I am very thankful that all of us are safe and a bit wiser. I can't even bring myself to say the E word at the moment. I guess it is to do with my personality type and strengths: I am used to being in control and this is not something I can have any say in.
Our school stood up like a little trooper and apart from some minor scratches has been unscathed. Thank you God. Our hearts go out to the school communities who have many months of rebuilding ahead of them.
Our Board of Trustees was magnificent. They were all mobilized along with Bill our caretaker ( who is extraordinary) in short order and were researching and making decisions before the MOE about school safety and closures. I guess that comes from having trustees who are leaders in their own fields.
I felt incredibly supported by our board as did our staff.
What did we do before cell phones?
I admire the MoE who faced with a very new situation where many of them were also affected, made sensible decisions and looked to support us all as quickly as possible. It certainly has not been easy to offer support when you are also stressed. This is true of our property manager Wynne from School Support whose home is close to the epicentre and who had to carry on and sort other people's problems out before he could attend to his own.
Our teachers and students have been amazing. You wouldn't tell from the outside that anything has happened but our accident register tells the story of tired and stressed children. I know the feeling. I guess we see the signs because we know each other.
As for me; I give thanks for each day's blessings and the sight of all of the little faces (and big ones needing a shave both male and female) back with us at school.
Marriene Langton Principal/Tumuaki
Welcome back to a new year in our lovely kura. Our goal is to be a locally based school that partners with and is supported by our local community. Everyone who knows us and the last 2 decades of the school's history remarks on the exceptional local community who are a central point for our development and growth. The community is changing in terms of housing and we are now part of the intensive housing projects that have developed across Christchurch City since 2011. We thrive on our close relationships with whanau and local organisations who want to be a part of our journey as a school. Generosity is the key word that we see in action every day to make life better for our tamariki. We do have high expectations for learning and behaviour. Our achievement data over the past few years has been amazing and this is a direct reflection on the relentless work of our kaiako to deliver great teaching programmes every day. Our teachers work closely together and they cross check planning and data. That's why we made it to the Gazette in 2024. We are child development/attachment based and our staff is well trained in how children's brains develop and how we can build amazing relationships with the children in our care. There's a lot of laughter and fun in the classrooms (and in our office with The Fab Five) every day . Please make a point of stopping for great coffee on Friday mornings and take the time to connect with other parents. Haere mai. Welcome to our little corner of paradise
Monday, September 20, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Out and About at Spreydon Baptist Early Learning Centre on PhotoPeach
Out and About at Spreydon Baptist Early Learning Centre on PhotoPeach
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Where Does That Woman Go?
I am in a privileged position where I get to see pre-schoolers in their learning environment. This time it was at the Lyttelton Street Playcentre. It was a pleasure to meet with Pip and talk through their learning philosophy and to see all of the parent volunteers working with their children to support their growth and learning. There is a big focus on socialization and learning through play. I was interested in their self review process and the ways in which they were reviewing the children's learning stories so that more could be captured about the spontaneous learning the children were doing.
There is a visible focus on te reo, awhinatanga and Maori values and perspective.
Finding the links between Te Whaariki and our school's interpretation of the New Zealand Curriculum are critical if we are to ensure children have a successful transition to school.
Thanks for hosting me.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Principal's Other Big Day Out,
What better way to spend Friday morning than to take a group of Year 5 and 6 boys to the museum to discover examples of transport in the early 1800's?
Now I freely admit that I was a tad tired and had to remind myself that I was dealing with four boys. Once I got over myself I no longer minded the endless photos they took of their own tonsils, insides of their nostrils and the close-up back views of each other as they climbed stairs.
Trying to explain to them that taking a video of a static object may mean that something gets lost in the translation was also a lost cause.
I forgot that boys can and do giggle more than girls once they get an idea in their heads and the sense of the bizarre takes on a life of its' own.
Still I am nothing if not determined and we forged ahead. In the end they gathered a lot of information by moving around the museum, taking photos and doing lots of talking. Did I mention moving around AND DOING LOTS OF TALKING? Did I also mention the interesting close-ups of nostrils, eyes, tonsils?
We had an iced chocolate in the museum cafe and I had a strong triple shot coffee.
I had to come back to school and have a little nana nap under my desk!!!!
Secretly I thoroughly enjoyed myself and as always it was a pleasure to take our students on an excursion. They really are delightful.
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