Term 4 Week 5
12 November 2013
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Friends,
Last week I had the privilege of meeting, with some local principals, members of the OECD who have recently written a book based on their worldwide research on effective Innovative Learning Environments.
The features of learning environments the OECD research shows are best for learning:
-make learning and engagement central
-ensure learning is social and often collaborative
-is highly attuned to learner motivations and interests
-is demanding for each learner but without excessive overload
-use assessment with learning goals, with a strong emphasis on formative feedback
-promotes connectedness between subjects both in and out of school
These are all important to us at MCS, and their research is encouraging to us that we are on the right track.
This year we have made a strong emphasis on learning and making progress against learning goals, trying to help all our learners 'own' their own learning. We are working hard on 'really knowing each learner', and have tried to give our learners choice where possible in areas of interest, and we have tried to have real life' outcomes for their learning. We have encouraged both group work, requiring collaboration skills, and individual work that promotes development for the children according to their own learning needs and potential. Our curriculum fosters a connectedness between subjects, and seeks to encourage learners to continue learning at home and in connection with people outside of the school environment.
These have been big shifts for our school.
As a staff we are completing assessments this week, and we continue to be excited about the huge progress all our learners have made. We can't wait to share the joy when our assessments are complete.
Watch this space!
Next year, we will have a strong focus on Creativity (God is Creative and wants us to be Creative). This will enable us to really develop as individuals and as a school, particularly in the areas of the arts and science.
Please can you give some thought to the survey below, and let us know your thoughts about how your child learns, either online, or on paper, or make a time to meet me to discuss this.
Last week I had the privilege of meeting, with some local principals, members of the OECD who have recently written a book based on their worldwide research on effective Innovative Learning Environments.
The features of learning environments the OECD research shows are best for learning:
-make learning and engagement central
-ensure learning is social and often collaborative
-is highly attuned to learner motivations and interests
-is demanding for each learner but without excessive overload
-use assessment with learning goals, with a strong emphasis on formative feedback
-promotes connectedness between subjects both in and out of school
These are all important to us at MCS, and their research is encouraging to us that we are on the right track.
This year we have made a strong emphasis on learning and making progress against learning goals, trying to help all our learners 'own' their own learning. We are working hard on 'really knowing each learner', and have tried to give our learners choice where possible in areas of interest, and we have tried to have real life' outcomes for their learning. We have encouraged both group work, requiring collaboration skills, and individual work that promotes development for the children according to their own learning needs and potential. Our curriculum fosters a connectedness between subjects, and seeks to encourage learners to continue learning at home and in connection with people outside of the school environment.
These have been big shifts for our school.
As a staff we are completing assessments this week, and we continue to be excited about the huge progress all our learners have made. We can't wait to share the joy when our assessments are complete.
Watch this space!
Next year, we will have a strong focus on Creativity (God is Creative and wants us to be Creative). This will enable us to really develop as individuals and as a school, particularly in the areas of the arts and science.
Please can you give some thought to the survey below, and let us know your thoughts about how your child learns, either online, or on paper, or make a time to meet me to discuss this.
Please
also consider ways in which you would like your child's creativity to be
extended next year, and any ways that your family can bless others in the
school by sharing what you are passionate about.
Next year will be a further step in our growth as a pretty special learning community, and we would like you to be with us on the journey.
Thanks
Helen Pearson
Next year will be a further step in our growth as a pretty special learning community, and we would like you to be with us on the journey.
Thanks
Helen Pearson
Anniversary Church Service
This Sunday we celebrate our school
anniversary at Mahurangi Baptist Church.
All students are requested to attend. Please wear a clean and tidy
school uniform. We will meet together at
9:20 in front of Room One. If it is easy and convenient please bring a plate to
share.
Welcome
Shavaun
We are so pleased to have Shavaun Langdon and her mum
Kerry joining our school community. Shavaun is the cousin of Jasmine Barker and
she started in Room 1 last week. You are
both welcome. We look forward to coming to know you better.
Christmas Market Fundraising
Mahurangi Christian School has
been given the opportunity to run the sausage sizzle/cake stall at The Home
Body & Beauty Market as a fundraiser so we would appreciate the support of
all the MCS families.
An hourly
roster has been set up in the office to add your name to so that we have enough
people cooking sausages and selling cakes. We will require 4 extra
volunteers per hour from 9am – 2pm. There is a total of 20 hours to
fill so if you can give more than an hour that would be wonderful. Please
call June early to get your name on your preferred spot in the roster.
On Monday 18 November you will receive a
cake box (1 per family). Please return this to school on Friday 22
November filled with something delicious. If you are able to fill
more than one box please
let June know
as there are more cake boxes if required.
Home Body & Beauty Market
Old Masonic Hall - Warkworth
SAUSAGE SIZZLE AND CAKE STALL
Saturday 23 November
9am – 2pm
Buses
On the 22 November the College is having a
half day so the buses that run from the college to Matakana and Matakana Valley
Road will not run in the afternoon. All
other buses will be running.
