Festival flower blooms

Matahui School creates a sustainable sunflower.

Read the full article on the front page of Katikati Advertiser, Thursday September 16 2021 below.

Bursting into spring is giant sunflower – not quite the plant species – but a creative one made of upcycled plastics and reuseable materials, that will be displaying during Katikati’s Festival of Arts in October.

Matathui School’s giant yellow sunflower is one of 111 large wooden sunflowers that have been distributed to preschools and schools in the area, to be decorated for the Festival of Art, hosted every two years by Katikati Open-Air Art.

Festival organiser Jacqui Knight says is was a real gift to see the sunflower from Matahui School, iwth all the Covid uncertainty about what events can and cannot be run at the upcoming festival.

“I think it is absolutely amazing, I don’t know here people get their ideas from, this one is fantastic!”

“I can not wait to see the others too.”

Designed to reflect the bright community spirit that surrounds Katikati, the Matahui School community has been working as a team – staff, students, parents and community members – on the giant sunflower. The students played an active role planning the project aimed at utilising reusable materials and upcycling plastics.

Principal Mary Woods says the focus on upcycling was thought to be the best use of plastic, as no further resources are required to process or recycle the plastic, it goes directly into another use – the ultimate in reducing consumption.

“It’s incredible the things that can be created out of a plastic bottle, can or glass container if you put your mind to it.”

The students reached out to the community for donations towards the sunflower which was painted before lockdown. They took their investigation of sunflowers a step further by examining them in great detail, up close, to find and develop the aesthetic and design.

During the lockdown “MrsB”, Kathryn Burtenshaw, teachers of the year 7 and 8 class worked on the project while communicating remotely with the students about here parts were glued on. Each piece was strategically placed to add character to the sunflower.

Students and families from Kauri Point village donated an array of plastic items, some from children’s toy boxes, and adults delved into their plastic recycling. Mrs B often found packages of plastic bits in her letterbox during alert level 4, a contactless delivery from community members.

“Every time the students see the flower they try to hunt down and identify where their donated piece is glued.”

“it’s almost like a Where’s Wally activity – one can spend hours looking at all the parts of the flower, so many different items have been collected and used.”

Mary says it has been a huge community project bring people together. “It represents more that just an art project. It shines a brightness on our community as we move forward into spring and summer.

“A time of colour, vibrancy, abundance, fresh food and good health.”

The sunflower will join others, soon to be on display at the Katikati library showcasing the talented work of our local children.

Chris Steel, Katikati Advertiser.

Parents as Educators – Mindset is Everything

We recently published tips and tricks for parents to make online learning work for you and your family in the Katikati Advertisers newsletter. You can read the full article below.

Parents as Educators – Mindset Is Everything

Donna McDonald – Junior Room Teacher at Matahui School

Practical advice from educators at Matahui School as we reflect on home learning over the past 3-4 weeks.  

During lockdown many parents were feeling the pressure. Breadwinner, caregiver, chef/cook, cleaner, enforcer and all things in between.  Add teachers/educators to this list! That’s a lot of roles to play and it’s been even harder for working parents and business owners. The teachers at Matahui School have learned a few things over this and last the lockdowns and want to share a few practical tips parents can use to bolster their educating skillset. 

  1. Modelling a problem solving mindset.  We’ve all had to do a fair bit of problem solving lately. As parents or teachers, we can’t always be there to solve every problem for our children. In fact, this isn’t our job. Our job is to TEACH our children how to solve problems by themselves. This way, they can become confident, independent, and successful individuals.  When YOU encounter a challenge, do a “think-aloud” for the benefit of your child. MODEL how to apply the same problem-solving skills you’ve been working on together, giving the real-world examples that she can implement in her own life.  At the same time, show your child a willingness to make mistakes. Everyone encounters problems, and that’s okay. Sometimes the first solution you try won’t work, and that’s okay too!  When you model problem-solving, explain that there are some things which are out of our control. As we’re solving a problem at hand we should focus on the things we CAN actually control.  Naturally, these abilities go hand-in-hand with a growth mindset.

Matahui School has a proud tradition of instilling problem solving skills – our senior class recently won the EPro8 science and engineering competition where their problem solving where put to the test against other schools in the Bay of Plenty Region.

  1. The mind is powerful and your mindset shades the way you see the world 

We’ve all heard the saying “Whether you think you can or can’t – you’re right!”.   This is important to Mrs McDonald, junior Teacher at Matahui School.   “This term we’re focussing on building a “growth mindset” and using the power of the word “yet”.  “If your child says, ‘I can’t do this’, we add the word ‘I can’t do this yet’ to build self confidence”, says Mrs McDonald.  The word “yet” can change disparaging sentences into positive ones, promoting growth.  This linguistic trick works especially well with sentences that include “can’t” or “don’t,” because it reverses the negative connotation.

What’s happening in the Junior School at Matahui this term? 

This term’s inquiry project is all about “Light”.  Where does it come from? What is light? How do light sources work? What is energy?  Who would have guessed that 5-7-year-olds would be so interested in physics, astrology and electricity – budding scientists in the making who thirst for more knowledge – they really are developing a love of learning through their own inquiry.  

