“Welcome to Room 2"
Kia ora,
Ko whaea Shelley Mitai toku ingoa
Room 2 is a collective class of Year 6/7/8 enthusiastic, energetic, and thriving young students. As the senior students of the school the goal is to enhance what they have learnt over the years, focus on any needs and prepare them for secondary school. As a teacher my motivation is to support that focus and provide an environment where they feel safe, it’s friendly and has a great learning atmosphere.
Another important focus of our class is to reinforce the student’s whanau values (manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga), which align with the school values (RIICH – Respect, Identity/Integrity, Challenge, Honesty).
Literacy and Numeracy programme:
Spelling: Providing an effective spelling programme where the students are able to work independently is imperative to the students learning. Using activities like Vivid Vocab and the spelling rule of the day helps the students find words and meanings to clarify their understanding. Spelling tests are still apart of the weekly programme, and the focus is to move children up at least two levels per term.
Reading: Guided Reading, Shared reading and buddy reading are an important part of the daily programme and is essential for a child’s learning. Students are encouraged to read daily. As a teacher it’s really important to make sure that the students are capable of understanding what they are reading so we spend a lot of time discussing and using examples/activities that relate to the chosen text. Buddy (Tuakana/Teina)reading: is a time where the Senior class and the New Entrant class are able to read to one another. This is also a good opportunity for our students to build a repo with one another. Tuakana/Teina reading allows our students to(whakarongo) listen, (patai) ask questions and (korero) conversations.
Writing: There is a huge emphasis on helping our students to write, but write well. Agency allows the students to be good thinkers and creative writers. Students choose the type of writing (Narrative, Persuasive, Exposition, Creative Recount), and the theme/topic and how they will proceed with their writing. As a teacher my focus is to keep them on task and assist where necessary.
Maths: Numeracy has always been a challenge for many. So providing a maths programme that is suited for all levels is imperative to the students making progress. Having a focus for the day, providing activities and strategies to best assist the learning is essential.
Local Curriculum: – Our inquiry is “What is my story” This is a journey of knowing who they are? Where they come from? And most importantly about their Marae/Tikanga. This is the 3week and the students have spent that time learning about the local Marae. The next stage is to find out what affiliation they have to any of the local Marae? And what they know about the Tikanga of the Marae?
Te Reo Māori: - Students are taught the basic’s in Te Reo, at level 1, learning how to greet people confidently and how to have a simple conversation with their whanau and friends. Learning about their Pepeha/whakapapa, so they can make connections
to the local marae and the surrounding areas. Local waiata, moteatea, haka and Whakatohea-tanga are also taught with the expectation to learn the history as well. Karakia (Ringatu Faith) plays a huge part in the students learning so this is done before,
during and after school, this helps to set the tone for the day.
Technology: Students attend Junior Tech at the College once a term for four days. The students learn skills through (cooking, sewing, metal work and wood work), this programme is planned and taught by college teachers.
Robopa (robotics): The Robopa programme is delivered both in Te Reo and English. With the help of STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics), the students learn how to decode, construct robots and build good team work ethics. Over the years students have thoroughly enjoyed working on the programme and have been able to compete alongside
other schools in team events. Ashbrook has been a part of this programme since its first inception.
The Arts: - The Arts are hugely celebrated in our school through School productions, Kapahaka and Visual arts.
School productions - allow our students to demonstrate their skills through drama (acting, singing and dancing). With the support and skills of staff our productions have proven to be a success and inspiration for students, ex-students, whanau and the wider community.
Delamere Cup: – in preparation for the Delamere cup students are taught waiata, moteatea, and haka this is in preparation for their performance at the Delamere Cup (Primary School Kapahaka Competition). The Delamere Cup is an event where all our students have the opportunity to perform in front of their whanau.
Visual Arts: – art is a time where the students are able to learn how to explore art-making conventions, applying knowledge of elements and selecting principles through the use of materials and processes. We have also implemented the Tuakana/Teina (Buddy Art) with Room 6 (new entrant class) to allow our students to learn and work alongside one another. This has been a rewarding experience.
Physical Education: Sports is an area that our students excel at. As a senior class the students lead by example showing leadership, encouragement and sportsmanship. The seniors are able to display these skills at inter-school competitions and at the annual national competitions like Aims Games. Aims Games is an event where Year 7 & 8’s compete alongside other Year 7 & 8’s throughout New Zealand. Ashbrook has participated in the competition since 2006.
EOTC: (Education outside the classroom) Providing education outside the classroom, has always been a highlight for all students. Teaching students life skills around our natural resources is a rewarding experience. Providing resource people with the knowledge of the moana (sea), awa (river) and the estuary has always been a huge part of our curriculum. “knowing your own back yard”.
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