Principal's Message
Kia ora koutou, nau mai, haere mai,
A warm welcome back to all our families, and a special welcome to those who have joined our Puketaha School community this year. The first day of term is always an exciting one, as the tamariki bring the school to life with their energy and smiles. We were really pleased with how well all our students settled back into school on Monday.
Last week, our staff were back on site, engaging in professional learning, setting goals and action plans for the year in line with our Strategic Direction, planning for learning, setting up classrooms, making movies, and team building. One of our professional learning days was led by a Ministry of Education Mathematics Curriculum facilitator, who provided training on the new Mathematics Curriculum being implemented this year. Many aspects aligned well with our current practices, such as the CPA approach—teaching mathematics using concrete materials, and pictorial representations, and then moving to abstract thinking. Other key elements include flexible groupings, making mathematics relevant to real life, maintaining high expectations for all learners, and explicit teaching. The facilitator also emphasised that the new curriculum sets achievement expectations that are higher in some areas and there is a lot of knowledge for the learners to build up over time, so there may be some catch-up for learners while they transition from one curriculum to the new one—moving from larger more generalised achievement bands for each year group to quite detailed and specific achievement objectives for each year group. Our teaching staff will be implementing the new curriculum into their maths programmes this term.
Our teachers also participated in team-building activities to strengthen professional relationships. Team culture is something we deeply value, as it is essential for our effective co-teaching teams. When we support and challenge each other, we create the best outcomes for our learners.
"Accomplishing the maximum impact on student learning depends on teams of teachers working together." – John Hattie
We also value our relationships with whaanau and see the positive impact when teachers and families work together. Our upcoming Teacher/Whaanau Catch-Ups are a great opportunity to meet your child’s kaitiaki teacher, share insights about your child, and discuss your hopes for the year ahead. These conversations help build strong working relationships and give teachers a deeper understanding of each learner’s story. Bookings for these catch-ups can be made via the HERO app.
Looking ahead, our Strategic Direction for 2025 will continue to focus on three overarching goals, with annual actions supporting our progress toward them:
- Child-Centred Learning – Enhancing the learning capacity and mana (self-efficacy/ pride) of our aakonga (students) by providing future-focused, child-centred learning programmes.
- Quality Curriculum – Delivering a rich, balanced learning programme that supports aakonga (students) in progressing and achieving in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum.
- Continuous Growth – Developing and embedding systems and practices that promote future growth and ensure sustainability.
We are excited for the year ahead and look forward to working alongside you all!
Ngaa mihi
Nyree Olliver