The seniors have left the building.......

I can't actually believe that 2016 is almost over and I have seen off another 13 music!! It has been a super small class this year and although we didn't quite get all of the results we wanted (they would agree), as always they have been a big part of the music department and I will miss them! Hornby kids are special, we say it a lot but Hornby really is family. As migrants to NZ from Englnad ( almost 10 years ago ) I have but a small whanau of 3! The Hornby crew are an extended part of my whanau and I think of the students as #myotherkids. It is a privilege to be part of a young persons life, to watch them grow into young adults and to encourage them along the way! The year 13's this year have taught me alot! They have taught me about wonderful Maori culture and made me feel like part of their whanau! Kapa Haka will not be the same without them! They have also taught me that sometimes our children just need an ear to talk to, a shoulder to cry on and a simple hug!

A new vision!

As Hornby High school moves into the realms of the big rebuild we are starting to look at the vision of the school. Our board of trustees presented their ideas of our vision after school on Monday, along with afternoon tea which always goes down well with the Hornby crew.
Learn, Create, Share is where we want to take our students, being creative in whatever they do
 ( creativity is not exclusive to the Arts but to be creative in all subjects.) The toughest part of that equation is the sharing part. I find my wonderful musos learn and create in their comfort zones well and work hard. The scary part is the sharing. The performing and giving their all on stage! Now, we have become better at this and I have seen the confidence levels grow in my musicians. We are still not quite at the point though where my students will do this freely without me nagging them! ( with the exception of Jacob and Siaosi if they happen to read this) How do I get them to this point.......  I am not sure. I can do all the encouraging in the world but there still has to be more! Project based learning is an avenue we are beginning to look at and I have started thinking about this for 2017. Cross - curricular projects which engage our students and connect our subjects! Is this the answer??? I don't know but as a teacher in the 21st century I want to give it a go, I'm excited to try it and am keen to get it started!!! More to come on this subject......... :)

Back to school.............

We gotta go back, back, back to school again!!! Who doesn't love Grease 2. So I can not believe that we are going into the final term of the school year! This year has been the fastest one yet! The next 4 weeks are going to be mayhem as we have 4 weeks left with seniors. Deadlines are approaching and the pressure is on! This term is an exciting one also as the music and performing arts areas are to be refurbished over the holidays! Its a perfect time to get rid of stuff and prepare our teaching environments for an overhaul! The students are really excited and are all keen to help move and pack things which is wonderful ( I wonder if they are as pro-active when tidying their bedrooms) lol! Its an exciting time and am enjoying looking at new classroom furniture and ways to bring colour to the spaces!

Last week of term is upon us.....

So, the week is not over yet but I thought I would reflect on the terms madness early!! This penultimate term always seems to fly by. This time it has actually flown and as usual its a mad dash panic to get everyone through the last assessments. My highlights of the term have been getting back into Kapa Haka, I missed it so much and have really enjoyed learning again and being part of the special kapa whanau. We have a performance in the holidays so can't wait for that! Secondly my wonderful Voices with Soul. Such an amazing group of young singers and just generally awesome humans!! We had so much fun at the Voices festival again, they always make me proud and we received two awards for "pop performance" and "emotional plan". It was lovely to do a song dedicated to Krystal. She would have loved singing her beloved Justin Bieber! Great highlights and just a few reminders of why I love this job!! So, 3 days to go, one performance gig, two assemblies and some sad staff farewells, then relax............

Malo!! Its Tongan language week!

One of the many things I love about New Zealand is the vibrant and exciting array of multiculturalism. I am lucky that at Hornby High we have many different cultures. As a musician I love to learn about traditional song and dance. I love that the Pacific Islands are represented by different forms of music and dance and also food! This week is Tongan language week. We are lucky to have a wonderful community of Tongan families and I have many Tongan students in my music classes. This week we had senior assembly, this was an awesome opportunity to showcase students performing a traditional Tongan song. I am always proud of my students when they get up and perform, especially in assemblies as it is not easy! It was an awesome performance celebrating the music and language of Tonga!

PD - Genius hour......

Genius hour is project based learning task or activity. Students choose their own project on any subject. The idea is to choose a passion, choose something that you are going to enjoy learning and developing. If the idea can be answered by a 2 minute google search then dig deeper. When researching an idea you need to think about,

What will i learn? What will i create? What will i solve?
What do i love? what are my interests? How can i make an impact?

I love that we are moving into a culture of allowing our children to take ownership of their learning. As a teacher it takes us out of our comfort zone, we are no longer the be holder of all knowledge. Its a scary prospect but also exciting!

Voices with Soul mayem!!

So, we are one week away from this years voices festival!!!! ahhhhh I cant believe it. I don't think we have ever been this under prepared. Its senior assessment week this week too so we have a week or rehearsals with out them!! OMG!! I have faith though that my amazing singers will totally nail it!! We have some intensive rehearsals this week, I will try to post a video later in the week!

Kapa Haka

So, this term my timetable has changed which means I can attend Kapa Haka again! Yay!!!! So happy. It is so nice to have an hour dedicated to learning beautiful waiata and powerful haka. I don't have to be in charge or make any decisions but just enjoy learning and being inspired!! Being part of a kapa haka whanau is a special place. As an only child its nice to have the feeling of having "people" ( even at 36 years old ) Lead by our wonderful matua and our awesome senior leaders I know that I am in good hands. This week we are refreshing our school haka which is awesome, I definitely needed a wee refresher as I have been out of practise for a while. At the end of the hour its such a rush to hear the force of the haka again, its like nothing else...... Cant wait for next week!

A new year, new classes, learning names, staying organised...........The first term of 2016 is well under way. This term seems busier than ever and although I feel a little overwhelmed already it is also an exciting time at Hornby High School. Next week it is year 9 camp, getting to know the new 9BR is going to be cool but exhausting!!