Queen Charlotte College Celebrates

Families from Picton recently celebrated the completion of their Computers in Homes training hosted by Queen Charlotte College and held at Waikawa Marae,

Queen Charlotte College's kapa haka group gave us all a wonderful welcome on to the school grounds to begin our Graduation celebration and then certificates were presented to those successful participants.

And after sharing some kai, the last order of the day was taking home the computer suites and setting them up at home just in time for the school holidays!!!

.

Queen Charlotte College Graduation on PhotoPeach

Training hosted by Queen Charlotte College at Waikawa Marae

Queen Charlotte College, Picton

Training is well underway for families from Queen Charlotte College and neighbouring schools.  Two classes are being held at Waikawa Marae - Wednesday morning and Thursday evening.

Simon Schmidt

Diane St Clair, at Waikawa Marae

Thanks to Principal Betty Whyte and Diane St Clair, Manager of Waikawa
Marae for this collaboration, and for the work of tutor/tech Simon Schmidt and the technical company which supports Queen Charlotte College for finding solutions to have internet available in the training room. They found a last minute solution and it is working very well!!!

Here are some first session pics!

How to Check your Internet Usage for 2degrees customers

This is how you check your data:

Go to this website: https://www.2degreesmobile.co.nz/

Click on "Your 2 Degrees" at the top. 

Then click on Broadband and Home Phone big blue login button. 

Enter the username: 

Password: 

That will take you to your account that will show you how much data you have left.

Auckland Point Training Group completes Programme

During the last week of the term, families from Auckland Point and Victory Primary School attended their last session before enjoying their Graduation.

The support crew: Denise (Regional Coordinator), Mayor Reese, 

Tutor Heather Bates, Principals Helen Taylor-Young

and Sonya Hockley and Tech Tim.

It was lovely to have friends and family attend to help celebrate the successful completion of the training.


                            

 

  

  

                             

                                                      Well done everyone!!

Blenheim School Training Group Success!

Blenheim School held their last training on Tuesday morning, followed by their graduation that evening.  We were entertained by some amazing young people - sharing their music and dance.

A big thanks to Principal Denyse Healy for hosting Computers in Homes at Blenheim School and to Pam for all her efforts to support the learning during the 20 hours training.  And also for the help of Lapu in supporting pasifika families.

Kerri presenting flowers to Lapu, Denys and Pam.

Councillor Jenny Andrews and tutor Pam Stoneley
 presenting Pare with her certificate.

It was especially nice to have Di Daniels, National Coordinator for Computers in Homes visiting, as well as Councillor Jenny Andrews  - who was able to join us to speak to families and present certificates. 

Local support people, principals of hosted families, class teachers and graduates' families were able to come along and acknowledge the commitment and success of the families graduating and help them to celebrate their success, before heading home with their computers.  Great timing with the holidays coming up with time to learn what the computers can do!

Carol spoke of her motivation for
attending - her mokopuna,
and then she responded..

                         Well done to all of you!!!!

Success Story from Stoke School - It's All for the Children

Adriana during training

Adriana joined the training at Stoke School in Nelson, along with 26 other families.  Coming into her group of 9 was difficult for her, as she has agoraphobia, but her commitment to her two children - aged 7 and 14, helped her to overcome her fears.  

She shares this about her Computers in Homes experience.

My children were my total motivation for signing up for Computers in Homes Training.  I was very nervous at the start and it probably took 2-3 weeks to feel comfortable in the group.  Being held at our local school made it very easy – no bus or petrol costs and I was already dropping off the children anyway.  I couldn’t have guaranteed I would have made every session if it was further away.   During coffee breaks the kids would ask “What are you doing today?”  They wanted to come in and see what we were doing, they were intrigued.  It’s good for the kids to see all of us parents learning, doing something good for them, it’s really good.  By the end a lot of friendships had been made between us and also between our kids.

My children were excited to take the computer home after graduation and we had to set it up straight away.  My son is curious and asks so many questions that I don’t have answers to.  Now when he asks something I say “Actually I don’t know but we will go and google it and find out”.  It’s good and my son is thriving a lot more, learning to make a lot of different things from You Tube - not stupid stuff, actually looking at how to make boats, for example.  He is having to sound words out when he is googling things.  At school the kids have their own website with their own password and we can see what the school has put up there of what he has done.  They have had the website for two years and I haven’t been able to access it until now.  My son is really excited to show me what he does, and we can add comments and stuff and the teacher will look at it.

My daughter is busy showing me things she did at school each day.  All her reports are shared by email and in the past, were sent to one of my mates who would show me.  Now I can receive them myself and I can also make bookings for parent teacher interviews.  You can’t ring up and make bookings because it has to be done on the internet and I had missed out on two interviews.  Education is important and I need to know what is going on, how to help and now I can do that so much easier.  I can follow my son’s progress on his website and help him and my daughter with their homework, research and assignments.  It’s just amazing.  

Principal Pete Mitchener with
Adriana as she receives a copy
of the CiH Report where her
story is published and a webcab
to say thank you.

After the Computers in Homes course, I decided to carry on with Stepping UP – that was just great to have the opportunity.  I like practicing and going over things that are new.  All my notes sit beside my computer at home and when something goes wrong I go back to them.  I am learning things my daughter actually needs like bullet points, digital entertainment stuff and how to do slide shows.  Now I have done it I can help, it is so much easier for her because now when she comes home and says “Mum I need to do this”  I can go ”Right, this is how you do it”.   It has given me more confidence and I have learnt quite a bit more.  I’m really grateful that we had a chance to do the Stepping UP part.

Having a computer and the internet at home is going to help me because with my agoraphobia, I can now do courses on line.  I want to be an early childhood teacher or teacher aide but no course will accept me with absolutely no qualifications.  I need to go back and get my English and Maths from High School first.  So while I am getting help with my agoraphobia I can do the courses I need to so they are under my belt for when I am ready to start childhood teacher training in a few years.  

Now I have the internet and a computer it is going to make it easier.  I’d never have had a computer and the internet as I never could afford it.  So to receive one and it to be affordable was just awesome.  It is just great for our families, to be given the opportunity to help our children.

Increase to 2degrees data

Hi Everyone

Great news!!

From 1st April 2degrees is increasing the data you receive from 50G per month to 100GB per month. You still receive your unlimited YouTube when you go via www.youtube.com.

You don't have to do anything, this is just an adjustment 2degrees
will make at their end!!!

Happy surfing.    

Cheers Denise