Neon- Our School Band

At Stanley Ave we always encourage teachers to make a difference in and out of the classroom. One of our staff has worked exceptionally hard over the last two years tutoring students in drums, guitars and vocals. This has led to the formation of our school band NEON! This group has performed at a wide range of events over the last two years. This culminated in them playing at the RockQuest Hamilton Band Competition. They were awesome! Special congratulations to our bassist who won the overall award for his talents on the night.

Somewhere over the Mountain

Over the last two terms the students, staff and community of Stanley Avenue have been working hard preparing an amazing production "Over the Mountain'. At Stanley Ave we are passionate about creating pathways for our students to follow their talents and passions. Our production produced an amazing opportunity for our students...... The amazing class scenes, lead actors, sound technicians, lighting, props creation, down to the amazing DVD that is being created as I write. An event like this doesn't just happen! Amazing staff and community support turned the Rec Centre into a fantasy land. Congratulations to all the classes, students, teachers and helpers who made this a great event!

Moss Burmester- Olympian

Yesterday Stanley Avenue School was fortunate to have a visit from Moss Burmester (Commonwealth athlete, Olympian and World Championship Swimmer). He delivered an amazing presentation on the importance of hard work, passion, goal setting and attitude in achieving what he did. Moss's insight into being a top level athlete and stories that he shared about the Olympics really inspired our students. It was wonderful to watch our radio crew confidently introduce themselves and interview Moss as well.

It's about FUN!

I have always said to our learning community that school is about having FUN and LEARNING and that the two have a reciprocal relationship. This video was played during a keynote by Ken Shelton. What implications does it have for leaders, teachers and all learners at Stanley Avenue? What is the point of school?

Learning to Learn

This week I have enjoyed an amazing time at ULearn.  This conference has international speakers and presenters from all around New Zealand.  The three days were a great opportunity to learn, create new ideas and share with others.  A range of speakers inspired me and one of the common threads that kept resonating with me was the importance of our school's vision-  Educating Lifelong Learners.  Schools need to focus on ensuring that their students are learning how to learn.  Our seven dimensions of our learner play this out in some detail-  however I am now even more committed to focussing on giving our students as many opportunities to practice the skills of goal setting, reflection, questioning etc...... these are the dispositions and values that are students are going to need for success in their lives.  The video below, whilst obviously funny, makes some points that are hard to ignore.....
Another major point that I took away from the days was the need to let our students make mistakes, learn from them, reflect and polish (make improvements).


Thanks to Amanda from Summerland School for sharing this video with us.

SAS TV

It has been fantastic to see our SAS TV groups grow in confidence and skill over the last two terms.  Each week a group of students plan, video and upload an episode outlining the learning and fun taking place at Stanley Avenue School.  This requires many SAS learning dispositions and encourages students to reflect and share their learning.  Check out the link and subscribe from the schools website www.stanleyave.school.nz

SAS Kapa Haka

I was ecstatic to watch our Kapa Haka group perform this week.  Matua Rawiri and Mr Spicer have worked hard with the team over the last two terms.  The boys and girls showed talent and confidence!  Kia Kaha, Kia Maia!

Inquiry in action!

Students in room 6have been working hard researching what they bring to school for lunch and what creates rubbish what can't be recycled.  After careful planning and design they created some amazing sustinable lunchboxes!  Powerful learning in action!!

The latest TED talk from Sir Ken Robinson asks some excellent questions as usual. Ken makes such a compelling argument, delivered in an incredibly engaging way. Education should encourage children to thrive, not to fall in line. Sir Ken gives an inspirational talk which focuses on harnessing the inherent potential of all learners in the school environment.

Technology- The next steps

Over the last five years Stanley Avenue has been experimenting with a range of emerging technologies to investigate whether they enhance teaching and learning opportunities for our teachers and students.  This has seen the use of IWB's, interactive projectors, netbooks, mobile phones and recently the use of Ipod Touches and I Pads.  With all these innovations the school's LMS-  Ultranet has been the hub where students reflect on their learning and share thinking they are proud of. 

Has the price of Ipads (both full and mini) coupled with the functionality of Google Drive and a wide range of apps changed the landscape?  Recently I have been experimenting with a range of apps that used with Google Drive lead to exciting opportunites for our teachers and students. 

In term two we are experimenting with Ipads and some apps coupled with Google Drive to see if they are game changers.  Watch this Space!

School Values in Action

Respect and Support Others-  As a school value this has always been a focus at Stanley Avenue School.  During term one this year there have been many planned actions organised by school leaders modelling these values. 

It has been fantastic to see students organising lunchtime activities, supporting members of the community in ventures and making a difference in and out of Te Aroha.  An example of this is room 9's effort to 'Save the World in 5 minutes' as part of their term theme 'Our Voice is Powerful'.  This saw students collecting old cellphones for Starship Hospital, toys for the Salvation Army and promoting the conservation of power at Stanley Ave.