Akotahi - Mahi Tahi

3:30 - 4 Meeting with RCR, RCE, MWI, CMA and I - JFE away

Discussed what we know - what is happening in Akotahi. 

"We need to ask good questions to get good answers!"

What is the goal of Akotahi?  It would be very interesting to see how staff and students answer this question.

We shared information about what we know about Akotahi, as a Pouako, Dean, HOF, Timetabler, and Principal.

Hunches - what we investigate

- Structure

- Academic/Pastoral/Mountain focus

- Support

- Attendance

- Tikanga Maaori

- Cultural 

RCE will be creating a questionnaire based on the hunches we had - to collect data.

Stars Guest Speaker - Rangi Pou

Rangi Pou - Guest Speaker

35 mins of Rangi talking about his experiences with drug addiction, choices he made at school; working hard; being clean 5 years getting ill (had a stroke - 6 months in recovery); relapse into drug use again. 

Interacted with students asking what they would like to do when they finish school. Rangi said a lot of inspiring quotes that related to the choices he made in life - how they could affect the year 9's. 

 "It's hard when you don't know what you want to do - you have no direction"

"Sometimes life throws a brick at you..." unfortunately he never finished this quote!

5 years of being clean and he went back to old bad-habits. Best mate used meth for 10 + years and then committed suicide. This affected him badly and he used drugs heavily again. Rangi considered taking his life - shaken coke bottle analogy about pressure - How do you open it?

Rangi's advice was to talk to someone about how you're feeling, especially when you're feeling low - deep down people want help - talk little bit by little bit and let the pressure out.

Rangi sang/rapped a really inspiring song he wrote about the suicide of his best mate. His lyrics were very confronting about his drug use and friendships. 

I think this guy was really great inspiration to some of the students and hopefully he resonated with the way they think, or the choices they are currently making in terms of friendships and behaviour.

Professional Learning 30/7

Professional Learning - 30/7/18

BMA

Restorative Practises: Processes that we have at FFC

“If you want different results, make different choices”

Watched a short video: 9 quotes that will bring you peace when you deal with difficult people

Task: We had to choose a card from a deck of cards and sit with the people that had the same number/picture card.

Write down a behaviour/issue that we have experienced in class and pop it in the box - each group was then given three of these examples to discuss and identify ways to deescalate and manage.

 

PBIS: this is a website that can help you identify defiant behaviours and action you can take. The tiers would relate to our categories of mini/major/minor behaviours. 

A valuable lesson for a happy life 

In relation to our classes and the relationships/environment we create. If our classrooms are boring places and our lessons are boring - how can we expect students to show up??

Professional Learning, 6/6

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy                      3:30 – 4:10                      Cath Steeghs

What is the meaning of the artwork? The tiki is broken and lying on the ground; The mask of a white face is being held by a Maaori girl; whaanau is huddling in the background; Education is aimed at white people; She’s alone, whereas all the other people are supported in groups.

Cultural price for students at FFC? In comparison to other schools, I do not believe there is a lack of ‘culture’ at FFC. There are numerous opportunities for students to participate in cultural practices at FFC. The school culture is quite diverse, as well as the staff – How does FFC include culture in classes?

Where learning is interactive and dialogic (relating to or in the form of dialogue).

Te Kotahitanga (united with one purpose – enhancing student achievement)

New standards and enhancing student achievement.

What are the implications for my practice?

Student-Led Conferences                             4:20 – 5                           Richard Crawford

          What do effective learning conferences look like?

Why change the learning conference approach?

-          improving quality and quantity

-          strengthen relationships

-          moving towards student-led conferences

-          Moving towards Pouako centred conferences (?)

Ngaruawahia Day, 2017

I'm really looking forward to this day next week. I've been talking to students about the activities they can participate in. Some are excited about a day to chill with friends before school ends and some are out right not coming to Ngaruawahia or school! It's a real shame. As a staff we are expected to sign up to help out at two activities. I've signed up to help out first at the Flying Fox and then the Kayaks/Paddle Boats. 

Update 10/12/2017
Ngaruawahia day was loads of fun. We had to be signed off by Camp Staff to be able to safely operate the Flying Fox. Students had to wear a harness and have a couple of carabiners attached. Once they'd swooped from one side of the lake to the other, we had to unhook the carabiners and lift the flying fox off the line. Students would then take this all back up and around to the start. A number of students enjoyed a brief dip in the water at the end of the flying fox! 
Kayaks/Paddle Boats were brilliant. I bet those kids had a great sleep that night!