Parent Survey
We would like to have more feedback from you about the school
for the purposes of assessing ourselves and making plans and priorities for
next year. Please can you, if you didn't do it at the end of last term,
complete the short online survey here as soon as possible?
Thanks
Marae Visit
We are visiting Te Hana
Marae on November 20th. All
details are in the separate letter you have received. We would love as many of
you as possible to join us on this trip.
Please try to clear the day so you can attend and the money must be paid
by this Friday 15th November.
Yummy Apples
Our windfall
of $237 from our sticker collection has enabled us to add these items to our
sports gear:
Two portable
pop up goals, various balls, a ball bag and needle to pump balls up with.
Well done all
you great sticker collectors.
Library Helpers
We need a group of four computer literate volunteers
to help for the week of 25th to 29th of November in order to help
process books for our stocktake. Please click here to register your willingness
to help. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Kthdn0LiQH9ANzZ-Eup2hKugwPjPZcfgEs-Ggkx0w08/viewform
Asset Register and Stocktake
Asset Register and Stocktake
Please, if you have any library books or
sports equipment at home, ensure that it is returned as soon as possible. All
library books must be returned by next Friday (15th November).
Buddy Kit fundraising
We receive $3 for every
Buddy Kit sold so please support us by collecting orders. A Chocolate Brown Voucher will be won by the
family who sell the most. Order sheets with money must be returned by 15th
November. The Buddy Kits are available for viewing in the office.
Video being made about MCS for professional development of NZ
Teachers
On 18 November, we will be visited by a professional video team
so that a short movie can be made about our school and the progress we have
made in e-learning during the last 18 months. The facilitator is excited by
what is happening here and thinks that other schools throughout the country
need to know about it to help them in their own journeys!
If you don’t want your child to be filmed
please advise the office.
Honouring Assemblies
See your child get a special honour
Our End of Term Celebration Assemblies this
year have focused on those learners who have made the most outstanding Progress
during that term.
Our End of Year Prizegivings focus on those
learners who have had the most outstanding Achievement.
This term we are holding special Honouring
Assemblies in which we will honour people within our school community.
Please note that all individuals in our school
will be specially honoured in an assembly that focuses on their particular
Room. Please do try to come along to the Room 1, 2, or 3 assembly on the dates
below to see your child presented with a special certificate that
honours the things that we appreciate about them. This will enable us to
celebrate those things that impress us about each person, and will ensure that
all our learners will know how much we value them regardless of progress or
achievement.
Please book in the dates now, and invite friends
and grandparents and prepare to bring a plate to share for a class
party/morning tea for all learners and guests
celebrating with us. If there are extra curricula skills developed, or you have
noticed significant improvement in your child at home in some way, feel free to
let us know.
Honouring Assemblies: Honour our helpers and
volunteers
On 22 November, we will have an assembly to honour
our volunteers. Please keep this date free if possible.
Assembly
Roster for Term 4 2013
Term
4
|
2013
|
Assembly host
|
Week
1
|
19
Oct
|
Principal’s
Assembly
|
Week
2
|
25
Oct
|
Colin Shilston
|
Week
3
|
1
Nov
|
Pre- school Tabloids-
no assembly
|
Week
4
|
8
Nov
|
Honouring Assembly
Room 1
and
class party afterwards
|
Week
5
|
15
Nov
|
Honouring Assembly
Room 2
and
class party afterwards
|
Week
6
|
22
Nov
|
Honouring Assembly
Room 3
and
class party afterwards
|
Week
7
|
29
Nov
|
No assembly due to Production
|
Week
8
|
6
Dec
|
Honouring Assembly
for friends of the school
|
Week
9
|
13
Dec
|
Prize Giving
|
Upcoming Events:
15 November All Library Books Back
17 November MCS Anniversary Church Service
18 November Visiting Film Crew
20
November Te
Hana Marae Visit
25-29 November Library Stocktake
29
November School Production
7 December Santa Parade
18 December Last day of school for the year
Community Notices
Heartbeat Christian Book Store Warkworth
Would like to announce that we have the new
Rosie Boom book in store - " Where the River Rises" - Book 4
Please come in and have a look around.
Rosie Boom book in store - " Where the River Rises" - Book 4
Please come in and have a look around.
Weetbix Kids TRYathlon
Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon is the BIGGEST under
16’s triathlon series in the world.
Entry is open
to anyone 7 to 15 years of age no matter what your level of fitness, and you
can either sign up as an individual or as a team of two with a friend.
Where and
When:
North
Shore Narrowneck
Beach, North Shore, 6th April, 2014
St
Heliers Vellenoweth
Green, St Heliers, 16th February, 2014
Contact try.weetbix.co.nz or call 09 531 5080
Christmas
Gift Market
When: Friday 29th November
2013 @ 3.00pm - 7.30pm
Where: Mahurangi
College Hall, Warkworth
There are a great selection of handmade and designerproducts.
Local wine and local cuisine available throughout the
event.
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