Place Value

Our math focus for 2023 so far has been number knowledge, particularly place value. Ingraining number knowledge, such as how numbers consist of groups of 100’s, 10’s and 1’s is crucial for future mathematical thinking. 

In Tautoru we have been splitting numbers into their place value groups, skip counting in these groups, and using place value to support addition, subtraction and eventually multiplication! 

This week a group of students took their place value learning outside of the classroom, showing that the work we do splitting numbers in our books and using number blocks, can also be demonstrated in the great outdoors. We used chalk to show the 10’s and 1’s values of different numbers. Tamariki realised that the size of the 10’s value does in-fact matter, as it has to be able to fit 10 of the 1’s digits inside of it!

After this we formed numbers with our bodies, some students standing tall to represent a 10, while others crouched down low to form a 1’s value.

Research shows that learning in a range of ways and contexts supports retention of new knowledge. It engages different areas of the brain, and this cross referencing strengthens memory retention. If you’d like more detail of these benefits, check out this article!

Here are some photos of what we got up to, enjoy!

Mihi Whakatau and Hīkoi

Thursday was a big day for us; all about connecting!

Firstly, Mihi Whakatau was connecting with our new whānau and staff. It is always a real highlight of our annual calendar and a real celebration of our special place up here on the cliff tops. This wāhi tupuna, or place of the ancestors, is really significant as we know it is the first permanent Pā site in the Te Whanganui-a-Tara area. We are connected to the past, we are connected to the sea, the wind and our wider environment. With Mihi Whakatau, our new students, families and teachers become tangata whenua and, as such, belong here. Connected as part of our Worser Bay Whānau forever!

In the evening, we had a hardy group join together for the Hikoi. Tāwhirimātea was out in force but were we daunted? Not a chance! We told the stories of the past, from the legends of the great Taniwha, Kupe and the giant wheke through to the stories of Taranihoniho and the early settlement of the motu, Te Motuwhetukairangi.

Thanks to all of you who participated in these events; it was fantastic to connect with you all.

Hīkoi

Caterpillars, moths and butterflies

 It wouldn't be a late summer term in New Zealand without the excitement of caterpillars arriving at school. We are fortunate to have so many interested budding scientists in our class, there is a constant supply of caterpillars, crickets, cicadas, moths, chrysalis's and hopefully butterflies and moths eventually.

This links beautifully to our New Zealand Science curriculum, particularly the living world achievement objective NZ Science curiculum 

• Recognise that there are life processes common to all living things and that these occur in different ways.

We have been looking for caterpillars in our kowhai tree and found out that they turn into a moth from a cocoon. 

This is different from our Monarch caterpillars which change from a caterpillar to a chrysalis and then a butterfly.

We have so much knowledge about the lifecycle of a caterpillar.

We have written poems about butterflies too.

Whānau Day - Tāne and the Bakets of Knowledge

On Friday, we had our first whānau day of the year. This is an opportunity for mixed groups working together across the school and fostering Tuakana-teina Positive Relationships. Tuakana-teina is a concept from te ao Māori. It refers to the relationship between an older (tuakana) person and a younger (teina) person. It is when an older or more expert tuakana (brother, sister or cousin) helps and guides a younger or less expert teina. These roles can be reversed at any time as we see some of our younger students as leaders.

In our groups, we learnt the story of Tāne and the Baskets of Knowledge. We expressed our learning in lots of different ways. Ask us what we learnt...

Here is the story of Tāne

Tuakana Teina Learning with our Seniors

Tautoru and Autahi were lucky this week to have the senior netball team provide netball tutorials. A group of students went down to bottom court to learn how to play centre, pass the ball, shoot and defend. 

PE is an integral part of our curriculum at Worser Bay School, and it's even better when the tamariki we look up to provide their expertise! Tuakana Teina styled learning (when older students support their younger peers) leads to positive results for all. Importantly it boosts our Love of Learning character strength, and provides strong engagement on new tasks. For our seniors it boosts their confidence and provides a sense if Positive Accomplishment.

Many students returned to Tautoru with a fresh love for netball, wanting to play (and enlist our seniors help) more and more. 

We are looking forward to seeing our senior netball team for our next lesson!

Goal Setting

This week in Tautoru we have been busy setting our goals for the year.

We aim to set goals that are meaningful and relevant to our personal learning and growth. 

We look at the big picture - what do we know already, what are our next steps and what skills or help do we need to get there?

We try to make these goals SMART -  Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.  They must also be rewarding too!

We have also chosen a strength word for the year. We discuss strengths often in the classroom and everyone has chosen a word which they identify with.

It could be bravery - as they settle into a new classroom space, perseverance - keep going, keep trying, or love of learning - choosing to continue with a passion in their own time...the list goes on.

Hopefully these will stretch us, but also steer us towards great learning!

We look forward to sharing these goals with our Whānau.

Our Inquiry - Who are We?

 Welcome to 2023 Tautoru whānau! 

We've loved getting to know our new Tautoru students, and creating a kind, caring whānau environment in the classroom. Over the last week we've introduced our Term 1 Inquiry focus: Who are we? With the support of our incredible whānau community we've been learning about the History of our names and what makes our families special and unique. Our tamariki bring such rich cultures and histories and we have learnt so much from each other. Our learnings have ranged from Chinese New Year celebrations, family maple syrup farms to Slovakian traditional dress and dolls. 

Over the next week we will shift our attention to the world map, finding out where we all come from, and how we came together to the beautiful Miramar Peninsula. This learning fits nicely to the New Zealand History Curriculum, particularly the Culture and Identity focus on how "people in our area have come from a variety of places and some retain connections to these places." If you want to know more about our new History Curriculum, check out this link.

Please enjoy these photos from our learnings this week.