The end of January in New Zealand is back-to-school time. Most primary schools run on a ten-week on, two-week off schedule throughout the year, with a longer break for Christmas/summer vacation. For us, the summer break was extra-long, as it began when we traveled down here right after Thanksgiving; the girls had all of December and January off (except for the Saxon math and Kumon lessons we made them do, and daily music practice). I asked Beth to tell about her first week of school; what follows is her account of the daily routine.
Our school day starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m. My school day starts off with something called Jump Jam, a sort of dance where the whole school dances, following the leaders who are up on the deck outside the classrooms. We do three songs, which takes about twenty minutes in all. The purpose of Jump Jam is to get everybody moving. Then the school subjects are math (they call it maths), writing, personal reading (I really like that one), and others we haven't started yet. At 9-something we have a twenty-minute break for tea--most students have sweet things. At morning tea in the first weeks of summer, we get changed into our swimsuits (togs) because swimming is straight after. We have a little bit of teaching time in the pool, and then we have free swimming time. Swimming is not my favorite subject--the pool is so COLD! At 10-something we have a brain-food break (fruits or veggies) while our teacher either reads to us or we listen to Roald Dahl. This week my teacher, Miss Logan, started reading Percy Jackson to us. Every day we have mat time, where our teacher reads to us while we sit on the rug. We have mat time for other purposes, too: we use it sometimes for our writing groups, sometimes for math, and other times.
We have a little art time or other class time, and then it's lunch time. We have about thirty minutes for lunch time and recess. We eat our lunches on the steps where Jump Jam was, and then play on the playground. The playground is about three times bigger than the one at University School, but I liked the one at USchool better because I knew mostly everyone there, and only a few classes played on the playground at a time. Here, it's a GINORMOUS school and everybody is out at the same time. It's overwhelming, especially since Katy and I are in different classes. After lunch ends, we have about two more hours of class until the bell rings. It's not a real bell; it's just an electric recording of one.
We wear a uniform to school. The uniform has either black culotts or black cargo shorts (cargo pants in winter), and a darkish-red polo shirt with the Douglas Park emblem on it. We also have a black hat with the emblem on it. We have to wear those every time we go outside because the sun is so intense here. When we wear shoes they have to be black sandals or black shoes and black socks. I have sandals, but a lot of kids go barefooted, even though they bring their shoes to the classroom. Quite a few people go barefooted here. [Editor's note: You see people barefooted even on the hottest days, walking along the main shopping area of Queen Street, or even in the supermarket. People of all ages and social classes go in bare feet, including teachers--it's the Kiwi way, adopted from the Maori people.]
We have so many groups for different things. I'm in a Percy Jackson group for writing; I'm a Kiwi maths person; and I'm in a Superman group for reading (I think). In my math group I'm the only fifth grader.[Editor's note: The girls were placed in level five because their birthday falls within the appropriate range for that level, even though at home they would be in the middle of fourth grade. All classes for their age are combined fifth/sixth grade classes, so students are grouped for different subjects according to their needs and abilities. The schools here are adept at catering for many different levels within each classroom.]
[Stacey writes:] Every Friday instead of Jump Jam, the school has "Celebration Time" in the newly-redone Hall. Glenn and I attended on Friday. The students all walked across the grounds barefooted so as not to scuff the new flooring, and parents and teachers removed their shoes before entering. Before anyone entered, there was a teacher-led prayer of dedication for the new building. The celebration itself, though, is totally led by the students. It began with a moving haka dance performed by about ten students. Everyone rose to sing the New Zealand national anthem, which has a verse sung in Maori followed by an English verse. The school song is to the tune of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer," with a chorus that rings out, "At Douglas Park, we're all achievers..." Glenn and I were impressed with how quiet and respectful students were as they rose and sat when requested, and as different speakers addressed the assembly. One student from each classroom was awarded recognition for outstanding performance during the first week that followed the PRIDE values (Peaceful, Respect, Independence, Dare to Dream, and Excellence in Everything). There was a slide show of photos taken during the first week of school. New students and faculty were also recognized, so Katy and Beth sat on the dais with other new members of the Douglas Park family. The Celebration Time each week allows the entire school to end the week by recognizing positive contributions by students--a true celebration.
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