Mental Health Awareness Week(27 Sep-3 Oct)

 

Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) runs from 27 September to 3 October and this year’s theme is Take time to kōrero/mā te kōrero, ka ora. This MHAW is all about connecting with the people in our lives and creating space for conversations about mental health and wellbeing. Whether it’s checking in with a mate, having a kōrero over some kai or saying hello to a stranger, a little chat can go a long way. 

This is because the little, everyday conversations we have are surprisingly important – and they make a big difference to our mental health – so we want you to take notice of the kōrero that makes you feel good and do it more often. Over time, these small chats create meaningful connections, help us understand each other better and ensure we have people we can count on when times are tough. 

The week is an opportunity for me to explore the experiences, actions, relationships and surroundings that make you and your workmates feel good and uplift your wellbeing.

Monday: Look back through your photos and share a happy memory to reconnect with someone you’ve lost touch with.

Tuesday: Connect with the whenua – grab some mates and get into the great outdoors. Go on a bushwalk, walk up to your local manga, breathe in the salty fresh air of the Moana. Take time to kōrero and get to know each other while you’re there.

Wednesday: Share a pic of you are looking after your Te where Tapa/you are well being.

Thursday: Share a photo and leave a comment of how you are doing something nice for someone and connecting through kindness today.

Friday: Share kōrero and kai with your team at work. Everyone brings a plate and chats about the things they do to look after their well-being. If you’re working from home, have lunch and chat together over Zoom.

What working well in science department during Delta lockdown(Reflection)

 In this delta lockdown, we are trying different activities, strategies, and platforms for students best learning experience and participation. we discussed different teaching techniques in science department meetings and give our feedback on them. Here are few teaching-learning platforms that science teachers are using lockdown and it's going really well.

1. Hapara: The teachers and school leaders in the Manaiakalani cluster were the driving force behind the creation of Hāpara’s pioneering tools. Having first-hand experience with the transformation as well as challenges teachers face when adopting G Suite, the Manaiakalani educators collaborated to design a dream tool that would streamline teacher workflow and deepen personalized learning and student engagement. To do this, they created a dashboard that consolidated all student work into a single view. They emphasized a straightforward design that would empower teachers of all technical abilities to track student progress, provide ongoing feedback, disseminate files and facilitate collaboration and differentiation through flexible groupings.

Education perfect:  Education Perfect is a Kiwi technology company that has become the complete digital teaching and learning toolkit for thousands of teachers across New Zealand.  It also assists with differentiation, student engagement, feedback, and assessment whilst providing rich data insights that are perfect for tracking student progress. 

3. Jam board:   Jamboard is a digital interactive whiteboard developed by Google to work with Google Workspace, formerly known as G Suite. Use Jamboard as you would any whiteboard app. Teachers with Jamboard hardware can demonstrate on the Jamboard whiteboards and share Jams with students for collaborative whole-class discussions. 

4. Online practicals with Intermediates: Online practicals with yr 7&8 going really well and students are really enjoying virtual practicals and participating really well.

Te Reo Maori Language week 2021( Reflection)

 New Zealand has its very own language, Māori! Along with English and NZSL (New Zealand Sign Language), te reo Māori is has been the official language of Aotearoa since 1987.  Every year Māori Language Week is held to promote the indigenous language and celebrate the culture. New Zealanders are encouraged to learn some te reo Māori and are given the chance to experience the culture with events scheduled around the country. In 2021, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori will run from 13 ki 19 Mahuru (13 to 19 September). The theme is: Kia Kaha te Reo Māori - Let's make the Māori language strong.

This year we celebrated Maori Language week online with Tamaki whanau and students. Ruihia arranged all the activities for this week and shared them with all of the houses. And each activity has a house point. We have to perform all the activities in a group or solo there were some tik tok challenges for Head, shoulder, knees in Maori. It was fun. All the students and teachers participated really well in all activities and learned new words, sentences in Maori. As a Puriri house mentor, we recorded our Pepeha. Puriri students participated really well and enjoyed all the activities. This year Maori language week was online but still, it was very exciting for teachers and students.

Puriri whanau Head, shoulder, Knees

Tongan Language Week(5 Sept-11 Sept)

 This year’s theme is which means enriching Aotearoa with holistic education. The theme serves as a conversation starter on the importance of holistic education, diverse forms of learning and how Aotearoa can benefit from it.  Due to COVID-19 Alert Levels across Aotearoa Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga - Tonga Language Week will be celebrated online. 

