Take Time to Stop and Smell the Roses

             What a fantastic journey we are all on ... It has been a fast and furious 11 weeks.

Wednesday 13 April

A visitor to our school yesterday gave me cause to stop and reflect about just how far we have come in such a short time and I am very grateful because in the throws of the normal school day this is something I forget to do sometimes!

A tour of the school - visiting all the learning spaces during our numeracy time slot was enlightening. Our visitor reported that there was a hum about the place, a high level of engagement in all the learning areas. As teachers - this is exactly what we want to hear. This is what we strive for.

"Engaged students are more attentive, excited, involved, and eager to participate. From the perspective of the teacher, there is a strong positive correlation between student engagement and student achievement." (Hoff, 2013)

In eleven short weeks the teachers have developed programmes of work, established positive learning environments, built connections with the students in their learning hubs, built connections with their team members and begun to build some strong connections in the community. 

It is definitely time to stop and smell the roses before marching forward into Term 2! 

Jo Earl