Farewell class of 2015-2016

Here is a photo montage created by Joshua and Ryu of the class. Enjoy...

I thought I would take this time to thank you all for what has been an outstanding year it has been in our class. 

I have really enjoyed teaching your children this year.  I will not get the opportunity to thank you all personally so please accept my thanks for all the support you have given me and your children this year.

I know they are ready to move up to Grade 5 and they are excited to be seniors.

The class this year have been wonderful children. They are a hardworking, dedicated, open minded and principled children. They each embody the PYP learner profiles and attitudes showing how much they value what they learning and doing in the class.

Thank you again for your support and your kinds words.

In the maori culture (native people of New Zealand where I am from) there is a saying

Ehara taku toa, he takitahi, he toa takitini

My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but success of a collective

Enjoy the summer break. Travel safe and I look forward to catching up with you when we return in August. I hope all the children will remember me and come and say hello to me when they walk past....and not run away in shame. If they do I promise to embarrass them even more.

To Craig and Xayniyom -  I wish you all the best on your next adventure. We will miss Joshua.

Wrapping up UOI

This week saw us wrapping up our final unit of inquiry "How we organise ourselves - Marketplace".

The children had to reflect on their learning and how they had done with their market stalls .





We also had looked back on our first thinking at the start of the unit.  What we thought "markets" were. We then did our second thinking on it and I was really impressed in how their thinking had changed and what they now think.

Meeting the new grade

On Friday each grade spent 30minutes with the new grade children that they will have next year. The children do not know who their teacher is so it was a good way to see how the children interacted with each other.

We met the grade 3 children down at the outdoor basketball court and put them into 11 teams. We played a trivial pursuit game with them.

They had to answer a series of questions as quick as them can while working as a team.


It was great fun and the new grade 4 look like a lovely bunch of children. Can't wait to met them next year.


Although I will miss my current grade 4's. They are fabulous.

Market Day Shops Open

On Friday we had our first round of stalls open for the children to visit. Each group had to first present their infomercials to the grade. There were some very clever sales pitches. At 8am the stalls were open and the children could look around. Each child was given $6 oompaloompas to spend at the stalls. During the morning each stall was visited by their personal banker who came to collect the loan, interest and rent totaling $12 oompaloompas.

Only one stall was unable to repay the full $12 back and they will need to rethink their marketing plan for Tuesday's selling.




There were some great bargains up for grab and Mr Simon enjoyed the shoulder massage that was available at one of the stalls.

Swim team video

This is a video that Mr John created to show what the swim team have been up to.

Market day final preparations

Today was the final preparations before the shops open on Friday. Groups had a time allocated where they could decorate their boards. They had to advertise their shops and display what they are selling with costs.


Friday morning they will be given a short time to put out their products before each group has to present a one minute infomercial to all of the grade 4 children.



Then the stalls will open. Groups will be given 2 x 15 minutes to shop at different break out spaces. After each end has had a turn at shopping then we will finish off with 10minutes of shopping at both ends.
Each child will be given $6 oompaloompa's to spend at the the stalls. During the morning each group will be visited by the their local class bank manager (teacher) who will collect off them $12 oompaloompa's - $10loan for materials, $1 for interest and $1 for rental (shop rental). We hope each groups makes the $12 during the morning.

UOI guest speaker - FRIENDS International

As part of our UOI into "How we organise ourselves" we had James from Friends International come and talk to the grade 4 children.
He talked to them about how Friends markets themselves as a social business. He explained that their core work is working to help children and families get off the street. To help fund this they rely on donations from donors as well as what they sell in their shops. The funds they raise go back into their organisation to help support children and families.

His biggest message to the children was if they want to help the best way they can is to ignore the children begging and to purchase items from their shops as the money goes directly back into Friends International
Check out their website.

Friends International

Lisa from Friends International who is their marketing and product designer talked about their biggest seller the paper bead necklace and bracelets.

She talked about how they train adults to make these products in their homes and then friends buys it off them. The women then make enough money to feed and support their families. Lisa then got the children to come up with some new designs that they could create with the paper beads. Some very cleaver designs.