Interesting documentary

From Radio New Zealand National

Running Wild in Fiordland

Fiordland Kindergarten which has launched a new programme to take pupils out into the wide open spaces. Their midweek nature discovery day draws inspiration from the European Forest kindergarten movement.

On Wednesday mornings, the children swap plasticine, paint brushes and modelling clay for dirt, sticks and fresh air. For some children, delivered by their parents to Ivon Wilson Park on the outskirts of Te Anau, it can be a bit traumatic. There are a few sobs and tears, but head teacher Clare Maley-Shaw is not bothered. She knows that as soon as mother or father is out of sight, the child will be swept up by the group.

All brightly clad in yellow raincoats and waterproof leggings, the preschoolers know the few rules by heart. Not one has gone missing since the programme began over a year ago.

The children enjoy a range of activities from climbing trees and sliding down leafy slopes, to exploring for bugs and beetles and eating toasted marshmallows around the campfire. The philosophy, according to Clare, is one of minimum intervention, intended to foster independence and a healthy curiosity and respect for their natural surroundings.

By taking the children out into nature on a regular basis, not just walking through it but ‘being in it’, she aims to give children a lifelong passion for the natural environment.

Clare Maley-Shaw admits it all seems like commonsense, and yet Fiordland Kindergarten is the pioneer of this outdoor programme in New Zealand, and is currently carrying out research on it’s impact on both the children and the teachers.

Raffle results

Raffle #1
1st prize Canvas by Olive Bremer #199 Jacob Hume
2nd prize Half pig, Judy Vining #207 c/o Emma Kappely
3rd prize* # 84 unsold have redrawn
3rd prize Xmas lamb –finalising delivery will announce shortly
4th prize firewood –Penny Baines # 412
5th prize Grocery hamper – Rachel Wright #471

Raffle # 2
1st prize Half Pig Nadine Harrison #45 (We only had two lots of tickets returned unsold, it was too late to get them in the supermarket sale so this morning David and Nadine decided to buy most of them between them and guess what, when we drew it this afternoon Nadine was a winner!)
2nd prize Ezy Roller, Annabelle Greer #293
3rd prize Mystery merry Hamper, Lynette Chapman –Napier #154
4th prize Grocery Hamper, Jasmin Zimerman #113
5th prize Sue Lowe, Cake, #301

Prizes drawn using online random number generator
http://www.mathgoodies.com/calculators/random_no_custom.html
By David Berry
Supervised by Adrianne Coles
And Tracey Bird
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the raffle in donations and in selling tickets, special thanks to those who donated the major prizes.
Also thanks to our top three ticket sellers Tristan walker, Eden Simmons and Maanuka Winiana who will get a small gift for their great efforts.

David Berry

Belinda Dancing

Sacm Warning

I recently got a cold call at home from a pushy and convincing lady who wanted me to open windows event viewer
now before I did anything I just pretended to and noted down the actions, then googled them.
sure enough a quick search of "computer phone scam"
revealed this article http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres

"The scam always starts the same way: the phone rings at someone's home, and the caller – usually with an Indian accent – asks for the householder, quoting their name and address before saying "I'm calling for Microsoft. We've had a report from your internet service provider of serious virus problems from your computer."

Dire forecasts are made that if the problem is not solved, the computer will become unusable.

The puzzled owner is then directed to their computer, and asked to open a program called "Windows Event Viewer". Its contents are, to the average user, worrying: they look like a long list of errors, some labelled "critical". "Yes, that's it," says the caller. "Now let me guide you through the steps to fixing it...

The company has noticed the problem. "Microsoft does not make unsolicited phone calls to help you fix your computer," it says on its website.

"If you receive an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be from Microsoft Tech Support, hang up. We do not make these kinds of calls.

Basically never trust cold calls or emails like this, if in doubt tell them you'll take it in to your computer technician to get checked.

and like the free laptops scam, just do a quick Google search of key words along with the word scam first, and or go to the official website (not one they tell you to go to.)

Grandparents and special friends day

Thank you to every one who came along to catch up and share songs and kai with us at teh kindergarten.

And thank you to our great team who helped clean up afterwards.

I thought I'd share this video I watched recently

It has powerful implications for things like national standards and how we teach.