Team Paul were super

Team Triathlon took place in school yesterday and it was great fun. Loads of children and adults took part in the swim, cycle and run event including the much anticipated first appearance of Team Paul. We won't dwell on the unceremonious dismount from my bike or the fact that we came last in the men's event. Instead let's celebrate the fact we were the top teachers' team and that falling off my bike at the end was entirely intentional and well practised....honest.

The Team triathlon was another example of the Fendalton community coming together to support the school and our children. Once again Paul Norton did an outstanding job of organising the day and making sure that everyone had a fun and safe day. Thank you Paul.

Future Knowledge

This morning I attended a fascinating breakfast conference called 'Future Knowledge'. Richard Millwood from Core Education talked about a project that he has been working on with UNESCO to find out what the world's children think about education, learning and their experiences of learning. The youtube playlist below shows some of the interviews that have already been recorded.
Richard talked about how the education world needs to adjust to meet the new expectations of the world in the 21st century.

Children having a voice is such an important part of education and one which we must not lose sight of.

This morning served to further my own determination to ensure that Fendalton children have a say in their school and their learning so that they remain central to everything that we do. One only has to watch the videos of our year 6 from 2007 reflecting on their time at Fendalton to see how sophisticated and knowledgeable children can be about their own learning, we just have to remember to listen.

Triathlon

Last Wednesday 150+ children took part in the individual triathlon at school. This amazing event demonstrated the incredible resilience and self motivation that our children posses. Children overcame fear of the water, the lack of their own bike or simply the challenge of making it all the way round. All those who started the event managed to complete the course on water, bike and foot and they were cheered the whole way round by parents impressed by their determination.

This week the team triathlon takes centre stage with both adults and children taking part. I will be cycling for "Team Paul" (Paul Norton, Paul Page and myself) so come along and cheer us and the children along from 9am on Thursday.

Former Fendalton student is still a dream maker

Former Fendalton pupil, Tyla Johnson appeared in the Christchurch Press today. It is fabulous to see our children continuing to embody the Key Competencies that we teach. Tyla is a real dream maker and was a very successful sportsman throughout his time here, it seems nothing is going to stop him in his pursuit of his dream!

Fendalton Male Teachers hit top 14!

Amazingly the youtube video of last year's Movember shave off is the 14th most watched youtube video for New Zealand Education! The video has been watched an incredible 3,697 times.

Not quite sure what that says about our moustaches but lets see if we can break into the top 10!

Interesting links

Class room blogging - Moderation and Protection
Top New Zealand Teachers Blogs
Out of the mouths of children

Welcome back

Happy New Year and welcome back to another year at Fendalton Open-air School!

We have undergone a bit of a transformation over the summer with a fresh new paint job. The staff and I spent a lot of time looking at colours and choosing nice, bright, child friendly colours for our school and we are very pleased with the result.

Last week all the staff went away for a couple of days at Pudding Hill for a retreat. This was a very successful experience. We had lots of fun and welcomed our new staff in style. The strong relationships between all staff, parents and children are one of the key factors in the success of our school and long may that continue. This year we will be exploring more ways to strengthen those relationships even more and further improve the communication from the school to the community.

I would like to formally welcome our new teachers, Paul Page (New Entrants), Carolyn Silby (Junior Team leader and year 2), Hazel Holland (year 3), Jo Murphy (year 4), Marama Buck (year 5)and Paulette Newton who has returned from maternity leave. We know that they will be fabulous teachers and make a real difference to the children.

My own summer holiday was a great success with lots of sunshine and relaxing as well as a visit from my parents all the way from Yorkshire back home. It is great to be back at school though and wonderful to see all the children smiling and happy, ready to learn.