Tēnā koutou katoa. Tēnei te mihi atu ki a koutou

We had a great turn out at last Tuesday night's Maths Information Evening (pictured above) with over 90 parents registering for the event. The presentation was facilitated by Sarah Cobb from the University of Canterbury. Sarah has also been facilitating our teachers' maths professional development programme this year.

Sarah shared some of the latest research about how children best learn maths as well as some useful tips for parents about how to support maths at home. The key messages from her presentation were as follows:

• Maths is the study of patterns and combines both creative and critical thinking. It is more than just doing calculations, it's about understanding the process.
• Maths helps children be curious, form conjectures, reason, problem solve, make connections and communicate their thinking. Knowledge facts are still important but children will ultimately do better if they build powerful connected memories and have tools to help them recall something they have forgotten (this is called as 'number sense').
• Helping students develop a growth-mindset about maths is vital. Making mistakes helps our brains grow. Never tell your kids that you were bad at maths when you were at school! 
• Speed is the enemy of flexible thinking. When learners are put under stress, the problem-solving parts of the brain shut down. Timed tests can create barriers to deep understanding.  
• One of the best ways to help your children with maths at home is to create an environment that is full of puzzles, games and open-ended toys like Lego bricks. 

A copy of Sarah's presentation is attached to this article and includes hyperlinks to the videos that were shown. A handout of practical ideas for parents is also attached. A reminder that Halswell School has developed some information pages on our school website about how you can support your child's learning at home. 

Following the maths session, parents had the opportunity to meet the candidates who have been nominated for the Board Elections. In total, we have 15 parent nominations. This is a fantastic response and a true reflection on the ongoing positive support our school receives from the parent community. 

A reminder that due to an administration error, voting for the Board elections now closes at noon on Friday 14 June.  Please ensure that you use the pink forms to vote and disregard the blue forms that were initially sent out. You can vote for up to 6 candidates. The new Board will now officially take office on 21 June.

In other matters, our preparations for the school production are in now in full swing with the opening night only two weeks away (Thursday 27 June). Organising a show that features a cast of over 650, is a massive undertaking. I would like to acknowledge all of the staff and parents who have been working hard behind the scenes over the last few weeks.  I'm sure it will all be worth it! 

Unfortunately, we have just received word from the company who is installing our new Stadium retractable bleachers system that due to transport delays, the bleachers will not be installed in time for the production.  This is very disappointing from our perspective but is beyond our control. Rather frustratingly, the bleachers are now due to be installed immediately after the production and should be in place by the end of the term. 

Ngā mihi nui

Stuart Cameron

Principal