Cost?
As a not for profit social enterprise that is trying to build community, we are trying to keep costs as low as possible, just to cover rent, power and consumerables.. I volunteer my time.
If you really can not afford to pay please talk to us as you probably have skills – I haven’t even worked out how to put spell check on whatever it is I am writing this on.
3 session courses – $20 a session
Term courses (one day school) $40 a session, and $30 after school (less time)
Drop in sessions after school will be $7 an hour (you must book).
Drop in sessions during the day $5.
Will they learn anything?
That is up to them and is ultimately their business. Our focus is ako and the aim is to facilitate tuakana-teina relationships, to eventually have kids lead courses to showcase their own skills, and to communicate with each other to understand ideas. Our focus is on the process not the product, and on how we think/notice our learning and being reflective rather than a list of what was learnt. I am prepared to learn a lot…
Can I come with my child?
Please do, especially if you think your child will need your support, be that practical or emotional. We have a comfy couch – tea, coffee. You are welcome to join in or bring your own project to do as it is good for kids to see that adults have interests, and maybe your interest could provide an interest to some other student. We are also in town if you need “proper” coffee or to run errands.
You must come with children under 9.
What age of child are your courses for?
Our environment isn’t suitable for very young children as there are accessible tools including soldering equipment, irons, knives, hammers etc and we are only staffed by volunteers.
The courses are pitched to 9 and above – this includes older teenagers. The reasons for having such a wide age range are: The benefits to the participants; that age and what is accessible to a student do not necessarily correlate; that having a range of ages creates a positive environment where each individual is seen as such; and means that we can utilise community – ie. within our group we will have someone who understands some part of the whole and together we can create bigger, better ideas.
What about my neuro- diverse child?
We welcome the neuro-diverse. It is not the job of the child to fit the environment but the the job of all people to adapt the environment/community to accommodate the child. In the second half of the year I will be doing a Masters paper on teaching the neuro diverse.
Please let us know if your child needs help. We can work around them, eg: a time that they can visit without others there if that helps. And let us know how the other children can help make them comfortable.
Our class sizes will be small.
Do you use kits?
We will not be using kits. Part of this is due to not creating a demand for more consumption, another that an open ended project allows for more creativity (which like muscles gets bigger with exercise) and also that after Covid and now trade wars we want to encourage self reliance and ideas of making do – that idea of “the number eight wire” that is not only a cultural concept but increasingly important in a constantly changing world.
Having said that if your kid is working on a kit and wants to bring it that is all good and I have an orrery that I made from a kit as the whole idea of making it myself made my brain explode.
What are drop in sessions?
I hope for these to be sessions children choose to come (and can come to by themselves by bus/bike etc) to to work with others, to use the resources (like a rehersal room!) to work on their te Kura – especially if they need help (they could find a peer to help them through their issue), And that these sessions give the children independence, power over their own learning, to oppotunity share their learning/skills with others.. to be both the tuakana and teina, to practice ako (be both teacher and learner).
We are in town so close to the Bus depot.
We will not exclude anyone.
It does help kids if they have some kind of routine, regular attendance – so they know what kids are coming especially if working on a joint project. They could organise to come together.
Will my child get a certificate?
Assessment is completely optional. The only assesment will be any that the kids choose for themselves. They are welcome to make certificates.
There will be no eduspeak…
I am interested in the use of a portfolio as a statement of learning.
policies
We have a full set of Policies that I am working on attaching here!!
Who will be teaching my child?
Hopefully this will mirror our community – and be a motley crew of retired people (an under-utilised resource), experts in something from down the road, parents and the kids themselves.
I am police checked and will be present whenever there are other adults present.
Can I become involved?
Yes please…