This year we are celebrating Tongan language week between different houses and it will be Inter house-Competitions. The purpose of this is, Staff are provided with opportunities to experience and enjoy some aspects of our Tongan language and culture. These are also alternative platforms to have a fun enjoyable time together during this challenging time. Teachers can also grab points for their houses. 

On Monday it was a singing competition. Teachers can sing Tongan alphabets with or without instruments. Teachers have to sing with their house teams and Tongan teachers can't sing solo they just have to guide us and accompanied us in our singing. But this was going to be fun.

On Monday during the mentoring time, our team(Puriri) sang a Tongan alphabet song, I learned it by heart, So first I sing then all of the teachers follow me. We really enjoyed it. It was great fun and the best thing to learn about different cultures. I really want to appreciate Mrs latu efforts in Tongan language week.

New Rotation of intermediates yr7&8 STEAM

 Regardless of whether you’re forewarned or not, your mind is usually whirring with all the things you need to organise to help your new child get sorted. This week is a new rotation of intermediates kids and I will see them online due to Covid lockdown. But to make science interesting I planned few online activities for them to make science interesting. 

Today is the first day, so the day starts with the introduction I introduced myself and gave students an ice breaker. They have to write about themselves like, favourite colour, where are they from, favourite movie etc. That is a good way to communicate with students. Some of them put pictures of their favourite food, favourite movie and we talk about it. We spend 15 mins on Ice breaker activity. Everyone liked it and we start talking with each other.

After that, I introduced my website that we will follow all the time. I instruct them to create a science folder in their drive and share it with me so every time when they will start a new topic in class they will create a new doc in that folder and write on it. This is like a piece of evidence for us to track learning.

Then, we start new topic 1 ie introduction of science. I this lesson we talk about some science facts and science pictures. At the end of the class, I instruct them to start writing blogs on STEAM. 

                ICE BREAKER

Well being in covid delta outbreak

 The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has undergone genetic mutations over time as it adapts to humans, leading to the development of new variants of the virus. One of these new variants, the Delta variant, is swiftly becoming the dominant variant globally.

COVID-19 has had a significant impact on how we interact with others, go about our lives, our work, study and many other aspects of our lives. We know that a combination of stress and uncertainty can have significant and wide-reaching impacts on the mental wellbeing of people in New Zealand. People should know it is normal to not feel all right all the time – it’s understandable to feel sad, distressed, worried, confused, anxious or angry during this crisis. Everyone reacts differently to difficult events, and some may find this time more challenging than others. The ways people think, feel and behave are likely to change over time – we all have good days and bad days.

During this time, you may be looking for new or additional ways to help you feel mentally well and get through. Here you can find information on tools to support your own and others’ mental wellbeing and where to get help if you need it.

Keep your usual routines: If you're working from home, stick to your usual mealtimes, bedtimes, etc, as structure helps keep us grounded and calm. 

Don’t overwork: Don't forget to clock off as becoming over-tired or fatigued isn’t going to help your mental wellbeing or your organisation.

Eat well: Choose healthy foods that help boost mental health. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables; wholegrain bread, rice and pasta; and legumes, such as lentils and chickpeas. Keep sugary, salty and foods high in saturated fats to a minimum. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Keep active: Even if you don't feel comfortable going to the gym, try to get some exercise. Head outside - garden, go out for a walk or run, but still keep your distance from others. Search the internet for some yoga, Tai Chi or stretch routines, which can also be calming. 

Connect: Keep in touch with family and whānau, friends and workmates. Depending on the COVID-19 situation, and people's health, you may need to keep a physical distance. 

Helping children and young people while they are learning at home.

 The COVID-19 has resulted in schools shut all across the world. Globally, over 1.2 billion children are out of the classroom. As a result, education has changed dramatically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. Research suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information, and take less time, meaning the changes coronavirus have caused might be here to stay.

While countries are at different points in their COVID-19 infection rates, worldwide there are currently more than 1.2 billion children in 186 countries affected by school closures due to the pandemic. Routines bring a sense of normality and a feeling of safety for children. This is a stressful time for parents – we are doing our best to ensure home learning doesn’t add to this stress. 

Helping children and young people cope with the changes caused by the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) means providing accurate information, discussing facts without causing undue alarm, and re-establishing routines. You are an important role model for children and young people. Staying calm and enabling time and space to be together with children will help them adjust to this “new normal”.

