watching exploding film canisters rockets.
This experience was a fantastic example of Tuakana-Teina in action, fostering connections and relationships between different age groups and sectors.
Links to Ngā Kawatau me ngā Tūmanakotanga o Te Tauihu
We enable ākonga and whānau to be active participants in the process of learning, sharing ownership and responsibility for learning
We will practice ‘Ako’, establishing a learning environment where ākonga, whānau, and schools can listen and learn from each other.
Seddon...
The Year 7/8 Winners Epro 8 2024
Seddon...
The Year 7/8 Winners Epro 8 2024
EPRO8 is held all over New Zealand. There are three competitions - the in school followed by the Marlborough schools competition and from there onto Regional in Nelson. Our team of Kaizer Warren, Freddy Allan, Lyuta Kumasaka and Harry Litchfield having won the Marlborough section got to head to Nelson for the next step. We made a pimped out toilet.
The toilet was 500mm by 500 mm with a toilet seat on top. We mounted the toilet seat to the top being held on the frame with wing nuts and bolts which were the "brains" of the toilet where the motor controllers and the sequencer sat. The toilet would turn a light on above you when you sat down, then when you got up it would close the lid, flush itself and finally spray some refresher to cover up your monstrosity.
Every project you finish comes with a bonus of 30 points which put us ahead at 290 points. Each project has a certain amount of tasks to it that are worth 20, 30, 40 or 50 points. We rushed a task up giving 90 points while the other team leading got a deduction of 10 points which swung the lead to us giving us the win.
By Freddy Allan and Kaizer Warren
Epro 8 Grand final in Nelson
from the voice of our ākonga ....
Epro 8 Grand final in Nelson
from the voice of our ākonga ....
"We chose the "toaster" because we thought it would be the easiest.......but NO! We thought it would be easy because it was small but we didn't realise it would be so technical to get pieces of toast to launch 2.5 metres up. The top ripped off our toaster with every launch because we had good power but we didn't have the bolt tight enough. The best part of the day was working with the team and getting to throw toast up a metre with a mechanism".
Wilhelm Hedlund-Knipe
Grovetown Gears from Grovetown School
"We chose to pimp up the Lawnmower, it challenged us with it being so technical. We were proud of how we managed to get around the tough obstacles. It was a great opportunity to represent Rapaura and Marlborough at the Regionals. We can't wait for next year."
Team Dora the Explorers' from Rapaura
Planting on the Whale Trail
with Riverlands School
Planting on the Whale Trail
with Riverlands School
Ten students from Riverlands School were chosen to help plant on the Whale Trail. It was great to have a chance to give back to the community and help with something so close to our school. They are always looking for helpers if your school is interested in an environmental project/just helping out. The plants were provided, we just needed some shovels and warm clothes. We were led by Rob Dunn, who explained all about the project and how the chosen plants would help the trial. Please contact Rob if you are interested rob@thewhaletrail.nz
Tuamarino Day
Tuamarino Day
On the 17th of June 2024, the tamariki and Community Te Kura o te Tua Marino gathered to celebrate our first ever Tuamarino day.
The date was chosen as the 17th of June 1843 marking the Defence of the Wairau. A significant historical event in Aotearoa’s history that occurred on our school grounds and at the Tuamarino River across the state highway. 17th of June 1840 was also the day that Te Tiriti te Waitangi was signed in Port Underwood by local Iwi.
The impetus for Tuamarino Day was driven by our previous learning around Tuia 250, an interrupted school reunion in which we were learning about our local history, including attending the play The Wairau Affray by Justin Eade (Maungatapu) in 2021 ( marking the 150 years marking of the Defence of the wairau), the introduction of the New Zealand History Curriculum , Ngā Kawatau me ngā Tūmanakotanga o Te Tauihu and our work with Niho Taniwha: Improving Teaching and Learning for Ākonga Māori - Melanie Riwai-Couch
The structure of our learning was based on the History Curriculum ( Understand, Know and Do) with the purpose of celebrating the special nature of the whenua where we learn and the diversity of many paths we have travelled to come together as a school community.
Our learning centred around local history with the junior classes Ti Kouka and Makomako researching and presenting artworks and attributes of the fauna of Aotearoa before the arrival of people.
Manuka class in Year 4 researched and presented a timeline of arrivals of Kupe, Tangata Whenua and Pakeha to Aotearoa. We invited all whanau to contribute their knowledge of their arrival in Aotearoa and Tumarino. Some tamariki were able to record and present their whakapapa back to the arrival of the waka of the great migration and we recreated the sailing ship T on which a number of our pakeha whanau arrived. Ngā Kawatau allowed us to have difficult conversations about the name of our kura and why those tamariki who could whakapapa to Te Tai Ihu waka, would be celebrated first in our timeline of arrivals.
