Syndicate meeting 12/8

During our syndicate meeting last week Norah visited and brought along a bright and colourful bucket and explained that this is a metaphor for filling the buckets of others.
The bucket represents the mental and emotional thoughts and feelings that we have Norah asked us to think about how we feel when our bucket is full and then when it has been drained. This lead me to going online to find out a bit more.
When your bucket is full you feel confident, calm, secure, patient and friendly you will have positive thoughts and you would expect positive results.
And take the time to think about your bucket overflowing there would be a happiness that would spread to those around you and if you received a happy smile or positive feedback or compliment there would be a great big ripple effect.

Now let's think about if your bucket was drained how would you be feeling there would not be so many positive thoughts and it would be easy to be sad, nervous, insecure, negative, stressed, worried and even possibly physically ill, affecting your behavior and emotions leading you instead to empty the buckets of those around you.

After doing more online reading, I want to think about bucket filling and how my actions and words affect others and not intentionally dipping into the buckets of others.

professional observation

Just going to share the observation of one of my lessons that happened last week, Thank you Natalie, for your insight.

Teacher: Stacey Hanright Observer: Natalie Williams

Lesson: Mathematics Strand: Algebra

Learning Intention: We are learning to recognise a repeating pattern using numbers

Start time: 11:25 Finish time: 11:35

Group lesson

What did the lesson look like?

• Before you started the lesson you talked about prior learning, and you modelled on the whiteboard using objects, and asking targeted questions depending on the level of the learner
• You modelled on the whiteboard using objects and 2 different colours and children responded positively to this
• You drew a line after the 2nd colour in the pattern and this was a great visual prompt to remind children about what they were expected to do
• You used the sign for ‘same’ to support visual learners
• Before moving on to the next part of the lesson, you ensured that children had a good understanding
• You linked prior knowledge and you talked to the children that "now we are going to make a pattern using numbers"
• NATURE - immediately said the new pattern sequence 1,2 (FANTASTIC)
• When children answered incorrectly you responded by having a positive approach (you acknowledged their answer, and supported them to find the correct answer)
• You lesson ensure that all children were participating and contributing
• You left the familiar pattern sequence (objects and colours) and wrote the number sequence underneath. This provided a visual prompt for children
• You also identified that you needed to draw a line after the 2nd colour in the sequence as children still needed this visual prompt
• You then moved onto using a 3rd object (orange) and moved onto the pattern 1,2,3

Where to next…

• Nature was not initially engaged in the lesson and she was sitting to the back of the group (I identified that this could be because she was on the floor and everyone else were in chairs, so I put her on a chair and she was engaged) - So just make sure that all children are comfortable and set up to participate in the lesson before starting.
• Saxon started getting bored e.g. playing with his hair, rocking (this is an indication that he needed a sensory break)
• Because introducing a repeating pattern using numbers is a new concept for all children, I recommend that you focus on the 1,2 pattern in the one lesson and introduce 1,2,3 pattern once you know that children have understood.

Pleased with the observation plenty of good feedback and where to next to think about.

  

Syndicate meeting

For our syndicate meeting this week we discussed the events that prominent in the timetable for the next two weeks. Teachers then discussed their literacy inquiries and brainstormed challenges and solutions in a supportive environment. then as a team we dedicated some time to our professional blogs.  

Think maths

Really enjoyed a chance during the term break to go along to Mt Manganui intermediate with colleagues for a maths symposium. Taking the time to learn about developing spatial awareness in geometry, algebra in the early years and number sense. These work shops had very informative presenters along with an impressive key note speaker was well worth the time.

Teacher and Teacher aid only day in Matai

Lead by senior Natalie Williams

We started the morning with a share of something personal that had special meaning to us our Taonga our treasure. This gave us an insight to what was dear, important to us above all; and for all of us it is family they shape us they are there through the good and bad, we don’t always stay on the same page in our books of life nonetheless on a whole we are there for them as they are for us.

Term 2 in Matai   

Natalie presented what she envisioned our learning environment to look like for the second term 2015. Acknowledging and welcoming new staff, discussing general housekeeping and administration.

We then viewed concepts to help staff reflect on their own professional practise. Discussion included no question is a silly question, that we are all learners, our own limiting beliefs and how we apply these to our children.

Natalie finished with a statement that I believe was like this (tried to remember it fully but may have paraphrased a little)

I have the belief that our children have the amazing ability to surprise us…… however if we don’t allow them to try then they will never have that opportunity.

After lunch we participated in a workshop for Anaphylaxis management.

Anaphylaxis – allergic reactions

These reactions can happen to anyone at any time but of course are more prominent in someone who already has a known allergic reaction history.

For a very useful training resource follow this link    

www.allergy.org.au   click on Anaphylaxis resources for schools and early childcare to do the training. 

During our workshop we were able to view, discuss and participate with the two adrenaline auto injectors the Anapen and the Epipen.

These pens are automatic injectors that administer a single dose of adrenaline. 

Adrenaline is the ONLY effective treatment for Anaphylaxis, this is (adrenaline) a hormone that is naturally produced in the human body and is very safe when given in a single dose via an automatic injector. Adrenaline assists with the breathing, maintains heart function and blood pressure works within minutes and last for approximately 10 - 20 minutes, reverses a severe allergic reaction and can be life saving 

Anaphylaxis is potentially life threatening and should always be treated as a MEDICAL EMERGENCY.    

Staff meeting

An interesting presentation from Ana about the Ministry of Education revised  e-asttle writing complete with online video  explanations. This online tool is designed to assess childrens' writing progress from years  1- 10 by providing a variety of communicative purposes ie describe, explain, recount, narrate persuade. A valuable tool with quality exemplars to track student writing.

Amber and Roz spoke about GGL and showed a tracking graph (which was informative as I had little knowledge of what happened from the form being filled out and the child spoken to, nice to have the elaboration)

Staff blogging session

After a fantastic day in Tawa at James Street school pleased to join my colleagues at Junior syndicate meeting :) to plan and inform of what was coming for the rest of term one. Then to spend some much needed discussion and time assessing our blogs    

  

A staff meeting with a difference

The architect came back and presented two different plans for incorporating the special needs unit in a new position within the school. These plans prompted a lot of discussion and have been displayed in the staff room for our feedback, both plans have pro's con's and interesting points which will make it very interesting to see which plan comes to the front.