Junior Prize giving (Reflection)

 7 December 2020

Celebrating our progress, our success, our diversity, culture, traditions, rituals, and who we are is very much a part of our culture. All around New Zealand prizegiving is coming up to recognise and celebrate students who have worked hard and achieved highly. Prizegiving is our most prestigious event. It is held in the College auditorium to accommodate all our parents, students and guests. During the prizegiving, we acknowledge students, parents and teachers for their successes.

I believe that awards inspire students to work to their highest potential. Giving out an award to students who have achieved something is a way to make students feel like they can achieve something if they work hard. This helps young people to learn early on that their actions can have an effect on how they will do in life and that the harder they work the more they will achieve.

Diwali Celebration in Tamaki College(Reflection)

 Diwali is a special time of celebration for New Zealand’s Indian community and this year, like so many before, will be celebrated in the homes of families everywhere as they share food, give gifts and light candles or diyas to commemorate the return of Lord Rama, his wife and brother from their 14-year exile (after the defeat of the 10-headed demon-king Ravana).

Diwali signifies the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and the renewal of life; it is a beautiful time to celebrate with your nearest and dearest.

After an extraordinary year of disruption and uncertainty that has been so challenging, the region-wide celebrations of Diwali - The Festival of Lights lit up Auckland’s vibrant communities on 14 November 2020. As the Diya (candle) is passed on, the light is shared,  bringing our communities together. 

Diwali is a great opportunity to engage with your local Indian Hindu community, especially those members who are families at school. Extend your school Diwali celebrations into the community, by encouraging family input into all aspects of teaching, and learning. It is from families that you will get insights into valuable stories, artefacts, language, and customs.

This year, we celebrated Diwali at Tamaki college, and I was celebrating this festival first time with Tamaki college Whanau. I was very excited and curious about these festivals. All Indian community teachers want to represent their culture with their best. So they started making arrangement one week before. We planned how we will do this festival and involve Tamaki whanau at this festival. One day before we decorated the staff room with traditional decorations and with diyas. And we encouraged whanau to get ready with traditional Indian attires on the day of the festivals. We prepared yummy Indian food for our whanau. They really liked it. 

It was just a way to represent cultural diversity and respect for all culture, traditions and rituals in Tamaki college.

Flying Rockets(with Mr. Dunn)

 In this week, we have planned to prepare rockets. For this, Firstly, Mr Dunn instructs students about how to make rockets. What things we will use to make our rockets, what precautions we will take while making our rockets. It took 10 mins after that, everyone started making their rockets. We helped students in their rockets and checked their rockets is it properly fixed.  After making rockets, we went to the school ground to fly rockets. And successfully, students launched their rockets with the help of Mr Dunn.

Rocket Science with Mr. Dunn(STEAM)

 This week was a very special and exciting week for me as well as intermediate students. This time we are going to make and fly rockets. Students were very excited to make their own rockets. They have a lot of questions about rocket science. This session was very extraordinary just because of Mr Dunn, who was the in-charge of rocket science. Mr Dunn is deputy principal of Tamaki college and a very good chemistry teacher. He loves science and technology. So, this time intermediates were working with Mr Dunn.

Rocket Science session divided into two parts. In the first session, students discussed rocket and forces acts on rockets. Students also discussed gravity and planets. They got all their answers while discussing rockets. This time we planned to make paper rockets as a demo. This was a very exciting activity. In this way, students came to know about drag force and the number of fins. And how they act on a flying rocket.

For this activity we need, Pencil Scissors Tape Soda straw (plastic or reusable) Meter stick or measuring tape Rocket template and data log.

1. Cut out and shape the rocket body. Cut out the rectangle. This will be the body tube of the rocket. Wrap the rectangle around a pencil length-wise and tape the rectangle so that it forms a tube.

 2. Cut out the two fin units. Align the bottom of the rectangle that extends between the fins with the end of the rocket body, and tape the fin to the body tube. Do the same thing for the other fin on the opposite side, making a “fin sandwich.” 

3. Bend the fins on each fin unit 90 degrees so that they are each at a right angle to each other. When you look along the back of the rocket, the fins should form a “+” mark.

 4. Twist the top of the body tube into a nose cone around the sharpened end of your pencil. Measure your nose cone from its base to its tip and record the length on the data log and on the rocket itself. 

5. Prepare to launch! Remove the pencil and replace it with a soda straw. Be sure your launch area is clear of people and hazards. Then, blow into the straw to launch your rocket! Record the distance the rocket travels on your data log.

How to deal with EXAMS stress?

 

The pressure of high school exams is one of the first pressures in life that teaches you the values of dedication and commitment. Exam stress affects most students in varying ways. It is important to manage this stress and find little ways of helping to eliminate the risk of burnout. 

