Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Change is in the air...

Today all came to a full circle. I finally decided to make a decision on what will be best for myself from here onwards... therefore, I can relate to this Poem in so many ways.


"She sat at the back and they said she was shy,

She led from the front and they hated her pride,

They asked her advice and then questioned her guidance,

They branded her loud, then were shocked by her silence,

When she shared no ambition they said it was sad,

So she told them her dreams and they said she was mad,

They told her they'd listen, then covered their ears,

And gave her a hug while they laughed at her fears,

And she listened to all of it thinking she should,

Be the girl they told her to be best as she could,

But one day she asked what was best for herself,

Instead of trying to please everyone else,

So she walked to the forest and stood with the trees,

She heard the wind whisper and dance with the leaves,

She spoke to the willow, the elm and the pine,

And she told them what she'd been told time after time,

She told them she felt she was never enough,

She was either too little or far far too much,

Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak,

Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek,

Then she found a small clearing surrounded by firs,

And she stopped...and she heard what the trees said to her,

And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave,

For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe."


~ Author : Becky Hemsley - Talking to the Wild ~


Thursday, May 7, 2020

Thank you, teacher

Lovely to be receiving this during Lockdown: Alert Level 3 - Day 10! Thank you so much @AppleEDU!

We appreciate you today and every day. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of our students and in our communities.

We made this video to celebrate you

Apple Education



Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Distance Learning - T.O.D. Week 3 (Term 2, 2020)

Lockdown: Alert Level 3 - Day 1

We had our T.O.D. this morning through Zoom. We also reflected on the last two weeks' online learning and looked at [some] next steps.

Our school is very fortunate to have no students attending on-site classes from Wednesday 29 April to Monday 11 May 2020.

We will therefore continue to drive online learning for our students over the next two weeks. 




~ "Teachers are the guardians of spaces that allow students to breathe and be curious and explore the world and be who they are without suffocation." - Brené Brown ~

Friday, April 24, 2020

Distance Learning - End of Week 2 (Term 2, 2020)

Lockdown: Alert Level 4 - Day 30

Another week of online learning done and dusted. I've truly settled in and enjoy this new routine of living and working from home! However, I do miss the students and am thankful that we have technology to stay in touch... 

Students have been showing great engagement in their learning activities. Just loving some of the 'How are you feeling' responses I received from the 5 year old's during the week!




~ "What we know matters, but who we are matters more." - Brené Brown ~

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Distance Learning - First Day (Term 2, 2020)

Our Distance Learning ('Home Learning') started today... first day of Term 2, 2020! I sent my students a little message yesterday... and really enjoyed listening to all their responses! They were all heartwarming and made me smile.

I feel very so proud of the way they handled their online learning activities today! Using devices in class definitely helped, so this 'experience' was nothing new to them... I am sure that they will ace their learning during this COVID-19 time.




~ “It’s not about ‘what can I accomplish?’ but ‘what do I want to accomplish?’  Paradigm shift.” 
- Brené Brown ~

Friday, March 27, 2020

Term 1 - An abrupt stop

Term 1 came to an abrupt stop two weeks earlier due to COVID-19. On Monday 23 March, we will still at school, when towards the end of day we learned that NZ are moving into Level 3... 

The announcement...
"From Tuesday 24 March 2020 - SCHOOL CLOSED for ALL students with the exception of essential services personnel such as medical staff 

From Wednesday 25 March 2020 - ALL NZ schools will be CLOSED until further notice and that from Tuesday 24 March, there all schools will be closed. Teacher had to teach 'online'."





Then, the next announcement came...
"School holidays brought forward 
School holidays are being brought forward so that they are completed within the 4 week period. Holidays will now begin from Monday 30 March to Tuesday 14 April inclusive (a reminder that the Tuesday after Easter Monday is always a closed day for schools).  However, although the nationwide lockdown is for a period of four weeks which will extend beyond this holiday period, the return date will not be known until the full and ongoing impact of COVID-19 is known. You will be advised in due course when this return date will be following advice from the Ministry of Education.

 Term 2 begins on Wednesday 15 April through Distance Learning (Home Learning)." 

An interesting time for all...



