Whare Tapa Wha and our School Values

                        

Today in Room 7 for Inquiry we looked at Whare Tapa Wha and our School Values. We looked at our new school value AKO and how the  4 dimensions of Whare Tapa Wha- (Taha Hinengaro-Mental and Emotional well being; Taha Tinana-Physical Well being; Taha Whanau-Social Well being and Taha Wairua; Spiritual Well being) can affect our learning, our AKO and how they relate to each other.

Firstly, we began the lesson with a video. The children were asked to watch the video and then when the video was finished they were asked to say which School Values they saw in the video and how it was shown.

Here is the video below:

I was amazed at the children's responses. They said they saw all our School Values in the video. Some examples were: Caring for others, showing tolerance, showing kindness, showing Ako, working together. 

We then went onto looking at the Whare Tapa Wha model which means "The Four Sided House or Building". We talked as as class about how these 4 dimensions are significant to our well being and that if one was missing then we would be off balance- or the house would fall down because one wall has collapsed.

The children then got into their groups and as a group they talked about how the 4 dimensions of Whare Tapa Wha can affect our Ako (Learning).

As a whole class we collated all our finding and created a google drawing about how Whare Tapa Wha can impact our Ako. 

Whole School Picnic Day

Whole School Fun Picnic Day

On Thursday the 25th of February Tamaki Primary School had a fun Whole School Picnic Day!
All of Tamaki Primary School had loads of fun!
There was so much to do for the children and their Whanau's.
The children and their families enjoyed a sausage sizzle and ice blocks, games, sports, bouncy castles, slip and slide and water fights where the teachers were also water bombed and squirted.

The children displayed Tamaki Primary's School values with pride which was great to see. These were: Tukumarie, Whanaungatanga, mannakitanga, rangimarie and Ako.

The children of Tamaki Primary School are looking forward to another Fun picnic day!! What fun it was for not only the children and whanau but also the teachers! Great day to bond and build better relationships with the children as well as with parents through fun activities.

Shadow Portraits

 In room 7 as part of "All about me" we have been creating shadow portraits "All about ourselves". We traced an outline of ourselves using the projector and then inside our outside we used words, symbols and patterns to describe who we are. Miss Shiriwastow modelled one for us and showed us examples so that we knew what we had to do and what the outcome would be like.

We had so much fun creating them and they all look so fantastic and effective. Miss Shiriwastow has displayed them outside Room 7 for teachers, children and parents to see.

We used effective colours so that our artwork would standout to our audiences.

Here are some examples of a few shadow portraits created by the wonderful children of Room 7. Didn't they do an amazing job!! What artist they are!!  Ka Pai Tamariki.

Being Big Hearted

This year Tamaki Primary is made up of two Syndicates. A Junior Syndicate and a Senior Syndicate. 

Room 7 is part of the Senior Syndicate. Our Syndicate is called "Kia Manawanui which means "Being Big Hearted".

As part of our team building lessons  in the classroom we explored what "Being Big hearted" meant to us.  To begin with the children peer shared with each other what they thought "Being Big Hearted" meant and how they thought they could show this. 

We then came together as a class and collated our ideas together in a mind map. 

The children then moved onto creating hearts. In the hearts they drew symbols and wrote words of how they showed being "Big hearted". 

Here is a photo of Wallymei and Marshall working on their hearts. 

Learning about Maths Language

Today in Room 7 we explored language related to maths signs and symbols.

Room 7 children were split into 4 table groups where they were given a flower template with a Maths operation in the centre of the flower. In their groups children were to discuss collaboratively with their peers share what that symbol means, and write different words that relate to the symbol inside the flowers petals.

We then shared our thinking together as a class to see what different Maths language we had come up with.  It was really good to see all the children in Room 7 talking together and sharing their thinking together as a group.

Welcome to Room 7 - 2016

Kia Ora, Talofa, Malo, Salam, Bula, Namaste!!
Welcome to our Room 7 classroom blog site. If you don't already know me, I am Miss Shiriwastow. I will be teaching your lovely children this year. This is my second year at Tamaki Primary School and I am enjoying every moment of it. Everyday is a new day, and there is always something interesting to learn, not only from teaching the children but the children also enlightening me with their creative ideas and knowledge. As a teacher we are also life long learners. I am really looking forward to enjoying 2016 with the students in my class.

Making Multiplication fun!

In room 7 we have been learning our Multiplication facts. We played fun games together to learn not only how to recall our Multiplication facts fast but also how to play games co-cooperatively together in regards to our Inquiry topic "Practicing peaceful play"

The children get a card with a number on it such as number 7 which is their 7 times tables. They then are required to roll the dice and the number they roll eg: 5 they need to multiply 5 with 7 and then find their answer on their cards and put a counter on it. The student that fills their cards first with counters wins the game.

Room 7 really enjoyed this game and also enjoyed the challenge. They also built great relationships with each other as well as giving each other positive feedback and encouragement.

Below is a photo collage of some of  room 7 children playing the Multiplication game.

Knowing our Multiplication facts are important as it is used in our everyday life. For example when going shopping for food items and buying multiple items, children can use their fast recall of multiplication to know the value of the multiple items that they have bought. 

The Big Reveal

In Term 4, 2015 our school inquiry topic has been about "Planet Earth and Beyond". The children in the Kia Maia team did not know what our Inquiry topic was going to be about so as a reveal the children watched the movie "Home" in the first block which they really enjoyed.

In the second block of the day the children explored making "Rockets". Part of the Learn process was for the children to learn how to make a rocket of their choice by researching online different ways of making rockets. The Create part of their learning was for the children to choose a rocket of their choice and test their theory as to how far and fast they fly. Miss Kyla's class, Mr Minton's class and Miss Shiriwastow's class all made rockets and then they all gathered in the hall for a challenge to see which rockets flew the furtherest and fastest. The children really enjoyed themselves and were very proud of their rockets. Miss Kyla gave our prizes for the ones that flew the furtherest and ones with the most innovative designs. 


It was a great learning experience for the children as they learnt about what causes the rocket to travel faster and why. For example, when you blow in the straw the air gets trapped causing momentum.Here is a photo of Curtys who created a straw Rocket.

                       Here is a photo of Kenneth and Siale who won a prize for the furtherest flying rockets. 

Here is a photo of the Room 7 children enjoying testing out their rockets. 

It was a fun day for the children of the Kia Maia Team!