For some students, exams can be a breeze; revision is second nature to them, and they could ace an exam with their eyes closed. But for others, sweaty palms and heart palpitations are just a part of the territory, and it seems that nothing is more impossible than sitting down and revising. Here are some handy tips that can help to dissipate stress and make sure you can get through exam season. 

If the stress gets to a point where it is overwhelming and is affecting your day-to-day life, try and speak to someone about it. School should have a service where you can speak to people about your concerns and will be able to offer more advice on how to manage it. If that seems like too big a step, open up to a family member or a friend about the pressure you feel. You’ll be amazed to know that you aren’t alone in feeling like this.

Be flexible. While having a revision time table is one of the best tools in your arsenal for exam success, don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t stick to it. If you accidentally oversleep, don’t write the day off.

Write down everything you feel like you need to do and try and tick one thing off. Just the act of feeling like you are in control of your revision can help. 

Research shows that overuse of mobile phones not only causes stress but can also hurt your mental health.  So it’s time to get smart about your smartphone. Here are a few things you could try: Check your social media feeds just once or twice a day. Turn off all notifications. Put your phone on airplane mode, or better still, switch it off after 9pm.

"In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.”

Year 9 Stars Activity Day(Reflection)

 The STARS Mentoring Program is a classroom-based, peer-to-peer mentoring program that engages and supports students to make positive life choices and build healthy relationships. STARS provides students with the opportunity to discover themselves and build upon their skill set through our three core elements of self-awareness, healthy decision-making and MentorLife, which means to always invest in someone and always have someone investing in you. 

STARS mentors receive training and mentoring from their program coordinator, then they, in turn, are paired with no more than four mentees where they lead activities and opportunities for discussion. Through the program, students can strengthen their leadership abilities, discover and practice positive social and emotional skills around mental health, healthy relationships and decision-making, gain confidence and feel valued.

This day is significant for year 9's and all the stars mentors leaders in the school. This event allowed them to show their leadership and present themselves, and there year 9 groups in different activities. This event started at 9 am at the school ground. Year 9's were divided into different house groups, and they wore their house colours because they all were representatives of there groups. They look wonderful in there house colours. All students participated very well and enthusiastically in all activities. The event finished with dance performances of all house groups.

Niue Language Week(Reflection)

 Niue is one of the world's largest coral islands. Niue peoples are the fourth largest Pacific community living in Aotearoa New Zealand with over 30,000 people, 75% of whom live in Auckland. 

Niue Language Week provides an opportunity for students to learn, speak, and celebrate the indigenous language of Niue, through language, song, dance, cultural displays, and community events.

Niue Language Week helps all New Zealander's journey towards shared cultural understandings. Learning a new language gives us insight into new ways of thinking and to different beliefs and cultural practices. Through this learning, we acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes that help us live in our culturally diverse world.

There is a chance that you will have some Niuean speakers in your school community. Encourage those students and their families to be experts during Niue Language Week and validate their expertise in front of other students. Support them to teach Niuean and prepare the Niue Language Week celebrations for the school, placing an emphasis on shared language experiences.

The 2020 Niuean Language Week theme is ‘Faliki e tau momoui he tau atuhau ke he Vagahau Niue ’ which in English translates to, “Lay the foundations - give rise to Vagahau Niue for generations".

This years theme reminds us of the need to not only respect and treasure our languages and cultures but to work daily to ensure the foundation remains strong for generations to come. Niue Language week is in its ninth year, the 2020 Niue Language Week is focused on laying the foundations to give rise to Vagahau Niue for future generations.

Mental Health awareness week(Reflection)

 This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is September 21 to 27, and the theme is Reimagine Wellbeing Together: He Tirohanga Anamata. It is more timely than ever as we reflect on the uncertainties and stresses caused by COVID-19. MHAW 2020 is an opportunity for everyone to redefine and rediscover what wellbeing looks like, during COVID-19 and beyond. 

 Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is a reminder that we all have mental health – it's a taonga/treasure and something to look after! MHAW is an opportunity for a school or Kura community to reimagine wellbeing and nurture a culture of wellbeing where everyone feels safe, supported and valued.

This year hasn't been easy, and MHAW 2020 is a chance to build on the simple things we’ve been doing to look after ourselves and to reimagine what wellbeing looks like – together. MHAW is a timely reminder of the simple, everyday actions tauira/students and kaiako/teachers can take to look after their wellbeing. It is an opportunity for tamariki/children, tauira, kaiako and more comprehensive staff and whānau to reimagine what experiences, actions, relationships and surroundings make them feel good. 

Last day of Term 3(Mufti day)

 Our time is important. The kids that we teach are precious to us, and they need to know that our time together was worth it. So don’t just let the year-end: Celebrate learning, celebrate the moments you’ve had, and savour the time you have left together. 