Our year five & six class Rewarewa researched, wrote and performed a play about the arrival of pakeha in Aotearoa, including whaling, sealing and initial negotiations between Maori and the Crown such as the Confederation of Chiefs and the signing of Te Tiriti in Port Underwood.
Year 7 and 8 students with the assistance of Arthur Phillips, Ngati Rarua, researched and presented the different points of view of the historical figures in the Defense of the Wairau, including Te Rauparaha, Rongohaiata, and Wakefield.
Part of the day was planned around a Ki-o-rahi tournament so that we could involve our community and celebrate teamwork. However Tawhirimatea had other ideas and caused us to pivot. We built poi toa instead and we spent the morning in the rain and wind spinning tarpaulin covered poi around our school grounds.
As a a whole kura we spent time together singing waiata and looked at the influence of these important historical events in symbols on our kura; our school name, our song. logo and our local history, our values and our identity as a community.
We concluded our day with a hikoi up to the urupa which features a monument listing those Pakeha who were killed in the defence of the Wairau. We looked down on the Tuamarino river, across to the Wairau Bar, where the first tangata whenua Settled, back to the sounds, across to Tape-uenuku and down at our peaceful kura and community.
We regarded the day as a success despite the efforts of (Tawhirimatea) and identified further mahi that will make Tuamarino Day an annual event. In 2025 we plan to take tamariki to significant places so that EOTC can play a role in our learning.
We are realigning our values and expectations and using the kowhaiwhai nga toi designed by tamariki with charcoal saved from our annual hangi. We have made a mural to mark the day and will take these designs and develop them further with the input of whanau.
We are planning to construct a permanent water feature at our school gate (facing the hill) so that when we return from the urupa we are able to cleanse our wairua.
We hope to contribute to the knowledge and resources around the Defence of the Wairau by applying for funding for a video suite so that we can document, interview and create resources for other kura and create a unique local History resource.
In future years we will build Tuamarino Day into an annual event as an opportunity to celebrate our community and continue our mahi of Hanga Atu ke te Tua Marino - Creating the Calm Beyond.
Sarah Kerr
References
Niho Taniwha: Improving Teaching and Learning for Ākonga Māori Melanie Riwai-Couch - 2022
Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories (ANZH) 2021
Nga_Kawatau_me_nga_Tumanakotanga_o_Te_Tauihu 2022
Tuamarino and the Wairau Affray
https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/the-southland-times/20230617/282110641022233
NZ Video Documentary | NZ Wars: Stories of Wairau
https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/nz-wars-stories-of-wairau/story/2018869194/video-documentary-nz-wars-stories-of-wairau
Local Sites of Significance | Helpful resources
Local Sites of Significance | Helpful resources
Helpful Literacy Sites
Helpful Literacy Sites
The Literacy Shed is a free and helpful website where you can access many short, fun videos to support your tamariki's writing. Each video has suggestions on how you could apply this in a lesson.
Pobble 365 is a fabulous website full of pictures to inspire writing creativity. Teachers must sign up to access this site. Pictures come with prompts, teachers can print pictures or get students working online and sharing their mahi.
- The Education Hub (click here)
The Education Hub has a number of "easy reads" to support with exploring the Science of Learning.
Tāhūrangi has a range of videos, google slides and activities you can engage in to deepen your knowledge of the Science of learning.
In case you've missed it......
This page contains a range of resources schools may have used during their May 2024 teacher-only day and will help to continue to build knowledge and skills around fundamental tools and practices.
Activity 1: Getting to know Tāhūrangi
Activity 2: Exploring Tāhūrangi Further
Activity 3: The Science of Learning Explained
Draft Curriculum links
Draft Curriculum links
What is Kōwhiti Whakapae and why was it developed?
What is Kōwhiti Whakapae and why was it developed?
Kōwhiti Whakapae is an online curriculum resource designed to help early learning kaiako strengthen planning, formative assessment and teaching practice within the framework of Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa (2017). Kōwhiti Whakapae and its associated resources focus on ways to support children’s progress in three areas of learning: social and emotional, oral language and literacy, and maths. Using Kōwhiti Whakapae will help kaiako to strengthen their teaching in these three areas across the strands of 'Te Whāriki' to support children’s expanding capabilities and foster their growing identity as learners.
To watch a video and learn more about Kōwhiti Whakapae–Mā te whakaharatau, ka whakapakari ake click this link.
Page updated
Report abuse