Goals, Objectives, Weather, Geography, and Currency Information

Why do I want to go abroad?
Upon my enrollment to St. Norbert College I heard numerous people talk about their life changing experiences that they had while studying abroad. It sounded so fascinating to me, but I felt like I was still too much of a small fish swimming in a large pond. I have really broken out of my shell throughout college, and have been able to become who I want to be. I feel as though I am finally ready for this amazing opportunity that will significantly change my life and the way that I view the world. I am at that point in my life where I am ready to be independent and test my own capabilities, and I feel like going on my own to a new country will help me even further my independence. I have never traveled much and I am so interested in other parts of the world and learning about others and this will give me the opportunity to do that. I want to be a very well rounded and educated person and actually going out and experiencing how others live and learning about different places will definitely help me accomplish that goal. I think that this experience will push me to experience new things, face challenges, learn a great deal about others, and ultimately learn a lot about myself.



Goals and Objectives:
• Learn a great deal about New Zealand
• Learn about the people from New Zealand
• Learn about the education system in New Zealand
• Learn more about guided reading—New Zealand is very advanced in guided reading
• Become a more well rounded person
• Push myself outside of my natural boundaries to be a better educator and a better individual



What do I hope to accomplish professionally and personally?
There are several things that I hope to accomplish personally. I have never traveled on my own to an unknown place. I believe that this will be a huge challenge for me but it will help me to learn a lot about myself. I think that this will help me to see just how independent I can be. I am the baby in the family and everyone considers me a bit of a homebody and I am excited to show myself and others that I can do this and have an amazing experience. Professionally I am really looking forward to learning more about guided reading from the creators of guided reading. I am looking forward to working with children from New Zealand and being in a classroom that is much different than classrooms I have been in the United States. I look forward to learning new ideas from New Zealand and bringing them back here and incorporating them into my own classroom.


Green Bay Primary School of New Zealand:
• Charter School
• School opened in 1960
• Today there are more than 450 students and over 25 classrooms
• They have composite classes (ex: 3rd and 4th together)—growth is determined in stage and not necessarily in ages
• They offer after school programs for children and also daycare

Weather:
New Zealand has a largely temperate climate. While the far north has subtropical weather during summer, and inland alpine areas of the South Island can be as cold as —10°C in winter, most of the country lies close to the coast, which means mild temperatures, moderate rainfall, and abundant sunshine.

Because New Zealand lies in the Southern Hemisphere, the average temperature decreases as you travel south. The far north of the country has an average temperature of about 15°C, while the deep south has a cooler 9°C average. January and February are the warmest months of the year, and July is the coldest.
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/about-nz/nature/nature-climate-and-weather.cfm

New Zealand’s summer months are December to February, bringing high temperatures and sunshine. Days are long and sunny, nights are mild.

Autumn

March to May are New Zealand’s autumn months. While temperatures are a little cooler than summer, the weather can be excellent, and it is possible to swim in some places until April. While New Zealand’s native flora is evergreen, there are many introduced deciduous trees. Colourful changing leaves make autumn a scenic delight, especially in regions such as Central Otago and Hawke’s Bay, which are known for their autumn splendour.

Currency:
One New Zealand dollar=0.7099 U.S. dollar
Informally known as the “kiwi” dollar

Geography of New Zealand:
• 2 main islands the North and South islands and some smaller islands
• South Pacific Ocean is where it is located
• Neighboring Countries: Australia to the northwest and Tonga and Fiji to the north
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_New_Zealand