It has been a huge few couple of months at MakeRoom and there is so much to write about. This post should really be two or even three blogs worth but we’re going to cram it all into one because as you’re about to find out - it’s quite busy around here.
NEW SPACE
Our new classroom is officially up and running. Months of planning have finally borne fruit and we have our second space built and ready for action.
Having had all the planning permissions complete last year Lucy and I started the ‘deconstruction’ back in January…
…and we had builders here most of Term One.
We put the finishing touches on during the school holidays.
And finally - check it out!
Doesn’t it look cool! We still have a couple of bits and pieces to add (like a new heatpump) but other than that it’s all functioning beautifully.
NEW TUTORS AND NEW FAMILIES
A new space would be nothing without new faces to occupy it and we are very pleased to have 3 new tutors onboard. Jonathan, Hamish and Evangelina come to us with a huge range of experience and it is really exciting to be welcoming their talent into MakeRoom. We spent much of Term One getting them familiar with the space and now that they are fully on board we have been able to offer 9 new classes - with a bit of room for even more. Our student numbers have doubled from Term 1! All these new groups have started this week and it has been so good welcoming all the new families into the space. Alongside the new room is a new sink and we’ve incorporated a fridge and tea making station for the parents. Sometimes heaven is a cup of tea.
Do come and have a look at the new work when you come next visit.
STEM CLUB FIELD TRIP
During the school holidays we were very lucky to arrange a Stem Club field trip to Victoria University. Through the computer science outreach co-ordinator Pravin Vaz we got to visit the computer science labs as well as some of the engineering department. There was VR, Robotics, Super-conductors as well as some very interesting examples of old school tech (that sounds like something out of Mortal Engines). We got to spend an amazing couple of hours seeing some of the tertiary avenues available to our students as they get older.
TERM ONE BUILDS
Finally - we had a sizeable 6 groups doing DIY.org projects towards the end of last term. For those who have no idea what DIY.org sessions are they are a block of classes devoted to individual projects that the children have chosen themselves. They take a bit of organising but are very rewarding for everyone involved.
I wanted to share a handful of the projects that were built during these classes because they were truely awesome.
Check them out:
So there you have it. A quick tour through what’s been going on at MakeRoom over the last couple of months. We will work to keep the blogs a bit more regular moving forward - hopefully some of our new groups will be keen to share their experiences of Stem Club. Roll on Term Two!