CAMP 2012...

Wow what a week on Monday Friday seemed forever away, but the time Friday came round we wondered where the week had gone.

Monday started at 9.30 when we got on the bus and headed south into cold rainy weather. A wet stop at the Moraeki Boulders saw the first photo opportunity. More rain on the way down saw me coming up with alternatives for the week. Luckly for us by the time we hit Karitane for lunch the rain had gone and the sun poked through. Onto Dunedin where we made a stop at Signal Hill. We got a great view of the cloud that was between us and Dunedin (but we could see the Hockey turf, some say a highlight.) Back in the bus and off to the campsite.

We arrived there to dry but overcast conditions. A quick unpack and we went for a walk round the campsite. A few games of Ambush and we ended up at the confidence course where a few time trials were had and the first accident was had (Jack and his knee). Some had their first challenge of sliding down the pole. So back to camp and the choice given to what theywant to do. pleasantly suprising the choice was to go swimming in the swimming hole. Most went in (IT WAS FREEZING!!) and splashed and swum about. Some even got on the rope swing to ensure they got the most out of it. After that we went back to camp where hot showers were the order of the day. Tea time then into camp games. we had an intergroup quiz session, jenga competition and finally a hockey balloon game between the four groups. it was great with lots of hits to everyone. I think Team Yellow came out on top ater a sudden death match.

Tuesday saw us up bright and early and off to Larnach Castle. The parents took their groups and went off in search of the secrets and mysteries of the castle. Many photos later and a few suprises (Cole and the tower) we decided to leave the castle and head for the beach before Olverston House. St Kilda was cloudy but the class got into the water with some truely drenched (Rhys). Mr Z caught up with us and then after lunch and another playground we were off to Olverston House. Two groups went round. I was in Jean's group and we seemed to break most rules including playing on the roped off piano. It is true a great guide can make all the difference. The last afternoon event was racing up anmd down Baldwin Street. Not sure if the hill or the free wi fi found on the hill was a highlight...(Blake and others).Home for tea then out to Moana Pool. The kids loved this. Up and down the Hydro slide with the only injuries being head one in the entry to the Hydro slide (Mr Cameron-split head, Thomas - a 'nice' egg of the forehead.). Then onto the diving board wher all sorts of techniques and positions were demonstrated.

Wednesday saw us off to the Museum and the Butterflies. The butterfilies were in a super hot house- 27.3 degrees. They were reall amazing with at least 500 in the house. Many landed on lots of kids with only a few screaming (isn't that right....). The museum than saw the parents again taking their groups away around the rest of the building. Lots of photos of animals were taken and plenty of getting lost was had. From here we went to the Aquarium. This ws very good we had a great guide who spoke so very very fast and was super passionate about her job. We held lots of sea creatures , saw sharks. The highlight being a squid dissection. Wow they smell and they have three hearts. Many got the backbone  (shell) of the squid to take home. Another thing is their ink is called sepia, which was used in the orginal photographs. Back onto the bus and off on the windy road back to the camp. Tea and then off to 10 pin bowling. Plenty of action ensued with bowling balls going generally in the right direction. The class looked brillant in their pretty bowling shoes. Hamish was the overall champion with Mr Cameron piping Mr Brown at the last through a technical point.

Thursday had us heading off to the Hall of Fame where everybody had  a quiz to answer. Bridey came out on top of the best cyclist (130rpm) with Jack working hard to try and beat her. From there we went back to St Kilda beach for a run round. Here the parents and teachers really showed their class and kept the ball away from the class. Very slick moves and passing was had with all adults showing a wonderful mix of skills. If the parents ever wanted to challenge the students to a game they would easily win!!! Great tackiling from Jacob who put Mr Cameron, Mr Sisson and Mr Brown down in the sand during the game. From here we rushed off to the Art gallery for a wander round and a go at cubism. The artists were very good and really liked some of our classes work. (The pastel cubism drawings are hanging up outside the room). We have some very good artists!! Racing from here to the Forsyth Barr Stadium for a tour of the 'arena'. A really good tour into the coaches box, changing rooms, corporate boxes ($50000 for 14 games), members area ($1500 14 games) and the stands, We were asked to not stand on the turf and even after what might be called 'begging' this was not allowed. At this point some of the adults should have lead by example (no names!!). Finally back to camp for tea and then a couple of games.Up the hill for solo. Many took the opportunity to sit quietly and face their fares. The really positive thing is all did it and I could have left them out there for an hour quite happily. Back to the hall for "the chocolate game" and then the final sleep.

