Week 1  -  Term 4  -  2018

 
 
 
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Visit    https://goo.gl/JATwKZ    to follow  Whanau Time live. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

WHS YouTube  with 109 school videos https://goo.gl/OECvhD

 
 
 
 
 
 

Click on the Calendar icon for our Live Community Calendar

 
 
 
 
 

Calendar of Events - through to Week 9 of Term 4:

 
 
 
 
 

Stop Press Stories:

 
 
 

Next week we will feature our WHS Touch Teams - all did exceptionally well - in particular our West Auckland Champions Boys A Team.

We will also feature our involvement in the Nation Wide Shake It Out Earthquake drill that we ran today.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Managing Accommodation Issues at Western Heights

 
 
 

Accommodation is one of our biggest challenges at Western Heights. We are growing really rapidly as a school, and this is leading to real pressure on classroom space.


A big factor in this is Out of Zone students. We are not blaming Out of Zoners, just explaining the situation.

When I began at Western Heights we had 147 Out of Zone students attending here. This is down to 73 at present, and will drop further next year.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We only accept Out of Zone students who have a parent working at our school or who already have siblings here. Splitting families just does not seem fair and we are not prepared to do that.

Our current situation does mean that we have two less classrooms than our current number of children would normally entitle us to. That is a big problem because where do you put 73 children when you have     no building allowance for them?

A further challenge is we have a full time music programme operating here. This programme is one of the very best things about our school, with every child having the opportunity to receive quality music instruction from a gifted music specialist. Most teachers simply do not have the skill, knowledge, experience and resources to teach music.

Our music programme includes Ukulele bands, guitar and piano teaching, marimba band, choir and Shadow Puppetry (Wayang). This requires a lot of musical equipment, which requires a lot of space. Until now we therefore had to set aside a classroom to run this programme.

Thanks to Stacey Basham and Presley (Kalani’s dad) we have been able to move all our senior school teaching resources out of a storage room under the senior block. These are now very cleverly stored in    our senior block. This allowed Mark McLay to Kindly offer to move into the previous storage area and set    up his music room there. That in turn freed up room 17, his old music room, to be a classroom.                    Great news!

Stacey and his team are repainting and re-carpeting the new Music Room and putting in two aluminium ranch-slider doors. It will make a big difference to the learning environment for our children.

Other great news is that the Ministry is finally listening to our requests for support with roll growth.

Last year we were staffed on 628 children, but exceeded that number by May. This year we were staffed on 658 children and exceeded that number two months ago. Next year we are staffed on 692, and I am sure      we will surpass that number too. Our new Ministry Property Officer (our fifth in five years), is organising a demographic survey for us that will predict roll growth six months out; 12 months out; 2, 5, 10 and 20 years out. Hopefully this information will encourage the Ministry to be proactive and provide additional accommodation for us sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed!

STOP PRESS - the latest news from the Ministry is it will take six months for the demographic survey to be completed.

Our new Senior Advisor - everyone at the Ministry of Education seems to be new at the moment - came to visit recently. We showed what we were doing with storage space, the music room and clever concreting under our hall. That project has been a brilliant help. We were gifted a lot of table tops from Hobsonville Point School. Stacey and Presley have cut these in half and made shelves all around the inside wall under the hall. This has given us a huge amount of dry, clean storage space and allowed us to free up other areas.

Stacey and Presley also turned out old swimming pool changing sheds into a brilliant PMP room. PMP stands for Perceptual Motor Programme. This PMP programme is for our five year olds. It helps them develop key areas of their brain necessary for early reading progress. Nic Yelash runs this programme,       and she does an awesome job with our little ones. Moving this programme to the remodelled swimming pool sheds allowed us to free up room 30 to be a classroom. This building, which we remodelled, used to       be a Dental Clinic a few years ago.

We have taken old resources from a teachers’ office and stored them under the hall. That allowed us to move photo copiers, printers and other teachers’ resources from the Teacher Workroom space into the  now cleared office. In turn that allows us to use the old (actually very new)  Teacher Workroom as a New Entrant space for later in the year when we need to open a new room.

Our Senior Advisor was greatly impressed with how creatively we have used the spaces and resources available to us. 

