Meeting Stacy Gregg yesterday was a thrilling experience for our ākonga. Stacy is warm and lovely and a pleasure to host. A huge thank you to Stacy for your time and energy! Thank you so much ReadNZ Te Pou Muramura for another fabulous author visit, organised through your Writers in Schools programme. Our children have been so enriched by author visits over the years.
The morning started with a writing workshop for 25 children from whanau harakeke. Stacy led them through the writing of a short story with a beginning, a middle and an end. We brainstormed a variety of first lines in a story, some intriguing, some adventurous and others deliberately gross. Then we brainstormed sentences that formed the crux of the middle of the story, linking up with the opening lines. Finally we wrote the closing lines, some forming a victorious resolution, others deliberately tragic. The children then wrote their own short story based on the various options. When they read their work back to the class I was proud of their imaginations and writing talent. Lastly, they were asked to write a description of their main character and Stacy offered pertinent feedback. A teacher said that some of the children were still working on their stories at tea and wanted to carry on after that.
Mrs Stephenson had asked me to organise an author for the Hui time. Stacy presented to whanau pohutukawa and whanau harakeke during this time in the hall. It was interesting learning about the actual characters and horses behind Stacy's historical fiction novels. The topics were clearly well researched and presented in an interesting way. The children were hugely engaged, leaning on her every word. A Viking contest was a fun way to end it, giving the children a chance to for some exuberance after sitting and listening so attentively.
Stacy kindly donated a few books from her new series, Spellbound Ponies, and an overseas print copy of The Princess and the Foal to our school. Thank you Stacy! I am sure the Spellbound Ponies set will be a hit with younger readers.
Stacy complimented us on our use of Te Reo in our school which was heartwarming to hear. Thanks again to Stacy Gregg for visiting your old school and bringing so much joy to our ākonga!