Children and young people look to adults for guidance on how to react to stressful events. If parents or teachers seem overly worried, children’s and young people’s anxiety may rise. Parents and teachers can reassure children and young people that everyone is working together, from the Prime Minister down, to help people throughout the country stay healthy and to limit the spread of this virus.

Remember, COVID-19 may never come to your place or to your community. If you feel anxious, that’s a normal reaction to the new situation we all face. Children and young people notice when we are anxious. As a parent or teacher think about how your reactions could impact the people around you. Take a quick break if things feel overwhelming, or notice and try some slow breathing, or concentrate on the sounds outside, anything that you know helps. You can express your feelings but base your words on facts and truth, and model how you want children and young people around you to behave.

Your school is helping children continue their learning, in person or online through the alert levels. Keep children and young people engaged in their usual activities and routines as much as is possible. This will support their wellbeing, connection with others and their learning. If you need help with this, contact your school or your local Ministry of Education office.

Mighty Puriri( Supporting yourself and your team)

 Coronavirus: supporting yourself and your team

We know that many of us are worrying about the current situation around coronavirus and how it might affect our lives. We'll likely be working from home for longer periods of time to help keep us all safe during the coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, we must recognise how it may affect our mental health and ensure we are taking care of ourselves and our colleagues.   

1. Maintain a positive work/life balance and encourage your team to do the same 

It's easy to work longer hours and take fewer breaks when working from home. Why not put a reminder in your diary when you plan to finish working? You can also make sure you take at least a 30-minute lunch break. If you can, try to get some fresh air and go for a short walk.  You must look after your own well-being so you can also be there to support your team.   

2. Check in with team members regularly  

Working from home can be isolating; ensure you and your team have regular check-ins virtually. Find an online tool that works for your team whether it's Microsoft Teams, a conference call facility like Skype or by phone. Make sure these regular check-ins are scheduled in advance with your team members: have some daily scheduled chat time with each of them and regular time in the diary as a team.  

3. Establish new ways of working 

Working remotely will require consideration as to how you will deliver work as a team - what collaborative working platforms will be used, how you will communicate and how you support each other through challenges. Some of it might be trial and error so it is also important to think about how you will reflect on what's working and what isn't.  

4. Ask your team to create Wellness Action Plans 

This is an uncertain and worrisome time for many and your team may need additional support. Why not encourage your team to complete a Wellness Action Plan and encourage them to share this with you. If they already have one then it would be helpful to review in light of recent developments and changes. 

5. Take advantage of technology 

Use the MEET link or other communication/collaborative working platforms to connect with colleagues and work together. It's can also be good idea to use a range of technologies so you're not always typing or looking at a screen – switch things up with a telephone call or video call so you can see someone face to face.  

6. Encourage your team to use the support tools available 

Whatever wellbeing support your organisation has available, make sure your team knows about it and how to access it. 

Te manu tukutuku – Māori kites with 9KLe

 

Māori kites are known as manu tukutuku or manu aute. Manu is the word for both bird and kite. Tukutuku refers to the winding out of the line as the kite climbs and aute is a type of bark that could be used to make kites. Kites were seen as connectors between heaven and earth and were often flown at this event, especially on the first day of the New Year.  Kites were often flown at Matariki, but also at other times:

They were used to work out what the gods wanted the people to do. They were a way of sending messages to people far away, both to living people who were far away and people who had died. People had kite flying competitions. They were used to celebrate things, like Matariki. Children played with them.

Kites were flown for recreation, but they also had other purposes. They were used for divination – to gauge whether an attack on an enemy stronghold would be successful or to locate wrongdoers. They were also a means of communication. It is said that when the founding ancestor of Ngāti Porou, Porourangi, died in Whāngārā, on the East Coast, a kite was flown and his brother Tahu, the founding ancestor of Ngāi Tahu, was able to see it from the South Island. Sometimes people would release a kite and follow it, claiming and occupying the place where it landed.

This year yr 9KLe got an opportunity to make kites at Whare Nui with Whaea Ruihia. They participated really well and enjoyed it. They really like to learn new things and were excited to finish their kites.

Materials

The frames of larger kites were usually made from selected lengths of mānuka (tea tree) and split lengths of kareao (supplejack). Smaller children’s kites were made from the stems of toetoe, kākāka (bracken), and various types of rush.

