Learning to Play Go Fish or Ika

We were learning to play the Maori equivalent of Go Fish.  We called it Ika, which means 'Fish'.  We had to ask for the cards and respond in Maori. 

Nancy is learning to speak English as well as widen her vocabulary in Maori.

Callum is going in for the rua - pair while Oliver looks on, stunned.

Roksolana is busy counting her rua, while Ashlee waits patiently.

Summer and Brooke keep their hands close to their chests so that no one sees what pairs they have.

The Year 8 Lunch Time Sports Trophy

It is OURS!!!  

For the rest of the term but we will be working hard to get the Lunch TIme Sports trophy back into the classroom again.

We have a great attitude developing in the class towards Lunch Time Sports. It is easier to get volunteers for the weekly game. This part of the year the responsibility for selection of the teams and umpiring other team games, falls on the shoulder of our Sports Captains, Ollie and Drew.

Maths Starter This Week

A challenge to the class this week as a starter in maths, to see how many triangles they could see in the whole triangle.

The Final Call Before Starting Their Cross Country Race

The wind is blowing, tension is high and the students wait to be called to the warm up site. 

Once there, they straighten their bent legs which have been twisted into place while sitting, waiting for two or three other races to have the whistle blow for the start. 

Calls to go to the starting line, the twinges of discomfort are long forgotten as the limbs are tensed, ready to fire.

The familiar paths, streets and trees rush by and the creek bed becomes a snake to race alongside.  Stomping up the last set of steps which become Mt Everest to then have the last slope in sight.  
Heavy breathing accompanies the longer strides down the gentle hillside and things become easier and hard, both at the same time. Ankles complain, chests scream, throats burn and the desire for water overwhelms the runners while they gasp loudly at each lumbering breath.

The last corner appears into view; secret delights enter the runners' minds that this will be the last time for the torturous runs. No more breathing made up of steam, screaming lungs or tired stomping of feet on frozen grass.

The home straight opens up and the thought of no more cross country training  is a delightfully pleasant one....and the sense of satisfaction kicks in, I did it!

...until next year!

Nancy: As a Teacher of Maths at HNI

Nancy, from Shenghang, in China has been working with a group of students in maths.  She has been teaching them to convert fractions into decimals.

She is very skilled in maths and has been able to help quite a few students to learn a range of mathematical concepts. The class is very impressed with Nancy's mathematical skills and knowledge.

One of the reasons that she has come to Havelock North Intermediate, is to improve her English.  By working with Room 17 students, there is a win-win situation for everyone.

Chinese Fan Dance

Two students from Room 17 have been learning Chinese Fan Dancing.  They presented their skills to the school last week and impressed the audience with their gentle movements and solid flicks of their fans.

Tracey, who is the school's Mandarin teacher, was the girls' tutor.

It was really great to see such diversity happening in the school, involving students from our class.

Whare Tapa Wha Hauora - the Key Concept of Well Being

Well-being is the key theme running through our Inquiry unit this term.  

The class all looked at Mason Durie's' concept of  Whare Tapa Wha or Hauora.  

They then thought about the ways that Hauora related to their lives. Their task was to create a static image using a tree to show their understanding of the four concepts of Hauora.

Whare Tapa Wha

This health model was developed by Prof Mason Durie. This Maori philosophy towards health is based on a wellness or holistic health model. Seeing health as a four-sided concept representing four basic beliefs of life:

Te Taha Hinengaro (psychological health),

Te Taha Wairua (spiritual health),

Te Taha Tinana (physical health),

Te Taha Whanau (family health).

The Whare Tapa Wha model can be applied to any health issue affecting Maori from physical to psychological well-being. 

It can be applied to well-being for all.

https://www.r2r.org.nz/maori-health/whare-tapa-wha.html  

Cyber Safety Footprints

After brainstorming ways to be cyber safe, each student was asked to consider the idea that they thought was the most important. They then created a phrase to using Show not Tell in a footprint template.

The resulting footprints look very effective walking across the wall.

Our New School Values

As part of the process of getting to know our new School Values, the class carried out a Hot Potato task.  In groups, they brainstormed what each of these new phrases meant to them and how it would look in action in the class and school. After a short while, they swap to another value and do the same thing.  After going to each of the values, they will have a deeper idea of each one of the new values and how they are seen working in the school.

Having each value also written in Maori, it widens the student's vocabulary and knowledge of new meanings as well as how to say them correctly.

Welcome to Nancy, (Yiyao Jin )

Nancy is from China and will be with us for a month.  We have to work students in the class who have some experience with the Chinese language and they are acting as International Ambassadors to assist Nancy to find her way around the school and the systems we work in, at HNI. 

Nancy is already amazed at how little time we spend working during the school day as wel how big our playground is.  In her school, there is no school ground and they have a very

Our Feet, Ready to Move!!!

Our cute little footprints will be in motion tomorrow as we all tally up the distances and times that we have moved over the past 1 1/2 weeks of training and fitness activities.



The students have the following motivation for their steps to move all over the mountains.

Your challenge is to climb all of the 10 mountain peaks.  You do that by either covering a range of distances over the training sessions we have for the Cross Country season.

1100m = 2 ‘feet’

20 minute ‘huff and puff’ session = 1 foot print

You start at the lowest peak and then climb the mountains in the order of the height, working your way to the final goal - Climbing Mt Cook! When you have reached the summit (flag), you have completed the challenge.  Well done!!!

If you want to extend yourself, you can run back by drawing a circle around each shaded ‘foot’.

You can include the ‘huff and puff’ games and activities during the week as well as the longer endurance running.

Congratulations!

At the end of the training sessions you will have covered a range of distances,  extended your stamina and endurance as well as improved your fitness.

Go Hard and go there!!!