Welcome back to Term 2 with Year 4/5 (The Bush Agents…..yes that’s our name!)

Hello and welcome to our Term 2. Getting back into solid class routines and having students feel secure and ready to learn has been a top priority. It has been lovely to see them all revel in making connections again. Our continuing use of Seesaw will enable parents to also stay connected with their child’s learning.

A major component of our learning so far has been based on a program called TE RITO TOI (devised by a New Zealand Uni professor). In this unit of work so far we have looked at what makes us tick by identifying the things around you that make you happy or that are significant for you in particular ways. Students wrote some simply beautiful “MY I AM” poems and black line drawings which depict the main ideas in their poem.

We also have looked at the work of Banksy, the anonymous street graffiti artist and his latest work which has appeared at Southhampton Hospital in England. It depicts a young boy who has discarded his Spiderman and Batman model figures in favour of a new favourite action hero - an NHS nurse wearing a facemask, a nurse’s cape and an apron with the Red Cross emblem on it (the only element of colour in the picture). Banksy wrote a note to staff, “Thanks for all you are doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit. Even if it’s only black and white.”

From looking at Banksy’s work, students have created their own superheroes and beside them a list of qualities which they feel they possess. We will be continuing on in this vein looking at qualities and values which help us in our lives.

We will also be studying “What are the qualities which make a good leader?” I am sure that this generation of children will have very firm ideas on what would make a good leader. Let’s hope they can lead the way!