Our Living and Learning Focus continues as

CARE   ATAWHAI    KUMANU

Our School Values are

Tina Justice, Pono Truth, Aroha Compassion, Manaakitanga Hospitality and Tapu Respect for the Environment

Lived out in our Motto

Courtesy Care Co-operation Courage

The Learning Model for our school is: “To Know To Do To Use”

Learning to Learn at St Joseph’s  #L2L

Home Group 3 from Kakariki Team wrote procedures for all sorts of things which were then trialled by their classmates. They soon knew whether their procedures were clear enough to ensure a successful result!

 

 

 

WORKING BEE

A huge thank you to David and Julie Kelly for their organisation, preparation and hard work, the wonderful group of about 50 parents and children and also to Natasha, Erika and Gabrielle who came to the working bee and did wonderful work, creating, making, building, planting, cleaning, spreading bark, water blasting, catering and more. It was a beautiful day made even better by the generosity and energy of those who were able to attend.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS DAY!

We celebrated in 4 different ways!

We celebrated Mass with Monsignor David, other priests and Anthony, with parishioners, grandparents and our own parents. We combined Catholic Schools Day with our school feast day St Joseph the Worker.

We offered hospitality to the parishioners and grandparents at morning tea.

We shared our school and the learning that happens in our modern learning environment with our visitors. Year 5 students were the main hosts and guides for this.

We had fun in the afternoon playing tabloid games, organised by the Year 6 students.

 

 

Farewell to Mrs Annabel Medland-Slater, who officially retired at the end of last year, but has returned for a little over a term complete the Reading Recovery Course she started with 2 of our younger students. We wish her a very happy retirement!

Kathryn France has resigned from our school and will take up a teaching position at Gulf Harbour School, which is closer to where she lives. She finishes here on Friday 3 June.

There will be a farewell Assembly for her at 2 p.m. on Friday 27 May and something special with Home Group 12 on the morning of 3 June.

She has given many years of service to our school and we are grateful for all she has contributed in, so many different ways, e.g.  teaching at many different levels,  the Art she inspired and also created, Kapa Haka, time on the PTA, to name just a few. She will be missed.

 

BOT ELECTIONS

It is wonderful to that so many people are standing for election. Thank you to those people for stepping up and considering thjis role of service in our school.

Soon it will be the turn of everyone to vote!

Voting papers will be out soon.

 

Teaching and Learning for the 21^st Century

Here is some additional information for all who are interested in the way education is developing and changing.  I have again inserted some reading into our newsletter.

 The extract below is taken from Core Education May Newsletter.

 

 

Ten Trend categories

Cultural

The culture of an organisation is the product of the collective values, beliefs and principles of its members, and comprises an interlocking set of goals, roles, processes, values, communications practices, attitudes and assumptions. Influences that change or alter any aspect of this mix will likely have an impact on the overall culture.
Digital fluency

Whether you are renewing a prescription, communicating with others, or working across nearly any key employment disciplines you care to name, it has never been more important for people to have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to navigate online spaces confidently and successfully. We call this ability ‘digital fluency’ and it encompasses an array of competencies and understandings that are needed for us have access to opportunities in our networked, digital societies today and in the future.

This outcome of being digitally fluent relates to issues of responsibility, equity and access. We all need to be able to fully participate in a digitally-enabled education system and in an increasingly digitised society. If we work with fluency in the way we use technologies, we are able to keep ourselves safe online and take full advantage of life chance opportunities such as being able to apply for work, manage our finances, or be part of our local community.

Digital fluency can also be considered as part of a broader set of competencies related to ‘21st Century’ learning. Being able to manipulate technologies so we can create and navigate information successfully is supported by our ability to work collaboratively, solve real-world problems creatively, pursue our own learning goals and so on.

What might it mean to be digitally fluent?

Broadly speaking, digital fluency is a combination of these three concepts:

• digital, or technical, proficiency:
  • able to understand, make judgements about, select and use appropriate technologies and technological systems for different purposes; this might include knowing how to use technologies to protect one’s data, digital identity, and device security.
• digital literacy:
  • in digital spaces, being able to read, create, critique and make judgements about the accuracy and worth of information being accessed;
  • being fluent in critical thinking and problem-solving online;
  • Use digital tools to collaborate and construct information across all relevant and significant contexts
• social competence, or dispositional knowledge:
  • the ability to be able to relate to others and communicate with them effectively;
  • able to manage one’s identity, information, relationships in ways that are appropriate, responsible, safe and sustainable.

Developing digital fluency

The aim, then, of becoming digitally fluent is for people to be able to act as successful citizens in whatever contexts they choose for themselves. Our role as educators is to deliberately design pathways from early childhood through to tertiary and beyond that support these developing fluencies in ways that make sense to the learners…

NetSafe and the Ministry of Education remind us that we need to offer “opportunities for students to be involved in decisions about the management of digital technology at the school and develop a pro-social culture of digital technology use in school, alongside our communities.

https://www.netsafe.org.nz/

 

 

Disco Fever

Congratulations to the PTA and Footsteps Dance Company for a very successful DISCO night last night! So much fun was had.

Congratulations and thanks to Lucia Oliver, who, on her own initiative, has created a paving noughts and crosses games for the playground with tiles and solid pebbles!

 DOC130516-13052016090809

 

Ka kite ano!  Have a wonderful weekend.

Phil