Week 9, Term 3
Māori student Achievement Evening
Presentation Evening - Thursday 18 September 7-8pm, Tinwald School Hall
Pōhiri Ki Te Pō WhānauHe pōhiri tēnei ki a koutou mō tētahi pō whakahirahira e pā ana ki te whai paetae a ngā ākonga Māori. He wā tēnei mō ngā ākonga, ngā kaimahi, me te.
Invitation to Our Whānau Evening
Kia ora Whānau, you are invited to a special evening dedicated to celebrating and supporting Māori student achievement. This is an opportunity for staff and whānau to come together, share successes, and discuss how we can work collaboratively to help our rangatahi reach their full potential. The evening will include:
- A presentation on Māori student achievement.
- A presentation on our school's recent initiatives for Māori students.
- Discussions on how whānau can support learning at home.
- An open forum for sharing ideas and feedback.
- Kai and kōrero to end the evening.
Ngā mihi
Peter Livingstone
Tumuaki
Curriculum Changes
Kia ora parents,
You may have heard about the changes to the New Zealand English and Maths curriculums. These updates, a significant shift from the previous approach, are designed to give our children a stronger foundation in core subjects. They focus on clear learning progressions and a more explicit approach to teaching and are being rolled out in stages. Here's what you need to know.
What's Changing in English? ✍️
The biggest change is a nationwide shift to structured literacy for younger students (Years 0-6). This is an evidence-based approach that focuses on teaching children to decode words by understanding the relationship between sounds and letters (phonics). Rather than relying on cues like pictures, students will learn to sound out words, giving them the tools to read independently.
In the classroom, this means your child will be learning from books with a strong emphasis on specific sounds, and you'll see a greater focus on grammar, punctuation, and spelling than in the past. These changes aim to build a solid foundation in the basics of reading and writing.
What's Changing in Maths? 🔢
The new maths curriculum for Years 0-6 introduces a more structured approach with a clearer learning progression. It's built around "big ideas" that link mathematical concepts together, providing a deeper understanding. The goal is to ensure students have a strong grasp of essential skills before moving on to more complex ideas.
Key changes include a renewed focus on basic facts and skills. While problem-solving remains important, the curriculum puts a greater emphasis on computational fluency and number knowledge. You may find that your child is learning concepts like fractions and multiplication at a younger age than before.
The new curriculum moves away from broad, multi-year curriculum levels and instead sets out explicit expectations for what students should learn at each year level. This provides more clarity for both teachers and parents and is intended to ensure greater consistency in maths teaching across schools.
What This Means for Our School
Our teachers are committed to adapting to these new requirements and are taking part in professional development to ensure a smooth transition. The Ministry of Education is also providing new resources, including workbooks and teacher guides, to support this shift. We believe these changes will provide a strong, sequential, and clear learning pathway for our students, giving them the essential skills they need for future success.
We're excited about these changes and the positive impact they will have on our students' learning. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher.
School Photos - Wednesday 17 September
Our school photos will be taken next week on Wednesday. Please make sure you child has a clean uniform, is not wearing thermals or a bright headband.
Children will be in their school polo shirts for the photos, so it is important these are clean and not needing a repair.
The photographers will be ready from 8.15am for family photos if you would like one.
To make a booking please click here. Alternatively, please use the QR code below to access the booking system.
End of Term/Start of Term
Just a reminder for everyone of our term dates.
- Term 3 Finishes on Friday 19 September at 3pm.
- Term 4 Begins Monday 6 October at 8.55am.
Dance Extravaganza
Dear Parents,
We are getting ready for our Dance Extravaganza at the end of this term. Please take note of the following dates and times.
Performance Dates and Times:
Friday 12 September - Hutt (Year 0-2) 2pm performance.
Monday 15 September Arrowsmith Year 5/6) - 1:30pm and 7pm performances
Tuesday 16 September - Hutt (Year 0-2) 4:30 performance.
Wednesday 17 September - Taylor (Year 3/4) 1:30pm and 7pm performances
Please note that Hutt syndicate have two performances on separate days.
Ticket Information:
We are able to set up 180 seats in the hall meaning we will allocating tickets to families.
Two free tickets will be allocated per family for each performance date and time. The tickets were given out by your class teacher on Monday. They are colour coded and numbered for each performance. The ticket numbers will be recorded against your child's name. Please make sure you bring them with you at the performances as they will be collected at the door.
- If you are unable to attend, please return your tickets to your class teacher and any extra tickets we have will be re-distributed.
- If you wish to pick up your tickets from your child's teacher, they will be available at 3pm on Monday.
- If you wish for an older sibling to pick them up, please let you class teacher know, via Seesaw or email.
There will be a donation bucket at the door for gold coin donations. We look forward to entertaining you!
Thank you!