On Monday 11 August, three Logan Park students competed in the regional semi-finals of the New Zealand Spelling Bee.
Oscar McGuire, Desiree Heinze-Farrington and George Sabonadiere had already done remarkably well, being selected from a written test for the semi-final. George Sabonadiere was placed second in what was essentially a sudden-death spell-off. He will be flown to Wellington in October to compete in the New Zealand Spelling Bee final with 15 other finalists from around New Zealand. Congratulations, George!
Logan Park is a school that includes a diverse range of nationalities. Besides our ESOL students we have a growing number of students who were born overseas and have now chosen New Zealand in which to settle. They come from countries such as China, Thailand, Vietnam, Ethiopia, India and Brazil.
For two years Logan Park High School has been involved with ELLINZ online which is a programme designed for students with limited or no English language skills from year 7 onwards. Here at Logan Park High School we have a small class of students who are new residents to New Zealand and are ELLP Stage 1 or below on the English Language Learning Progressions. We are based in the ESOL classroom where lessons are delivered via live lessons on skype four times a week plus four sessions on computers in our E-Classroom doing follow up work.
Our students are all very keen to learn English in order to live, work and study in New Zealand. Sometimes students have never used a computer until they come to Logan Park, but we soon assist them to become as computer literate as any other Kiwi student. I feel very privileged to be part of this class because as I help them learn English, I learn about the different parts of the world they come from. It is truly a journey of discovery for everyone!
