by Amy McBeath

Middles News

Me mahi tahi tātou mo te oranga o te katoa - We should work together for the wellbeing of everyone.

A very warm welcome from the Middle Syndicate to all our whānau.

It was wonderful to meet and talk with so many of you at our recent Meet the Teacher evening. If you were unable to attend but would like to have a look around your child’s classroom, please feel free to pop in before or after school.

Teachers and children have been working together to settle into some routines and to set some classroom expectations that align with our school values. Art and other pieces of work are beginning to fill some of the spaces around our rooms.

It has been great to see children striving to demonstrate our KAIK values. This has been evident in our tamariki taking part in new activities, making new friends, and trying their best even if there is challenge involved.

During our weekly syndicate assemblies, children have been exploring ideas around our KAIK values, expectations, and Zones of Regulation. Through fun challenges, they’ve been working on their communication skills and getting to learn more about each other. Learning more about beat and rhythm, as well as some new songs has been fun too.

We have begun some work around our Term 1 PBL (Project-Based Learning). This will be about Tūrangawaewae which is often translated as 'a place to stand’. Our driving question is: How can we celebrate who we are and where we come from? Our first two milestones for this PBL are to explore the meaning of Tūrangawaewae and to compare and contrast different cultures. Please let us know if you have knowledge or skills to share about any culture that is special to you.

We look forward to talking with you during our Parent-Teacher Interviews early next month. The purpose of these interviews is to share goals and what we have learned about your child so far, as well as an opportunity for you to share with us anything you think we should know. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch before then if there is anything that you would like to discuss.

Heoi anō tāku mō nāianei (that's all for now)

Amy McBeath and the Middle Syndicate Team