With room 17 now available, we are able to move room three from being a two class, two teacher, space to  a single class space in 2019. This will make a big difference for our little ones and their teachers.

We moved our library to a small classroom - room two - to free up a large space that is ideal for our Walker Learning Approach classes. This year we have had to house three classes in this space. We are hoping to keep it to two classes and teachers for most of 2019.

Our bottom line is we are doing the absolute best we can to accommodate all our children in the best situation possible. Your understanding and support, as always, is greatly appreciated.

 
 
 
 
 

Revisiting Who We Are - What We Believe - Why We Are Here

 
 


We have been connecting our Foundation Stones with The Key Competencies and The Key Traits


Five Foundation Stones                                               Five Competencies                            Five Traits

Whanaungatanga   -   Our Family Always                   Relating to Others                                 Service Mindset

Whakamana -          -   Our Best Always                        Managing Self                                         Self Control

Pono                           -   The Truth Always                       Understanding                                       GRIT

Manaakitanga        -   Caring Always                             Thinking                                                    Empathy

Turangawaewae     -   Our Home Always                     Participating                                           Self-Confidence


Some could almost be interchangeable - Empathy and Service Mindset could easily “swap stones” for example. So could GRIT and Self Control. Here’s one rationale for the connections…


Whanaungatanga:   Family is all about Relationships, you have Service Mindset - you do for family.

Whakamana:             Being a Leader and Doing My Best requires Self Control.

Pono:                            When you can see the truth you Understand; Honesty takes Guts or Grit.

Manaakitanga:         When you Care you Think (deeply) about others, about the land, about the focus topic; 

                                        Caring requires empathy - understanding how someone feels.   

Turangawaewae:      When I feel at Home, that I Belong, I feel confident and safe, and because  I feel safe 

                                        and confident I am able to participate


 
 
 
 
 

The Developing Brain – What 2 to 7 Year Olds Need to Know:

 
 

Host of the TV Series,  "The Secret Life of Girls" and the documentary, "All in the Brain", captivating audiences over 200 times per year to sell out events in New Zealand, Australia and Internationally, renowned neuroscience educator, Nathan Wallis brings his talk "The Developing Brain – What 2  to 7-Year Olds Need to Know” to Western Heights School.

Western Heights School Hall

Tuesday 6 November 2018

7:00pm – 8:30pm

 
 
 
 
 
 

In this presentation Nathan will explain “The fundamental mistake we make is thinking that our two-year-old is a little seven-year-old and that the earlier we get them ready to be 7, by teaching them numeracy      and literacy, the better off they will be later on in life. That’s just not how your child’s brain develops.”– Nathan Wallis


Then Nathan will take an in-depth look at what your 2 to 7-year old really needs to know. There is no       dispute in the research, you will produce a more intelligent child in a free-play, child-lead              environment, where parents and teachers are responsive to the child’s creativity.


“A lot of intelligence is problem-solving, and problem-solving is hugely dependent on creativity.            Creativety largely kicks in between the ages of 2 to 7, in a free-play environment.” – Nathan Wallis.


Unfortunately, this session is a completely sold-out, but we thought it worth sharing his approach in case people wanted to research his ideas further themselves.

 
 
 
 
 

The Imagination Experience - Blowing Stuff Up at WHS:

 
 
 

Most kids love blowing stuff up - and quite a few adults too.

Last term we were treated to Science Shows from “The Imagination Experience.”

Blowing up involved balloons, marshmallows and exploding balls with the help of Liquid Nitrogen.

Under normal atmospheric pressure, nitrogen can exist as a liquid between the temperatures of -210°C and -195°C or . Below -210°C, nitrogen freezes and becomes a solid. Above -195°C, nitrogen boils and becomes a gas.

If you seal liquid nitrogen inside an empty Coke bottle, then place that Coke bottle inside a bucket of lukewarm water, then place the bucket in a big plastic drum and fill the drum with plastic balls…

An explosion occurs. The liquid nitrogen turns into a gas and expands. The pressure quickly becomes  very intense, then the bottle explodes, sending the plastic balls up high enough that they hit our hall ceiling. The explosion actually burst a number of the plastic balls.

