Wa Ora Montesorri School

General Notices 

Kia ora Koutou, 

Welcome back, I hope you all had a restful break and spent time with whanau and friends.

Last week I had the honor to attend the Anzac memorial service in Lower Hutt. I was joined by Kate Schlup and Rachel Visser, who did a fantastic job of representing Wā Ora. 

This term there will be PPTA industrial action by union members. We will be adhering to the school hours of 8.30-3.15, so this means there is no supervision before 8.30. The only day the school day will vary is on a full staff meeting day (we will communicate when this will be) This will mean no supervision before 8.45 on this day. We will need to adhere to the times on this day, as we are an area school and need to work with Primary and Preschool 

 The Board of Trustees and myself will keep you informed as to what action will be happening and as soon as the formal notifications come out (usually 3 days before) The actions will consist of national rolling strikes and rostering home of year levels. 

• All term:
  • Ban on meetings outside school hours.
• Week 2:
  • Thu 4 May: y11 rostered off
• Week 3:
  • Tue 9 May: y12 rostered off
  • Thu 11 May: y13 rostered off  
• Week 4:
  • Tue 16 May: y9 rostered off
  • Wed 17 May: y10 rostered off  
• Week 5:
  • Thu 25 May: y11 rostered off
• Week 6:
  • Tue 30 May: y13 rostered off
  • Thu 1 Jun: y12 rostered off
• Week 7:
  • Tue 6 Jun: y10 rostered off
  • Thu 8 Jun: y9 rostered off

Last term Fleur Sadler, Lucy Brownlee and Neville Paul stepped in for PE and Art. I want to acknowledge all their work. This term I also want to welcome Craig Bluett, our new Art teacher and Cameron Burns, our new PE teacher.

Ngā mihi nui

Katy Cottrell 

Key dates for your diary’s 

• Level 1 NCEA numeracy tests 15th June. In preparation for this students will need to make sure they have a pair of headphones and their laptops. (Support available if need be, please let your student’s advisor know)

Careers – Zena Kavas

A group of Tāwari students used the Easter break to gain their Barista Certificate at The Learning Place. This gives them 10 credits, and more importantly, a useful skill and potentially employment. Well done to all those students who completed their Barista Certificate. 

There are a number of Taster courses at Whitireia and Weltec this term. These are generally 1 day courses to give ākonga a taste of campus life and what they might do studying the course. Students booked on these courses last term, and I am looking hearing how the students enjoy these tasters. 

 

Level One Subjects

Art – Craig Bluett

This term the students are working on completing their 1st board of their 2 Board Level 1  NCEA  folio this should have about 10+ Art works no bigger than A4 using wet and dry media once completed then 1.2 achievement standard will be assessed.  

BCATS – Kieron Harding

The first project done and dusted with a few small cheeseboards thrown in. Our next project will be a library chair that flips into a step ladder. This will start the first week on my return.

Big History – Rose Langridge, Stuart and Zena Kavas

We have moved on to life. The focus at the start is basic organisms in the form of bacteria and fungi and viruses are also making an appearance as they may not be alive but they have a massive impact on life. We have looked at Yersinia pestis commonly known as the plague and will next look at viruses and their impact on the world. The class is also completing practical experiments looking at cells and bacteria in the world around them on agar plates. The class will have a multitude of standards to look at during the term and will have the choice of showcasing their learning in the area that is of interest to them.

Digi Tech – Michael Draper 

The level 1 digi-technologists have completed their preliminary designs and are now going to work on what will become their final design. This involves using what they’ve learned from their initial designs and feedback as the basis for their final design and then refining that design to ensure it fulfils the requirement in as good a way as possible. The intention is to complete this project around the middle of the term.

Drama – Lucy Brownlee 

We are starting Term 2 exploring the concept of status and how it plays an important role in drama, and as a reflection of society. We will be playing around with how high-status and low-status characters feel, and how we can portray the difference in status by using the drama techniques of voice, body, movement and space – which we are very familiar with now! We will also be starting to use freeze frames and tableau as a tool for storytelling and time sequences.

Mandarin – Lisa Chin

Students are continuing on their speech internal assessment and preparing for recording within the next two weeks.

Te Reo Maori – Louane Ngataki

We are recording the first part of Speaking this week and working on the second part for the final recording later on this term.  The final mark will be awarded when both parts are submitted for moderation in Week 9 of this term as they cannot be graded individually. 

