Assemblies are the week's highlight for many students, a time to share their learning with their peers and whānau. Last week's Year 3 assembly certainly illustrated this – the children's pleasure in sharing their learning was palpable. After years and months of disrupted schooling, it was fantastic to see children thriving in an environment where they feel safe to express themselves.

While many children can thrive in any environment, others may flourish only under the most favourable conditions. Some are powerfully affected by trauma, while others can effectively weather adverse experiences, sustaining few developmental consequences.

There is a lot of research on how children adapt to their environment, one such piece I came across recently asks us to consider whether a child is a dandelion or orchid.

About 80% of children are like dandelions who thrive in almost any environment. These children are primarily untroubled by the stresses and traumas they confront.

About 20% are like orchids and require very supportive environments to thrive. These children can succeed wonderfully well in the right circumstances.

We've all seen dandelions, the resilient flower that can grow in the cracks in concrete and thrive in almost any climate. Dandelion children can persevere through various challenges, including poverty and neglect. These children bounce back, keep growing, and aren't thrown off course by most situations.

The opposite are orchid children, who are especially sensitive to their environment. Picky eating and noise sensitivity can be signs of an orchid, as can having a hard time with change or transitions, either large or small.

Dandelion children, the resilient breed, generally manage through their circumstances and aren't pulled too far down by poor environments. Brain scans show orchid children are wired to respond dramatically to certain factors, so don't make a fuss about the physical ones. They need to grow up knowing their parents are confident in their abilities to survive. A supportive environment is not an overly protective one but one that tries to understand the challenges an orchid child faces and helps them learn to navigate the world.

Orchid children are more prone to illnesses, many of them respiratory. However, in the right environment, orchids will experience less illness than dandelions, the children who have lower reactions to either positive or negative environments.

Dandelion or orchid? Just like with any flower, it depends on where they're planted.

Our Year 3 students were planted in a thriving learning environment at the assembly and expressed their learning through pepeha, poems and artwork. Here are a few that have were shared at assembly:

Excited
If excited were a colour,
It would be red.
As red as a rose shining in the sun.
If excited were a taste,
It would be just like delicious melted chocolate drizzling in your mouth.
If excited were a feeling,
It would be like your amazing great first day at school.
If excited were a smell,
It would be as sweet as white sugar.
If excited were a sound,
It would be as loud as happy laughter.
By Bianca T

Tired
If tired were a colour,
It would be blue.
As blue as the sky on a stormy day.
If tired were a taste,
It would be just like blueberry
If tired were a feeling,
It would be sad as a tree falling on a rainy day.
If tired were a smell,
It would be milk and sugar before bed time.
If tired were a sound,
It would be a lullaby.
By Hamish F

Embarrassed
If embarrassed were a colour,
It would be blue
As blue as an ice cube.
If embarrassed were a taste,
It would be as salty as a drop of seawater in your mouth.
If embarrassed were a feeling,
It would be scary as scary as a hungry bear.
If embarrassed were a smell,
It would smell like dirty cat fur stuck in your nose.
If embarrassed were a sound
It would be like mean people telling bad things about you.
By Sarah C

Possible Strike day – Wednesday 31 May
New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) has asked its member to vote to strike. If members vote in favour of strike action, all teachers who belong to NZEI will not be at school. While the school fully supports improved conditions for teachers and, therefore, necessary strike action, we aim to balance that with the needs of our community.

IF the strike goes ahead;

• SKIDS will be operating but will only be able to take a maximum of 20 students
• The school will have a skeleton staff to supervise those families who cannot make an alternative childcare arrangement. Please note there will be limited spaces to ensure we can adequately supervise the children in our care.

We will know the outcome of the vote by Monday morning and will let you know the final arrangement asap.

Kings Birthday – Monday 5 June
A reminder that the school will be closed on 5th June to acknowledge the Kings Birthday. 

Have a great weekend!

Ngā manaakitanga

Lucy