The coverings of large kites were fashioned from bark cloth made from aute until the plant became virtually extinct. Subsequently, raupō (bulrush) leaves or the leaves of ūpoko Tangata (cutty grass) were used. Flying lines known as aho tukutuku were made from a fine twisted cord made from muka, the fibre of the flax leaf.

Decoration

Kites were decorated with feathers, shells, carved faces, and coloured patterns drawn with black or red pigments from charcoal or clay mixed with shark oil. Some kites featured long feather tails known as pūhihi, attached to the lower end or wingtips. Others were decorated with horns, and some had shells held inside a hollow mask that rattled during flight. Some kites had a ring, called a karere (messenger), made of toetoe leaves or wood, which was blown by the wind up the line towards the kite.

Matariki celebration 2021

 Matariki, also known as Māori New Year, is a time for celebration, growth and renewal. It's a chance to get together and remember whānau who have died, share food, tell stories, sing and play music. Matariki is the Māori name for the group of stars also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. It can be difficult to see Matariki clearly from some parts of the country, so some iwi uses a different star as their signal. The tribes of Whanganui, Taranaki, parts of the Far North, and parts of the South Island recognise the rise of Puanga (Rigel in Orion), which appears around the same time as Matariki. The rise of Matariki in the winter skies above Aotearoa is an important time in the Māori calendar, as it signifies the start of the Māori new year. 

For Māori, astronomy was interwoven into all facets of life. Experts would observe the night sky, charting star and planet movements, the relationship of the stars and planets to the moon and sun, while also noting what was happening on the whenua (land) and in the Moana (ocean), lakes and awa (rivers). All of these celestial star beings were attributed qualities and named accordingly, and their stories were woven into the history of the people. Historically, new year celebrations provided the opportunity for whānau to come together to acknowledge the year gone by, prepare and plan for the year ahead; to celebrate with kai, kōrero, ceremony and entertainment.  For a time, these celebrations were only acknowledged and celebrated by iwi, but at the beginning of the 21st century, a cultural renaissance occurred, making knowledge of this special time of the year an important part of New Zealand’s history. Today, everyone in Aotearoa has the opportunity to celebrate the unique places we live in, show respect for the land we live on, and share and grow together through traditions that continue each year, with the support of kaupapa like the Matariki Festival. 

Matariki is one of the famous festivals celebrated in school. Matariki starts with a dawn ceremony and most of the teachers and students participated in that ceremony. After that, a full week was Matariki week and celebrated by different activities. Such as Matariki quizzes, Kite making, Fashion shows, Food and singing. Teachers and students participated in different activities and enjoyed this week. 

Matariki decoration at Staffroom

                                Matariki Cake for staff lunch

International languages week(ILW) 28 June to 2 July

 International Languages Week is an annual event held in New Zealand to promote language and culture from around the world. Learning an international language encompasses much more than language proficiency. Knowing an international language means knowing about the culture that is the foundation of that language. 

This special week provides an opportunity to showcase, learn, and promote the diverse languages and cultures in our schools, communities, and nation. This year Tamaki school celebrate an international language and this was a very good opportunity for all of the teachers and students to participate and reflects their culture,, traditional and rituals of a country. The week starts with the introduction of different countries that we were celebrating the whole week. Such as India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Colombia, Malaysia, South Korea, South Africa, Egypt, England, Philippines. On the first day, different teachers came and introduced their countries. Then, students from different countries and presented their countries in their own language. It was very beautiful everyone enjoyed it. Moreover, it was a great opportunity for a teacher as well as a student to know about the country and its language. 

I represented India. I prepared a slide show on different languages, cultures and religions of India, along with this, Indians states, food, dresses and marriage rituals. In the end, I planned Indian dance moves for teachers. Everyone really liked dance and participates really well while dancing. 

On Wednesday, we had different countries stalls in the auditorium. Teachers and students brought different things that belong to their country and put them in stall. Different classes visited stalls at different times and enjoyed and appreciated it. On Thursday, we had a shared staff lunch and everyone brought a plate of food that belongs to their country. And on Friday we had an inter-house dance competition with different houses. Students participated really well and enjoyed dance steps and music.