Friday saw us back up and hit the road for home. A steady, settled trip had us arriving in Oamaru for lunch, photos and thank yous then back to school.

A really good week with the students being no trouble and making the camp what it should have been. A camp for them.

Any other questions please ask you child or ask to see some of the 1000's of photos (I kid you not) that were taken.


Last stop on the way home



A big thank you to Mr Cameron who was the other teacher on camp. He did a huge amount of work behind the scenes and was always willing to help with anything. Cheers Matt.

Finally a HUGE THANK YOU to Jan Gibbs, Paula Atwill, Gillian Rodgers and Danny Sisson. These parents were FANTASTIC!! They worked tirelessly cooking, group work and being everywhere. They helped to make the camp what it was.

Cheers

Hamish

Games Night

The Boulders on the way to camp

At the art gallery

Jumping like a gold medalist

The Railway Station

Olverston House rules being broken (again)

What are we up to on camp???

Have a look at what we are up to on Camp.

It should be a great week.
Remember to get your child to pack warm and think of the places and activities they will be going.

Cheers

Cheers
Hamish

Maths this week.

Just a quick photo of one of the super efforts that the class have been working on this week. This has taken 3/4 days of hard work. A great effort.

This is a real geometric shape, can you name it?

Hamish

Camp Gear List



Camp Gear List

 Camp Gear List

Week 6.....Done!

Hi there all,
This week has begun very well. We had Linda Merillies (district health nurse) come in on Monday and talk to the girls for an hour and 40 minutes about puberty, the changes and many other things. I do not and do not want to know what they discussed and what questions were asked. this was their time to ask a neutral well informed professional all those tough questions. the boys had a session for an hour today. Linda said both groups listened well and were interested. she also mentioned the boys were mature.

Today we discussed the camp timetable and other certain activities. All were interested in what we  are going to do.

Monday am Travel
Monday pm Camp walk free time

Tuesday am Larnach Castle
Tuesday pm Olveston House/Baldwin Street
Tuesday eve Moana Pool

Wednesday am Museum
Wednesday pm Aquarium
Wednesday eve 10 Pin Bowling

Thursday am Sports Hall of fame
Thursday pm Art Gallery/Forsyth Barr Tour
Thursday eve Campsite (solo, spotlight....)

Friday am Pack up/leave
Friday pm Arrive at school @ 2.00ish

Everybody has their bunk rooms and responsibility groups. They will each get a turn at Prepping/ cooking/cleaning up Breakfast, Lunch and dinner and they will have a turn at cleaning the grounds and toilets.

A couple of things I am letting the students do relates very much to trust. The first is that they will be given free time to explore the grounds on Monday. They will be on their own with a few guidelines. The second thing is the Solo. this is where they are placed in the bush by themselves at night to sit for  a time to listen think, conquer fear etc... in the past i have found it a positive task with many stories being told.

The rest of the week will see us go over the menu and a few other relevant details.

Just a note about i-pods, cell phones etc... they are allowed to take them (IT IS NOT COMPULSORY TO HAVE THEM) due to the fact they are their cameras. On camp they will be collected at night. Again trust is high that they hand in the phones when asked and follow instructions. Also, they are responsible for their devices if they lose it, drop it etc they need only look at themselves

Camp Night Sing Song Maybe???

A big thank you to Gillian Rodgers, Danny Sisson, Jan Gibbs and Paula Atwill who have given up their week to spend it with us.

More information will come out later.

Cheers

Happenings and thoughts from Room 14

Hi all,

A nice 'normal' week at school. Everything has run pretty much as supposed to.

On Monday we had Marg Wright in the Maths class. She was there demonstrating specific Maths lessons for the benefit of the students and the teachers. I found it interesting, thought provoking and very useful. It is great for us to invite quality people in to help us improve what we are already doing. "If you do not improve you will only stand still- thus go backwards because others around you are improving".

