Key competencies

 Key Competencies

As part of a general education, the New Zealand curriculum requires the teaching, learning and practising of five key competencies. The one Mr. Bach emphasises the most to students, as the key to all learning, is Self Management. Some students aren't learning because they struggle to focus, listen, carry out instructions, work independently for periods of time or understand the concept of time and place for different activities in life. The other four key competencies are Participating and contributing,  Relating to others, Thinking and Using Language Symbols and Texts.

Above - Room 6 show good self management skills during assembly.







Right and Below -
Room One students display the key competency of Participating and Contributing by taking part in assembly.

Sports BOP

 Sports Bay of Plenty

Sports BOP runs a lot of programmes in schools designed to teach children basic movement skills and/or skills for specific sports, such as tennis, soccer, rugby and netball. These sessions are a great addition to the school's PE programme and also allow teachers to get ideas for their own programmes. These photos of room 6 and 5 are from an indoor session at the end of last term, promoting athletics skills.

Google Apps for Education

 Google Apps for Education

Room 6 children have been receiving training in using the Google Apps for Education learning management system, starting from the beginning of term one. Mrs Cato has been coming in on Monday afternoons to assist teachers in getting the middle school children up and running. At first we were focusing on simple skills, such as logging in and creating and naming documents. We are slowly moving on to more complex skills such as sharing and collaborating on documents online with other students in the class on other devices. This Monday we will be teaching more about commenting on other's work appropriately using the comments functions on Google Apps. This basically entails writing something another student has done well and something that they can improve on.

 Children seem to really enjoy learning using computer devices and Google apps and listen carefully to Mrs Cato and Mr Bach.

 Everyone wants to have their turn using a Google Chromebook or Apple laptop to use Google Apps.

Children love being allowed to use Mr Bach's super-duper cool Apple mac laptop to access Google Apps as Te Oki, Mele, Krishn and Koby.

Palm Sunday Liturgy

Palm Sunday Liturgy

On Friday the Palm Sunday Liturgy was jointly run by Mrs Tabuteau's and Mr. Bach's classes. It took place in the hall and gave the opportunity for lots of children, from both classes, to read to the whole school. The singing was great and the audience attentive, although unfortunately it was raining too hard to have our traditional Donkey Parade outside.

Assembly at St Mary's

 Assembly - Friday afternoon 2:05 - after 'Golden Time'

St Mary's has assembly every week on Friday after Golden Time, except when there is a mass on Friday mornings. Room 6 will be running assembly in week 9, so we will be working out this week who is going to read and participate, and what we will do as an item. Below are pictures from the special leader's assembly held earlier in the year, when the new year 5 and 6 leaders were sworn in and received their badges. If your child is a year 5 next year they may want to start thinking about whether they will take on any leadership responsibilities. If they do not really want to go in the formal leadership program, there are other options like First Aid, Playground Angel's and Young Vinnie's Groups. 

Welcome Back to School - Room 6, 2014

 Welcome Back Room 6 - 2014

Welcome back to a busy year of learning in room 6 in 2014. The children were well behaved and excited on their first day back. I will steadily update this blog over the next couple of weeks and put up weekly notices on the home page every Sunday for the coming week. The children should have received an introductory letter from the middle school today - please let me know if you want another copy. I look forward to meeting you all on the 13th February from 5:30 to 6 for a meet the teacher evening where I will explain my programme and expectations and answer any questions from parents and caregivers. I reposted below my last posting from last year's blog as it may be of interest to budding fishermen and women. 

Summer Trout Fishing

If you were out and about around the Rotorua lakes over the summer you may well have bumped into Mr. Bach, either fishing from his orange kayak or fly fishing along a stream bank. Above is a nice 4lb brown trout Mr. Bach caught after school one day last December just below the Devon Road bridge. This trout was returned to the water soon afterwards to continue its journey upstream to sanctuary. Summer is a great time to take kids out fishing, with the weather warm, and the trout seeking cold water to shelter from the warm lake water that they hate. The Utuhina stream has trout in it over the summer slowly moving upstream, as it is a cold, spring fed stream. It is easily accessed as it wanders through the city. Summer also provides streamside vegetation that hides the wary trout from walkers and wanderers, who may disturb them. There are fewer trout than in autumn and winter but also fewer anglers.

Tips to help kids start catching fish - 

1. Find out the pools, overhangs and other places fish generally lie in a stream and begin fishing into these places without looking in the water first.

2. Use streamside vegetation to hide yourself from the fish and wear camouflage or dull coloured clothing.

3. Use strong fluorocarbon nylon - fluorocarbon may be more expensive but trout just cannot seem to see it at all - unlike normal nylon. Trout can be hard enough to hook, as it is for a child, without the frustration of constantly losing them because of snapped nylon-  and what if a really big fish is hooked? You need to give a kid a chance - leave the sporting, light line fishing for experienced adults. I use 15lb Maxima fluorocarbon.

4. Be patient and move slowly and carefully near the water - sudden movements scare fish.

5. Try early morning - the early bird catches the worm - and beats other anglers to the pools with freshly arrived, gullible fish in them.

6. Try in the evening or at night when fish are usually more active and feel safe feeding.

7. Teach children to catch and release - children will obviously want to keep all of their fish when they first start consistently catching trout, but encourage them, at some stage (especially if the freezer is full), to start putting some trout back for others to catch, or to help sustain the fishery by allowing some fish to return to the water to spawn upstream, and produce the next generation.