Te Kotiritiri Update

Hi all,

We are going to be having a big push for the remainder of the year in Room 10 on the Te Kotiritiri Challenges. As the entire class signed up to do this earlier in the year, it is something that we have worked at, in some cases outstandingly well (take a bow James).

I've added the initial letter as a reminder below. Updated the tab for Yr 7 with your tasks (Yr 8 to come), changed one task in the Yr 7 academic provision to reflect the difficulties we encountered with the Maths Week challenge (it is no longer available digitally) and replaced it with the challenge of an online blog to replace the Te Kotiritiri books.

Using the class gmail address, we are able to have up to 100 sub-blogs. This will let those who CHOOSE to change from the current physical scrapbook to a digital scrapbook do so quickly and easily. You can have your own personal blog, underneath our main class blog.

This makes all of the following issues much easier: adding photos, recording tasks, adding short movies, tracking of task completion, giving feedback for parents and myself, maintaining a high standard of presentation which is achievable for all and finally enabling all of you to share and celebrate the learning of all of us!!

We will be spending 30 minutes a week sharing our Te Kotiritiri tasks and valuing the children who have made the effort to complete these consistently.

MERRIN SCHOOL - HOME

LEARNING PROGRAMME

MARCH 2013

‘TE KOTIRITIRI’

SHOOTING STARS

It is fantastic to be able to bring you the school wide Te Kotiritiri Home

Learning Programme.

Many of you will know that last year we trialled a different style of home

learning to that of the more traditional worksheet/research type.

We wanted the students to experience challenges that have real relevance to

them. That provides opportunities for ‘whole child’ development and challenges

them to set goals and take risks with their learning.

Syndicates 2-4 had varying programmes last year and gained a lot of useful

experience alongside student and parent feedback.

Ministry of Education research clearly shows that reading and basic fact

practise is beneficial for learners. All other compulsory homework (in primary

schools) is not proven to improve learning outcomes. At times home ‘work’ can

turn into a stressful and tense burden for some families, ending up in parents

completing it!

From time to time throughout the year teachers will request tasks to be

completed at home that are relevant to their class programmes and your

continued support with these is appreciated. But largely, the only home learning

you will see is reading and basic facts, aside from our ‘Te Kotiritiri’ programme.

Te Kotiritiri Programme

It takes a full year at each level and most of the challenges are completed at

home.

It is a system that acknowledges many of the outstanding efforts our students

are already putting into learning activities such as making meals, tramping,

dance, representative sport, visiting the elderly, skill in the arts and additional

academic challenges. Added to this is the opportunity for students to ‘manage

themselves’ by designing some of their own challenges.

How it works:

• In Year Groups 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 you must complete two challenges per

section.

• Years 7 and 8 must complete two challenges in all sections and one

section must be ‘majored’ in, which means all of the challenges must be

completed in that section.

• Students cannot move up to the next level until they are in the next

group.

• If a student completes more than the required number of challenges that

is fantastic, but they will all receive the same award at the end of the

year.

• It is a partnership between home and school, with both parties

challenging and supporting our children to be the best they can be, set

goals and shoot for the stars.

• This is an optional programme – we want our students to want to be

involved.

What next?

If your child wants to be part of Te Kotiritiri this year then you will need to be

involved and support their learning at home. Therefore, we need to have a

positive commitment from student, home and school as its success lies in

teamwork.

***********************************************************************

Student Commitment and Pledge:

The reasons that I (__________________________________) would like to

participate in Te Kotiritiri are:

I am also aware that I will need to work hard on the challenges. That I will need

to work at being self-motivated and have a positive attitude as I learn a lot

about myself and have fun along the way.

____________________________________ (Signature of Student)

***********************************************************************

2013 Te Kotiritiri Permission and Support Slip

(Parents/Whanau)

I look forward to _______________________________________

participating in the Te Kotiritiri Programme and will assist them with the

challenges (but not do the tasks for them!).

___________________________________ Signature

(Please return to your child’s teacher)