Principals Blog

Rugby World Cup and Bluestone

2011-08-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

The Rugby World Cup creates a focus for learning.

Students in each class have been given a competing country to adopt. Each class has created that country's flag to display in our hall. Under each flag are 5 facts about that country that the class think are interesting.

Students have been given the option to create a poster promoting either the Rugby World Cup or the All Blacks. The most popular poster will win the creator a new All Black Junior jersey in their size!

On Tuesday 16 August we will be selling RWC clothing and merchandise in our Hall. All parents, students and members of the public are welcome. A small commission will be given to the school allowing us to replenish our PE sheds with balls and equipment.

To raise further funds we are having a raffle for a RWC Supporters kit. Tickets are just $2 and available from our Office.

Ultranet update

2011-08-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

Bluestone is currently adopting Ultranet for communicating with parents about what is happening for students at school.

By logging onto http://bluestone.ultranet.school.nz/Home/

parents can view daily notices and newsletters and the latest school news updates.

Ultranet will very soon become our school website allowing a one stop shop for info on Bluestone.

In the near future parents will be given passwords that will allow them to see further in. They will be able to see their child's class site and their child's work on line.

So visit our new site and see what you think so far.

We welcome your feedback

Lego Olympics

2011-07-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

On the last Thursday and Friday of the holidays we are holding Lego Olympics in our Hall.

Teams of three students compete in making models on a given subject within a limited timeframe. It is terrific to see the originality of design and the different approaches. It is also interesting to see the way students can work together.

In addition to this students can also enter in an individual competition where they make a model from either a kitset or a creative, original design. These are made in advance can be viewed over the 2 days of the group competition.

Finally on the final Saturday of the holidays there is a Lego vehicle competition at Mega Mitre 10. Students take along a vehicle they have made within certain specifications. These are launched from a ramp incline and the winner is decided by the vehicle that travels the furtherest.

Whether competing or just observing the Lego Olympics are a great way to spend a day or two of the holidays

New notice boards

2011-07-01T03:39:00.000-07:00

Parents and students will now be able to view sports draws and team results via a new dedicated notice board. What is happening each week in music (and a lot happens each week!) is on another new noticeboard. These are viewable 24/7 on the wall outside the hall entry (close to the library) So if you want to keep right up to date visit the new boards! Lots of relevant photos will be put up on these boards too.

Ultranet at Bluestone

2011-07-01T03:21:00.000-07:00

At Bluestone we have decided to use Ultranet as our Learning Management System.

This will provide us with many new opportunities including for improved communication between home and school, digital portfolios of students work, and for virtual classrooms that can challenge and extend students.

Next term a group of lead teachers will learn how to use key aspects of Ultranet. Their virtual classroom will be established. Students in these classes will be set up with passwords that give them levels of appropriate access. Homework will be able to be set on line. Student work will be able to be viewed on line by their parents. Parents with passwords will be able to provide feedback for their child.

In the following term this will be extended to all students. The term after this will see passwords provided for all parents and for interested extended family members. The passwords will give levels of appropriate access.

A virtual classroom will be established to provide enrichment and extension activities for interested students.

Students will be able to use Ultranet as a social network, that is controlled and monitored. It is important that children learn how to use this sort of communication responsibly and that they realise the dangers of social networking when it is not controlled. This is the way our children now communicate, it is the world they live in so we need to give them good advice about how to use it wisely and effectively.

Ultranet will allow us to post notices and newsletters and articles of interest so that parents can easily access them 24/7. They will be able to provide feedback easily and instantly.

In time a students achievement data will be available for viewing by their parent online so that they do not need to wait for a 3 way conference or for a meeting with their child's teacher. Ultranet will ensure that parents can keep right up to date with their child's progress and achievement.

Ultranet is an exciting development at Bluestone and we look forward to keeping parents well informed of its evolution and implementation at Bluestone.

Student Achievement in Writing

2011-07-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

Bluestone School has been invited by the Ministry to be involved in a Pilot Literacy Programme.

This gives us funding to release key teachers to work with students to accelerate student achievement in writing. We will be using approaches that motivate and engage the students.

We will be working initially with target groups of students identified as achieving below the National Standards for writing.

The success of our programme will be monitored by researchers from Waikato University.

The approaches we use will benefit all students and teachers.

We are excited by this opportunity and look forward to involving parents in the programme and ways that they can help at home.

Great inspiration from visit to Melbourne

2011-06-09T01:43:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from a week in Melbourne visiting 5 schools and meeting with the heads of the Eastern District of the Department of Education in Metropolitan, Victoria.

I travelled with 35 others from approx 20 schools. I was accompanied by two of our Board members and my three Associate Principals.

Our trip was a wonderful experience. It is fantastic to see other schools and to listen to those passionate about educating young people. We have had the chance to discuss what we have seen amongst ourselves and we are keen to let others know back here of our observations.

