Te Wā Mahi Tahi

 Each Monday morning, we start the week with Te Wā Mahi Tahi. These sessions are designed to spark our creativity, develop our teamwork and problem solving skills as well as springboard ideas for further learning during the week. We put out a range of different loose part materials that are able to engage us in creating, collaborating, adapting, measuring, testing, as well as a variety of other types of problem solving.

To begin each session, the teachers teach us about a specific skill they have noticed during past Te Wā Mahi Tahi sessions that could be an opportunity for learning. Some examples of this has been lessons around trading resources when we are stuck on what to do next, using the phrase "Yes and..." to build on each others ideas about the play, asking ourselves "what else could this be?" to spark creativity on using the same resource in different ways. These lessons are all about elevating the play or learning new social/emotional skills.

Today as I was walking around whilst the students played, explored and created, many stopped and mentioned to me, "Mikayla, I traded this rope for this tarp!" and "we're working together to build this hut". One group of children even mentioned, "___ is the plumber so we can have showers. We're working on building the roof at the moment."

As the year has gone on and we have been doing more and more Te Wā Mahi Tahi sessions, the students are collaborating and problem solving together more. They work together to solve an issue they're having whether it be not being able to reach the rope around the tree yet, not having the right resources, a disagreement between students or roles within the play. Teachers are noticing that we are able to support them by asking questions and students can problem solve together from there. What independent problem solvers!

Here are a few snapshots from this weeks Te Wā Mahi Tahi. We had a lot of hut building and rope swings after our safe rope tying lesson last term (students tie the knots and teachers check the safety once it's built).

Portrait Art

On Thursdays afternoons Year 2s and some of the Year 1s work together to build Positive Relationships. This week we got together with buddies and did some portraits of each other. Sketching is a wonderful way to really notice small details and use Creativity.

We learned about the proportions of the face and how to use shading to add details to the hair and parts of the face.

Positive Health through Sports.

The fine spring weather means getting outside as much as we can! Positive Health is all about the benefits of feeling well though physical activities that promote health. This includes feeling comfortable to take risks and try new challenges, and one way to do this is to challenge ourselves and playing different sports! For some this has been new learning, while for others a way to share known skills and use their Leadership and share their skills. After athletics last week, this week we have had another feast of sports challenges with tennis coaching and football coaching. We used Zest, Bravery and Perseverance to have a go.

Tennis coaching: We learned some fun tennis skills on Monday! It was all about learning how to hold the racket correctly and control the ball. We also had a go at doing some rallies.

Talk to us about how taking on new challenges makes our brains grow!

Girls Football: Maia from the the Wellington Women's Football Development team came to take a coaching sessions to encourage more girls to join the sport. We are all keen to see more girls running after footballs during break times! Many now feel more confident to join in the football games in the playground.

Junior Athletics

 The day started with hot sunshine and sweaty children for Wake Up Your Brain. As the day went on, dark grey clouds loomed but the Juniors got out and active for Athletics.

Activities involved were an obstacle course boot camp style, long jump in the sandpit, quoits and vortex. Our arms, legs, hearts and lungs were pumping!

Check out the determined and joyous faces of the Juniors hard at work.