Towards the end of last term, I informed whānau that the New Zealand Curriculum is currently undergoing a refresh so that schools and communities are better supported to do what they do best: create rich and responsive learning that helps every ākonga realise their goals and aspirations. You can find more information about the changes and make submissions with your views here.
The refreshed New Zealand Curriculum has been the focus of recent Teacher Only Days. The new document places a stronger focus on inclusive practice that gives effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi values, and builds on the strengths ākonga bring to literacy and numeracy in learning across the curriculum and supports learners to better access its richness.
Our teachers have been working with the refreshed curriculum documents and have launched a new and exciting unit of learning for our Year 9s this term. The learning is connected by a guiding whakataukī:
Piki atu au ki te taumata o tōku maunga,
Ka kite au i te mana, i te ihi o te whenua nei nō ōku tīpuna
Which translates to:
I climb to the summit of my mountain to see the lands of my ancestors.
Teachers have mapped out learning that allows subject teachers to teach skills and content relevant to their subject areas and complements what will be going on in other subjects. For example, Science will be covering the research process and validity of research this term, this is a skill that students will need to employ in English towards the end of the term as students begin to write speeches. There is a focus on our virtue of ‘Kaitiakitanga’ (stewardship) and students are encouraged to think about global issues while responding locally.
The cross curricular approach for Term 2 was shared with learners on day one of term with a special assembly, including a special guest appearance from former Sancta Maria College teacher Mr Hunn who performed a rap to introduce some key information about learning!
We look forward to sharing more about the learning and learning outcomes for Term 2 with you as the term progresses.
As always, please check in with your child about what they are learning, what they are enjoying about their learning and what they might need support with.
God bless,
Courtenay Kilpatrick
Deputy Principal, Year 7-10