Boundaries in Place

Boundaries are now in place for the remainder of the year. This is to minimise the space that the juniors are allowed to be in since the seniors are on study leave. The hall is a complete no go zone as this is where the majority of exams take place. We have been asked to go over these boundaries, and the fact that there will be no bells to signify the end of lunch 1 and 2, with our Whaanau groups.
We were told this morning to encourage/support students that are organising games on the field :-)

I have printed off copies of the boundary 'zones' and highlighted the area bordered by red. These are now taped to the windows on wither side of C4 with the message - If you are reading this during lunch 1 & 2 you are out of bounds. Hopefully these will help somewhat.

Attendance

Attendance is recorded through KMAR, which is the app the school also uses for reporting, pastoral records, weekly events, student's birthdays and to book rooms.

At the end of term we are asked to check rolls that we may not have submitted - they show up pink.

I had to resubmit a couple of rolls for 9ENG from the end of August. This is an easy task if you have already filled in the roll and only need to click the finish tab. However, it isn't so easy if you haven't marked anyone present/away etc. I've had to go back through records from term 1 and two when this has happened. Thank goodness for Julie asking that I keep a record of 10FOT on paper for her. This was easy enough to resubmit correctly. 

Below are some examples from term 1, 2 and 3. The pink ones are rolls I have not submitted correctly - however, because I can no longer access these records to rectify. I have spoken to CBE about this.

Textile's at Lunch Time

Quite often I open the Textile's room at lunch one and two on Thursday's and Fridays for students to continue working on tasks. This week I have had both year 9 and 10 students working through their lunch times - screen printing and sewing.

I enjoy this time with students, as I can often have really great chats about their tasks and what they are finding challenging. I encourage a growth mindset in the Textiles room. Sometimes tasks are really challenging, but a positive attitude will see you through. I encourage students to learn from their mistakes and to persevere. The tua-kana-teina approach works really well in this class. I believe it is not only beneficial for the students to share their knowledge and skills with one another, but to also be able to rely on their peers/classmates to guide them - often I am busy helping out and can't get to everyone in a timely manner. 

I have found as each term progresses, the more positive relationships I have built with students, and the more I learn about myself as a teacher, I love this job even more!!

Cyber Bullying Workshop

Constable Pete came to discuss cyber bullying with year 10's a couple weeks ago. The school felt it was incredibly worthwhile and arranged to have Constable Pete return to do the same workshop with the Year 9's. This occurred during period two when I have 9G for English.

Actual paedophilia case here.This case was used as an example of accepting random requests.

Ways to check out random friend requests:

- Google search their name

- Google image search their pics

- Check how many posts/images they have on their profile (limited and they are probably fake).

- Check if they have other social media accounts.

Examples of Cyberbullying

- calling people names online

- posting pics/information without your consent.

- Making mean comments on other's posts/pics.

- Threats or harrassment.

- Rumours spread online

- Catfishing

- Telling someone to harm themselves online

The definition: Online bullying (also known as cyber bullying) uses technology to transfer,

Students were shown a video of an English teenager experiencing bullying at school, in and out of class time. He was made fun of by his peers and then they started to harass him through text. He didn't talk to his parents about it and the bullying continued. He received verbal threats through phone calls and texts, as well as bullying on social media chat groups. A page was then set up by his peers to bully him through nasty messages and pictures. Had 'loser' chanted at him on the school bus. He was clearly distressed and made a video about his experiences - his mum saw this video and action was taken. Police visited the school, he received counselling. 

Questions they were then asked:

- Why do you think Joe was bullied to begin with?

- Should Joe have deleted the texts he received? 

- After Joe blocked *** what should he have done? 

- Who can you go to to talk about bullying issues?

- What effects did the bullying have on Joe?

- What is a bystander? Can they make things better?

- What could Rob have done to stop the bullying once it begun?

- What eventually stops the bullying?

- Why did the police turn up at the school?

Generated some really good discussion about the reasons why people are bullied, why you should keep evidence of bullying, feelings of suicide, 

Everything you do online leaves a digital footprint - police can get a 'production order' to retrieve any evidence they may need. 

Constable Pete discussed the times he has attended suicides - the reality of bullying.

"Your next message that you send someone could tip them over the edge."

A bystander is someone who is witness to bullying and does nothing about it. 

Harmful Digital Communications Act - It is illegal to send messages to post material on line that deliberately or intentionally cause harm or serious emotional distress to any person. The penalty can be up to 2 years jail.

netsafe.org.nz is a place you can go to if you are concerned about cyber bullying.

"Think twice before you post because it can affect your future."

