“Our students have absolutely loved these projects and have flourished in their own way, into the roles for each project. The project leaders have been inspiring, supportive, motivating and enthusiastic. It has been an absolute pleasure being apart of this SVA Project and will definitely look to continue in the future. Thank you so much for the resources!!!”
“We are still in the middle of undertaking this class project. We decided that we wanted to do a 'Community Project' and make dog jumps for the new 'Dog Park' that is being designed in our community. We began the inquiry by investigating what a SVA actually is and looked at Sam Thomson's Christchurch work. We have used the kit to help with the process of deciding exactly what we wanted to do as a whole class. (Thats's how the dog jumps came about). We also decided we wanted to paint well-being stones and place them around the walking tracks of a local park. We contacted our council and they were in agreement of the whole project. We have designed dog jump plans and they have been approved by the council. Currently we are in contact with the Woodworkers Club to help us get the dog jumps made. The materials are all funded by the council because the dog jumps are going into their park. Our stones are being painted also the moment with nice pictures and messages on them. Like I said at the start, we are still in the middle of this learning. We plan to spend a day at the park to put the dog jumps up (with support), put the stones around the tracks and have a BBQ together as a class. Thankyou for the kit, it has been a busy, great project. Hopefully we can get if it finished before the end of the year!”
“We are still in the process of completing our project as we have made a bookshelf for swapping books in our local retirement place in Manurewa. It has taken a lot of organisation from the students who have had to converse with the carpenters and ask for donations for the paint. We are almost at the end and the students in the project have been very motivated by the project. A big thank you for the idea and the resources to help with our project.”
“This was a great learning experience for the students. They loved getting involved in the organising and being part of a team as well as learning about wetlands, having fun getting their hands dirty (metaphorically speaking when it came to the market day. Taught them a lot about the value of volunteering and how much is involved in organising events. Have appended a review some students did.
Last month, Rooms 24, 21 and 20 from Point View School, went to Ohuiriangi also known as Pigeon Mountain. The reason we went was because we are trying to restore the wetlands of New Zealand by planting more native plants. Pigeon Mountain had been partly destroyed and the Auckland Maunga Authority are restoring it. Wetlands are the home of many native creatures of New Zealand. They drain floods and clean water. Since climate change is getting worse, having more wetlands is a must.
Point View planted the seedlings. Jordan Winiata, Kaihautū Tiaki Koiora (Conservation Advisor) for Auckland Council showed us what to do. First, we dug a hole the size appropriate to the roots and placed the plant inside. Then we filled it with dirt and stepped on it lightly to do the pukeko check (to check if it was placed firmly enough so that the pukekos wouldn’t take it out). Jordan also organised the food for us. It was phenomenal.
Wetlands are special to us. 90% of New Zealand’s wetlands have disappeared and will continue to, if we don’t stop it. We know that you care about New Zealand’s nature, so that’s why we decided to raise money for you by having a Market Day! By doing this, we hope that the chance of saving more wetlands is more possible.We really hope we have done our part to help restore the wetlands by growing endemic plants. We hope the number of wetlands, native animals and plants increases.
The Market Day took place last term with the year fives and sixes. It was a day when we sold many different things we had made ourselves. For example there was slime, milkshakes, baked goods, sling shots, and even cookies! The week before, the teacher or ourselves bought supplies for our groups to use on Market day. Each class had either a vote or a survey to determine who did what. For example if six people voted for milkshakes, they would all work on it. We couldn’t get store bought milkshakes or if we made cookies we couldn't just buy them from the shop.
After all our things were made, the whole school was invited to bring their own pocket money and buy each other's products. Almost everyone sold out! It was a great day and everyone enjoyed their purchases and food.
We raised over $1300
By Olivia, Yiwen, Ella, Selina, and Phoenix”
“The Hurunui College Year 8 class really enjoyed the SVA school kit.
What happened....the students decided they would tidy up the garden of a local house in the town of Hawarden. The students were very proactive in their allocated roles and were very busy with the tidy-up. The class arranged a lawn mower, garden tools, and even organised a trailer for the green waste! They managed the work over two days (3 hours each day), and the owner of the house was very grateful of their work!
What resulted....the students expressed satisfaction in doing the job. In their own words ";It was nice to help someone and make them happy";. It is pleasing to hear this acknowledgement.”
“It was an excellent experience for me as a teacher and the students. The students enjoyed the empowerment with designated roles that they had to execute throughout the project process. It linked well with the inquiry topic and helped students to show all their true potential!!!”
“This kit is fantastic for making this a student led activity. All the instructions are clear for the students to read and follow and they can put their own passions into each area. This kit has also enabled my students to find their strengths which at this Year 8 level is essential for them to feel strong going into the Secondary years at school. The kit links in too with our school Values of Consideration and Integrity making them more understandable for students and also practical for them to see how having these values makes you a happier person. Thanks School Kit for an amazing resource to use with my class.”