One school we visited, Mountview, is seeking International accreditation. This is of interest to us as the criteria of what is considered to make a good school run is something we can reflect upon and measure ourselves against.

We were interested in what the Victorian Education Department considers is quality self improvement and accountability. This is well worth us reflecting on when we self review.

It was very obvious to us that effective schools clearly show their values and attitudes in visual displays that leave the students in no doubt as to what is expected if they attend the school. Setting high expectations seems to bring positive rewards in student behaviour and expectation (therefore achievement)

Having a week to reflect on where we are going as a school is a great luxury, and essential if we are to lead Bluestone into a positive future.

Taking opportunities offered

2011-05-22T03:13:00.000-07:00

There are so many opportunities offered at Bluestone.

Students who get involved experience so much and learn so much along the way.

Our musical gave so many students an opportunity to perform. Others were involved in producing the musical (lighting, sound, audio visual). All developed their skills and proved themselves!

12 Netball teams have proven a great focus for many students. Increased ball skills result and thanks to the work of Julie (PE Specialist) our students have developed a great games sense so that strategies learned can now be put to advantage.

Our Radio Station and our Filming Room allow many students to get involved in and beyond the classroom. Learning can be fun!

Digital photography is now a common thing for children. This year we are holding our first Photographic Exhibition (in November). The creative flair of our students never fails to amaze!

Our Wearable Arts competition is now calling for entries. The final costumes will impress as they do every year. I hope lots of students will put their hand up and get involved!

Our Art Exhibition will give all students the opportunity to display their work. It will also give our students the opportunity to view the work of adult artists. A wide variety of art will be on show so that our students will appreciate that art can take many forms. This year all staff and members of our Board will also display a piece of art work.

These are just some of the opportunities offered. I hope parents will encourage students to explore new opportunities. It is great to try new things. It is OK to risk take. We have to get stuck if we are to learn. If we never get stuck then we maybe things are too easy.

Consider the following poster being displayed at school, and reflect on how we learn.

STUCK?

Good then it was worth you coming to school today!

School Musical

2011-05-20T02:21:00.000-07:00

How wonderful it has been to witness the level of student participation and the quality of performance displayed in our school musical!

Fantastic singing, great acting and wonderful entertainment.

It was terrific to see the adult audiences respond so positively to the show.

Students showed a real love of music and a genuine pleasure in performing.

Huge thanks to the adults involved for their support, guidance and their strong passion for the musical.

The children 's efforts certainly fully repaid us - with interest!

Learning Hubs in Christchurch

2011-03-21T01:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I was in Christchurch helping to establish a Learning Hub (one of 11 on the east side of Christchurch). These hubs are designed to cater for the needs of the students in Christchurch who still do not have a school to attend.

Listening to the students talk about their experiences was a humbling experience.

Back at Bluestone we continue to have enrolments from Christchurch. It has been great to see how the Bluestone students welcome the Christchurch students. There is healing in human kindness. I have also been amazed at the wonderful generosity of people who have made generous donations to support the students displaced. A group of friends in Australia sent an amazing $850 to help put the Christchurch students in uniforms. A school in Wellington gave 75% of their school gala fundraiser (Some $58,000!) How amazing are these stories of human generosity.

Even though there has been real sadness in Christchurch there have also been great acts of kindness. It gives us faith in the human race!

Earthquakes and reality

2011-03-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

The reality of the past week is setting in.

We are only 2 hours away from ChCh and yet it is so hard to fathom the extent of the tragedy.

In Timaru we have been so lucky to escape the direct damage.

Over the past week we have enrolled more than 20 children from schools that have been affected in ChCh. The students that have arrived have received a warm welcome and I am very impressed with the resilience they are showing.

Today I felt very proud of our students. A mufti day with a Canterbury theme was well supported and raised $1200 to contribute to the relief fund.

We paid tribute to those who have lost lives by holding a two minute silence at 12.51 (exactly a week after the quake). This was a powerful and humbling experience.

We can only hope that those in Christchurch are able to get the basics back ASAP and start to rebuild their shattered lives.

It certain puts life into perspective!

Makes you reconsider what is really important.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families as they face the realities ahead.

Kia Kaha

2011 School Year

2011-01-22T02:45:00.000-08:00

The 2011 school year will soon be underway.

Teachers are preparing their classrooms for the arrival of the students.

Several new staff to Bluestone will bring a range of new skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to the team.

Teachers will have two days of professional development prior to the students starting on Monday 31 January.

We will have a number of new students and new families at the start of the school year and I look forward to them being made to feel welcome at Bluestone.

It will be great to watch our senior students grow into their leadership roles.

Here is to a fabulous year at Bluestone in 2011.

