This file has been recovered...after a muck up!!! So the links are not working at the moment, but I'm lucky it is here!

Welcome to the beginning of term 4 2005 @ Toko School. The diary now reaches back to 2002, outlining big and small events at Toko School.

Here are two really worthwhile blog's to keep up with.
Bard Wired
Bruce Hammond's

A few goals for the term to look back upon later!
Have we created a podcast in class for a selected audience to enjoy?
Did we create an improved waste recycling system as a result of the unit at the beginning of term 4 2005!
Did the concert match or exceed the end of year concerts of the last few years? Imagine the preparations!
Did we have a well organised and successful athletics sports with our new group?
Did the reports get written to a high quality and reflect the learning development of each child.
Did 'School Master' get delivered on time and did we start to understand its potential?
Did our children thoroughly enjoy the last term of the year?
Did we uncover any 'hidden' talents.

Wednesday the 12th
The new school server arrived today. Upgraded and improved. Part of the future proofing of the schools IT infrastructure. Just what we needed. Hopefully the 2 new Ministry Apples will be here soon, and I mean soon. Got plans for those babies! The apples did arrive and will be in classrooms for weeks at a time. Teachers just present their ideas and they can have three apples in their class. WOW factor! The kid pix is really popular but we are going to be focusing on movie making during the first three weeks in Room 5. I believe then they are off to Room 2 as Kelly has some ideas to explore!

Saturday the 15th
Great Calf and Lamb day to day... if a little wet! Yep it rained.. But the judges did a great job and their work is greatly appreciated. The prize giving was in the rain so was a little short! But hey. The PTA run this day and a lot of work is clearly put in by the committee to make it run like clock work which it clearly does!
A great gala organised by the Fundraising Committee and by now the sun was out making it all more enjoyable. Great job Fundraising Committee! Without know for sure at the time of writing this gala must have raised many thousands of dollars which will ultimately improve the Toko School children's prospects!!!Another aspect was the Hall of Creativity. Sand saucers, miniature gardens, vegetable creations and aqua jars...Wonderful.
Another aspect was the children's science experiments all up on display in Room 4! Children across the school were involved and there were some neat results too! They are great and still worth a look.

We hope that the Calf and Lamb day was a traditional experience for the children. It is a finale for all their work and development looking after their animals and has been run at Toko School for a long time in the current format. About 64 animals at school today. Not bad out of a roll of 95.... The Gala was a financial success I am certain. Loads of work again by a band of dedicated parents. Put these two events together on one day and we have a successful learning environment for our children. A day that will be looked back upon as memorable in their time at Toko School.

Douglas School... read the parents newsletter re the closing of Douglas School

Netsafe Training day
I attended a net safe training day on Friday the 21st of October. The children's virtual environment is a growing one! We need the skills and knowledge at the school level to ensure children's safety, but additionally to track and monitor behaviour on the internet. The schools new server has tracking of all email and a very good tracking system of the sites visited. Individual logons is also a new facet introduced in 2005. Ultimately however, the trust factor and education, is the key to children's correct use of the internet environment.

Friday the 28th
Don Oakes came to school today. He has donated 5 worm farms to us and the 4000 worm colony to start of each worm farm off. WOW all right. It was an excellent visit and very motivating for the children.

OK this evening has probably been one of my proudest moments as Principal at Toko School. Five Toko children attended the Toko Lions Speech Competition. We came first second and third! Tracy was first. She was excellent and her impromptu was awesome. Joanne was second. Very polished and confident. I was worried for a while as she had no notes!! And Joseph was third. He did an excellent speech but struggled in the impromptu. But his speech was clearly good enough to get his through. A very proud Principal sat and listened. excellent result. In fact tonight it really was hard to be the judge as all the contestants deserved to be their and all were very well prepared.

Wednesday the 3rd of November
Congratulations to Tracy and Joanne coming second and third in our interschool speech competition! Congratulations to Midhirst School for winning!!
What's big.. well the senior class is off to Napier on Monday the 7th of November... During this time read their blog to find out what they have been up to. Well I hope this works out but just a little unsure of the connectivity over at Kennedy Park where we are staying! Back at school their is a nation celebration!

