Kia Ora, Nǐ hǎo, Greetings,
Welcome to our new student and his family who joined us recently: Isaiah Govender.
The school had a great time celebrating book week, working collaboratively with their buddies on a range of activities. Thank you for your help with creating wonderful costumes for the book character parade. A reminder that the Book Fair is being hosted in the library. We encourage you to go and have a look, when you come in for your three-way conference this week.
Mid-year Reports
The teachers have been very busy writing reports for the first half of the year, which will come home this afternoon. As mentioned in earlier newsletters, this is the last time that our school report will follow a more traditional format. From next term we are moving over to an online reporting system, which you can view at anytime throughout the year. It will take a term to move information over, and for teachers to be trained to use the system. Once it is up and running, I will let you know. I am very excited about the possibilities of the new system, which will allow you to log on and view progress over the year at any time, as well as being able to see the learning goals your child is working on.
How the Curriculum Works
You will see on your child’s report the curriculum level that they are aiming for by the end of the year, for their year group. The curriculum is divided into eight levels over a student’s learning journey from years 1-13. This diagram shows how curriculum levels are banded and how these typically stretch and relate to years at school. Our expectation at Bucklands Beach is for our learners to typically progress through a curriculum level over two years and should be achieving accordingly:
● By the end of Year 1: beginning – mid Level 1
● By the end of Year 2: mid Level 1 – at Level 1
● By the end of Year 3: beginning – mid Level 2
● By the end of Year 4: mid – at Level 2
● By the end of Year 5: beginning – mid Level 3
● By the end of Year 6: mid – at Level 3.
Of course, many students do not, however, fit this pattern. They include those with special learning needs, those who are gifted, and those who come from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Students learning an additional language are also unlikely to follow the suggested progression: level 1 is the entry level for those with no prior knowledge of the language being learned, regardless of their school year. We also know that students do not follow a perfect trajectory, so may make accelerated progress in their learning one year, and may flatten out on other years.
Some common questions asked about reports
Why has my child stopped making so much progress now they are in the middle school?
For junior reading, in years one to two, students advance through a number of reading levels (colours) very rapidly as they learn to read. There are small differences in the books as they progress through the first two years. When students reach years three and four, they are developing the basic comprehension strategies. Once they have mastered ‘learning to read’, they are working on ‘reading to learn’. Typically they will get through two reading levels over a year. The levels become much larger. Once students hit the senior school, they are working on advanced comprehension strategies, making sense of complex texts.
Likewise for numeracy, while students progress through four numeracy stages in the first two years, they are only expected to move through a stage every two years from year three onwards. The stages again become much more complex, with a larger breadth of learning expected.
How do I know what my child should be doing for their year?
A brochure will come home with your child’s report today. It outlines what your child should be doing by the end of the year. Other year groups and other languages are available on the school website under ‘Parents’, then ‘Learning Links’, then ‘How you can help at home’.
My child was working above curriculum expectation last year, and is now only working at. Why is this?
Remember this report reflects the first half of the year only. There is still another six months of learning to come, and they may be above the curriculum expectation by the end of the year. It’s also possible, as the demands of the curriculum become more challenging, that they are working at expectation.
I’m not sure what some of the next steps for learning mean for my child. How can I check?
Please bring your child’s report along to three way conferences for clarity about the next steps, or make a time to see your child’s teacher.
What does accelerated progress mean?
Accelerated progress means making more than the expected half a level progress over the year.
If my child has already met the expectations for their group, are they working at the year above?
Not necessarily, they may have just started to learn the curriculum from the year above.
I would like to know where my child ranks in the class. Can you tell me?
We do not rank our students, but look at the achievement of each individual.
Junior School Trip to MOTAT
Last week the whole Junior School visited MOTAT as part of their Inquiry unit on the ‘olden days’. Rooms 4, 10, 6 & 9 went on Tuesday. Rooms 5, 11, 7 & 8 went on Wednesday. All of the classes were greeted by a Victorian Teacher wearing clothes from that period.
We took it in turns to visit her classroom kitted out with archives from the past.
The children used quills and ink to write their names. They played knuckle bones using real ‘knuckles’. Home life in the Victorian days was re-enacted as the children had real life experiences using wash boards and buckets for washing clothes, collecting water using pails, bath time in a tin tub and much more.
The girls wore a bonnet and apron, whereas the boys looked the part in a flat cap and waistcoat.
Throughout the Inquiry unit the Juniors have been looking at how communication has changed over time and they were able to explore this first-hand at MOTAT in the telecommunications room.
We had a 30-minute ride on a tram and loved visiting the olden day’s village where the highlight was looking inside a jail!
Many of the Juniors fell asleep on the bus on the way back to school after a happy, tiring, fun-filled educational trip to MOTAT.
Thank you to all the parent helpers who assisted on the day and made it the success it was for each class. The Junior teachers appreciate it.
PTA News
Thanks to all of those students who attended the school disco. A colourful and wonderful time was had by all. A big thank you to all of the PTA helpers and whānau leaders who worked hard all night!
Our next PTA meeting is tomorrow night, in the staffroom at 7:30. We are still on the hunt for a chairperson. If you are interested, please come along.
Enviro News
The students have worked hard to support the cross country training and spread mulch close to the path along the fitness track. Muddy and wet areas have developed as winter has set in and the boys and girls have enjoyed the challenges of scooping and filling wheelbarrow loads of mulch. The water tanks are filling up nicely and we hope to have a working bee and Green Day in week four next term.
The message about the 5Rs is slowly getting across and there is a New Zealand Wide campaign to attempt to have a Plastic Free July. starting on July the 1st. Give it a go and Refuse plastic as often as you can.
Information For Families Of Students For Whom English Is A Second Language
Sports News
School Cross Country
The Junior Cross Country Results are:
Have a great holiday. See you next term.
Kind regards
Kelly Slater-Brown
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