National Standards and Plain Language Reports

2010-11-08T01:34:00.000-08:00

Nationwide there are very real concerns about National Standards.
The National Party campaigned on these and so when they came to power they claimed they had a responsibility to introduce the Standards, indeed they claimed they had a mandate to push through the introduction.

Schools were not consulted. The National Standards were presented to schools with the instructions that they were to be implemented.

Having been a school that went through a District Education Review we appreciated the importance of full consultation, of listening to all groups involved when introducing change. We understand the importance of giving people a voice in the change process so that they gain a sense of ownership and grow to support the changes introduced.

National Standards were introduced in a hurry and without the government taking heed of the above change process. Why then has the Minister been so surprised that many in the education sector have not supported her demands to implement the Standards? In fact the Minister who has told schools that they must consider the best evidence synthesis when change and improvement is considered by schools, totally ignored her own advice. The leading assessment researchers told the Minister that there was no evidence that the introduction of these National Standards would result in an improvement to the tail of underachievement. Indeed overseas experience highlighted the waste of money and the lack of success in countries overseas when similar initiatives had been introduced.

Still the Minister has pushed ahead, and accused teacher groups of opposing the Standards for all the wrong reasons. Principals want the very best for their students. They want their students to succeed. I do not know of any Principals who are not constantly seeking for their students and their schools to be the very best! It is hard to credit that the Minister has not been prepared to listen to the reasoned concerns of the NZ Principals Federation and the NZ Educational Institute. These people are the ones who work with the children of our nation every day. If these National Standards were guaranteed to lift student achievement Principals would be whole heartedly behind them. The Standards represent the hopes and aspirations of the government. They are certainly not realistic! Many students who have been achieving at the National average will now be reported as being below the National Standards. This will confuse students and their parents. Yes it is a great ideal to aim high and yes we all want students to do better BUT lets us be sensible and realistic! National Standards need to be achievable or they will have a negative effect as learners become disheartened and disillusioned.

The public have been sold the rhetoric that student achievement will be lifted to new heights by the introduction of the National Standards. And of course when time proves concerned educationalists right the government will then be able to blame schools for the failure!

At Bluestone we will implement the Standards as we are required by law to do BUT had we been consulted, had the standards been developed in liaison with the education sector, had the supporting documents been in place BEFORE we received the instruction to proceed with implementation, had ALL teachers received meaningful professional development provided by people who ACTUALLY understood and believed in the Standards, had funding been provided to support the introduction of the standards (not after the event), and if the tools to measure and monitor the Standards were properly aligned, had staff had the time to hold moderation discussions, then MAYBE just MAYBE there might have been some benefit.

I have no problem with high expectations and high standards but if you have worked with these National Standards you will understand that these standards are not the solution that is needed!

Opportunities Abound

2010-10-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

Term 4 is well underway. During this term students will be provided with many opportunities and I can only hope that students will make the most of these.

Already we have had a kapahaka performance group at the Polytech. This group was supported by Room 19 presenting a haka. All of this was done to support Dan deHar as he welcomed a number of visitors from France to the Polytech. Our groups did us proud and it shows the value of time put in. It also reflected the wonderful value of having quality music specialists at Bluestone. Jannette Aldridge accompanied students and her enthusiasm and expertise has brought us so far.

Two of our bands (one also having some of our past students) performed at a local Battle of the Bands with one taking first place and being rewarded with $1000. What a terrific recognition of the students growth in skills and abilities. These groups have been nurtured and supported by our music staff. Daniel Edmonds has been in bands himself and his knowledge and experience have been well passed on. Jannette and Daniel have taken many hours outside of school time to ensure the success of our budding musicians. Several of our bands are now proficient enough to now organise and drive themselves. What a wonderful gift they have been given. How great it is to see the enthusiasm and dedication of these young people. With such drive and attitude they deserve to succeed.

Dale McKay, a music specialist at Bluestone has written and produced a song for Christchurch, following the horrors of the earthquake. Then accompanied by Dale, Daniel and Jannette, a group of our students sang the song and a CD was produced. This has been presented to Bob Parker the mayor of Christchurch. Bob was delighted and presented our school with a lovely book full of amazing photos of Christchurch. Dale sent copies of the CD to schools in the area affected by the earthquake and we have had an amazing response from these schools who have appreciated the originality of the idea and support. You can hear this CD on our website.

Coming up this term is our Wearable Arts Awards. This showcases the amazing creativity that is nurtured at Bluestone. The quality of the garments and costumes equals those made by people many years their senior. Kate Vaughan Blackstock has driven the event and it is now an annual highlight for students and parents to look forward to.

There are many more musical and performance highlights to prepare for this term. I hope students and parents get in behind these opportunities and make the most of them. The rewrds are tremendous.