At the end of the race, we like to hear cheers, and when kids graduate, it’s a climactic event. Really, the end of every school year should be climactic. It should be exciting. So, as teachers, we have to be very careful not to let the bell ring and have kids wondering what just happened. The end of the school year should be a time of review, reflection, and celebration.

I celebrated the last day of week three by performing various science activities and fun activities in the class with students. For STEAM, we saw earthworms, note down their behaviour. For yr 9 &10 we discuss the structure of the eye, label parts and quiz on Kahoot. In yr 10, we did the periodic table and found out different properties of Metals and non-metals.

 

Te Reo Maori Language week (Reflection)

 Te Wiki o te Reo Māori takes place this year between 14 and 20 September. 'Kia Kaha te reo Māori' is the theme for this year's Māori Language Week. Kia Kaha is a well-known phrase in New Zealand, meaning be strong. So when we say 'Kia Kaha te Reo Māori' we're saying 'Let's make the Māori language strong'.

Māori Language Week has been celebrated in Aotearoa since 1975. This particular week is an opportunity for the concentrated celebration and promotion of te reo Māori, helping to secure its future as a living, dynamic, and rich language. 

There was Celebration of Te reo Maori language in school by growing connections with Maori communities, Learn a Māori kupu or phrase each day, Support teachers and students to create and share their pepeha, Sing waiata, Explore Māori place names, Read Māori myths and legends, Organise a school or community event.

This week was Mori language celebration week, and different activities and games were organised in the school for teachers and students to participate and learn about Maori language and its history and importance. At the end of the week, it was Mufti day and best hair decoration competition for students and teachers.

Tongan Language Week(Reflection)

 Tonga Language Week is on from Sunday 6 September to Saturday 12 September 2020. The theme for Tonga Language Week is: "Fakakoloa 'o Aotearoa 'aki 'a e Lotu Mo'oni". "Enriching Aotearoa New Zealand through Prayer and Faith". The Ministry for Pacific Peoples works closely with Pacific communities’ to maintain and promote heritage languages. Languages magnify the value of a community, providing a vital link between our place in Aotearoa and our heritage as peoples of the vast blue Pacific continent.

At the time of the 2013 census, there were over 60 000 New Zealanders who identified as Tongan. Currently, there are more Tongan people born in New Zealand than there are in Tonga, giving lea faka-Tonga (the Tonga language) and anga faka-Tonga (Tonga culture) a special place here in Aotearoa.

Auckland was at level 2.5 this week. But still, teachers and SLT team worked hard to celebrate the week and introduce Tonagn activities and introduce the importance of Tongan language to the students.

Tongan language week was celebrated in school by performing various activities with students and teachers in school. The whole week was amazing and celebration and participation of students and teachers in Tongan cultural activities were amazing. Every day it was a new phrase in Tongan and students and teachers learn new phrases whole week. Tongan language games, Classroom discussions, InvestigateTongan art, hold a community event. 

Last day of the week was Mufti day and cultural day. Every teacher and the student dressed up in their cultural dresses and represents there cultural. It was amazing.

Thoughts of Back in School(Reflection)

                     Returning to school after the second wave of Lockdown.

Pupils’ experiences of the lockdown period will have been very varied. For some, it will mostly have been a safe and enjoyable time. For others, it will have been challenging or traumatic. Schools and teachers are used to supporting their pupils through challenges that they face in life – the current situation will amplify those situations many times over.  

As a teacher, I am already aware of the experiences that my pupils are having, and as schools reopen, the specific challenges that the school community is facing will become more apparent. Supporting your pupils through this transition will draw on many of the skills you use day-to-day to provide personal and academic advice and guidance. 

Different pupils within the same class will have had very different experiences of the lockdown period. They will also have varying levels of coping skills and resilience in dealing with those experiences. Having an open mind about what pupils may be going through and how they will be dealing with it will be necessary.  

Pupils may not feel able to jump straight back into learning immediately when they return to school. Disrupted ability to focus is a common experience for children and young people who have experienced bereavement or trauma. Immediately returning to scheduled lessons might lead to disruptive behaviour as pupils get used to seeing each other again. Finding time to allow them to work through these conversations and get ready to learn could be helpful if you can schedule them in. 

The return to school may be the first contact that pupils have had with each other in many weeks. Launching straight back into the usual timetable is likely to be challenging, as pupils have had a long period away from the regular daily routine. They may also have lots of thoughts and questions about the time away from school.  Of course, there is also a need to make sure pupils begin catching up on work they have missed.

On the very first day in school, I will talk about rules in Level 2 at school. What are the expectations of the teachers and how students can be safe at school?