Maths – David Starshaw

The students are continuing to learn the content for 1.7 Trigonometry which will be assessed in T2W4. Each student is required to do at least 60 minutes of homework each week and there are a variety of homework tasks to choose from in their homework diaries. There is free tutoring available at “Tāwari Maths Tutorial” after school on Mondays from 3:15 – 4:15. Any student is welcome to come for free tutoring whenever they would like.

Music – Michael Stebbings 

This term we will be working towards our first composition piece for Music 1.3, as well as our first assessed performance for Music 1.1, both due at the end of the term. This will involve an increasing amount of self-directed study time, as students take the harmonic and structural knowledge we’re developing together and use it to create their own individual pieces. In addition, it is important that all students have an established practice routine outside of school hours, building their instrumental skills for their performance work. 

Physical Education – Cameron Burns 

This term students will demonstrate their interpersonal skills when working in a group and explain how these skills impact on others and the effectiveness of their team. Students will be working together on a number of outdoor problem solving tasks and in sports teams. They will evaluate themselves and their team’s effectiveness when completing these tasks.

Level Two Subjects

Art-Craig Bluett

This term the students are working on completing their 1st board of their 2 Board  Level 2 NCEA  folio this should have about 10+ Art works no bigger than A4 using wet and dry media once completed then 2.2 achievement standard  will be assessed  

BCATS – Kieron Harding

This term the students will continue to work on their chairs. We have started to build all the frames and now placing in all the struts. I am looking forward to seeing these pieces coming together. 

Biology – Zena Kavas 

The L2 biologists enjoyed their learning experience at Wellington Zoo last term. We observed a range of animals with adaptations to their way of life, including digestive adaptations. 

Chemistry – Stuart 

The Level 2 chemists are finishing learning the material for the organic chemistry external exam and will now apply some of the skills and knowledge to prepare for an internal assessment in which they are asked to perform test tube reactions to identify unknown organic compounds. The assessment activity will happen when students are ready, likely about Week 6 of this term.

Digitech – Michael Draper 

Our level 2 Digitech student is continuing their training in cybersecurity and their project to create a cybersecurity environment for Digitech. Their project will be assessed against the level 2 digital media outcome standard (AS91893 4cr internal) and the level 2 digital technology process standard (AS91897 6cr internal).

Humanities – Rose Langridge 

Suspicious minds. That is the focus of this term. We are taking a magnifying glass to conspiracy theories. We will look at why people believe them, how they justify their evidence and some of the greatest known. We have looked at the moon landing, Area 51 and the Roswell incident so far. Next we are going to look at conspiracy theories around famous people who died in ‘suspicious’ circumstances. 

Mandarin – Lisa Chin 

Students are continuing on their speech internal assessment. We have decided to postpone the recording to later of this term due to interruptions.

Maths – Michael Draper 

The level 2 Maths (algebra and calculus) ākonga are continuing to hone their general algebra and geometry skills, and further their Trigonometry and Algebra learning.  They will do their Trigonometry internal assessment later in the term (AS91259 Apply trigonometric relationships in solving problems, 3 Cr) and the Systems of Equations internal assessment (AS91269 Apply systems of equations in solving problems, 2 Cr) next term. The work for these is interleaved with the developing long term mastery of the mathematical learning and skills needed for Algebra and Calculus, both oif which are assess in the end of year exams.

Music – Michael Stebbings 

This term we will be working towards our first composition piece for Music 2.4, as well as our first assessed performance for Music 2.1, both due at the end of the term. This will involve an increasing amount of self-directed study time, as students take the harmonic and structural knowledge we’re developing together and use it to create their own individual pieces. In addition, it is important that all students have an established practice routine outside of school hours, building their instrumental skills for their performance work.

Physical Education – Cameron Burns

This term we will be looking at biophysical principles and how they relate  to the learning of physical skills. Students will then be making fitness circuits applying what they have learnt in training for specific sports.

Physics – Michael Draper   

The level 2 physicists are currently doing their Nuclear Physics internal assessment (AS91172 Demonstrate understanding of atomic and nuclear physics, 3 Cr), with the final assessment for this on Friday week 3. After this they will then return to learning Mechanics and Electricity. These two topics are assessed in the end of year physics external exams.

Psychology – Zena Kavas

I enjoyed reading and marking the first psychology assessment over the Easter break, and the grades will be given to students soon. The Level 2 psychologists are starting to learn about different methods of conducting psychological research. We have enjoyed trying out a range of on-line quizzes and beginning to think about how we might carry out our own research. 