~ "Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation , creativity and change." - Brené Brown ~


Friday, December 27, 2019

A Year in Review and a quick Reflection

Looking back on my 'I see it..., I want it..., I dream it...' post at the start of the year, my one word was 'SEE'...

Reflecting on my 'SEE'

1. I will be open to seeing the possibilities, the problems, the solutions and the milestones that can be reached every day.
2. Focusing more on the “why”, not just the “what” and “how” when stepping back from the day-to-day planning and details of my work, will allow me to not only see the big picture, but also the immediate achievements and needs.
3. I would like to see that the link between our school, parents, whānau and community where our school's educational goals are concerned are understood and supported. This will enable us to further create and nurture relationships of trust.
4. My job will be done if I could see the simple question “What’s best for ________?” being asked and acted upon. After all, staff well-being is crucial, and it is also our responsibility to ensure that students are excited about learning and to inspire a deep love for learning.
5. I know that the insanely long hours I work, is not contributing to recuperating and focusing on myself. I achieve my goal of seeing myself take time out at least once a week, to 'de-stress' and to improve my work-life balance to avoid burnout.

Highlights for me this year
1. Some of my Professional Development included:

  • Strengths-based Leadership Development - Rob Clarke, Learning Architects (2019 - Current)
  • The Coaching Habit - Anne Giles, Direction Worx (2019)
  • Empowering Leaders to Empower Learning - Leanne Angland (2019)
  • Stress Management and WELL-being - Rotorua AP/DP Association (2019)
  • Igniting your imagination in Digital Technologies and Hangarau Matihiko meetup - MOE (2019)
  • Level 3 Special Learning Disabilities Course - SPELD NZ (2019)
  • HiveSummit (14 day) Virtual Educational Conference (2019)
  • Notice & Adjust: Supporting Students with Learning Difficulties workshop - Neil MacKay (2019)
  • Story Ways Literacy: Storytelling Schools NZ (students learn to develop great oral communication skills while mastering the language and ideas they need for subsequent writing) by Liz Swanson (2019)
  • Accelerated Learning in Literacy (ALL) start up workshop - Kath Jones & Colleen Wills (2019)
  • Developing an effective writing programme workshop by Sheena Cameron & Louise Dempsey (2019)
These PD opportunities opened the seeing of possibilities, the problems, the solutions and the milestones that could be reached every day. It also assist in often focusing more on the “why”, not just the “what” and “how” when stepping back from the day-to-day planning and details of my work, which allowed me to not only see the big picture, but also the immediate achievements and needs.


2. Teaching as Inquiry:
After administering an Oral assessment, I analysed the data, which helped me to identify target learners who are ‘at risk’ and their specific areas of need. I then started my 'Teaching as Inquiry' by asking: "How can I use a Storytelling approach to accelerate target learners and enhance their oral language skills through retelling of stories, news, after guided reading & using Seesaw, which will then also result in authentic writing experiences?"
~ 'He mana tō te kupu' - 'Words have great power' - a whakataukītanga kōrero (proverbial saying) ~

I planned deliberate activities that meet the needs of these learners, whilst also capitalising on spontaneous authentic learning opportunities that support oral language development.

Student achievement can be seen as shown in the end of year spreadsheet below.
It should be noted that the my student whom only made 1 Stanine’s progress received Speech Language Therapy support and also has had a Language Learning Intervention plan by an outside agency. Unfortunately, funding for this was only available and in place for Term 2. However, I am pleased with the overall outcome of this inquiry.


3. My Presentations:

  • Digital Technologies | Hangarau Matihiko: Build knowledge - Develop Knowledge - Follow up and teaching lessons, activities and resources provided (Staff meeting - 29 July 2019)
  • Digital Technologies | Hangarau Matihiko: Build knowledge - Develop Knowledge (Staff meeting - 1 April 2019)
  • Seesaw: The Learning Journal - Need to know (Staff meeting, especially for all new staff - 4 February 2019)


4. End of Year Highlights:
I received so many lovely messages and gifts... here's just a few messages... #EndOfYear #FeelingBlessed




~ "The attitude you bring to the day is what the day will bring to you. Great attitude. Great day." - Unknown ~