Day 3

The first day of the School Holidays. Locked in and catching up with the whanau by phone and online. I started the morning adding today's Write That Essay daily challenge for students who wish to continue building their writing portfolio of these challenges. Today's image gives the opportunity to build a swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. 

When I check students work I will add some extracts from their work. Their writing is impressive and they are constructing sentences with purposeful word choice to good effect. 

Between showers of rain, we went for a fast walk with a few other hardy walkers out and keeping their safe distance. Hellos and nods of the head given.  Bears in windows were spotted as was a cat spying the quiet roads from his fence top vantage point. 

Google MEET

I am finding Google MEET an excellent way to connect, problem solve and talk to more than one person at a time today. Mr Fraser ran his first Google MEET today with all the staff and we talked about how teaching remotely was going for us all. It took us a while to work out how to turn microphones off so as to avoid playback but we got there in the end. 

This afternoon, I ran our first 9T class MEET. It was lovely to catch up with 5 of the students who joined in. If you have a chance find Freddy's Blog in the list at the side of this Blog and check out the animation that Wyeth and he have been working on. 

Two weeks holiday ahead of us now, a staycation on a massive scale. Hoping you do not take ill with the virus and that you find lots to do that grows your creativity and your knowledge during this time. 

Kia Kaha

Athletics Day 2020

All together competing for our houses

Thursday 26th March: 

Day one of Lockdown but day four of remote teaching for my class. 


Great to see my students working on their set tasks. My new routine means getting up early to have classwork ready. Uploading a video each day is a challenge at times, today it took over ninety minutes to load. Networks are overworked with the extra demand from all the work from home adults and students. I need to work on how many times I say, “Um!” on the videos. 

I am working today on preparing our teachers to be able to use Google Meet for lessons after the holidays. Vicki Archer is leading this and I am hoping to run a Google Meet with my class tomorrow. After the holidays we will still be in Lockdown and it will be a good way to connect with our classes to continue learning.

No more dozing in front of the television at night. Making the most of my evenings by knitting for my toddler granddaughter, Abbie. My challenges will be to stick to the pattern and have enough wool.