Next week we’ll cover the importance of play in learning and how you can encourage a love of learning in your children.
For more tips or to find out more about Matahui School – visit our website www.matahui.school.nz or visit our facebook page here

Kowhai Class in the Matahui School Production ‘The Point’

Congratulations Matahui School on a fantastic school production!

Kowhai class was in the forest scene for the production ‘The Point’.  We were autumn trees.  Here are  paintings of ourselves in costume,  photos and stories:

 

Matahui School is putting on a show called ‘The Point’.   I am an Autumn tree. I look sparkly with my leaves -orange and yellow. I say “We have a point!” I love to sing. The show is brilliant! By Charlotte
Our school did a play called ‘The Point”.  I am an Autumn tree.  I’ve got red and gold leaves on my headband.  They glisten.  It’s treetastic!  I’ve got leaves on my body.  They are gold.  I say “No, you didn’t think!’   I feel that the play was treetastic!  By Cameron
Matahui School is doing a show called ‘The Point’.  We are Autumn trees.  We have yellow and orange leaves, with sparkles.  I say “It’s a time of magic and excitement!”  I love the singing and the dancing.  By Emma
           I am an Autumn tree.  I liked how the parents were watching me.  I look sparkly with my Autumn leaves.  I say “Pointless!  Pointless!”  I felt happy because it was my first school show.  By Anna
     The show is fabulous.  I love the dance.  I say “Pointless! Pointless!”  I am an Autumn tree.  I have orange, brown, and red leaves all around me.  The show is cool.  By Phoenix.                                                                                         I am an Autumn tree.  I look like an Autumn tree, with orange leaves, yellow leaves, red leaves.  I say “Oh my boy!  You have a lot to learn.  Tell me, where are you three from?”  The show was cool.  By Callaway       I love how the people were clapping.  I am an Autumn tree.  I have yellow leaves on my head.  My favourite line is “Yep! It’s timing! Ha ha ha!”  I felt nervous and happy. By Aroha
Matahui School is putting on a show and we are Autumn trees.  I look sparkly like a tree.  I have a headband with sparkles on my headband.  We also have yellow leaves.  I like singing the song.  I say “No roots!  No roots?”  I feel happy and shy.  By Kaida
  I am an Autumn tree in the play.  I have Autumn leaves, yellow, red, orange.  I say “You and your dog will work like dogs.”  I was happy because my Mum was watching me.  By Saxon
  We are Autumn trees.  I have yellow leaves sparkling around me.  I have leaves sparkling in my hair.  I say “For the love of a horse, what are you trying to do?”  I felt scared and happy and brave.  By Payton
  I am a beautiful Autumn tree that sparkles.  I love being an Autumn tree that sparkles.  I say ‘You know, leaves like that do not just grow on trees.”  I like how we did the singing.  I wear yellow leaves around my body.  I looked great and fantastic.  I wear red leaves on my head band, sparkling up on my head.  I felt excited.    By Tyla.
  I am an Autumn tree.  I liked how the parents were watching us as Autumn trees.  I looked fabulous because I have golden leaves – they sparkle and shine.  That makes me feel proud of myself.  I say “For crying out loud, would you get out of there!”  The show was great!  By Darcy

Year Seven and Eight students celebrate a great term at Matahui

What a wonderful term Team Kauri, the Year Seven and Eight students have had at Matahui School.

The students have been learning to build and learn within a team and advance their ability as leaders. This has been achieved through an amazing array of outdoor activities including two camps, and skill building activities such as swimming, a deep-water confidence day and kayak skill development at Waimarino.

We have studied of the life of William Shakespeare and written a short biography. Following this we traveled with the Year Five and Six students to Auckland to see ‘A Comedy of Errors’ at the Pop-up Globe Theatre.

Other E.O.T.C. experiences have included our infamous boat day and a whole school beach education day.

In the classroom we have focused our mathematics on number and algebra. There are several budding mathematicians! We have buddy read a book called ‘A race to the pole’, a chance for our accomplished readers to share with and support their peers. This book was also part of our inquiry this term which has focused on the motivation to discover and explore. The high standard of presentations that concluded the inquiry are well worth visiting the classroom to see.

THE NATURAL CURIOSITY OF CHILDREN = SCIENTISTS

Children have the capacity to demonstrate heightened curiosity and genuine interest in the world around them. They naturally show the propensity to explore, investigate and discover; they are in essence, scientists.

The way Matahui students connect to the environment may not necessarily be unique, but it is significant. They enjoy going outside and the school playground becomes a microcosm of scientific opportunities – a living laboratory. When I shared Saxon Russell’s story (which KVH weaved into the report below) with the students in each class and informed them that the beetle he had discovered at school might be a horticultural “nasty,” they headed out on an intense search.

Prior to leaving school a six year old student at Matahui School in Katikati found a stink bug nymph, had his mother take a photo and proudly showed the critter off to his Dad. Being the small world that it is, Dad’s work sometimes relates to the kiwifruit industry and he had been contacted in the past by KVH about the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) so knew to make a report.