This and other awesome experiments kept our children enthralled and showed them the process of science, the truth of science and the fun of science. You can see a video of highlights by clicking on the Play button below.

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Reminder - Keep Up The Good Habits:

Children are NOT to be dropped off or collected by or from our bottom gate. We are asking parents to proceed all the way to the top of the drop off zone for drop offs AND collections, and it is working.

There is a huge drop in congestion, which means less road rage (yes I have had to deal with this), less stress, safer kids and less stress for everyone. PLEASE KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Thanks.

 
 
  
 
 

Playball is an introduction to eight different sports, Football, Basketball, Netball, Cricket, Baseball, Tennis, Hockey and Rugby for all Year 1, 2 and 3 students:

Our aim is not to create superstars, but rather to provide children with the opportunity to develop a host of necessary social, educational and personal skills by giving children competence in sport.

Playball for term four will commence on Thursday the 25th of October from 3:15pm-4:00pm.

We will be limiting spaces to 36 children for term four. Signing up prior to the start date is essential 

Ask about a free trial today. 

To enrol your child/children please sign up online

http://www.playball.co.nz/find-a-class/westernheights

Any queries please call James on 027-481-7000 or email james@playball.co.nz

 
 
  
 
 

Sturges West Playgroup

in the community house at 58 summerland drive 

every Wednesday (term time) 10am – 12 noon.

Come along and meet other local mums and preschoolers from your are. Have a cuppa and a biscuit - provided for adults - please bring morning tea for your children.

$4 per family – for up to 3 people, $30 for a 10 visit card.

Phone 8371938 for more information if needed.

See you Wednesday 10am.

 
 
  
 
 

At right: piping that we are going to cut down.

Below: aluminium windows unit.

Below right: a section of wooden wall.

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 

Reminder: 

Scholastic Book Club orders close 26 October.

 
 
  
 
  
 
 

We have had a clean out and have these items available to good homes. If you are interested drop me an email at macash@mac.com, send me a text to 021779009 or call in and tell me.

At left: a sports gear trolley.

 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

Tour Diary Snippets and Stories 

 
 
 

Over the next few weeks - probably until the end of the year to be honest - I’ll share a few Diary highlights (I hope they are highlights and not boring-lights) from my Woolf Fisher Fellowship World Tour. We covered 14 countries in 14 weeks, so there is plenty to share, but I will do my best to just keep to the (moderately) interesting bits.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

One of our Guided Tours in Bali was the Holy Springs Temple - $2 donation entry fee and everyone must wear a sarong (provided). It was a genuinely spiritual experience, calm, peaceful and “wholistic”. Our guide took lots of photos for us and we watched lots of people bathing in the Holy water - you must have your own sarong to do this though.

The only way out was via a mini market. This was frightening. Everyone was so insistent you stop and buy. We kept our heads down and politely declined - constantly.

However, it was not to be that easy. A woman literally appeared by my side and grabbed my hand and arm, demanding I look at a shirt for $50. I politely and firmly declined - as she still had a grip on me. She then pulled me so hard into her shop I almost fell over. It turned out I could now have two shirts for $50, or one for $40, or two for $40 or one for $20. I kept saying no and kept putting the shirt down - she kept putting it back in my hand and lowering the price - while still holding me very tightly.

Jacq had escaped and I was a prisoner of a now $15 shirt - down from $50. I managed to slightly distract her so that her grip loosened, dropped the shirt and ran as she yelled after me two shirts for $20, over and over. Jacq was up ahead with her head down purposefully striding past all the stalls and we eventually made it into the carpark. No relief there though, as now we were then assailed by numerous women with numerous platters of bananas and other fruits. Firmer than ever, we made it to Maddy our guide and locked the car doors.


Maddy purchased Ferry tickets for us to Lombok - we wanted to go with him to buy the tickets but he insisted he would sort it for us. We just had to give him the one million and six hundred thousand Rupiah and meet him at 7am in the morning. It took a lot of trust but I handed the money over  - and hoped!

Next morning he turned up at 7 but with no tickets. A  bus was to collect us and the driver would have the tickets he assured us. It was supposed to be a 90 minute trip to the south of Lombok by Fast Boat.