Teacher Well-being during Lock down

   

         Teacher Wellbeing During COVID-19 Lockdown

Schooling during lockdown constitutes some unique challenges for teacher wellbeing. Teachers are now working in a way in which they have never had to before—at the same time, facing anxiety about the current situation and uncertainty about the future.

Teaching is inherently social and communication is fundamental to everyone working in schools. Stay in close touch and share your fears and concerns openly and honestly with friends, partners, colleagues and managers to get some perspective.

At the same time, think about others you might be able to help in some way – in your school community, at home or in your other networks. A phone call, text, Zoom get-together – whatever the medium, it can make a difference to how you and others feel.

If working and delivering lessons remotely, make sure you keep in close touch with your teams who can be a great source of support in themselves. If you have worries, problems or anxieties in or out of work that will not go away, then talking to someone outside your situation can make a huge difference and can help you to find a way through.

“SMART teachers (Self, Motivation, Activity, Relationships, and use of Time) appreciate the tight connections between physical and mental wellbeing and the benefits of being active in this regard. 

"Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply this learning in practice."

Literacy Year 10 Reflection)

                           
                                      Why Literacy is Important!!!


Literacy is most commonly defined as the ability to read and write. Nowadays, ‘reading’ encompasses complex visual and digital media as well as printed material. An elderly person who can read the newspaper might struggle to get information from Google.

Similarly, different cultures will have different perceptions of literacy. Students need literacy to engage with the written word in everyday life.

This term(term 3) I am working on my year 10PDv/TBSM1 students literacy. I am very focused on their reading and writing ability; I always try to give them content to write and read in the class. I have used some research work on different topics such as geosphere, Fossil fuels and DNA. I am concerned about their writing and reading ability. I am trying to enhance their literacy so that they can do good in their NCEA Level 1. For this, I have adapted some ways: 

Encourage reading: Reading is the first pillar of literacy, so encourage young learners to immerse themselves in it frequently and intensely. 

Discuss texts together: Actively discussing what has been read encourages learners to make connections and think deeply about the ideas contained in books. 

Make use of the library: Immersing children in a vast range of texts encourage them to dive in and explore. There’s no better place to do this than the school or community library.

YR10 Student's work


"Select teaching approaches, resources, and learning and assessment activities based on a thorough knowledge of curriculum content, pedagogy, progressions in learning and the learners."

  "Gather, analyse and use appropriate assessment information, identifying progress and needs of learners to design clear next steps in learning and to identify additional supports or adaptations that may be required."

Yr 9Ttt-Reflection(Genomics)

SEASHORE ANIMALS

This week we continue Genomics with yr 9. Last week, students enjoyed the origin of life and tree of life. They decorate the tree of life and fill the gap by pasting animal belong to that gap. That was fun and enjoyable learning for students. This week, Dr Jannie nad Dr Thierry was with me in the class. Dr Thierry brought some sea creatures for students from Whanganui. 

He introduced himself and talked about Genomics and how it is related to our life. He also spoke about seashore creatures, and students participated in the discussion of rocky shore creatures and how they look like and who are dangers for them. Dr Thierry and Dr Jannie described seashore creatures like this: The rocky shore is a unique part of New Zealand's coastline and is a habitat which is home to many animals. The rocky shore is also at risk from human-made problems like climate change, pollution and loss of habitat.

Rocky shore life: Crustaceans: a group of animals that lots of different species belong to, such as crabs, crayfish, lobsters. Echinoderms: a group of animals that lots of different species belong to, such as starfish and sea cucumbers. Sea urchins/kina are echinoderms, though because they do have a shell they are also shellfish. Sea Slugs: live in rock pools. They are often grouped with seafood even though they have no tank. Shellfish: such as pāua, pipi, cockles (tuangi), tuatua, mussels (Kuku or kūtai), oysters (tio), cats eyes (pūpū), mud snails (wetiko).

Students observed sea specimens and drew a table and write down their behaviour, habitat and physical characteristics.

Male and Female Crab

"Seek and respond to feedback from learners, colleagues and other education professionals, and engage in collaborative problem solving and learning-focused collegial discussions."

Cook island Language week

       Cook Island Language week Celebrations in School

Cook Islands Language Week is held annually to celebrate the culture and identity of the Cook Islands. It also promotes the rich and distinctive language of Cook Islands Māori.

Cook Islands Language Week explores the values of diversity and respect. It encourages New Zealanders to share and understand other cultures by learning a new language, set of beliefs and cultural practices. From this, there is the possibility to see things from a different perspective and embrace other cultures.

Learning a new language gives us insight into new ways of thinking and to different beliefs and cultural practices. Everyone who learns the words of the Cook Islands helps to preserve them.

"Understand and recognise the unique status of Tangata Whenua in Aotearoa New Zealand."