Throughout the year children will be learning some of the most important lessons in life: to be a good citizen, to contribute to our society and to think about other people and issues that are beyond our immediate lives.
Children will be taking action either within our community or addressing a national or global issue that they have identified. The outcomes of ‘beyond the gate’ will be seen through the ways children interact with their initiatives. This relates directly to the vision of the New Zealand Curriculum which is to foster confident, connected, actively involved, life long learners.
Because our children are thinking like this and taking action, they will hopefully start to think this is normal and the way to live life.
Below is a list of many of the Beyond the Gate initiatives that children have chosen to get involved in and make a difference.
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Syndicate |
Description / Outcomes |
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Miro Year 0/1 |
Visiting Ascot House retirement home: Sharing songs, drawings, cards and stories. |
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We have made clay Christmas decorations and Christmas cards for The Wilson Home and Ronald McDonald House. We have shared our artwork with our local community at the Devonport Library |
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Kowhai |
Making flowers and reading to/ for residents at Lady Allum Retirement home. We wrote letters to OfficeMax asking them to eliminate the redundant plastic packaging being used in their parcels to Vauxhall School. We sent each letter in one of Office Max's plastic bags. Our OfficeMax Account Manager, Vanessa Wragge, came to our school to hand-deliver a gift of environmentally friendly products and a letter about how the company is changing the materials they use so that they are more eco friendly. Beach clean up to help the environment. Car wash to raise money for Auckland City Mission. Various jobs for friends and neighbours. Building awareness of using palm oil/ helping animals by making books to display at Devonport Library. Kindergarten visits to interact with younger children. Making toys for animals at the SPCA Exhibitions of work in the Devonport library |
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Kauri Year 4 |
Visiting Achilles Reserve to look at the restoration work that the 'Eco Corridor Project' volunteer group has done. We then worked with them to create signage to go at the reserve to promote/explain the work that has been done Art made to thank doctors/nurses at Med Plus. Donating toys to Devonport Hospice. Art thanking coaches at North Shore Cricket Club. Pumping up the soccer balls at North Shore United. Visited Devonport Kindy to play with the children. Making Lemonade to give to the Waterwise helpers on Tuesday when they are at the beach. Art and Baking to Ascot House with the residents. Writing letters to thank doctors at Starship and North Shore Hospital. Beach clean up. Thank you cards and chocolate crackle to thank VEFA organisers. Working alongside volunteers from the Ngataringa Eco Corridor Project who are restoring an area of the golf course with native planting. Each child in Kauri helped prepare the site and then plant their own tree, as well as learn about the work that is being done to establish more native planting around the course. |
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Totara Year 5 and 6 |
We allow the children to choose their own pathway for learning so there have been a variety of projects: Helping the elderly - window washing, dog walking, cleaning etc. Beach cleanup Raised money for SPCA by holding a bake sale. Raised money for SPCA by selling homemade animal treats. In Totara an opportunity has presented itself to communicate with the residents of a care home in South Wales, UK, called Awel- y- Mor. The purpose of this project from our end is to reach out to a community that have been hit hard by the COVID 19 lockdown restrictions. The residents at Awel - Y - Mor have not been able to receive visitors for over a year. We send pictures, information, letters, videos and photographs. Promoting all girls’ basketball - visited peninsula schools, interviewed and filmed by Herald for ANZ Sport Scene, in contact with NZ basketball. Promoted blanket drop for SPCA: visited and dropped off blankets. Raised money for Deaf Society by holding a bake sale. Raised money for Pandas WWF through gold coin donation. Letter to council for pump track in Woodall park Narrow Neck - approved to be built in 2022 - article in Flagstaff. Pink shirt da- Stop Bullying and Speak Up Kids Can - fundraising for children in poverty |
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