45 minutes later the driver had not arrived and I was dreading the possibilities. Finally the bus arrived - Jacq couldn’t sit in the seat she opted for as it was totally broken. Never mind. The bus had others on it and they said they were going to the Ferry - but the driver had no tickets for us.

Said driver was running late though, and had a mixture of fear of being late mingled with no other fear whatsoever. Death-wish driving would aptly describe his methods.


Driving in Bali is unlike anything I have experienced. I thought Bangkok was pretty hairy at times but at least there were road rules and police at really busy intersections.

There are about 13 million people in Bali and about that many motor scooters on the road. Add in SUVs, trucks and bicycles, dogs sleeping on the road, piles of cement mix encroaching on the road, wandering dogs and the recycle cycles - motorbikes with huge wool bale panniers either side of the bike with recycling stuff overflowing and piled to the sky and NO ROAD RULES, and you have a recipe for disaster that always seems millimetres and milliseconds away.

Intersections are a great example. Sometimes there are lights and sometimes drivers obey them - but usually only temporarily.

For example, you come to a three way tri-intersection. There are 10 vans, 30 motorbikes, a few bicycles, a dozen taxis and several small trucks and utes - at each of the three points of the intersection. 

What happens next is completely random. Someone beeps, several vehicles move forward, others do the same and somehow you merge into a new traffic flow via a gap that was NEVER EVER there. Lots of beeping and braking ensues and then you are underway again. 


That may seem a bit chaotic and scary, but our shuttle bus driver took everything to a whole new level. He travelled a foot behind the vehicle in front, seemed to be morally opposed to the use of brakes - until he was six inches from a collision. Traffic lights would have two straight ahead lanes and one right turn lane. He would take the right turn lane and then force his way across into the straight ahead lane.

Single lanes in Bali are actually two and a half lanes - one lane for the motorcycle keeping left, one for the car or van travelling alongside it in the same lane, and one for the vehicle passing that vehicle, forcing itself in where no gap exists.

I felt sorry for the Canadian girls in the front seat - they were constantly braced for collisions that only just didn’t happen. 

More next week.

 
 
 
 
 

Seen This Week at WHS

 
 
 
 
 
 

Right: Rubbish-Collecting Angel Chloe is proud of her Pay It Forward kindness.

 
 

Below: Some of the Lost Property collected just last term. Some really lovely clothing is missing its owners.

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

Above: More Rubbish-Collecting Angels

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Children enjoying the sandpit and lunchtime dance music on our dance stage.

At Left: this stunning mosaic was made by Lauren Nummy and Jennece Morris as they worked alongside their Mosaic group during our Art Intensive week. Charmaine Renner painted the background for the Rainbow Fish.

Another stunning artistic addition to our school environment.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

Thursday’s Thoughts:

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 


“Every day of our lives, we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.”


Mignon McLaughlin

 
 
 
 
 
 

Let’s Lifehack:

 
 
 
 
 
 

This is one of the coolest psychological tricks I’ve ever used and it almost always works.

It’s Called -  The Mathematical Carrot

1. First grab an unsuspecting victim.

2. Tell them you’re going to give them a quiz or a survey of some sort where they have to answer as many questions as they can.

3. Throw a bunch of normal questions (what colour is the sky?, what’s your favourite song?, do you like dogs or cats more? etc.)

Step 3 is only optional if you want to make the quiz seem real and not a trick.

4. Throw about 10–15 math sums at them that are relatively easy (1 + 15, 6 x 7, 88 - 10 etc)

5. Ask them to name a vegetable all of a sudden in the midst of the math sums as the final question

99.9% sure that they will say, yep, you guessed it


Carrots.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This Week on Twitter

 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
 
 

Totally Looks Like...

 
 
  
 
  
 
  
   
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

Western Heights School

126 Sturges Road

Henderson

Auckland 0612

P -  09 8361213

E -  macash@mac.com

M - 021 779 009

Office eMail

admin@westernheights.school.nz

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Ash Maindonald

Principal

 
 
 

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Thank you for supporting our awesome school and wonderful teachers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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