​Year 9 Rich Learning Days

For the last four days of the term our Year 9 students have been involved in rich learning based on the topic of Migration.  During the first two days students were able to hear stories first hand from migrants from a range of countries, ethnicities and religions as well as taste a range of ethnic foods.  They also heard from the Invercargill-based Red Cross Refugee Resettlement Officer.  During the last two days the 13 groups of students worked extremely hard to produce 3-minute-long videos showcasing Gore to a migrant family, as well as prototyping a welcome pack for a refugee family to the Gore District.  This learning has been authentic, relevant and, for many students, has had a significant impact on their world view. Students acknowledged this relevance saying that it was important “because many people are immigrants and refugees and it is a large problem facing the world at the moment. We also all have an immigration story and “migration is a common occurrence in the news and is something being discussed often”. Shocking statistics such as, “worldwide, people are forced to leave their homes every 4 seconds” have left students feeling “how grateful I should be for where I live with no wars, or a dangerous environment” and, that “I will be more considerate to those who are refugees or are migrants after learning the hardships they have been through to arrive in our country.”
Bridget Ryan  - Assistant Principal