As a class we have been inspired by Saint Martin’s Day, a special day in Germany that remembers an act of kindness by Martin of Tours. On a cold Winter’s day, he helped a beggar start a fire and cut his own cloak in half. He gave half of it to the beggar so he wouldn’t perish in the night. Saint Martin’s Day is celebrated with a lantern festival. The candle light represents hope and all things good in the world. Room 1 and 12 students worked together to make lanterns and talked about how they could show kindness towards others.
You can help people incase they fall over and cry.
If someone has no friends, I can be their friend.
Together we discovered a German school where students beginning school were given a schultüte, or first day cone. They were filled with treats to sweeten their starting at school journey. That gave us an idea. We decided to make our schultutes and fill them with German crafts to gift to others. The cones will represent parts of St Martin’s cloak that he gifted to someone in need. When asked who would be most deserving of their schultüte and why:
I’d give it to my brother, Eddie because I love him and he’s 3.
I’d give it to my little cousin Charlie because he’s one of my best friends too.
I would choose my sister because she’s kind and I love her so much. I think she really deserves a cone.
The first German craft for our schultüte was inspired by German Froebel stars. Students took the idea of a star, and made a God’s Eye, which resembles a star. The star has its origins from Mexican and Spanish cultures. Students linked them to Germany by using German colours to make them. The Spanish believed the colour in the middle looked like an eye, and represented someone special watching over you.
As students were learning about acts of kindness, they were having conversations using lots of language based around the school’s POWER values. How could we use this to benefit others? Why not include this language in our schultüte, and translate it into German. These are some of the words students created and why.
I wanted liebe (love) because I love my whole family so much because they are kind.
I made mutig (brave) because I had to be brave when learning with the teacher when something is tricky.
I’d like to do erfolgreich (successful) because it’s important to practice to improve at something. I think I’ve gotten better at maths this year.
I am from Christchurch but moved to Taupō at the end of 2018. I am passionate about travelling with my most memorable trip being to Egypt. I also love keeping fit through sport, the gym and just getting out and exploring the outdoors.
I have been a qualified teacher working in New Zealand since 2013. Prior to that, I spent 8 years in Hong Kong working with Chinese children in primary schools.
I decided to pursue a career in teaching because I loved the idea of making a difference in the world by helping children learn and develop as people. It is rewarding to see the progress children make and to be a part of their learning journeys.
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