By Simon Clarke | Posted: Tuesday April 30, 2019
We hope that you got to spend some time together as a family over the holiday break and that your child is getting back into the routine of school.
Thank you to all of our teachers for their work over the non-contact time of the school holidays in preparing for this term. We had teachers presenting and attending conferences, and everyone has been working on getting ready for Kaikville this term.
Kaikville is a very popular programme we introduced in 2015 where children explore the issue of financial literacy, and we turn the school into a mini-society with businesses and a government.
Over the next four weeks, teachers will provide a series of lessons in class on financial literacy and also on how to be creative and come up with a product or service that others may want.
Topics may include looking at the new New Zealand currency and key economic terms and concepts. One of the tools that classrooms might use is a New Zealand developed website called Banqer. Their website describes Banqer as a "simulated online banking for the classroom, it provides a hands on environment for kids to get curious, creative, and ultimately, confident with money."
The inquiry will then move into creating a mini-society where children will apply for jobs, plan and create businesses, design products and services which will culminate in a market day on Friday the 7th of June where goods and services will be traded for the Kaikorai Dollar.
Children will be given the option to save rather than spend all of their hard earned income with a large incentive that will come at a later date in Term 3.
A foreign exchange will be set up at the market day so that parents can exchange NZD for the Kaikorai Dollars to make purchases at the market day which parents are most welcome to attend. We will provide more information about Kaikville closer to the time.
In other news, as part of the Hills Cluster, the other Principals' in the cluster and I have been asked to give a presentation at the Ulead International Principal Conference in Canada next weekend. We will be telling our story of innovation to over 1000 Principals from around the world. This is a great honour for myself, the school and the whole community.
I look forward to sharing the learning that I gain from this conference with the staff when I return.
Congratulations to Katie Devereux who has been co-opted onto the Board of Trustees for her financial acumen and governance experience. She will be a valuable asset for the Board. Full Board elections are in June and more information can be found in this newsletter.
Finally, we wish a very warm welcome to Beth Downie who is our schools new Deputy Principal. Beth will be teaching in Room 1 and from next Thursday the 9th until Friday the 17th of May, she will be your first point of contact for any issues while I am away.
Kind regards
Simon Clarke