SCHOOL STARTS WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1st 2017 OFFICE OPEN MONDAY JANUARY 23RD TO THURSDAY JANUARY 26th 8:00 – 1:00 PLEASE BE AWARE WE HAVE BUILDING CONTRACTORS IN THE SCHOOL Out and about in our Community…. Students from Te Kura o Waima & Omanaia School had another productive day working together in our community on Monday the 19th of September. In the second stage of our road safety promotion students along with locals Pia Wilcox, Gale Cassidy, Wye Hauraki, Waima Board Chair Dallas Williams, & Omanaia Principal Jon Smith spent another community focused day in the sun. Before work started the local shelter looked a little tired & in need of some TLC. Picking up rubbish was the first task of the day while Pia & Gale undertook some minor repairs to the shelter which has seen better days and others broomed down the surfaces to be painted. Then in was all painting hands on deck to put in some colourful yards and make over another bus shelter to spread an important word ‘slow down for kids’.
This slideshow requires JavaScript. Some of the students debated what designs are the coolest and should/shouldn’t make it onto the shelter but all in all the ‘kaupapa of road safety’ was the priority and so as long as it was BRIGHT BRIGHT BRIGHT it was a go! Keep an eye out in Term 4 for the last stage – a whole heap of brightly coloured posts to let drivers know where our tamariki get on the bus. Mini bus stop posts :)! Thanks for all the support Community. Thanks again to sponsors Bunnings Kaikohe, Dulux Paint, & AK Logging for the paint & materials. Bus shelter magic needed to promote road safety for students… A little bit of magic has taken place in Taheke this September… Students, staff, community members, & school trustees from Waima & Omanaia School collaborated to ‘make over’ the Taheke Bus Shelter in a single day. What was formerly a smelly, rubbish filled space that was covered in graffiti is now a brightly coloured roadside attraction.
Designs were painted in pastel colours by children from both schools who also worked together to collect 6 sacks of rubbish from in & around the small space. Time was the biggest challenge however and everyone pushed to complete the job in a single school day. “It was a non-stop fun day with not too many adults” The project has 4 stages and is designed to raise driver awareness of students who are waiting roadside for the school bus each day. Stage 1: Paint the Taheke Bus Shelter Stage 2: Paint the Omanaia Bus Shelter Stage 3: Paint a fence post for each bus stop on route to school Stage 4: Put a brightly coloured fence post in at every stop “Drivers know that they need to slow down when the bus is there but we are hoping that this project will remind drivers to be aware that children as young as 5years old may be standing roadside from 7am onwards. So we are hoping they will have a care whenever they see those brightly coloured posts on the roadside.”
Dallas Williams – BOT Chair – Te Kura o Waima By the end of the project it is hoped that the brightly coloured posts & two prominent bus shelters will act as regular reminders to all motorists to be aware of our youngest community members as they wait on the roadside for the bus. Thanks to Bunnings Kaikohe, Dulux, & AK Logging for sponsoring the paint & materials along with brushes etc from both schools. Digital Learning @ Te Kura o Waima Room 3 students at Te Kura o Waima celebrated being amongst the first in the Hokianga to become 1:1 ‘digital learners’ with a shared lunch & Chromebook Party at school. Students who were signed up to the program each received their new Chromebook to the cheers and applause of their class mates. Senior Leaders at the school began the journey in 2015 by participating in a series of PLD sessions designed to familiarise themselves with the ways teaching & learning will change when all students are using their devices.
A deeper look at student achievement data showed the specific areas of need for individuals & groups & enabled the teaching staff at Waima to design ‘student specific’ or ‘targeted’ units of study to create successful outcomes for each student. Although there is alot of excitement around the ‘new chrome books’ the Board of Trustees & staff at Waima believe that teaching and learning, which has made steady and consistent progress in the past 8 yrs, will instead make ‘accelerated’ change as the pedagogy begins to change in response to what teachers were noticing, experiencing and learning from and with children. “Already I am having documents shared with me via google docs from my daughters. I can see in real time the work they are doing and pop in little encouraging comments so that they know that I really value the learning they are doing. They love it and so its working for us. I think even more important is – this is how the world works today?
Farmers are skyping suppliers & using drones to check crops & animals. Marae trustees are zooming in online to monthly hui. Major institutions can confidently employ professionals who live on the other side of the world because they are still able to have constant online communication…. Truly we are fortunate in the Hokianga because our tamariki experience an expansive outdoor, whanau filled, culturally rich environment & every day life. As educators in school and educators at home these types of initiatives are the vital ‘add-ins’ that we provide to our tamariki so we know they will be successful in the life & career that they choose. Whether you are an employer or an employee…. technology is a part of the worlds future” Dallas Williams BOT For more information on the Kaikohekohe Education Trust you can click on the link below. Masterchef brings smiles to Te Kura o Waima Current Masterchef winners Kasey & Karena visited schools around Te Tai Tokerau (Northland) this week bringing excited smiles and igniting the belief that kids from small towns can ‘dream big too’.
Their schedule included a morning at Northland College where their mother Atarangi taught and attended, a visit to Rawene School where Karena’s namesake is the new Principal, and then on to Waima where mum Atarangi was raised and went to school. At Waima the small entourage were met by an ‘all tamariki’ powhiri as the senior students of Waima School took the lead in welcoming the celebrities and their whanau onto the school. The opportunity was used practice putting into place the tikanga (traditions) of their hapu (sub tribe) Te Mahurehure. Young Elyse Williams called their guests on with her first ever karanga (traditional call) after which fellow student Cornelius Fakahua led those gathered in karakia (prayer). Mustering up the courage, young Caleb Thompson delivered his mihi (welcome speech) and the whole school sang with gusto in support. Excitement in the children was evident as they heard how Kasey and Karena started their educational journey at a small school just like theirs and recounted the series of events that led them to success on the television show Masterchef NZ.
Mother Atarangi shared stories from her childhood about what the school looked like when she lived there and went to school in Waima. Tales of rope swings along the line of pine trees by the river would have made today’s health & safety guru’s cringe but the more Mrs Te Awa-Bird shared, the more students began to picture the life of a student at Waima School in a time gone by. The Masterchef winners were gifted some Waima School apparel and some ‘school values’ wrist bands when they arrived and were farewelled with a gift of some peruperu (small potatoes) that students Nevayah & Moana had dug out of the school gardens that morning. The hope being that the authentic ingredient might inspire more of the culinary excellence the two ladies are renowned for. When asked what they were having for dinner tonight the response was “we’re having a boil-up made for us” which brought forward giggles from children for whom that is standard fare. The visit illustrated how celebrities with small town beginnings can bring a sense of wonder and excitement to students who otherwise may not have the courage to dream of bigger beginnings to a life of expression and achievement.
In one visit these two exceptional young women have flared the flame of hope in so many children throughout the Hokianga. Thank you Kasey, Karena, and family for taking the time to visit us in Te Tai Tokerau (Northland). Master Chef comes to Waima School!On Friday the 27th of February @ 1.30pm – Kasey and Karena (master Chef winners) will be coming to visit our students. We are extremely honoured to have them and welcome you all to join us on this afternoon. “Despite their hectic new lifestyle, sisters Karena and Kasey Bird have not been tempted to move from their Maketu home since their 2014 Masterchef win. They still live next door to each other in the small Bay of Plenty town. ”It’s a safe haven for us to unwind and be creative,” say the pair who have never had any formal cooking training. Kasey was studying accounting and Karena a quality control coordinator at Poutiri Trust before they entered the competition. “Now, we do not have typical days any more.