There will be guidance, advice, video clips and more to come soon via Seesaw. In the meantime, these links may prove useful.

Make whatever learning activities you do FUN. When it's fun the learning sticks - and your child will want to do more learning.
​Thanks and stay safe all.

​Reading Eggs
Matific
Hands On Science at Home with Nano Girl
Spelling City
Storyline Online
Teach Your Monster to Read
Prodigy
Reading Rockets
Read Write Think
Learning Heroes
Go Noodle
nz.mathgames.com
Brainpop                    username: westernheights     password:  school
Scholastic
Epic                             free for parents until June
Sunshine Online     username:   westernheights     password:   whsreaders
Museums with Free Virtual Tours
New York Times Daily Writing Prompts
20 Screen-Free Things To Do With Your Kids Indoors When School Is Closed
Resources For Teaching Online Due To School Closures
​Kids at home because of coronavirus?
​MKE With Kids Resources & Activities      
Book Creator is offering a special upgrade re #coronavirus.
​Kahoot
Boomwriter
Code.org
Scholastic Learn At Home
Learn at Home YouTube Channel
Free Online Drawing Lessons for Kids
Open Culture - Free Media Resources - eg Books
800 Free eBooks for iPad, Kindle & Other Devices
International Children's Digital Library
Free Comic Books Turns Kids Onto Physics
​Educational Videos and Games for School Kids
​National Geographic Kids
STEM From the Start - Science Technology Engineering Maths
10,000 Stars - you need Chrome browser for this
Built by Kids Empowering Kids Who Will Build Our Future
NASA’s Eyes
Learn to Code with Code Academy
Kiwi Kids News
Science Learning Hub
Science Social Studies Environment

Fun Learning Things To Do Together:
Milk Street Cooking School
To the Moon to Stay
Hogwarts Digital Escape Room​
Paper Airplane Designs
Inside Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
​30 Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips with Links
20 Virtual Field Trips to Take With Your Kids
Virtual Field Trips​
Instructables - Yours For The Making

For Juniors specifically:
Storylineonline
Jack Hartman count to 100
The Big number song
Jack Hartman 
Phonics song
Alphablocks
Number blocks​
Lunch Doodles

At the end of all that study...you might need this...
Soothing audio bedtime stories to help kids sleep

​You may feel the need for some counselling advice type support or resources - this site may be of use​ - Wakelet
​
The Ministry of Education has a Dedicate Learning From Home page 
learningfromhome.govt.nz/

​

Welcome to our new - temporary - Western Heights Home Page.
We made this the home page as it has the information most of our parents will need most.

There is a famous phrase once used by then Prime Minister David Lange, "we need to pause and have a cup of tea."
This applies here. Please do not worry or stress about missed learning opportunities because school is closed. Learning will continue, it will just look and feel a bit different for a while.

Secretary for Education Iona Holstead has done a smart thing - though it seems not everyone has understood her message yet.
School is closed - the holidays have been brought forward.
Our holidays that were due to start in April now start on Monday 30 March, and will end after Tuesday, April 14.

We need this pause to get everything in place - as teachers, as parents and as children. Teachers have families and relatives they need to prepare for and support - just as everyone else. I have asked teachers NOT to start teaching from home at this point. Instead they will send out a video via Seesaw to their children this week. The videos will be short, affirming, positive, relationship-building videos that will help your child feel everything is going to be OK.

A key difference between these holidays and normal school holidays is these require you to stay in isolation. No trips to the movies, the mall or ten pin bowling - and much more. Because of this, there will be a good range of resources available to you on this page that you can dip into and engage your children with, even yourselves.
They are there as a dip-in resource - remember it is the holidays.

From Wednesday, April 15, teachers will be providing regular structured learning activities to their children via Seesaw posts. These will ensure children have an opportunity to maintain their reading, writing and maths skills

Our recommendation is to take a balanced approach - some learning from the resources provided; some learning with mum and dad in the garden or when baking a treat; some making projects such as build a fort out of cushions and sheets or build a bridge to get toy cars across; some exercise challenges - who can ‘plank’ for the longest, or simple yoga; you can still get out for a walk too - just remember social distancing guides of keep a two-metre distance from others.

Some really good advice is to ensure you don’t try to replicate school at home. Learning will be different, but it will continue, and we are going to keep it light, positive, fun and rewarding. Learning that takes this approach is best because this is how we make sure learning sticks.
This is an opportunity to explore, learn, create, play and engage together. It is not a time to stand over children and enforce a 19th-century approach to learning - said with the greatest respect.

Your child will be looking to you for guidance, support and comfort. The Ministry of Education has some good resources to help you have conversations with your children – Talking to children about COVID-19 - tinyurl.com/w8yc6s7
If your children see you are calm and coping, they will feel safer and be safer.

Challenges, physical activity, reading and enjoying some of the online learning opportunities are all important to keep your brain, body and spirit in good health at this time.

Our teachers would LOVE to see your learning in action at home too! You can share your successes online through email, by sharing photos, an explanation, a drawing, a video clip, or something that you have made.

If you have any questions about your learning you can contact your teacher through Seesaw or email. 

Finally, remember - Be kind. Be patient. Be tolerant. Be strong - but reach out for help if you need it. You can email ash on macash@mac.com or text me on 021779009.
We will come through this together.

And just to make sure we keep it all real - here's the (frazzled) thoughts of a mum who is trying to cope with her children Learning From Home...