Springston School Newsletter 28 September 2012

'Shake Out' Earthquake Drill

At 9:26 am today we all 'Dropped, Covered, and Held', as we would have done in a real earthquake. Of course, we've had plenty of practice at that anyway, so we weren't worried. The FLL Robotics Team was having a practice in the Conference Room so we all dropped under the table. I don't think we remembered to 'Hold' but I guess we felt safe under the big table!

We have two 'I Love Learning' Competition Finalists!

By Emily (Year 6 Finalist) - Image from I Love Learning

By Isaac (Year 4 Finalist) - Image from I Love Learning

Congratulations to Emily (Year 6, Room 9) and Isaac (Year 4, Room 6) for reaching the Finals of the NZEI's 'I Love Learning' Competition! They are Finalists in the Poster section for their Year levels. How exciting! They have a chance of winning an iPad for themselves, and another one for their class.

You can check out all 14 of the Year 4 Poster Finalists here. And the 15 Year 6 Poster Finalists here.

Please visit the website to see Isaac's and Emily's posters (by clicking the links on the photo captions above) and Like, Share or Rave about their wonderful work.

Well done to these students, and all from Springston School who entered this competition with posters and videos.

Organising a trip - putting phone skills into practice

Does your child know how to make a phone call? 

Could they call someone to find information? 

Could they organise a trip? 

Being able to use a phone is a vital skill these days and we don't all have the confidence needed to use one to get the information we might need.

This is something our FLL (First Lego League) Robotics Team needed to do this week. The students needed to organise a trip as part of their project for the 2012 FLL competition. This year's competition theme is 'Senior Choices' so a call was made to the Anthony Wilding Retirement Village to see if they could visit and learn more about the problems elderly people face. The students already had a little background knowledge, through phoning (with support from a parent) someone elderly that they already knew (usually a grandparent).

This was a first supported effort to make a call to someone they didn't know, and the team was using a speakerphone for the first time. This meant all students in the group could hear the conversation and learn what to do, and the teacher could step in to help if necessary. Students discussed what they would need to say and do depending on who answered at the other end. Notes had been made on a whiteboard for them to follow, so nothing was forgotten. 

Dylan generously volunteered to make the call, even though he was really nervous about phoning someone he didn't actually know. He did a great job!

Springston School Facility & Concept Plan Survey

This survey has now closed. Thank you for your input.

Our architects, Alan Pritchard Design, have been asked to draw up a 5-year concept plan for the future development of the school (with the coming four new classrooms), including the relocation of the existing adventure playground and provision for a new or extended adventure playground. The concept plan will also include lunch eating areas and access to the field, as well as targeted space for any further roll growth classrooms.

We wish to gather ideas from our children and the community for inclusion in the concept plan. Please consider this in conjunction with the School Newsletter of 14 September (below). You can record you ideas....practical or entirely fanciful..... seating, planting, playgrounds, an on-site cafe... no idea too big or small!

Springston School Newsletter 14 September 2012