Camp - Kearoa Marae in Horohoro

Feb 24th Room 3 Parent Meeting

Sylvia and I hosted a parents meeting regarding camp with a huge attendance from parents. We were able to cover some questions/concerns/ and the itinerary for camp.

Reasons why we want to do this camp are to:

• To promote student self esteem and confidence
• To develop class community and friendships
• To offer alternative learning opportunities
• To develop student understanding of Te reo and Tikanga Maori

Camp for Me

I love camp as its an opportunity to share an experience with your students it allows us to see a side to them that we might not get to see while at school. We are able to establish good foundations with parents and student.

I always encourage all students to have a go at all activities and make sure I know what I am doing.

Need to follow up on Flax Weaving.

March 17 2019

Today we created our itinerary with the team I am confident with the protocol on the marae as well as flax weaving. I will be leading my team the prayer pre-flax weaving.

I have with the help of Anne Cato, learnt how to print off the medical forms from the edge and have highlighted all students with issues, this has been cross checked with the teachers for any follow up info. Because we are the first group in we are kind of the guinea pigs. I am so exited to take the children to the swimming hole as I have been here with my own children. We are also going to take a eel line and have done some classroom work around this.

Reflection/Highlights

Camp was fantastic, I loved that it was just our class as I was able to spend time with each child that I might not have been able to. I love seeing kids succeed, trying new things and pushing the boundaries. Mr. McMillan ran some outstanding games for co operation which was so important for the bonding of our classroom as a complete unit.

* Lazer Tag

*Every child jumping off the rock

* saying my prayer in Te Reo

*smiles on the kids faces when they took lives off me

* the high fives

* Cooperative games

UBRIS P.D.

St. Marys Professional Development Staff Meeting - UBRIS Training

Tuesday 12/19 2019 Room 14

Support Information

This course has been created for schools to help with the guidance and rules for schools to manage challenging student behaviour.Where possible, schools manage challenging behaviour by preventing dangerous situations developing or using de-escalation techniques to calm things down. How we as a school can work together to create behaviour plans for children with behavioural issues so that we never end up in a situation.

Key things I learned:

• Only ever restrain or touch a child if you or another student is in danger, but before restraint can be used a behaviour structure plan should have been put in place and followed
• All children that have any identifiable behaviour need to have a detailed plan in place, these need to be shared with all adults that will be working with the child and must be put into action in order to prevent escalation to restraining.
• When writing up incidents you must be very careful when describing the incident, there must be no emotion, assistance from your team leader or trusted colleague is highly recommended.

Information gained from this session.

TAKE THE TIME TO KNOW YOUR KIDS, HAVE A CONNECTION WITH THEM, KNOW WHAT MAKES THEM TICK, WHAT MAKES THE RELAX.

KNOW HOW YOU WILL RESPOND TO EXCLATING ENVIRONMENT, WHAT ARE THE STEPS FOR ANY INCIDENT

Situations where  restraint  may be appropriate include:

• Breaking up a fight
• Stopping a student from moving in with a weapon
• Stopping a student who is throwing furniture close to others who could be injured
• Preventing a student from running onto a road.

Functions of the brain and nervous system works - the four levels of higher order functioning in our brains. If we are stressed and in fight or flight mode, our higher order levels of thinking are not functioning. They work like a staircase - we need to nurture the lower levels before reaching the higher ones.

When people experience stress, the first part of the brain to stop functioning is the frontal cortex - logic, which often then results in flight or fight.

How you respond to a situation will influence the response from the child's behaviour. Use the modes of calming, soft caring voice, breathing through nose out through mouth, moving to a safe space. Follow up with support for student and other staff.

Made me think about the need for reflection and basic teachings of behaviour responses.

Next Steps For Me:

• Based on what happened last year and this year the need for wellness in our classrooms is paramount. Students/ staff need a time of reflective time were we learn to breathe.
• Need for calm spaces at a school.
• Must expect the best and deal with the rest.
• Understand your support system and look after yourself as well.
• Identify the children we need to make behaviour plans for. Then create the plans collaboratively, and share as a staff and with support staff.
• Create a space for children to destress in, and teach these strategies so that they are the first response
• Have circle time/wellness time to destress, reading, prayer in class everyday

 Behaviour Iceberg Theory - this theory looks at what we can see on the outside but also the hidden triggers, key point here is that you MUST know your kids and have a relationship with them.

Zones Of Regulation

Zones of Regulation PD - Glenda Paul

Monday, 15 October 2018

Link to presentation

In our staff meeting today we had Glenda Paul in talking to us about the Zones of Regulation. I have been using this model in my classroom for the last three weeks of term 3 and will continue for the reminder of this year. I decided that I needed support for a few of my boys and girls, to help them deal with outbursts, anger, jealousy and over all well being. I spent time with Nicole Hunter a senior teacher talking to her about how she used the programme in her classroom. I then had two students (whom I had taught in the past) be my teachers and guides come into the classroom to teach us what and how they were using the regulations.

Main themes I took away from today:

What do good coping skills look like?

identifying your feelings, talking/sharing ideas, Pause, Breathe and Smile, finding a quiet space, prayer.

Self Regulation

• Sensory processing - filtering out unnecessary stimuli
• Executive functioning - use our brains efficiently to problem solve and shift attention away from the problem
• Emotional regulation - control our emotions and our reactions in order to meet the goals

Being aware of triggers

* home environment, food, the need to know your students and what is going on in their lives. 

Great interventions - interrupt and redirect

* send for a drink, with a message, run around the field

Visuals very important. Critical thing: Doesn’t bring teacher judgment on how a child behaves

See Pinterest for ideas

Focus around zones

Various tools for self-regulation

• Sensory supports - rubix cube, pillow, slime
• Calming techniques - rubbing hands, breathing in through nose out through mouth, good thoughts (damien McKenise smiling to his grandma pre kicks)
• Thinking strategies - what is making you feel this way, how do you move out

How big is the problem?

Can students see the difference between a small med large problem. When do you need help? 

You Tube clips with Inside Out characters  - what are they feeling here?

Resources shared by Sylvia

Where to next for my Professional Development?

Sensory Support:

I have been using our pillows, mindfulness, circle time, breathing techniques, face movements on the feelings chart

* Adding calming music while working, open door policy for students who don't want to be outside (over stimulated) continue with 10mins after lunch and maybe experiment with before lunch (lunch major issue time)some tactile objects would like to develop a quiet room somewhere in the school.

* Visual Guides for Thinking Strategies:

Using the kids magnets they have 10 mins to move back to green before I approach them, what I would like to see is a buddy trying to manage some of that. Not a friend but a learning buddy maybe. Peer support pre coming to an adult.