West School Reunion

2010-10-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

In the holidays I had the real pleasure of being at the reunion of West School students who had left the school before 1946. Those in attendance ranged in age from 73 to 86. It was wonderful to listen to the stories of school the way it used to be. Many great tales were told. The thing that impressed me was how proud those in attendance remained of their school, and how positive they were about life. Young people today could learn a thing or two from them!

I was so impressed with the friendship of those present on the day and of the interest shown in what was happening at school today. I have promised that I will help to get the West School 100 year reunion organised. I can only hope that those who attend will be as passionate about their schooling and get together as this group were!

Mark Bang standing down as BOT Chairman

2010-09-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

Mark Bang has announced that due to the realities of his current job he is standing down as Chairman of our Board of Trustees. Mark will remain a valued Board member.

We owe Mark so much!

He has been an inspirational and visionary leader and has lead Bluestone so well during its establishment.

Mark has encouraged us all to focus on our vision for our students. He has been a great listener, and been a very reflective thinker encouraging us to think before we act.

I have been very grateful for Mark's wisdom and support.

Mark has encouraged board members to grow professionally in their role. Thanks to this we have a highly competent board ready to lead Bluestone confidently and competently into the future.

I hope those of you involved in the life of Bluestone will take time to thank Mark for all that he has done in his role as Chairman of our Board over many years.

Art Exhibition at Bluestone

2010-09-17T03:09:00.000-07:00

At our Art Exhibition we have had 18 exhibitors who are parents or who have close connections to our school. In addition we have had work on display that has been completed by our students.

The Exhibition has given students the opportunity to see artists in action and the questions asked have reflected their level of curiosity and interest.

It has been humbling to realise the depth of artistic talent that exists in our school community.

What an awesome and worthwhile event on our school calendar!

Helping and supporting children affected by the earthquakes

2010-09-10T02:02:00.000-07:00

We have been thinking about what we can do for the children affected by the earthquakes in the Canterbury district.

We are exploring the possibility of running a camp in Timaru. There are members of Rotary and a good number of teachers who are keen to organise a camp with fun activities to give some of the children affected by the earthquakes a break from the realities they are facing. We will be looking to our community to rally around with ideas and support to make this idea a reality. We may be able to bring a bus load or two from areas like Kaiapoi.

We could look at providing some counselling sessions for those who want to talk and de stress.

I think our community will rally round and donate experiences and time and goods to make sure that the children we work with will have a great time with happy memories.

I have emailed local schools to see if they might consider sponsoring a child. Already several have replied to the affirmative which is great!

If anyone reading this blog can help or has some useful, creative ideas then please let me know

Events and visitors to Bluestone

2010-08-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

The remainder of this term is shaping up to be very busy. Just look on our website calendar to see the range of activity.

The Minister of Education will tour our school on Tuesday 31 August. We look forward to showing her around and giving her the opportunity to see children in a range of exciting learning activities.

Danyon Loader our Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallist, who was born here in Timaru, will be visiting us on Friday 2 September. He will be promoting the exciting new Caroline Bay Aquatic Centre. We are having a mufti Day on Thursday 1 September so we can make a donation to the new Centre.

We are having visitors from Hartwell School in Melbourne who are keen to see the great things happening here at Bluestone. We look forward to sharing ideas about student learning.

Several staff and Board members are attending a seminar by Joseph Driessen a world authority on Boys Education. This will help us to reflect on what we are doing and on what we could do better.

Our Year 5-8 students are having a school Disco on Thursday 9 September from 6 - 8.30pm.

Our Year 3/4 students are visiting the Rocky Shore and doing a beach clean up on Tuesday 7 September.

Four of our staff are visiting several schools in the South Island over 4 days to look at how Interactive Whiteboards are being used to promote quality teaching and learning. As we have these boards in everyone of our classrooms we want to continually reflect on how we are using them and how we might use them even better.

On Wednesday 15 September TV6 will be at Bluestone to do some filming with Jim Mora. They are looking specifically at the Year 4 students who were presented with super new dictionaries by Rotary. They want to show how these have helped students in writing. Rotary has won a major regional award for their project.

A travelling show called Oceans Alive will be presenting 4 shows to our students on Tuesday 14 September. It is an important link to our studies on sustainability and links to our caring and respect for the environment.

On Friday 17 and Sat 18 September we will have our school community Art and Craft Exhibition which will show children a range of arts and crafts that will interest them.

School photos will be taken on Monday 20 September.

There certainly is a lot happening at Bluestone for your child!

New school vision phrase

2010-08-07T18:31:00.002-07:00

Instilling the desire to excel in a challenging ever changing world.

This sums up the intent of our school vision and strategic plan. The word instilling is deliberate as it implies that the values and efforts to excel are embedded and not just something that is aimed for at school alone. If values and attitudes and a desire to learn are to have real value then they need to be part of the students life and extend into all they do both at school and beyond for life.