Monday the 7th November
Camp. Check out new pix here. There is also a blog, which will give a little up to date info!
Day One and two
Days three and four

Nation Celebration Review!

Monday the 14th of November
Today we received our Herald Newspaper back. With $300 worth of book vouchers! We will be giving the 10 children involved in the project a $20 book voucher each and an additional voucher to three children that completed the final editing! Well done what a bonus!!

Rural Sports! Wednesday the 23rd of November
Well we had to postpone the sports for two days running. Wednesday dawned fine and calm so it was all go! This year we redesigned the sports day from the ground up to accommodate the 400 children expected from our groups' schools. Splitting the year groups into boy and girl groups, and then teams, seemed to really streamline the time needed at each event. Great to have so many dedicated teachers on board all working well with the year groups that arrived at their stations.
Have to say that the day went well and enjoyed by all I've heard from. Toko children did well, gaining 9 of the potential 16 year champions! Here are our Toko champs:
Johanna A, Connor M, Ashlee D, Nicholas J, Reagan D, Tyla P Same H Tracy K and one I cant recall so I will need to fix this! Many thanks to Midhirst School for bringing so many cones!! and their jumping bags. A great help.
Congratulations to Ngaere School for winning the interschool relay. I'll get the individual certificates done real soon. Lets see thats 7 events in both senior and junior rotations... double that for boys and girls, times three for first second and third!! Plus the winning team for each year level boys and girls!! Actually it might take a bit longer.....

Saturday the 26th of November
A day of interviews looking for our new teacher!!! Thanks Gavin and Megan for all the help. Will keep you posted here first!

New teacher appointed by the the committee.. Mrs Charlaine Spencer! Hi! We are all looking forward to working with you. Mrs Spencer was an outstanding applicant and she will have much to offer Toko School.

Thursday the 1st Bruce Hammonds
In the morning the Management team and anyone else that was able to get there listened to and talked with Bruce Hammonds. (Link at top of page) An excellent mornings discussion. Big messages for me were:
We are not curriculum delivery boys and girls... we make the icecream! IN other words we design the curriculum for the kids we have. We are best placed to do this and distant unmanagable curriculums from Wellington are not part the answer.
We are the curriculum experts! The untapped wisdom is ours!!!
We need depth not coverage! Fewer things well...
Realistic meaningful units are memorable for children.
IEP's for everyone...... personalised learning is the future for learning. Just a bit scared of this one....
Portfolios are shot, (always were) Children's exercise books, valued an cared for are the best samples of children work.
SO we have to look after them and not let them disappear!!!! Even staple two together to get a feel over time. Kids will value their books.
Children need to be taught shown modeled layout and design. They don't lern it through osmosis. Design is an essential skill.
Handwriting and book layout and care and attention and measuring, and planning , are vital skills and we need to be more tenacious with our children's exercise books. They are the standard we expect. They reflect our teaching.
Developing relationships is key to success. Collegiality not necessarily congeniality. A school with new ideas and direction and belief wont always be a smooth path.
Literacy numeracy and learnacy... do they still want to learn! LEARNACY what a good word. Do our children still want to learn... If they don't they will certainly fail.
The very word teacher implies a series of promises to children. What do we promise?
Questions to think about.
What is working well at our school?
What is not working well?
What do we need to do?

School in the ICTPD cluster met at he TET and shared good things. A valuable time I think!
Back at school the production Kings is coming along well, well sorta!! No really, it is going to be a neat play and a small acknowledgement of the work that is going on.. Mrs Bennett and Nicky on the back drop, it is looking amazing! Music sounding great Cathy, and all the teachers working on lines and costumes and positions and movement and props and sound and lights and ... oppps haven't done that yet.

Monday the 12th
Today was the dress rehearsal of the end of year production of KINGS at the Toko Hall. It has been a busy weekend setting up the Hall, getting the sound gear.. (Huge thanks to Rick) and getting the lighting from Lighting Theatre and Sound and setting this up too. Big thanks to Geoff for all his help on Sunday shifting stuff......Staging, props, bench seats!,costumes, ladders, masking tape, back drops, chairs desks, computers!keyboard, curtains wire, scissors, mikes and cables for Africa. It was a good day today.... The kids did well and it was hot! Check out the dress rehearsal