   Cultural stall representing South Africa

                 Malaysia Stall

Indian Stall

       Phillipines Food

                                   Staff lunch  decoration

South Africa dessert

Induction and Mentoring with Mr Moyes(Reflection)

A mentor is a knowledgeable, experienced, highly effective teacher who works with or alongside a beginning teacher or less experienced colleague. It is a structured relationship with clear planning for the type of support sought and the goals of the relationship. However, mentoring is not just for new teachers; experienced teachers may also hone aspects of their teaching and leadership skills in partnership with a mentor Mentoring can involve regular meetings and check-ins, classroom observations and debriefs as well as other shared professional learning discussions and activities. It can be helpful for a beginning teacher to have a mentor observe their class and provide feedback. It can also be beneficial for the mentee to observe their mentor in action and see them model different aspects of classroom teaching. 

This is my second year of mentoring and we have Mr Moyes(HOD P.E) as a mentor who will help, guide us in our journey of teaching and learning. Fortnightly, we have a meeting in which we discussed teaching standards. Every time Mr Moyes organise a different slam session on a different standard to guide us or to give examples of how we can collect shreds of evidence and how. The role of a mentor is to work with their mentee and support them towards a professional goal. A mentor may: provide advice and help the mentee resolve issues they are facing. Model different teaching strategies. observe the mentee and provide constructive and meaningful feedback. Check-in on the well-being of the mentee and provide emotional support.

The first slam session was on the first standard Te Treaty of Waitangi. Mr Moyes explained this standard to us and give many examples of pieces of evidence that we can collect for this standard and how we can write about that. This was a very good session I learned a lot and started gathering my evidence for this standard. Our second slam session was on Teaching(Standard 6), Planning lesson plans before delivering in class. We discussed why planning is important and how we can plan our lessons. Different teachers shared their experiences how they are doing plans for the lessons and what are working for them and whatnot. I shared my planning as google calendar and I am also doing a doc from last year. I am writing my lesson plans on a doc and write reflections about each topic. If any of activity didn't work for me last year this time I am changing my plans and involve other activities that might work. Planing and change in planning are very important.

Mr Moyes also shared his experiences and his planner with us. It was a very good opportunity for us to learn something new and how we can implement that in our teaching. I really enjoyed this slam session.

Aurecon Experience Day(Engineering, Design and Advisory)

Aurecon is an engineering, management, design, planning, project management, consulting and advisory company based in Australia, Middle East, New Zealand, South East Asia and South Africa. Aurecon attracts and inspire a diverse workforce and create an inclusive, high-performing culture where different people, across more than 25 countries around the world, feel valued. All companies say culture is important, but ask anyone at Aurecon and they’ll tell how culture permeates through everything they do. All the strands of what they do, think and feel tie together to make who we are. Aurecons Attributes are a way of being. Principles and the Methodology is their way of doing. Aurecon Principles are our way of working. They infuse culture, where our people can flourish and bring our client’s ideas to life. They focus on what matters, and make the most of opportunities, helping clients shape the world to make it a better place. Aurecon attributes are our way of being. Individually and collectively they are the catalyst that unleashes the true power of Aurecon. Co-Creative, Inquisitive, Engaging, Commercial, Sense Maker, Unconventional Thinker, Fearless, Resourceful.

 In Tamaki college, our seniors from year 11 to year 13 Science students got a chance to visit Aurecon Auckland and talked with the best engineers about their success stories and their work. Different streams of engineers welcomed students and talked about their areas and their work. Their work and success stories were really inspirational. Students stayed for the whole day and they planned different engineering activities for students. Students participated really well and were enjoying their own work They were so excited to create their maps, plans and stories. 

They gave a 3D point England map to students and instruct them to create a new path by using this map. Different tasks were set for them and they divided students into 3 groups, Students with the best path, explanation and story won the prize. Some of the students were really interested in engineering and they were talking with engineers about the entrance, study and many things. Students returned to school with a great experience.

Introduction by Aurecon engineers for different engineering areas

 Students participating in activity

Students describing their work

Yr 13 students presenting their route map

Junior exams week (15 June to 18 June 2021)

 Revising is a way to learn about the craft of writing. Phyllis Whitney famously wrote, "Good stories are not written. They are rewritten." Learning to revise teaches students about the characteristics of good writing, which will carry over into their future writing. Revision skills complement reading skills; revision requires that writers distance themselves from the writing and critically evaluate a text. 

Strategies of revision: Once students have organised their checklist/timetable, they should work through each topic with help from textbooks, class notes and any online resources. Working through the topics one at a time, with a mixture of learning the information and testing yourself, can be an effective way to revise. Focus on one topic at a time from the highlighted checklists until you understand it. Each time you learn a topic you will increase your mark, and the more you learn, the better your grade will be. Study a section of your notes, and memorise the essential points. hide your notes, and try to write down everything you can remember. Check what you've written against your notes. Note down what you got wrong, or forgot, and learn them.