Statistics – David Starshaw 

The students have started the assessment for 2.10 Experiments which is due by Friday 12/5 (T2W3). Students are required to do at least 60 minutes of homework each week and there are a variety of homework tasks to choose from in their homework diaries. There is free tutoring available at “Tāwari Maths Tutorial” after school on Mondays from 3:15 – 4:15. Any student is welcome to come for free tutoring whenever they would like.

Level Three Subjects

Biology – Zena Kavas

The L3 biologists spent an enjoyable and informative morning at Wellington Zoo learning about speciation events in various animals and how these have impacted on the populations today. For example, the snow leopard seems to have had some hybridisation with a lion population. The kunekune pig had a population of no more than 20 individuals a few decades ago, and are now so inbred that they have trouble breathing through their noses. We were very excited to see the snow leopard and observe how they move so gracefully. 

Chemistry – Stuart

The Level 3 chemists are in the last stages of learning the material for the external exam in organic chemistry. Following this, topics in electronic configuration and trends in some properties of atoms will be studied.

English – Rose Langridge 

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none” – Shakespeare – All’s Well That Ends Well

Why study Shakespeare? That is what we will be exploring over the next few weeks. Shakespeare can be gloomy but he is also majestic. The plays deal with a multitudinous array of ideas. From premeditated murders to radiant courtships to laughable baseless accusations in comedies, Shakespeare’s ideas travel through time and speak to us in an invaluable way.
(all the underlined words he created).

The class decoded a sonnet in class today – let us know if you can figure out which one it is!

Sonnet ???
Her eyes are not bright or yellow they are dark and deep maybe you can look at them?
She has pale lips
Her breasts are not pale and her skin is not that great
Black wiry hair – tough, strong, dark thick hair. This may mean she may not have a lot of hair OR coarse hair, Not luscious locks of thick hair. Like a patchy beard.
I have seen rare and special roses
She has a bland and spotty complexion perhaps? Very ordinary
She smells bad
He has a mistress and he kisses her a lot and she has bad breath or they eat anchovies together or some really smelly food.
She doesn’t have a pleasant voice, probably raspy but he still likes to listen to it. Maybe her voice is unpleasant yet what she has to say is good.
She is not a goddess, she can’t fly, she’s no angel. She is a human, not some idealised character. Perfectly average. Nothing remarkable.
He loves her just as much as anyone else loves their muse. The false comparison of hyperbolic descriptions of other poets.

History – Rose Langridge 

This term the focus is on contested events and how historians can unpack evidence to make informed decisions about the event that they are focusing on. The class has chosen to look at Holocaust denial. Holocaust denial asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration.

In order to begin to unpack this we have looked at the causes of the Holocaust and how people responded during the Holocaust. We have also looked at the legacy that some have made in terms of making sure that this event is remembered. We will next look at the development of the holocaust denial movement and the arguments made by this group. 

Maths – David Starshaw

The students have finished the assessment for 3.3 Trigonometry and have started learning the content for 3.6 Differentiation which is assessed as an exam at the end of the year. Students are required to do at least 60 minutes of homework each week and there are a variety of homework tasks to choose from in their homework diaries. There is free tutoring available at “Tāwari Maths Tutorial” after school on Mondays from 3:15 – 4:15. Any student is welcome to come for free tutoring whenever they would like.

Physical Education – Cameron Burns 

This term students will examine a current physical activity event, trend or issue and it’s impact on New Zealand society. For example the Weetbix triathlon.

Physics – Michael Draper 

The level 3 physicists have learned a little over half the content in Waves (standing waves, resonance beats and the doppler effect), and have started learning Mechanical Systems. This will be interleaved with Electrical Systems and the rest of Waves. These three areas are assessed in the end of year external exams.

Psychology – Zena Kavas

I enjoyed reading and marking the first psychology assessment over the Easter break, and the grades will be given to students soon. The Level 3 psychologists are starting to learn about different methods of conducting psychological research. We have enjoyed trying out a range of on-line quizzes and beginning to think about how we might carry out our own research. 

Social Studies – Rose Langridge 

This term is all about making social change by working to get a policy changed. The class will run their own campaign. At this stage, they are still collaborating and teasing out the many ideas that they have come up with and deciding which they feel they want to tackle. This is a big piece of work to undertake but I am confident that they will work well together to generate a great campaign.

Statistics – David Starshaw 

The students have started the assessment for 3.11 Experiments which is due by Friday 19/5 (T2W4). Students are required to do at least 60 minutes of homework each week and there are a variety of homework tasks to choose from in their homework diaries. There is free tutoring available at “Tāwari Maths Tutorial” after school on Mondays from 3:15 – 4:15. Any student is welcome to come for free tutoring whenever they would like.