The inquiry process is moving along nicely. The students have generally thought about the questions they are asking. These range from "What is the best diet for an Olympic gymnast?" to "What happens to the Olympic villages after the game?" to "What are the influences that lead people to take performance enhancing drugs?"

The first round of the enrichment Science has come to an end. Mrs Franklyn will give the teachers the assessment results and we will be talking to the students to see how much they enjoyed it and what they got out of it. This has set us up for next year when we will be entering into the South Canterbury Science Fair.

Mrs Best was in on Wednesday and the children seem to enjoy her style and the fact she is teaching them Japanese (language and culture). If you have the chance ask them to share a few phrases/words at home.

We have had our first Puberty lesson. It was good to break the ice and get started. A few giggles were had in the class at the various names of body parts and during the introductory DVD. The points I kept making are that although some start earlier, go through it faster etc.. we all have to go through it and whatever happens is supposed to.

The weather has been FRUSTRATING! Having 27 Year 7 and 8's in the class all day can be at times testing for all parties but they have done well. The odd run round the court and game in the hall has seen them be relatively settled. The ground has been saturated. On Tuesday I went out to see the state of the grounds and I literally had water over my toes. As the students leave the class I see the state of the back of some of their shirts. Mud is rather clear on maroon.

Well done the the Maths Hat makers. They did well with their "Maths Hats". Some grumbled and moaned but all made one. Some were outstanding. Have a look at the attached photo and judge for yourself.



ROOM 14 and their Maths Hats.

 Camp is arriving soon. The students have been given their bunk rooms and groups. It should be a fun week. Hopefully the weather stays fine enough for me to get them to do a few activities that they should enjoy and hopefully push them well outside their comfort zone. They all have been given a gear list which we have gone over in class.

I found this old(ish) add and thought I would share it with you. I like it for numerous reasons but I wont influence your thoughts. Have a look at it and if you get anything out of it that's cool, if not simply enjoy. (This is not a test!!)

The Olympics are over so sleep patterns are getting back to normal. There were many highlights but a few for me were...
 1. The Chinese 100m hurdler after breaking down at the first hurdle hopped to the wrong point so couldn't leave (red tape again!!) then had to hop down the track to the exit point. Two /three other runners helped the last bit after he kissed the final hurdle to say goodbye to his career. (This is what the Olympics are about)
2. The Canadian triathlete (woman) who had a horrible day and simple was not on her game (just one of those things). She had stopped, cried, and then carried on. At the end watching her cross the line she was saying "I'm sorry" over and over again to someone. This really showed the true colours and great character of a person who can fail, not make excuses and then apologise for her failure to those her support, train and guide her.
3. Finally the guy who one the 100m and the 200m... what's his name?? Um you know the one... This was a highlight because he simply "talked the talk and walked the walk."

Well th th th that's all folks ( who can remember that cartoon)

Cheers
Hamish

A little later than usual...

Hi all,

It has been as usual a busy week. On Monday and Tuesday everybody met with their countries and planned chants, rehearsed songs and made banners and flags. I know I had a great time with my group. From Room 14 was Cole, William and Thomas and they worked very well with everyone from the 5 year olds up.

These sessions led up to today when we had the Gleniti School Olympic Competition. It was a great afternoon with all participating and getting stuck into the activities. From the point of view of a teacher the time went very fast when you had each group.

The students have chosen their inquiry partners (with some being very thoughtful chose to be work foccussed). they have come up with their big question and their little questions. hey will now be working on finding out and going through the inquiry process. I am really excited about the inquiry as the questions are relevant and interesting.

I have continued to enjoy the class discussions about the Olympics and the events. They all have their own opinion and are usually willingly to share it.

I thank you all for coming to the interviews. It was beneficial for me to meet most of you again and talk about your child and how they are going. For those who brought their son or daughter I thought it went well to. I think it is important that everybody knows what the other is thinking and where they are heading. As I said in a few interviews it is their life and we can guide them but they must step up and not waste the opportunities that come along.

This week saw the class getting a little scratchy due to the rain and not being able to go outside and blow off steam. They did keep it together quite well and nothing was too damaged.

