#3 Newsletter 2025

Have something to share? Get in contact with one of our Across School Leaders – we would love to hear from you!

[email protected] Te Ao Māori

[email protected] Hauora

[email protected] Future Ready

[email protected] 21st Century Learning

[email protected] Structured Literacy

 

 

 

Wānanga Karanga 

Yesterday wāhine (And a few tane) from across our hapori converged on Silverdale School for the day to delve into the world of karanga. The majority of our kura were represented in what we hope will be the beginning of a resurgence of the practice in our part of the motu.

Marara Schuers was the hero of the day, imparting her vast knowledge around the role of kaikaranga, particularly the tikanga that underpins it. Importantly, wāhine learned about the significance of being a kaikaranga and the other aspects of a pōhiri that they oversee. In the afternoon, kaiako present were trained in how to breathe correctly and how to deliver a basic karanga. 

It was a space for experienced kaikaranga to share their insights, knowledge, and experiences with those who are just beginning the journey. To quote one of our Local PRT Giorgia Doughty, “Marara fostered a special and safe space that was authentic and steeped in tikanga. I feel like I have a solid foundation to build onto”.

Importantly, this was an opportunity for our local Kāhui Ako Ōrewa and the Kāhui Ako Whangaparāoa to work together for a kaupapa that benefits us all. The hope is that we can do it again in Term 2.

 

Photo above: The rōpū celebrating at the end of a full day of wānanga

Photo above: Andrew Cowie shares his waiata with the group with Marara jamming along.

Above: Learning a new waiata and putting the learning into practice.

 

We’re Going on a Coding Bear Hunt in the

STREAM Room!

Kia ora koutou,

This term, some of our Year 2 students embarked on a fun and engaging learning experience that combined literacy with digital technologies, all within the exciting environment of our STREAM room! We used the story “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” by Stan Berenstain to explore the concept of algorithms and sequencing through unplugged coding activities.

Why Integrate STREAM and Literacy?

Integrating STREAM (Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) with literacy offers numerous benefits for our junior learners. In this lesson, students were able to:

• Develop their computational thinking skills by creating and following a sequence of instructions.
• Enhance their understanding of narrative structure and sequencing through a familiar and engaging story.
• Use directional language and spatial awareness as they physically acted out the story.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with their peers.
• Experience the joy of learning through movement and active participation.

 

Lesson Highlights:

The lesson began with reading “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” and discussing the order of events. We then moved to the STREAM room, where students used the coding mats to sequence the story. The children worked in small groups, taking turns to be the “coder” and the “robot”. The coder gave instructions, such as “walk forward three steps” or “swim forward two strokes,” while the robots followed the instructions to act out the journey through the long wavy grass, the deep cold river, and other obstacles.

To extend the learning, some students even “coded” their way back home, reversing the sequence of instructions!

Assessment and Differentiation:

Throughout the lesson, we observed students’ ability to follow and give instructions, their use of directional language, and their understanding of sequencing. We differentiated the lesson by providing visual cues for students who needed extra support and introducing more complex instructions for those who needed a challenge.

This lesson was a great success, and the students thoroughly enjoyed their coding bear hunt! It demonstrated the power of integrating STREAM with other curriculum areas to create engaging and meaningful learning experiences. We encourage you to utilize the STREAM room and explore similar cross-curricular activities with your classes.

Ngā mihi nui,

Lesley Carruthers & Marlize Kane

Silverdale School

Lesson

 

 

Acceleration vs Remediation

What is acceleration and how do we achieve it?

 

Under the planning section in the refreshed curriculum, it discusses teachers using accelerative approaches in order to make year-level concepts and procedures available to all students.  This may help you to understand acceleration means and ideas on achieving it in your classroom.

Learning acceleration’s pedagogical rival has long been remediation. Academic learning acceleration includes a wide variety of educational and instructional strategies educators use to advance the learning progress of all students regardless of where they are in their learning trajectory. Acceleration prepares students for success with upcoming new learning and lays the foundation for continued academic growth. Remediation, on the other hand, delays opportunities to learn new content until students have mastered all missing skills and concepts, leaving them further and further behind peers.  Though some logic might suggest a step-by-step mastery of material is what moves students forward, students are actually more at risk of being left behind the longer that remedial content replaces new content and learning.   

There are different forms of acceleration – acceleration doesn’t just mean speeding up, in teaching and learning.

 

 

• Change in Velocity (Learning Rate):
  In physics, acceleration is a change in velocity (speed and direction) over time. Similarly, in learning, “acceleration” can refer to a change in the rate at which you’re acquiring knowledge or skills.
• Slowing Down for Focused Learning:
  Sometimes, slowing down to deeply understand a concept or practice a skill is necessary for true acceleration in the long run. Changing Direction for Mastery:
  Learning can involve shifting focus from one area to another, or exploring different learning methods. This “change in direction” can be a form of acceleration, as it allows you to build a more comprehensive and flexible skill set.
• Examples:
  • Deep Dive: Instead of rushing through a topic, you might spend more time on a specific area to achieve mastery, which can lead to faster progress in other areas later.
  • Switching Strategies: If one learning method isn’t working, changing to a different approach (e.g., using flashcards instead of passively reading) can lead to quicker learning.
  • Addressing Weaknesses: Identifying and addressing knowledge gaps can seem like slowing down, but it’s actually a crucial step in accelerating overall learning.
• Key Takeaway:
  In learning, “acceleration” isn’t just about moving faster, but about making effective changes in your learning process to achieve better results. This can be as simple as front-loading students who need extra support on a concept for 10 minutes the day before a lesson so the content is not new.

Acceleration strategically prepares students for success in the present.

 

 

Highlight on Website Resources

Resources for Hauora for Years 0-6 are available on the website. Link here! All the hard mahi is done, grab a slideshow or a resource and go!

 

The annual Learning MATTERS literacy symposium is open for registrations and has a sale on at the moment. If you haven’t been before it’s an absolutely fantastic event for all things structured literacy. You can go to both days or just choose one of the days to attend. 

Cultivating the Literacy Landscape Symposium

The keynote speakers this year are absolute gurus in their fields and include Natalie Wexler, co-author of The Writing Revolution. She is joined by Dr. Lorraine Hammond, Dr Kymyona Burk and Dr Daryl Michel.

 

 

 

Hot off the press! Structured Literacy Resources added to the Kāhui Ako ki Orewa Website!

Check it out here.

Hui Dates

 

Thrusday 3rd April – ASL @ Orewa Beach – WSL @ Orewa College