Parents, students and staff have shaped Bluestone values, attitudes and intentions. It is clear from parents that they want students to excel and to aim high.

Our world is challenging and we want students to be excited and positive about challenges and about taking risks so that they might find solutions to the challenges and changes met in life. We accept that technology has made the world the children interact with global. Social networking sites can be wonderful ways of communicating with a global audience. messages can be spread very quickly. Our students need to appreciate the inherent dangers in such networking as well as the potential.

Our students live in exciting times with huge challenges and constant change. We (parents, teachers, school community, wider community) have a big responsibility to prepare and equip our students for their part. We must encourage great citizenship so that students offer back as well as expect to take and receive. So let's all get behind Bluestone School and give our students the best support and opportunities we can. Let's do our bit to give them the skills and attitudes and values that will help them to excel in a challenging and ever changing world!

Art Exhibition at Bluestone

2010-07-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday 17 & Saturday 18 September we are going to have a special Art and Craft Exhibition at Bluestone School.

The point of this is for students to be able to view a range of arts and crafts up close.

A number of artists who are parents or who have close connections with the school will each set up a display in a section of our hall. The students will be able to go through and view the displays up close. Some artists will be working at their display so that the students can see what is involved. There will be a variety of things to see from painting to sculpting to carving to teddybear making to costuming to photography and much more!

Student art will also be on display as will some secondary senior students portfolios to show our students what they might wish to do at a later date.

If you know of someone in our school community with talents then please let me know or encourage them to get involved. I hope this will become an annual event.

On the Friday from 2.45 until 4pm and then on the Saturday from 10am until 3pm the hall will be open to students, parents, and to members of the public. There will be no charge to view. Some art work will be for sale. We hope for a good turn out to appreciate the wonderful talents that exist within our school community!

Behaviour Management

2010-07-20T16:42:00.001-07:00

We have enjoyed two days of training as a whole staff with margaret Thorsborne. Margaret is a trainer from Australia who brings real knowledge and wisdom around the process of Restorative Practice. This means that we look at behaviour in a different way and we will revamp our behaviour management system. Rather than punishing bad behaviour we are looking at how we can repair the harm caused when relationships are affected when things go bad.

Punishment seldom works and tends to only have a short term benefit. We know this when the students who present with unacceptable behaviours are constant re offenders. Something has to change for these kids and so an approach which helps them understand the impact their actions have had on others appears to be the way forward. This is NOT a soft apporach with all feel good stuff! The approach gets to the emotional intelligences we all have and as a result has a more powerful and long term effect. Of course one approach doesn't fit all but in general we can approach behaviour problems in a more effective way and I am delighted that staff have accepted this and are willing to consider different approaches than we have relied upon ion the past.

Improving relationships so that there is two way respect, so that both sides feel listened to and so both accept some responsibility in finding a suitable and satisfactory solution is a positive step we are ready to make. It is great to have a staff open minded to change and prepared to give new approaches a go. Having had the knowledge and wisdom of Margaret has been wonderful as we needed to understand the WHY before we looked at the HOW.

We intend to have Circle time running in all rooms as part of a proactive approach. Circle time gives avenues for expressing feelings and frustrations and acknowledgements. We appreciate that we need to give children the language to express these things. Perhaps if many adults had had this opportunity we wouldn't have so many issues in society? Not that simple I know but we have to do things better than we have been doing them in the past!

If you want to know more about Restorative Practices, Circle time, behaviour management approaches, then email me or drop me a line. It is always good to discuss such topics as it develops all our thinking.

Questioning

2010-05-19T03:47:00.000-07:00

During the year we are working with students to improve the sorts of questions asked. Questions can help us to gain new understanding. Some questions are better than others depending on what we want to find out. Closed questions have a shorter answer, are factual, are specific and do not allow for opinion. Closed questions are good to ask when we quickly want a factual answer. Closed questions often begin with Who or When or Where. Open questions have many answers, can be an informed opinion and may lead to further questions. Open questions often begin with Why or How or What If. At Bluestone we encourage open questions so that students unlock ideas and seek alternative solutions and opinions to develop their thinking. With so much information now available on the web students need to ask questions and use thinking that challenges if the information available is reliable. We encourage you to think about the types of questions you use with your children. Do you encourage children to investigate, explain and summarise? These are skills that need practise and more beyond remembering to understanding.

New mosaics at Bluestone

2010-05-18T01:46:00.000-07:00

We have some fabulous new mosaic boards at Bluestone School. Penni Naylor has created wonderful creative creatures to brighten up a fence in the junior area of our school. They are well worth a visit to view.