I thank everyone for the afternoon tea which we shared during the Reward time. It was very well recieved with it all being devoured on the day or the following Monday. It was very cool to see them all just do their own thing together. Some played in the hall, listened to music, played games or just talked.

On Friday we have the Craighead Corale performoing at school. This should be an excellent concert as they are a well polished and entertaining group.

Camp notices have come out. Could you please fill them out and send them back to school as soon as possible. If you havew any questions please do not hesitiate to contact me.

Room 14 hard at work

Room 14 working on improving their vocab.

An on task group

Looking down the table seeing a great work ethic to see them improve their vocabulary.



Three girls ready for the Olympic afternoon.



Fancy nails supporting Japan

The class working well to improve

 

A look at four students from Room 14 dressed in their Olympic Gear. Can you pick which counry they are supporting?

        

  

Week 3

Hi there all,

The Olympics are well and truly underway. I love my sport and it is strange and great how I find myself watching all these different sports which I usually wouldn't worry about, and a lot of the time New Zealand isn't even competing. This morning I found myself wincing when the Thailand girl wrenched her elbow in the weightlifting and yelling at the TV for the Australians to hold on win the 4 x 100 swimming relay.

We have had some interesting discussions in the class about the Olympics on such topics as:

                                  Drugs at the games- Would you take them to win?
                                  Should they be open to those who are not up to standard- Nigerian rower?
                                  What would you give up to participate in them?

This week at school we have Tuesday and Wednesday being short days due to teacher interviews.
We will be finishing at 2.00pm.

The school will be having an Olympic day on the 9th of August (Thursday, Week 4). The school will be split into groups and take part in events at the SBS centre from after lunch. More details will come home an Friday.

Once again if anything comes up please contact me early so we can sort out the problem early.

Cheers
Hamish

NB* If you want to know when I post a new blog you can set up an GOOGLE ALERT which will e-mail you directly when I post,  rather than you looking and hoping.

A couple of things...

Don't forget the parent interviews are next Tuesday and Wednesday. If you can't find a time to suit please contact me so we can organise a time. Please try and have you child there as it is their education we are discussing and their input is vital.

The class has earned a 'Reward Afternoon'. This will happen next  Thursday (2nd August). The children are allowed mufti for the day, electronic games (afternoon only) and they have organised what they will bring in the way of food and drink.

Short and sweet at the moment.

Cheers
Hamish

Reporting in...

Hi there all. Week 1 has been and gone. It is great to see all the students back and mostly on task. Some take a few more days to switch back into school/classroom mode but by the end of the week we were back on track.

Science Enrichment began on Tuesday with positive feedback given by the students after their sessions. The first practical session is always a bit messy with the timing and facitilies but from now on it will be smooth sailing. 

On Friday we went down to the camp where we will be staying. It is well laid out and well set up. What I will say now and many times before we go. The children will need lots of warm clothing. It is Dunedin in the 3rd day of Spring so it could be very cold. There will be more lots more correspondance later but if you have any questions feel free to contact me at school.

We have student, parent, teacher interviews in Week Three (Tuesday & Wednesday). Steve has set up the system and will send you the passwords and information next week. These interviews will involve your child talking about their good results, not so good results, relationships, work ethic etc. I see these interviews as very helpful and insightful.

If you can't make the interview times feel free to contact me and we will make other arrangements.

Mrs Best will be taking the class on Wednesday (for 4 weeks) due to Mr Smith being laid low after an operation.

On Wednesday and Thursday the houses will do battle once again. This time it is in the field of General Knowledge. There will be about 90 questions over two lunchtimes to find the champions of 2012. Once the quiz is over and marked I will put the questions here to see how you would go. The topics of the questions are Art and Literature, Geography and Travel, Sport and Leisure, History and Politics, Entertainment, and Science and Nature. Hopefully (depending on time) we will have at least one more interhouse competition. It could be soccer or netball.

Cheers
Hamish

TERM 3 2012

Hi there all,
Welcome back to you all. I hope you all had good holidays.
I thought a quick run down of the term is in order.
We start with with the Olympics. This will be taught under the Inquiry  Social Science Model. At the moment it is the Tuning In stage so in class they are learning about them, the stories, the problems and the history. After this stage they will be developing their own personal questions. We will finish this topic  at the end of Week 4, when the Olympics stop. You Tube is a fantastic Olympic resource to use and discuss. I have attached a video we looked at in class as part of a "What do the Olympics mean?" discussion.