Get organised: Arrive at the exam venue in The earlier you start, the more prepared you will be. Starting early allows you time to really learn the material and understand it – and it means you can cope with any factors that may unexpectedly disrupt your revision. Also, “cramming” is just not effective for everyone, and will often only create more stress. Spend a couple of hours figuring out the material you will need to know for each exam and map out a revision timetable that takes into account when each of your exams is.

Make your revision timetable as detailed as possible, writing exactly what you need to do each day, for how long, and make sure you schedule in regular study breaks too. Without regular breaks, you could be headed for stress and burnout, which definitely won’t contribute to exam success.  Revision can be a highly personal process and it’s worth testing out a few different methods before finding an approach that suits you. This will make sure that you are working smarter, not harder. Along the same lines, figure out when you learn best. This may be early in the morning or late at night – again, each person is different. Plan your revision to utilise the times when you think you are at peak productivity levels.  If speech or songs with lyrics are too distracting for you, try film scores or instrumental music. For others, pin-drop silence will be the only thing that works. The only way to know for sure is to test this out. Also, as a side note, make sure you wear comfortable clothes and have plenty of water and healthy snacks to hand. 

If you must have your phone near you, download an app that stops you from continuously checking Instagram or Facebook. Forest is a particularly innovative one. It plants a seed when you lock your phone and a tree continues to grow until you quit the app. To make sure your tree keeps growing, don't go on to any other apps on your phone. If this doesn't work for you, there are plenty of other productivity apps that can stop you from unnecessarily checking your phone. 

It is important to ensure that all this revision doesn’t go to waste and that you are able to apply the knowledge in an exam situation. 

Samoan Language week 2021

 Samoan Language Week - Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa is the celebration of Samoan culture and language and aims to encourage New Zealanders to learn and experience some of it.

Samoan make up the largest group of Pacific Islanders living in New Zealand so it's very important to recognise and commemorate their heritage. There are around 150,000 people residing in NZ who identify as Samoan. Samoan Language Week gives students of all backgrounds the chance to learn some basic Samoan and gives students who speak Samoan the opportunity to share their knowledge in the classroom. There are also community events that take place across New Zealand to celebrate it. 

In Tamaki college, Samoan language week is celebrated from 31 May to 2 June. All students were invited to dress "Cultural wear with a Samoan Flair". Girls were invited to wear puletasi and for the boys wear a tidy aloha shirt with an 'ie faitaga. This week we had a Samoan language house competitions. Students performed Samoan cultural dance in assembly. It was great to watch our mentoring students perform the Samoan language week celebration. Happy to see Pasifika students all around New Zealand embrace culture and pride. This week we had a very delicious kai from Samoan cultural teachers. very pleased to see and share their culture with them.

Pacific languages, cultures and identity are essential to the health, wellbeing and lifetime success of Pacific peoples and their communities in Aotearoa.

Samoan language week celebration at Staffroom

Hunua Falls camp(Reflection)

Outdoor education forms a key part of the New Zealand Curriculum. Values, key competencies and achievement objectives from specific learning areas, such as Health, Science and Physical Education, can be effectively learned and assessed through well-planned camping experiences. Improved social skills are one of the bonuses of attending a well run School Camp. Children need to interact with each other in a different setting and different environments to help improve their social skills. Spending 8 hours a day at school is one thing but eating meals together, travelling together and sharing accommodation together teaches children the worth of working together and treating others with respect.

There have many occasions in that time I have seen the students who excel at school actually find they are challenged and pushed into the stretch zone requiring resilience. Whilst on the flip side the student that has a hard time in the classroom thrives in the hands-on environment of camps and enabling them to earn a greater level of respect among their peers. School camps can help build self-esteem, especially for these students. Camps with a physical education component, such as bushwalking or kayaking, for example, can make students with ‘hands-on’ talents feel good about themselves and celebrate their own success. I got an opportunity to go with year 9&10 on camp at Hunua Falls. Hunua Falls Camp offers a remote forest park setting in a remarkably convenient location. The camp is designed to provide affordable accommodation and outdoor activities for a wide range of groups. We did a lot of activities of water such as the presence of nitrate and phosphorous in water, and the clarity of the water at Hunua Falls. Students participated really well and enjoyed the activities. 

Waterfall

Water testing by students

Phosphate test by students