New values boards at Bluestone

2010-05-18T01:41:00.001-07:00

We have added new values boards at Bluestone. Honesty, Excellence, Aroha, Respect, Tolerance. They are colourful and look great. Values are not just words but rather they are actions and interactions that anyone should see when they visit Bluestone.

Trip to Melbourne

2010-05-18T01:31:00.000-07:00

Over the past weekend I visited Marysville a school 95 minutes out of Melbourne which was destroyed by the bushfires. The school has been rebuilt and fundraising from our district helped to purchase new maths resources. I have to really admire the principal of this school. She was so positive and cared so much for her students and for the district. The new school is certainly one to be proud of. A lot of the building designs reflect our thinking at Bluestone. It was great to see pre school and school and health care all on the same site - how sensible!

Term Two

2010-04-23T01:21:00.000-07:00

A week has gone by in term 2.

Lots has happened already. A new sculpture, new murals, new ceramic tiles has made for great additions in the grounds. New class topics looking at human rights in education tie in nicely to ANZAC Day. The stories that come from this study are powerful for the children to relate to. Staff professional development is encouraging teachers to look at how questioning can bring the best thinking out of students. Asking the right sort of questions encourages students to think deeply, to think outside the square, to query their own thinking and the thinking of others. In written language staff are spending time discussing what children should be achieving at each curriculum level so that we are consistent in what we mark and analyse. This is particularly relevant as we work more with the National Standards and look at effective reporting to parents.

We are to have a Board of Trustees elections which reflects the good support that parents are giving our school. It is wonderful that parents recognise the importance of having strong governance. We appreciate the interest shown.

This term will see lots of new learning and exciting activities. Keep reading the class postings to see what each class is up to. Watch this space!

Term 2

2010-04-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

Term 1 has finished. The term saw a number of events involving students, parents and staff. The breakfast BBQs for students and their Dads or Grandads were great successes. The fish and chip tea gave students a great chance to introduce their parents to their teacher and to show off their classrooms. Three Way conferences provided an opportunity for students, parents and teachers to set learning goals and to review progress made thus far. Year 8s enjoyed a great camp in Hanmer, and all students had the opportunity to improve their swimming skills and confidence.

New murals and a new statue were unveiled, giving a great school environment.

Term 2 will be equally busy with the opportunity for students to learn lots of new things and to experience additional activities. Winter sport teams will be underway and students involved in music will perform in variety music shows. In our first week back Dan deHar's statue will be blessed and unveiled with our kapahaka group performing for the occasion. The Board of Trustee elections will give all parents the opportunity to put their name forward to contribute to the governing of our great school. A new Mountainbike club will encourage students and parents to get active and share some common challenges and fun. Year 5-8 students will have their cross country runs. There is always lots to do and with the right encouragement and support all students can enjoy new challenges and new learning.

2010-03-05T00:56:00.000-08:00

Safety on the roads around Bluestone

Mrs Hocking has been working with students to increase their awareness of the dangers on our roads.

We have asked for flashing lights to be installed on Otipua Road to slow the traffic down.

It is so important that parents encourage students to use the crossings and to look both ways for danger before crossing our roads.

We would love some parent volunteers to offer to oversee the Otipua Road crossing before school

Great start to 2010

2010-02-06T02:59:00.000-08:00

What a great start to 2010. 35 enrolments on day 1. More teachers employed so that class numbers are dropped substantially. Only 24 students in Y7/8 classes means the rooms have space to move, teachers can get around students easily. The tone in rooms has been wonderful in week 1. Three new staff have shown great enthusiasm and passion. The grounds are looking great thanks to a fantastic property manager. The new mural is coming along. new equipment has been introduced for play and lunch times. The new fitness circuit is coming together and has already been well used.

Next week the Peer Mediators and Playground Activity Leaders (PALs) will be in action.

The Human Rights in Education (HRiE) lens will be applied to our school this year. Students will develop an understanding of human rights, the rights of children and of course the responsibilities that go with all of these! Rights and responsibilities will be reflected in class contracts and treaties.

We have an exciting year ahead!

End of year activities

2009-11-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

We have reached the final two weeks of school for 2009.

The PREP market day proved very popular with the students and the students were really motivated to succeed. There was so much interest in the day that the number of students away from school on the day was at an all time low! Nothing like authentic learning to motivate and engage students.

In our last two weeks there are a lot of activities.

Our Year 7 & 8's have their end of year social (3 Dec). This is always a great night to celebrate.

Our Bluestone Music Christmas Roadshow is performing at a variety of retirement Homes and Kindergartens. The skills learned and the enthusiasm to perform never fails to amaze me. Musical performances are also taking place for Rotary (Dec 16) and for the Christmas Float Parade (Sat 5 Dec), and at the Bay. We will hold a musical talent quest on Tuesday 8 December.

