A busy start to the term!

 Wow!  Week 4 already and I have so much to catch you all up on!

  Firstly, congratulations to our mathematicians and their strong Otago Maths Problem Solving results.  Just taking part in this problem solving initiative takes tenacity and perseverance so well done to all those who participated.  Special mention goes to Finn Bennett (Year 6).   Finn earned an Excellence for his high score.  Super-special mention goes to Josiah Lo (Year 6).  As you will have seen in the school newsletter, Josiah earned a terrific Excellence Plus and got a high enough score to be able to sit the National Final exam.  Unfortunately, this exam is only for Year 7 and 8's  - but how exciting  - can't wait to see what Josiah will achieve next year!

Our Epro8 Teams also received their results in Week 2.  The Whakarongo Knowledgeable Nifflers and the Whakarongo Kreative Kiwis can be very proud of the robotic creatures they submitted for the Regional Heats.  The Whakarongo Technics (Charlotte Burt, Nathan Morgan, Aidan Harris and Olivia Mildenhall) earned 2nd place in the Intermediate Division and progress to the semi-finals.  This event will be held at Monrad Intermediate on November the 3rd.  Good Luck team!

Also in Week 2 we had a great time experiencing escape rooms at the City Library with Waka Curd, the Digital Technologies Librarian.  The teams worked together to solve puzzles and decode ciphers to prevent the world being destroyed by a giant asteroid!  They showed great resilience under pressure as they pooled their skills and knowledge to tackle a wide range of challenges, from reading star charts to code breaking and measuring angles.  The students have broken into groups now to design their own escape room scenarios for their peers to solve later in the term.

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Week 3 saw three of our most outstanding Year 8 mathematicians (Louis, Adiel and Nathan), head out to Massey University.  There, they met with Dr Richard Brown, a lecturer from the School of Fundamental Sciences.  We talked with him about real world applications for maths and the boys were motivated on their return with a clearer understanding of how the maths they are learning now will contribute to expanding their passions and pathways for the future.

                    

"Perry the Platypus" was on display at the STEM Roadshow hosted by Terrace End school last Thursday.  He joined a range of exhibits from schools across our Kahui Ako.  His placement just inside the entrance ensured he was a great hit.

That brings us to Week 4 and the beginning of our escape room plans.  As we create these plans together, we are also exploring some of the Habits of Mind that will help make us more successful in our learning and allow us to achieve greater understanding and mastery of our areas of passion and interest.  Today we were thinking about impulse control.  Every student was given a marshmallow that they couldn't eat until they had completed their work tasks.  Some students found they needed to put the marshmallow out of sight, others were able to forget about it while focussing on their work.  Some were totally distracted by it and a couple of students couldn't wait at all and ate them early.  It was great seeing the kids take initiative to remove the 'temptation' if needed, and listening to others using positive self talk to hold off eating their treat.  Some valuable and sweet learning!