Formal identification by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) found that the bug was a native Australian Green Shield Bug.

 This is a fantastic example of the great awareness of our environment, and all the living things in it (of which biosecurity is such an important element), being built up from the ground level by teachers and principals day-to-day in, and outside of the classroom. Raising public awareness is what we are all about, and our goal is for the whole country to form a team of 4.7 million biosecurity conscious New Zealanders by 2025. (Kiwifruit Vine Health 2018).

“Saxon the Scientist” and his scientific Matahui buddies hardly left a leaf unturned such was the excitement of the challenge to locate and carefully capture the beetle he had seen. Our Matahui scientists recognized the importance of the task ahead and became part of an authentic scientific process, one designed to carefully monitor our environment. They have certainly become biosecurity conscious watchdogs.

We must continue to nurture the innate curiosity of the children we teach and give them authentic ways to demonstrate scientific thinking and methodology, especially in relation to the environment. They will learn that their actions can have an immense impact on the way we care for and sustain the planet on which we live.

 

Come and meet Kowhai class 2018

Haere Mai! Welcome to Kowhai class.

Here are our self portraits using black paint on a backdrop of primary colours, then mixed together to make a secondary colour.

We have been learning to introduce ourselves and our age in Maori.

Ko Darcy toku ingoa.  E rima aku tau.

 

Ko Aroha toku ingoa.  E ono aku tau.

 

Ko Callaway toku ingoa.  E ono aku tau.

 

Ko Cameron toku ingoa.  E ono aku tau.

 

 

Ko Payton toku ingoa.  E ono aku tau.

 

 

Ko Kaida toku ingoa.  E ono aku tau.

 

 

Ko Charlotte toku ingoa.  E rima aku tau.

 

 

Ko Emma toku ingoa.  E rima aku tau.

 

 

KoTyla toku ingoa.  E rima aku tau.

 

 

Ko Anna toku ingoa.  E rima aku tau.

 

 

Ko Phoenix toku ingoa.  E rima aku tau.

 

Ko Saxon toku ingoa.  E ono aku tau.

Haere ra!

 

 

Kowhai class explores character writing and portraits

Mum By Sam Danielle is my Mum. She has short hair and green eyes. She has a happy smile. I love going on bike rides to the marina with her. It is a special time for me and Mum. I love my Mum. She’s the best!

My sister is the best! By Kaida Haven is the best sister in the whole world. She is little. She is cuddly as a lamb. I am happy when my sister is happy.

Baby Bear By Cameron Baby Bear is happy in the morning. He is the littlest bear in the family. He plays with his kite. I feel sad because Goldilocks ate his porridge.

Mumma by Darcy Mumma is as cuddly as a bunny. She is so beautiful. She is as beautiful as a butterfly. I love my Mumma.

Dad By Saxon Dad is busy as a bee. Dad goes to different countries. I feel sad when Dad is gone and happy when Dad is back.

My Dad by Aroha
My dad is the strongest in the world.

My Dad is tall like a giraffe.

I love him and he loves me.

Aunty D by Blair

Aunty D is my Mum’s sister.

She has blue eyes. She has beautiful clothes.  She has long, blonde hair.  She is beautiful.

She spoils me by giving me treats. I help her in the farm.  

I love Aunty D. She buys chocolate.  I eat it with her.  I snap a piece off for her and me and we eat it all.

I feel happy when she is by me.  Aunty D is very kind.

THE POWER OF STILL IMAGES & DRAMA IN STIMULATING IMAGINATION

At the moment our 17 month old grandson is totally enamoured with reading books, so usually we spend considerable time reading whatever he has chosen. What is fascinating to watch is how much his imagination is stimulated; how long he can concentrate and focus his attention on still images; how much information about the world he is absorbing, articulating responses initially through sounds and now a repository of “words.”

His older sister, aged 4, recently re-enacted her book “Tangled” (based on the movie about Rapunzel). Using her dolls and an assortment of carefully selected “props,” she replaced the scenes depicted in the pictures with her own interpretation. Adding her own dialogue she let her imagination transport her into the story, all stimulated by the images she referenced in her book.

So a reminder to everyone who is a parent, grandparent, caregiver. Give the children every opportunity to “read” books using still images. The pictures and illustrations in books don’t rely on an ability to decode language but are “effective in getting children close to people and situations; and able to take children into complex situations in a straightforward but valid way.”1

This week our Year 5 – 8 students and a number of parents were treated to a musical spectacular performed by students at St Peter’s, Cambridge. Starlight Express was brought to life by an ensemble that had obviously spent hours rehearsing. The entire cast and crew transported the audience into an imagined world where personified trains battled for supremacy in an international race. We were captivated.

Dramatic performances breathe life into narratives and provide an audience with the opportunity to suspend disbelief. Theatre is centered on thinking and imagining, two processes that are also evident when we read.

If it is wet this weekend get out the picture books and some props for you and the children, and let the power of still images and drama stimulate your imagination.

1. https://networkonnet.wordpress.com/2017/05/09/marvels-amongst-the-kauri-part-1/