Distance Learning: Spelling Test

Today we decided it would be fun to have our own Distance Learning team assembly complete with karakia, mihi and waiata as we would any other day of the school term. It was great to see so many students hop on and join us this morning, especially since it was at 9am!

NOTE: Names have been blocked out because it is not Cybersmart to post last names online!

It was fun seeing some faces that we don't see in our general literacy and maths classes as we spent about 30 minutes together. Mrs. Flavelle from our office staff joined us and administered our spelling test. We completed the test using a Google Form, which allowed our answers to be submitted right away. It was fun to learn that the students with a perfect score will be entered into a drawing to win a special treat once we are back at school.

Covid 19: Isolation Begins

Yesterday, we learnt that there would be no more school for at least the next four weeks as we were placed into a nationwide isolation to help prevent the curve of the pandemic from growing too fast. The students of Team 5 were a bit nervous as they left not knowing what to expect.

Students on our first Google Meet.

However, nerves around Team 5 were calmed a bit when it was realised that the teachers were about 90% prepared for what was to come next. The class site changed a bit and teachers began teaching from the front screen instead of the normal maths, reading and writing pages. Videos were also being posted daily welcoming the students to their learning page.

Perhaps the best thing that happened was on the first day of the student isolation period, the teachers of team 5 were online at 9am using Google Meet to catch up with their literacy classes and again at 12:30 to catch up with their maths classes.

We hope to continue this while on isolation, except during the 2 week school holiday period. However, our students will be provided with our very own Easter Isolation Learning Journey that will appear on our site at the end of the term. This is based on our successful Manaiakalani Summer Learning Journey that occurs each year during the summer holidays.

Team 5 we are so proud of you for putting forth the effort to continue your learning while at home!  Keep working hard and joining in our Google Meets!

Testing is on!

The students in Team 5 are nearly done with their Term 1 testing and they have been doing a fabulous job! This is a very important time for our students to help us to know if they are in the right learning groups, and to give us teachers a clearer understanding of what our next steps need to be as a class.

Room 1 Literacy students hard at work on their writing sample. 

PES Term 1 School Picnic

Today the students at Pt England School had a very special day at our neighbouring Pt. England Reserve and Beach. It was a lovely day of swimming, playing sport, building sandcastles (and burying our friends) in the sand and relaxing in the shade for our Year 7/8 students. It was great to see so many families from across our school come out for the day and spend time catching up while making memories with their students.



After returning from the picnic, the students of Team 5 spent the last 30 minutes of the day having some sing-a-long karaoke before being dismissed for the weekend. Some students didn't want to leave and had one last song and dance before heading out.

Thank you for such a lovely day Pt. England!

School Assembly Recognition

Today during our school assembly, our 2020 school leaders received their badges. Students from Team 5 received badges for being prefects, house captains, Rangitahi (te reo Māori leaders) and for being our Manaiakalani Ambassador. We are so proud of all of you and we can't wait to see where you lead us as a school in 2020!

Students were also recognised for their participation in the 2019 Summer Learning Journey. During this journey, students complete various tasks, post assignments on their blogs and communicate through blog commenting with advisors and other participants. Congratulations to all who participated!

Kiwisport Fun!

This term, the year 8 students are having some fun on Tuesday afternoons learning how to play Foosball. We have two amazing coaches who teach us new games and techniques each week. This week, we learnt that foosball is often played indoors with a smaller ball than a normal soccer ball. Check out some of the fun we have had during our first week.

 

The 2020 School Year has begun!

This morning, the campus of Pt England was buzzing with excitement beginning around 7:30 and it continued straight until the 8:50 bell rang for school to start. The 2020 students of PES filed into the hall to sit for the last time in their 2019 class lines while they waited for their names to be called so they could discover who their 2020 teachers were going to be.

 Mr. Burt, our principal, along with our Year 8 prefects welcomed the students, and parents before talking about our 2020 theme of Never Lose Hope.  He then went on to dismiss our Year 8 students to their block, where they prepared for a few minutes to welcome the Year 7s to the intermediate block of the school.

When the Year 7s came in, they were greeted by the Prefects standing in front of the Year 8 class. Each prefect said something as part of the powhiri (welcome) and then both groups joined together as our 2020 Intermediate family to sing a waiata (song) together for the first time.

As part of the group that arrived with the Year 7s was Whaea Mary our new te reo teacher. She blessed us with her mihi and then spent the day in our block participating in our first day of school activities while meeting some of the students.