Celebration Journals will be sent home (Wed 2 Dec) and will show you what your child has achieved over this year. Take time to discuss the contents with your child. I hope they are proud of their efforts.

Our athletes will get to perform at the SC Primary Schools Athletics Champs (Tue 1 Dec). Those students who reach this level have shown a great attitude and determination. We wish them well.

Our sport teams will have their photos taken on Monday 7 December after school. Students involved will be given a free laminated photo before the end of the school year.

We will hold our annual pool party at Maori Park on Thursday 10 December. The Home and School will cook free sausages for the students for lunch.

Our Prize Giving will be held at the TBHS Hall on Monday 14 Dec starting at 7pm. We will have a VERY special guest who will present a wonderful role model for the students to aspire to.

Visits to Other Schools

2009-11-14T00:31:00.000-08:00

In the past week I visited three schools, Nelson Central, Enner Glen, and Lower Moutere. I went to see examples of Human Rights In Education (HRiE) in action. This is an approach and an attitude we wish to embed at Bluestone School. Children have rights, and need to know and to celebrate these rights. With these rights come responsibilities.

The HRiE approach sees students and teachers discussing the rights and responsibilities, drawing up class, playground and school agreements which then guide decisions on actions, attitudes and behaviours. I spoke with students, principals, staff, and parents about what the schools I visited have been doing with HRiE in 2009. I visited classes and saw first hand the work completed and the understandings gained. This whole approach works in so well with what we are doing at Bluestone. Our values, our vision, the key competencies, restorative justice, and peer mediators at Bluestone all sit within an effective HRiE school.

The Principal of Enner Glen School is Isaac Day (a former Deputy Principal at Bluestone) so it was great to see his school and the pride Isaac has in his school's direction. Isaac keeps a strong interest in Bluestone and it was great to catch up with him.

With just 4 weeks left of this school year there is much to be achieved. There are lots of activities for the students so plenty to keep everyone motivated and learning!

School Camp for Year 5&6

2009-11-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

School Camp provides opportunities and challenges for students. The key competencies of relating to others, and managing self are given a chance to be developed and used in real life settings. For many students it will be the first time they have been away from home without their parents, and for many parents it will be the first time they have had their child show such independence. It can be a nervous time for both students and parents. But the growth and the achievement and personal satisfaction that can result for students in a well organised and managed camp soon outweighs any worries.

The Camp at Woodend will give exciting new challenges and students will feel really good about what they have achieved by the end of the camp. Risk taking (within appropriate boundaries) will help a growth in confidence to give new things a go. Friendships are strengthened, people are seen in a new light, and memories are created. A terrific group of parents is going with our students and will provide wonderful support to the students and to staff. The parents involved really show they care for those on camp and have a great time themselves.

I am looking forward to getting up on Tuesday to see the camp in action. I will take a camera and post some shots of the action on the website. So here's to a GREAT camp!

Bluestone PREP for all students

2009-10-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

It is great to see all classes thinking about what they will make for our PREP market day. As groups set up businesses and put plans together there is some very good thinking in evidence. It is wonderful to see the excitement in the rooms as they create items for sale with real pride. This is learning with a purpose and as a result motivates students and engages them. It has been pleasing to see students working together and supporting each other. There will be successes and failures and therefore lots of lessons learned. The value of planning before rushing in to the making phase will be highlighted. Next time we are involved in PREP we have agreed that we will have groups working together made up of students of various ages. Working as a team will be an important lesson.

As Market Day approaches the excitement will build. I hope lots of parents ask their children about what they are doing in PREP, and encourage them to be well involved. Ask about what lessons are being learned. Share ideas because everyone benefits from talking the process through. I hope parents have a look at the class blog pages as many of these show what each class is doing in PREP.

2009-10-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

As a staff and Board we are looking at Human Rights of children. With rights become responsibilities. The rights of one child should not block the rights of others in a class to a great education.

Ced Simpson (the head of Human Rights in Education, HRiE) has spoken to a number of us and we have been left feeling very impressed with how practical this knowledge and approach can be in making a positive difference.

The knowledge and approach provides a foundation for all the positive things we are doing at Bluestone, like peer mediation, restorative justice etc.

We need to have some discussions with parents so that it is understood that HRiE is of real value at school and at home, that it is all about children accepting responsibility so that rights can benefit them.

Next year students will learn far more about what HRiE means for them and how this understanding can impact positively on the culture and atmosphere of Bluestone School.

If you want to know more about HRiE then visit www.rightsined.org.nz This is a website well worth exploring.

2009-08-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

We are now ready to launch our revamped website and get it working as a tool to keep our parent body well informed and linked to their children and their learning.

We hope that parents will use the website to keep up to date and know that all notices and newsletters will be available at any time of the day or night.

As we put info on and parents start using the website it will be important that we get feedback about what is working well and what is missing.

