Week 3

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Week 3

After a long weekend it was really hard to head back to school on Wednesday. The grade 1 and 2 teacher decided that they were going to use the rest of this short week to doing end of the year testing.

On Wednesday morning I help El give a maths test. It was a booklet that had about 30 questions in it. The students were allowed to work at their own speed or could work along as Miss Hansen read each question. They did relatively well on the beginning of the test but as it went on and the questions got harder a few of them started to struggle. After the test were graded the students were grouped into ability levels for next years classes. Later on in the afternoon on Wednesday I got to sit in on a POLT evaluation. This is an evaluation that each teacher goes through halfway through the year and at the end of the year. The teachers are given a questionnaire where they crank themselves and their class on a scale. The students in their class are also given the same questionnaire where they crank the teacher and the class on the same scale. The teacher’s and the student’s data are combined so that the teacher can see the areas that they need to improve on or areas that the students really liked. To end my day at school I met with a group of grade 6 students and talked about Indiana and answered a ton of questions. After this I went to Melaluca lodge where I got to play name that hat with the residents, and learnt the history behind the Melbourne Cup. After school I hung out with Iggy until Lauren got done with yoga. Later on that night I went and watched Lauren and Bree play net ball. The game pissed me off. It’s like basketball but with no contact, no dribbling, no running with the ball. Okay so not show much like basketball.

Thursday was an exciting day in our class, because over night we had got an Interactive White Board. So the kids were all excited and they thought all we were going to do know was watch movies. I taught a lesson on narrative writing. Mrs. Carlson you’ll be glad to hear that I used The Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon for the start of my lesson. At lunch time the prep, 1s, and 2s had a disco to raise money for Relay for Life. They were really into it…check out the pictures. After lunch I gave a few of the students the BURT test. This test is give three times during the year. Once at the beginning to determine their base reading level, in the middle of the year to mark their progress, and at the end of the year to mark the progress for year. The test consisted of a list of words that progressively got harder as you went down the page. The students were simply asked to read what words they could. Then based on how many they got right they were placed in a reading level. After school I cooked for the first time since I’ve been here. It was pretty good if I do say so myself.

On Friday my class was split up between the other grade 1 and 2 classes, because it was our day to given the online maths test. This test is mandated by the state of Victoria and each student progresses on it each year. They were given it at the end of Prep (K) and each student may have reached a different point. See you ask the student to do a maths problem and if they get that question right you go on to the next one. If they get it wrong then the computer moves you on to the next sections, and so on until all sections have been completed. So some students got through 5 or 6 questions others maybe 20 or 25.
WEEKEND
Friday after school Lauren’s sister came down from Melbourne to stay for the weekend. We went out for dinner at a local Italian place. I ventured out and had PIZZA. LOL

Saturday I slept in, because I was going to be up late with the Relay for Life. I hung out with Carly while Lauren went to Diddy’s (gym teacher) wedding. Around 4:30 Kylie (grade 2 teacher) picked me up to go to the Relay for Life. Her mum was on a team with people from work so most of her family was walking with them as well. It was a lot like the ones back home. While I was there I had a chance to talk to some to the local volunteer firemen and ambos (ambulance). I found it really cool that all of the fire departments in this area are volunteers, and that the ambos are only work from 6 to 8 and then they take turns taking the bus home. On the way home from the walk I noticed that it had gotten foggy for the first time since I’ve been here, but it was a very low laying fog. I thought that maybe there was a bush fire somewhere, but I was wrong. See pictures

Sunday I called home, and got to talk to my Dad and my sister for the first time since I’ve been here. Everyone was at my mom and dad’s for a fall party. Amanda being the emotional person that she is started to cry! It was great to talk to everyone, but it was hard because it is times like that, that make you thin of the things that you are missing being here. I also had arranged to call Kyle. It was funny when he got on the phone he asked what I was doing just like he always does. (I miss that) He told me that he had made pumpkin play-dough which smelled. I asked him if it was getting cold and he said a little. I tried to explain to him that it was hot here hot enough that Aunt Heidi had to wear sunscreen. It was great to talk to him, but it was hard to say goodbye. I spent the afternoon at the beach with Jesse, Georgie, Bree and Lauren. I probable should have been working on my paper, but I couldn’t be bothered.

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