The Daily Draw

 In 2022 in Autahi we had a hunch about our writers and developed an inquiry to get to the bottom of it. We noticed that there were a group of students who would choose to come in and draw pictures every morning before school started for the day. The same group of students also had a refined pencil grip and found forming letter shapes correctly easier than their peers.

This sparked the idea for the daily draw. Devised as a way to encourage everyone to have a go at drawing every day and practise having a pencil in hand. Each day we have a new picture that learners can copy or use as inspiration for their own drawing. 

We always start with shapes and lines to help build up their drawing skills. Shapes make up everything we draw and also tie into the letter shapes that we practise every day.

Check out our shapes from earlier in the week!

The impact of drawing every day helps all learners develop pencil skills that support them across multiple avenues of learning. People who would never choose to draw suddenly want to be the next person to make the daily draw. 
Over time we see a gradual change towards more confidence in visual art and writing. It's amazing how a simple task can bring so much learning and so much fun!

Look out for the daily draw in your child's school bag and have fun drawing at home.

Where does Maths happen?

In Autahi, we are an energetic bunch! We like to get active when we are learning. This means that for us, Maths can happen just about anywhere.

On the Mat

Even when we're indoors, our Maths is action-packed, with plenty of opportunities to move and collaborate together.

Here we are in class playing a counting game with lots of opportunities to move and jump.

In the Garden

 

The Autahi garden has big blackboards, making it the perfect place to practice writing our numbers.

Outside Autahi

Stretching - and practising our counting - after having a run. 

At our tables...

... with lots of fun materials to help with our learning. 

We're using our fingers as well as materials to show our ideas.

Out in the Playground

This game combines counting and different ways to move across the playground, such as hopping, jumping and taking giant steps.

All this activity is grounded in UDL (Universal Design for Learning). This pedagogical approach responds to children's individual communication styles and preferred ways to access learning. For our energetic Autahi students, engaging mind and body together makes learning more accessible, memorable - and fun! 

I can do it vs I can't do it yet

 As we delve into the world of goal setting at Worser Bay School, we have to think about how we can break down the language of goal setting for our youngest learners.

The way we approach it uses two key ideas. There are things I can do and things I can't do yet but I want to keep trying. This helps us to focus on the things we have strengths in or might have already worked hard to master in the past to help us with the things we want to achieve in the future. 

Here are some examples of things in Autahi that we Can do!

And here are some things that we Can't do yet and we want to keep working hard on.

We are looking forward to sharing some more goals with our whānau next week and working out how we will achieve them together.

What's on in Autahi: daily and weekly routines.

Kia ora and welcome to our Autahi Blog for 2024!

Throughout the school year, we use our Blog to capture our learning, trips and experiences. There will also be some Blogs exploring the educational ideas and research that lie behind the ways we work at Worser Bay School, including Positive Education. We hope you'll find our Blog a useful resource.

We're kicking off with a handy reminder of some of our daily and weekly routines.

Every Day

There are a few things that your child needs to bring to school every day:

• A sunhat with a wide brim (in Terms 4 and 1, your child will only be able to play outside if wearing a hat).

• A water bottle.

• A full lunch box. 

In Autahi, we have a snack, morning tea AND lunch. These can all be packed in one lunch box.

• A book bag.

• A change of clothes in a named bag. Sometimes our students get wet or muddy while playing, so it's good to have clothes to change into. It's best to hang this on your child's peg and leave it at school where it can always be available.

The school day begins 8.55 a.m., but it's always good to come a little early and take some time to reconnect with friends and have a play. The classroom is open from 8.30 a.m.

Weekly

Monday

At 9.00 a.m. on Mondays (weather permitting), we start the week with whole-school Karakia. Whānau are warmly invited to join us. 

Tuesday

Tuesdays in Autahi are Toy Tuesdays. Your child can bring a toy to share and play with at school. We often take the opportunity to involve the toys in our learning, too. It's a good idea to choose a toy that's not too tiny, precious or noisy!

Tuesday is also sausage sizzle day, available weekly. Order a sausage for your child's lunch on Kindo.

Wednesday

Wednesdays are Wheels Wednesdays. Your child can bring a scooter or skateboard to play with on Bottom Court at Morning Tea and Lunchtime. Please bring a helmet. Elbow/knee pads are also advisable for skateboards. 

Once a month, a pizza lunch is available, cooked in our Wood-fired Pizza Oven (weather permitting!). Check Kindo to make your order.

Thursday

On Thursday afternoons, we welcome our Rising 5s to Autahi.

Friday

We begin Friday's with Karakia. Several times a term, we have a whole-school Assembly at 9.00 a.m. on a Friday. Please do join us for a celebration of our learning and a song or two. Keep an eye on the Newsletter for dates.

Finally, Friday sushi lunches are available for order on Kindo. Yum!