If you notice nasty comments on someone's posts/pics ask one question - "Are you O.K?"

Facebook sharing settings:

- The world symbol means it is accessible by the world - i.e. public

- friend settings - which friends can see the post/pics

Observation - Y9 Food Tech

Feedback received from SCH has been very good. Organisation, relationships with students, check points, seating plans, responses during lesson etc. were all positive. Discussed challenging students and how I 'pick my battles' - reacting in a calm manner to avoid confrontation/anxiety for both the students and myself.
Sarah has been a wealth of knowledge and a fantastic support throughout my first three terms at FFC. I always look forward to her observations and feedback feed forward.

Professional Learning - NCEA

9G Co-Construction

Mid Year Reports - Juniors

Junior subject report comments are due on the 6/6 and Junior Whaanau report comments are due on the 12/6. I have made a start on tick boxes and thought about the types of comments I can use to describe/sum up the practical and theoretical knowledge that Y9 students in both Textiles and Food Tech have developed/gained. Faculty meeting last Wednesday helped to clarify some grey areas around comments for students that struggle/of a lower ability - the goal is to have something positive to say about every student! I'm confident I can get the comments completed in the time frame we have. I need to make sure I double check with Jen/Aimee in regards to the FT assessments and Aimee in regards to the Textiles assessments - making sure that I am following correct procedures when commenting and editing.
Ashok has provided some very helpful hints:

Professional Learning - Motivating the Unmotivated

9G C0-Construction

Co-Construction Meetings

First round of Co-Constructions  meetings are coming up. I'm not quite sure what to expect - I understand that this is an opportunity for us to discuss learning programmes, star students and students of concern.

We are expected to take some evidence along - books/prototypes etc. 
Here's the schedule below...

Induction at Fairfield College

Timetable; walking tour; car park; classroom spaces; lap top, teacher shared; whanau group...

Richard, Mike, Ashok, Rudy, Aimee

Fairfield Song:

Bomb Hoax

Today we experienced a rather frightening bomb threat via an automated ph call. Room 9 learners were at Tech Arts, whilst I was in the classroom working away at my desk. It started off with a lockdown announced over the loudspeaker, which I immediately responded to by locking the doors and hiding under my desk. Within 30Seconds the situation turned into an evacuation. I was calm and proceeded out of the door towards the field in the dorection of the tech arts rooms, I was concerned for the welfare of Te Aroha learners. 

The whole school remained on the field, in class lines, from 11:20 (ish), till just after 2pm. Students were allowed to be collected, once the school had been cleared by the police, and contact with parents/caregivers had been established. As a staff we made sure students had access to our cell phones, offered support to those that needed it, and continued to monitor the wellbeing of all Berkley learners.

This was a huge undertaking, which ran really smoothly. There were stages early on where we were not sure what the evacuation was all about, however we maintained our composure and kept up communication with one another.

This was a somehat frightening experience, and I was proud to be a part of a team that responded so quickly, efficiently, and professionally. 

Stuff.co.nz wrote about it here

Classroom Blog - Update

I really enjoy maintaining a classroom blog for Room 9. There are so many benefits of using a blog when teaching, especially in languages. During Spanish I use the blog to embed the language in a range of modes. Learners view and sing along to Youtube videos, mark answers on written tasks, and can re-watch/read from home.
I also use the blog to post the fabulous writing that comes from the 100 Word Challenge Blog. I've seen some really great development in the writing skills of the learners that participate. Unfortunately, I don't have 100% participation from the class, even though it is set as Home Learning for everyone.

I like to add pictures from a range of learning experiences to the blog, to make connections with home. I can appreciate the opportunity to see learners in action, and for the learners to share their experiences and understanding with their whanau.

Here are some screenshots of the Room 9 Blog...

UOI6-How We Express Ourselves - Communication with the Community

Next week we will be starting the new Unit of Inquiry (UOI): How we Express Ourselves. During our Te Aroha team meeting, on 21/10, we discussed what the overall summative task would look like. A decision was made that the students would create a 'Sophisticated Picture Book', that will be a culmination of all their learning throughout the UOI. My question was: How can we create a purpose for the learners that would encourage/motivate them to succeed, with this being the last term of 2016. With my links to Hillcrest Normal School,  we have successfully organised an opportunity for our year 7/8/9 learners to share their sophisticated picture books with year 1/2/4 learners from Hillcrest Normal School. This will go ahead on the 30th of November between 2:00pm - 2:30pm. So very excited, watch this space!!!

Images of emails sent to/from Hillcrest Normal School teachers, rooms 4/19/14, and team members.