As part of the Olympics we have an Olympic Day at school. More information will be provided as it comes to light.

Weeks 5/6/7 will see us tackle Puberty. This is always interesting through the conservations and giggles. Before we start this topic I will be sending out information so you are well informed about what will be covered.

Of course in Week 8 we are off to Dunedin on our camp. Planning is well underway with activities being booked, transport being organised and camps being visited. It should be a great week. With lots of fun had by all. As with other topics you will b getting more information the closer we get to the date.

Winter Tournament practice has begun today for the tournament on September 18th. We are offering Soccer, Hockey, Netball and Rugby (thanks to the Rugby Union).

First football run for winter tournament

Getting set for the first hockey practice of the term.

The final topic this term will be Life Skills (the old DARE course) . It is run by the Police with Keri Brown coming in to take us.

Enrichment this term is very interesting as we are involving all the Year 7 & 8's in a scientific experimentation programme. This will see them visit Mrs Franklyn one a week for 5 weeks to undertake experiments. It is a great chance for them to enhance their skills and really enjoy science.

Don't forget Week 3 (Tuesday and Wednesday) is parent, teacher, student interviews. The booking site is not up yet but you will be given plenty of notice. If you can't come during this time, just contact me and we will sort something out. I encourage the students to be there as it is their education. It will be a student involved interview not a student led interview.

That's all for now.

But as always if you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me.

Cheers

Hamish

Deer Heads in class- the photos do not do them justice!

Sorry about the ear- Mr Brown

End of Term

What a full on term, which ended with a full on Week 10.

Tuesday saw us play against Waimataitai. The results were: Gleniti won the Soccer 5-2, Netball A 24-4 and Basketball 24-22. Waimataitai won the Rugby, Netball B and the Hockey. Which means an evenly shared or drawn exchange. The great thing is that they and we want to do it again next year, with them hosting and a trophy for the winning school. Something to definitely to look forward to.

Wednesday afternoon saw Mr Gill's final assembly. The class performed admirably whether it was sitting and listening to the speakers, singing the songs, performing with Kapa Haka, performing with 'Dear Rudiger' or helping me set up the hall. It is at times like this that you really see the character and maturity of a person and whether they can 'step up' to the task or fall by the wayside. Unfortunately the power was one thing that we cannot control. The first power cut shortened the slide show just at the wrong time, with the most popular slide coming up.

Wednesday evening saw the Year 7&8 Spelling teams compete at the Central South Island Competition. Just fewer than 50 teams entered from Rakaia through to Oamaru. There were some challenging words, questions and activities. At the half way point our A team was first equal with 3 other schools, but after a great 8th round (guess and spell a word with as few clues as possible) they were on top and continued to hold their nerve to the end. The A Team came out on top with a score of 96 out of a 100. Our B team got 14th with a fine score of 85. Well done to both teams.

Our 7&8 enrichment programme wound up with the students learning two songs as a group. 'Puff the Magic Dragon' which they performed at Mr Gill's assembly and 'Doe Ray Me' which they performed at a school assembly. The group also performed on the last Tuesday (playing and singing) as soloists. They did very well, because as you know performing to your peers is the toughest audience. We had songs from 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' to 'You can count on Me' to 'In the Jungle' to 'Hallelujah'.
All have come a long way and it would be good if it could keep going.

Thursday was normal!

Friday they students handed in their reports and I look forward to reading them and finding out what they think. One student said he/she found it quite challenging and sort of strange he/she had to do it. I explained it like this... 'imagine you were playing a sport. During your game you are playing hard doing your best, making choices and trying things out. After your game you sit down and really look at what you were doing and reflect on your performance and see where you can improve. What choices were good and so will keep with those, what choices were not so good and how can you improve them, what are your really good skills and how can you make them better or what skills are lacking a little so you really need to work on them.' So the report is a time for reflection and evaluation to see where you are doing well and where you can improve.

