Base 6 2009 - A review

Well, it was a busy year in the Integrated Studies department.  We had a total of 5 classes and 6 teachers in the programme this year, which has been the largest group yet.  On top of this, we were involved in the Literacy Project and the Netbook trial.

Mrs Butler, Ms Heenan, and Miss Park did a terrific job with the year 9 programme.  They tackled all manner of subjects and worked well together.  They even got down to the Marae earlier in the year.  It will be sad to see Miss Park leaving this year, as her class will miss her, but she has a great opportunity in the Manuwatu.  Mrs Butler is also leaving the programme, to run the Futures department.  Mrs Butler has been in the Base 6 programme since the planning stages in 2000, teaching in it since 2001, and ran the team for many years.  Her experience and expertise will be missed, and we really appreciate the time and dedication she has put into her classes and the year 9 programme.

Miss Staples and Mrs Wish team-taught 10WV this year.  They did some fantastically exciting things, from abseiling to going to Wellington.  In the end, they were a great little class, and they had fun together.  Miss Staples is taking a year off next year to learn to become an Early Childhood educator, and we wish her all the best in her current pursuits.

10JM had a great opportunity also this year.  They were chosen as the class to trial the netbook units.  With a lot of help from Mrs Patten and Mrs Owens, they learnt how to do their work on a mini-laptop, and discovered a lot of bonuses in the process.  The learning curve was great for both teachers and students, but worthwhile in the end, even if the chosen machines were not ones we intend to use again.  Next year there will be a deployment of netbooks to the whole of Year 9, in stages, so I hope the members of 10JM can help the new teachers and students out with using the computers in class.

In 2010, Base 6 will undergo big changes.  With 4 staff leaving the programme, and the teachers in charge of Year 9 and 10 moving on to different positions in the school, there will be plenty of room for movement and change.  This has to be a good thing.  Mrs G Smith will be taking over the running of the department from Ms McLellan, who is now running the Arts department.  Ms Smith will also be teaching a Year 9 class, alongside Ms Heenan.  At this stage the year 10 teachers are in a state of flux, but I will update you all when appointments have been made.

2009 has been a challenging, but highly rewarding, year, and I wish all the best to the team adn the students in Base 6 in 2010 and beyond.  Have a safe holiday break, and we will see you all back in the start of term 1.