Kia ora everyone,
We are aware, from our phone calls with you over the past fortnight, that being in Level 4 is playing out in many different ways for our Kauri families. Some families are loving the opportunity to spend more time together and their children are thriving under the self-direction of learning at home and others are at their wit's end and can't wait for it to be a distant memory. And then there is everyone in-between.
We have enjoyed touching base with you and being able to do our bit to support the learning at home. This is looking different in different homes and that is just fine. The phone calls from us will taper off now, as we focus more on providing feedback and support so that our tamariki can get the most out of the learning we are putting on-line. This said, please do not hesitate to contact us (via email) if you have questions or need support with your child's learning. We can then give you a call as required. Keeping lines of communication open is very important to the success of this 'at home learning' approach.
Connecting
A number of children have been joining us at 11am each school day for a social catch-up. We now have a sizeable bunch of 'regulars', showing that this form of connecting is making a difference. If your child would like to join the fun, they just need to send Hannah an email sometime between 8am and 10:45 to join with 11am catch-up.
Show-time
We are looking forward to our 'camp' concert via Zoom on this coming Thursday at 4pm. Entries for items are dribbling in. We know there is lots of great talent out there. If your child would like to perform (and anyone in your bubble is welcome to join them) please encourage them to fill in the form on the Kauri Google Classroom by the end of Tuesday.
Level 3 Changes
A small group of Kauri children will be part of the two school 'bubbles' when we hit Level 3 on Tuesday. Those families will be getting information from Sandy. Jenny is one of the 'bubble' teachers. This will mean that some of the children in Te Tai home-group will be getting learning feedback and support from either Hannah, Megan or Nicky, instead of Jenny. We will be sorting this out on Tuesday, our teacher only day, and letting you know of any changes in arrangements.
Daily Routines for Learning at Home
In order to be getting the most out of our learning at home programme, your children should be:- Going to our 'learning at home' page (via school website or google classroom) each morning to view the daily video and scan through any page updates
- Checking their emails every day
- Accessing learning via Google Classroom
- Emailing their teacher if they have questions about anything
Video Conferencing
We are using video conferencing to connect with children socially (11am each school day) and to support individuals and small groups with their learning. We have found these learning conferences can make a big difference and we are more than happy to arrange these. Please email us (or your child can) if you think your child needs a video conference to support their learning. We are currently using a mix of Google Meet and Zoom.
A different way of giving feedback
One of the gems that we have uncovered over the past fortnight is using screencasts to give students feedback. The students get their feedback in the form of a video of their work on screen, with the teacher giving feedback and suggestions. This is proving to be much more powerful than feedback that is typed. If a child has difficulty opening the link to their screencast, they need to email us. Not every child will have got a screencast, yet. This is definitely something we will continue to do when we get back to school.
Dave, our 24/7 youth worker, is keen to make contact with any children who would like to chat.
Blogging about our school values
A number of our children are reflecting on how our school values are being lived at the moment and writing about this on their blogs. Below is a lovely example of 'We get there together' from Zara M.
Finding Bears
Lots of people around the Beckenham neighbourhood are putting teddy bears on their balcony, in their windows or in their garden. So when people are going for a walk they can look for bears. People love this and when they're walking they can sing "we're going on a bear hunt". This will encourage more people to go for walks and stay fit during lockdown.
There is also a map you can put your teddy bear on. So when people are walking around the neighbourhood they can see that you have one at your house. People are walking around competing against people see who can find the most bears. We put one at our house and I got some chalk and wrote look for the bear. It was fantastic seeing people walk past and read it and smile when they saw our bear in the living room window with hippy sunglasses on.
One person wrote 'look for the beers' and they had 2 beer bottles in their window.
I think this is an awesome idea as it will encourage people to go for more walks. But just remember if you're doing for a walk, run, like or scooter stay local so no one spreads Covid 19.
Thanks for reading and start searching for bears. Or even just put a teddy bear somewhere on your property that people will be able to see from street view.
All the best for the next couple of weeks and please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if needed.
