Kristin Junior School is pleased to announce that it has once again been recognised as an Apple Distinguished School for 2021-2024. This honour recognises the use of Apple technology to enhance student learning, promote creativity and infuse learner agency, providing our students voice, choice and ownership in their learning.
Apple Distinguished Schools are centres of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence. They use Apple technology to connect students to the world, fuel creativity, deepen collaboration, and make learning personal.
Kristin Junior School Principal, Jayne de la Haye, says, “The selection of Kristin Junior School as an Apple Distinguished School highlights our success in creating an innovative and compelling learning environment that engages students and supports our core belief in developing our student’s natural inquisitiveness and their creativity, creating paths to lifelong learning.”
“This can be seen from Year 0 all the way through to Year 6 as students develop numeracy with Osmo Numbers Education and Sphero Edu, use Clips to reflect upon and record our learning, and iMovie to support our literacy. Our iPad programme also allows our students to engage in their learning wherever they go, from our own Kristin bush to the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) and beyond.”
Kristin Junior School remains committed to ensuring its teachers are able to leverage the benefits of technology in their specific teaching contexts, by providing collaborative, ongoing professional learning to support our teacher's expertise. Staff are supported by a designated eLearning team who share new ideas and provide individualised training. Developing our teachers as innovators, coupled with our commitment to the Apple ecosystem, is what helps to make our Junior School students ‘Future Ready’.
Kristin’s Nathan Wallis webinars for parents
In September, Kristin hosted two online webinars for parents presented by renowned New Zealand neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis. Internationally acclaimed, Nathan is in hot demand throughout New Zealand, Australia and China. Host of the documentary “All in the Mind” and co-host of the TV series “The Secret Life of Girls”, he appears on national radio and TV as a guest expert on parenting, teaching and understanding the brain development of young people. The ‘Engage the Brain’ webinar focused on the social/emotional aspects of brain development – how feeling impacts our thinking. It also highlighted the importance of play-based learning and how this enhances outcomes for our tamariki.
In ‘The Teen Brain’ webinar, Wallis explained that during adolescence parts of the teenage brain are “shut for renovations.” This is the part of the brain responsible for regulating the teenager’s moods, for understanding consequences, maintaining focus and for thinking about the wellbeing of others. Based on research, Wallis provided some clear tips and practices that can help enhance a teen’s ability (and their caregivers') to cope with this tricky time and minimise the stress for everyone.
Shakespeare Soars at Kristin
Over the last few years, Kristin students have learned a great deal and enjoyed great success at the regional and national SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festivals.
Regional awards for Kristin groups and students at the Auckland West SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival have included:
National awards for Kristin students and groups at the SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn National Shakespeare Festival have included:
It is clear from the recognition that Kristin students and groups have received that they bring great commitment and talent to their work. In 2022, these dedicated students will be able to develop their work even further with the introduction of the Kristin Shakespeare Company.
The Company will be open to everyone, from those brand new to Shakespeare to those who have enjoyed all 38 of his plays! Company members will explore a number of Shakespeare’s plays through workshops and rehearsals, before performing for a range of audiences.
At the end of term 1, five- or 15-minute scenes from the plays explored will be performed at the Auckland West SGCNZ University of Otago Sheilah Winn Regional Shakespeare Festival. Students may choose to be performers, directors or both in these scenes and they will be supported by the knowledgeable and passionate drama teachers and external tutors as they prepare and rehearse.
Following the Regional Festival, the Company will continue to explore the plays and prepare for a public performance of short versions of them in the Dove Theatre early in Term 3. This is an exciting venture for our Shakespearean performers, so we are looking forward to 2022 with great anticipation!
Kristin’s Debating Stars
At the end of September, at the Auckland Schools' Debating Annual Prizegiving (via livestream) Year 13 students Guy Williams, Hee Seo Kim and Stella Mackenzie achieved fantastic results. Guy was named best speaker for the Auckland region, Hee Seo placed second and Stella came in fifth! Competing against students from other top schools across the Auckland region, these were very impressive results and well deserved.