Next term has been planned and it is very exciting with the Olympics, camp, enrichment and etc... (more details to come next term). Enrichment will see all the students undertake hands on scientific experimentation programme. It should be fun and be a great time for leaning about reactions and chemicals.

I hope you all have a safe and relaxing holiday and I will see you at parent interviews early in the term.

Cheers
Hamish



The Room 14 spellers from Gleniti A and Gleniti B





Room 14 listening to Mr Gill on his last day.

 

Interschool Sports 26th June

Hi there,
Just a reminder...
On Tuesday 26th we are playing Waimataitai in a number of sports. We are hosting soccer, rugby 7's, netball and soccer and at the SBS centre we have basketball and hockey. It should be a great experience playing other schools in a competitive situation. The games start at 1.45 and will finish at 2.45. Please feel free to come along and throw your support behind Gleniti.

Cheers
Hamish

One more to go!

Hi all,

It seems only last week that we had Anzac day off.

This week has been really good. It is fantastic to see most students really trying hard to improve their work quality and their behaviour even though it is at the end of the term and they are tired. The skill to stay focused and on task even when tired displays a maturing disposition.

This weeks 'Painting' homework was very interesting and the discussion we had before lunch was thoughtful with people giving their own opinions and reasons.

I am working my way through the Novel Studies, and will have them marked by the start of next term.

The first three days of next week are not relaxing..

On Monday at 1.30 we have Mr Gill's rehearsal assembly to see if everything flows and works.

Tuesday has enrichment solo performances and then in the afternoon we are playing against Waimataitai starting at 1.45 and finishing at 2.45. We are playing rugby, soccer and netball at school while the basketball and hockey are played at the SBS stadium. You are all very welcome to come along and support the students.

Wednesday will require some students helping set up the hall for the assembly at 2.00pm, then we have some very kind girls helping with the afternoon tea in the library from 3.00-4.00... and finally the Spelling teams compete at the South Canterbury Spelling quiz form 6.30-8.00.

Thursday is a relatively normal day with the TBHS sports students coming at lunchtime to take a range of sports.

Friday will see homework handed in and TTECH as usual.

The students Records Books were sent home today. Can they please be returned by the 27th of June.
Reports are out on the last day of term.

Thanks for a great term.
Hamish

Video- trying new things...

Visitors in the class

Once again I would like to thank Mrs Flynn, Mrs Dobbs, Mr Sisson and Mr Hull  for visiting and sharing what they do in the class. It was great to get real life facts rather than from a book or the net. We had a few pictues taken.

Thanks
Hamish



All suited up.



Life Education Report.

Hi there all please have a read about waht the students learnt through the Life Education programme.

Whats happening...

Hi there,
Last week we  we had Life Education at school with three sessions about making choices. The students seemed to enjoy and get some important messages out of it.

Thanks to all those who have sent their forms back. To answer a couple of questions the photos I put on will not be named and the work I put on will be named but won't include photos. The photos will be whats happening around the school eg. cricket, class presentations, class activities, trips etc..

Congratulations to the cross country teams who ran well. Our Year 7 & 8 teams placed: 2nd for the boys and 3rd for the girls.

The Waimataitai exchange is being practiced with most of the teams being named. What I am still looking for is a basketball coac and a Netball B coach. If you can help it would be fantastic!

Below ia a selection of photos from the year so far. A) For me to practice putting them on and B) To show what has been happening.

More photos to come.

Cheers

Hamish



A warm day at the Cricket.

                             



A cold day at the cricket.

                                                The 2012  NZ Primary Schools Cricket Competition



Hello to you all...

Week seven has dawned on us and with the end in sight things are getting interesting. This week for homework I have written the draft for the students which they are to edit and then hand back as a final, perfect piece of writing. I am really looking for them to edit with a close and critical eye so to make the changes that are needed. Not just do a quick "that'll be right job". We have Life Education with the programme for us being "Making Chocies". This will give the students opportunities to learn or think about the choices they make and the consequences of those choices (good and bad). We have three sessions of this Wednesday, Thursday and Monday.

The novel study is due on the 14th June and so next week the students will be putting the finishing touches on their report.

I have sent home today some letters asking for parent help to coach some teams for the Waimataitai interschool. We need 6 parents for the teams. If you can help please send the note back.

Have a good week.

Hamish