Steve Fennessy is released for a period of time to work on a number of ICT related projects.

One of these is to encourage students and staff to establish and maintain their class site on the website

2009-06-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new website.

This is a learning experience for me and I think some of our ICT savvy students will be a great help to me as I attempt to negotiate the art of blogging. Risk taking is important. What do you think?

2009-06-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

Principal’s Welcome

Bluestone School was created in 2005 following a district wide Education Review. Timaru West School and Timaru Main School were merged and Year 7 & 8 students returned after the only local intermediate was closed. Bluestone is a decile 5 school with a current roll of around 500 students.

The name Bluestone relates back to when Mount Horrible erupted and it oozed a layer of basalt or bluestone over the local area. This is depicted in a mural painted by senior students.

Both Timaru Main and Timaru West had bluestone featuring in early building designs. Bluestone is now exported from our area and features in many modern buildings and pathways. So it seems appropriate that the current school carries the name of Bluestone to represent the solid foundation on which it is built, and to represent the bringing together of the best of the past with the best of the present.

In the building of Bluestone innovations that benefit and enhance student learning were researched and incorporated in the design. Quality acoustics and soundfield systems enable students to hear clearly. Natural light features. Air conditioning keeps temperatures and air quality at appropriate levels. Sub conscious learning is promoted in students through the placement of a number of features around the school. Exposed panels show the services required to make the school function. A cubic meter of concrete helps students comprehend a difficult concept to young minds. A sundial and directional arrows reinforce understandings of time and place. Rows of pavers across paths at regular intervals introduce distance. The school environment is attractive and purposeful.

Classes cover two-year age ranges. Year 1 & 2 (Creative Creatures), Year 3 & 4 (Team Explorer), Year 5 & 6 (High Flyers), and Year 7 & 8 (Think Tank).

Each of the four classroom blocks are designed around central common spaces. These spaces are utilised in a variety of ways to support teaching and learning. Assemblies, music, art, dance, drama, and technology benefit from the extra space and students frequently meet from the different classes in these spaces before and after school. They provide a welcoming place to eat on wet lunch hours. The central common spaces are often used for audio-visual presentations with soundfield systems ensuring that students can hear and be well heard.

Off each central space are classrooms, a shared teacher office, and storage. Toilets are in each block. Classrooms have retreat rooms off them allowing for small group work. Seating is arranged in groups as it is through interaction with their peers that students learn and are challenged. Classrooms have opening cupboards that store school bags and replace traditional cloakrooms. This helps with the monitoring and security of personal belongings. A variety of classroom furniture supports different teaching and learning styles.

Fibre optic cable carries the computer and phone network to all areas of the school. Wireless technology ensures that laptop computers and ICT are well used as tools of learning. Digital cameras, digital videos, and data projectors are used by students to present their work and learning.

We have a strong school-wide approach to teaching and learning and to behaviour management. We believe school should be a great place of learning for students. We recognise that many students will have several jobs in their lifetime (many not yet thought of). Therefore their education needs to encourage and give them the skills to become confident and flexible problem solvers, utilising higher order thinking skills (able to analyse, apply, synthesise and evaluate). We expect learning to take place, where possible, in authentic settings so that students realise the purpose of their learning.

We invest heavily in teacher professional development because we believe the most important aspect of successful teaching and learning is what happens between students and teachers. We continually strive for improvement and quality.

Our school wide values of honesty, excellence, aroha, respect, and tolerance (HEART) are central to all that we do. They are reflected in student and staff actions and interactions. Our values reflect in our Behaviour Management Programme and are recognised at student assemblies.

We place a strong emphasis on numeracy and literacy, especially in the first four years. Bluestone’s library is well stocked and open to the students throughout the day including at lunchtimes Adult and student librarians ensure that the resources are easily accessible. Laptops allow for students to access the web for research information. Once students are enrolled at Bluestone their siblings are encouraged to also use the library. Music opportunities include choirs, bands, and instrument tuition and are a strength of the school. There are lots of sport opportunities with school teams competing in netball, hockey, basketball, tee ball/softball, and cricket, in addition to our normal school sport programme. A senior and a junior school council give students responsibility and leadership and ensure students have a strong voice.

Should issues arise at school then we urge you to make contact with your child’s teacher so that any problems can be quickly addressed. As Principal I appreciate communication channels being effective and two way. I welcome your feedback on school performance.

Bluestone has a supportive Home and School group and a Board of Trustees who work tirelessly to ensure that students and staff are provided with a great environment for teaching and learning.

We welcome you to come and look around Bluestone School. We are proud of what our students achieve and proud of the wonderful tone and family atmosphere present in our school.

Call our office on 03 684 3706 to make an appointment for a guided tour. We look forward to meeting you and your child.

Ian Poulter

Principal

principal@bluestone.school.nz