A little different from what we had expected. Nevertheless, welcome back to term 2 at Oaklands. We are looking forward to working alongside you and your child as we navigate ourselves through 'learning at home'.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, or if there is anything you need help with. Please be aware that if your email is sent later in the day, we will respond the following day. You can contact us at hub6@oaklands.school.nz
Note: Blogs will go home each Friday afternoon as before. These will have the learning for the next week. This will enable parents to read the information during the weekend. However this is learning for the following Monday please do not start it early.
Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th and Friday 17th April
* You can find all information about the hub 6 programme on this slide presentation. This has been shared with parents, and students. Click on this link to go straight there. (note: it used to be called Teachers online Hub 6 -this new title is more appropriate)
* We have prepared a learning plan for students for the 3 days of the week
* It includes literacy - reading and writing, mathematics, fitness, and 'passion project' time
* The timetable is a guide only as we are aware that each student's situation is different
* The activities allow for lots of independent student work i.e., they do not require constant adult supervision
* We have scheduled literacy/maths/fitness in the morning, and passion project in the afternoon. This is a guide only.
Meeting with students
We use zoom video conferencing to meet virtually with students. Here is our schedule for this week
How does my child get 'invited to a zoom meeting?
Students can access the link via the ‘Zoom Schedule’ slide on the Hub 6 learning at home slide presentation. We may also email out invites via gmail where needed.
You can watch a short video guide to zoom by clicking on the image on the Zoom schedule document. Here is the link
ZOOM SCHEDULE
Wednesday
9:10am - Whole hub 6
We would like to welcome students back to term 2 and go over a couple of housekeeping things.
9:30am - Pastoral care class
- Each teacher will meet with their pastoral care class
- They will introduce the 'literacy' workshop - this will involve us taking students through a writing session from a top New Zealand educator, Murray Gadd. Students will be set a writing task from this
10:00am - Literacy support session
- students who feel confident to go away and complete the writing task will, and those who need teacher support can stay online for more detailed support from their pastoral care teacher
Thursday and Friday
9:10am - Literacy workshop zoom meeting with pastoral care teacher
9:30am - Literacy support zoom session for those wanting help from the pastoral care teacher
Small group zoom meetings
- Students also have 1 small group zoom meeting of 20-25 minutes scheduled on Wednesday or Thursday. This will provide a chance to catch up with students, have a chat about how things are going, answer any questions and have a bit of fun. This is the format we used over the three days of the last term.
Extra zoom meeting requests
- Students can request an extra individual or small group zoom meeting on Friday from after 10:00am. They might need some support with a learning task, need help on how to share some learning, or want to meet to share learning with each other. Students can book a time by completing a google form which is linked on the Hub 6 learn at home presentation.
Passion Project Afternoons
- We encourage students to be creative, collaborate with others, and follow a passion for the afternoon sessions.
- This may take the form of students completing CARE home challenges, creating art work, constructing lego, free writing, practising a musical instrument, practising a sport skill, researching a topic of interest, cooking/baking, devising a dance routine, carrying out a science experiment, doing DQ World or they can watch some of the new TV2 +1 learning channel or Māori television programmes for school children (note that the ‘middle 9-1yr’ programmes are scheduled on TV2 +1 from 11:00am - 11:40am).
- Students are free to choose their passion ideas.
- We will provide a number of ideas, and links to resources that can support these passions.
SHARING LEARNING
- We ask that students share their learning experiences via their Students Sharing Online - google classroom assignment in the 'Learn at home' folder (students are familiar with this).
Internet Safety and communication
As there are a lot more children online with the global lockdowns, it is worthwhile reminding your child to be cyber-safe. This means having conversations with your child about what they are doing online, how interacting with their peers online is going and discussing what they have been doing on DQ World (our cyber safety programme).
We have noticed as hub teachers that there have been misunderstandings between students interacting online. Please remind your children that how we interact person to person is different to how we interact in emails. As per usual, if your child is feeling uncomfortable about something, then please contact the hub teachers on hub6@oaklands.school.nz
Internet filters
FREE N4L safety filter for all students
We've set up a safety filter that parents can set up on their child's learning devices from home. Just go to switchonsafety.co.nz to find clear instructions on how to do this.
The free N4L safety filter (by global cyber-security leader, Akamai) blocks websites containing known cyber threats like phishing scams, malicious content and viruses, while also protecting children from content deemed the worst of the web (like adult sites).
It is an extension of one of the many safety and security services we have in place at schools and is a valuable layer of protection to help keep children safe online. Please remember that technology is not a silver bullet and the filter should be used in combination with Netsafe's online parent safety toolkit.
How does it work?
Once a child's device is set up, all internet search requests will go through the safety filter which checks if the website they are trying to visit is safe before allowing access. If it's a website that's known to be unsafe, then it will be blocked. The safety filter is applied to the child's device, so parents' devices are not affected.
Reading
- one of the most important things we can do
Whether it is reading with your child, or role modelling reading yourself, if we can recommend one activity, this is it. The National Library has an excellent article on the importance of developing a ‘reading culture’ at home.
Have a wonderful week
Grant, Rebecca and Nathan