School 2013

So 2013 sees me the Yr 9 Dean, and still teaching English! Yay I love it and thoroughly enjoy my English classes. However I have this new roll of half Facilitator for Manaiakalani with Karen Ferguson. Tamaki College is the only College in our East Auckland Cluster.

So far it has been an experience, at the moment Karen and I are flat out reimaging and adding PSK codes to the Asus netbooks and logging on and adding PSK codes to the Chrome-books. Ahhhh the chromebooks some days it seems faster reimaging Asus then going online to access then offine then online to code on the chromebooks. But in saying that we have it nailed down now.

Then there is the running around to find students to give them their netbooks. I guess I could get the office runner to find them for me, but that seems like a huge waste of time I would rather do it myself, my legs re not painted on.

One thing I have noticed is the huge amount of Netbooks waiting to be serviced, If I was to suggest one thing it would be that the Tech’s are in more than they are maybe have a set number stationed at various schools. It all seems like a lot of waiting for the students to get their device back. Yes some of the student’s need to pay their excess but there are a lot that are waiting, waiting!

Staff support is another thing we look at, helping our staff decipher their way around Google Docs and creating sites, and using the Teacher Dashboard, it’s all good fun. Yesterday a staff member asked me how to do something….I hadn’t actually done it myself so off I run to Karen who showed me in 3 mins and badda bing badda boom.all done!!!!!!!!

I have found the Manaiakalani meetings fascinating, and always leave having learnt something new. Listening to the other Teacher’s, takes me back to my Primary teaching days. There are so many talented people in the cluster, who all bring to the cluster a vast amount of skills and a willingness to support others.

I feel that I am going to learn a lot this year within the Manaiakalani cluster.

My Year 9’s!!! Nothing else to say really. They have started the year well, and when I do an attendance check out of all my Yr 9’s there is never more than between 5 -10 away on any given day!!!!!!!!! Wooohooo this is a first. I have the lowest absence numbers in the school!!!

It is early days yet, but so far they are settling in well and demonstrating The Tamaki Way. I am hoping it will continue all year. J

Our Prefects and House Captains are amazing and are doing an awesome job. I am super proud of my nephew Owen Talatau who is the Deputy Head Boy this year!!!! All our Prefects/House Captains are working hard at promoting positive behaviour, correct uniform and good work ethics.

With their support and guidance of the Year 9’s it will be a great year for Year 9!!!!!!!