Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei .

Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.
This whakatauki is about aiming high or for what is truly valuable, but its real message is to be persistent and don't let obstacles stop you from reaching your goal.

Way before I was a teacher, I was an outdoor instructor for almost a decade. When I think about this whakatauki, I recall those tough hikes, climbs or boulder problems. The crux that would spit me off time and time again. How frustrating it was to not be able to string the moves together, or hold on long enough, or keep my toe on the rock. I remember feeling vulnerable to the environment, to the weather, the speed at which I was moving under a heavy pack, the technical uphills and downhills when in the backcountry.

I am back in that place of frustration and vulnerability. At the last minute, I was offered a place on an immersion te reo Māori class at Rāpaki, running every Rāapa | Wednesday for the remainder of the term. I explained to the facilitators that my reo is very basic - what I know, I use often - but they encouraged me to dive in regardless. 

To be in an immersion environment where I am relying on facial expressions and lone kupu | words that I understand, is very stressful. I am having to concentrate so hard and still have little understanding of what I am being asked to do. But I am a believer in giving things a go and putting myself into the position of being a learner!

It is a powerful reminder of what it feels like for some of our tamariki who don't read social cues very well, or find the language of maths challenging, or mix up letters and sounds when reading and writing. 

Repetition, focus and persistence are the only things that will help me! Vital for us as leaders and kaiako | teachers to remember this as we plan for teaching and learning in our kura. 

Curriculum Refresh Update

In keeping with my theme of being a lifelong learner, the NZ Curriculum is also evolving. Hot on the heels of the new Aotearoa NZ Histories curriculum, each learning area is being rewritten based around the approach of Know - Understand - Do. 

Framing learning 

(From Education Gazette editors,Volume 100, Number 13)

The draft Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum content signals a move from an outcomes-focused curriculum to a  progression-focused  curriculum, one that recognises ways in which learners’ knowledge, understanding, and capabilities grow and deepen over time. The ‘Understand, Know, Do’ structure encompasses:

• Understand: the big ideas
• Know: rich contexts for exploring the big ideas
• Do: practices that bring rigour to learning

Each of these elements has a separate focus. They don’t need to be used in a certain sequence, instead they enhance each other. Students deepen their understanding of the big ideas as they explore the context (know) using the critical inquiry practices (do).

When the three threads are woven together, they create the learning all ākonga should get the opportunity to experience, learning that cannot be left to chance.

Skills for Learning

This curriculum refresh sits beautifully alongside our Skills for Learning, aka Learner Assets. These skills are the things that we "cannot leave to chance" and are required for our ākonga to build a foundation for learning, exploring and inquiring. 

The Skills for Learning are built around five competencies:

• Communication
• Research
• Thinking
• Collaboration
• Self-management

As a staff, we are still building what these competencies look like at different year levels, but, like the new curriculum, they are progress-based rather than focussed on outcomes. 

Welcome to the our School Board members!

• Annie Collins (parent representative)
• Sally-Ann Fitzhardinge (parent representative)
• Glen Naysmith (parent representative)
• Ruth Stevens (staff representative)

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be inducting our new Board members into their roles before their first meeting later this term. 

There were also a number of other whānau who expressed an interest in being a part of the School Board. It is great to have growing interest and engagement from our community and whānau and we look forward to elections in the next round. 

⚠ Teacher Workload Day on Rāhina | Monday

A reminder that school is closed for ākonga on Rāhina | Monday 29 August for a Teacher Workload Day.

🗓 Term 3 - Upcoming events and important dates

Please check the calendar on the website for all up-to-date event information.

• POSTPONED! Thursday 25 August - Daffodil Day fundraiser
• Monday 29 August - Teacher Workload Day, school closed
• Thursday 1 September - Daffodil Day fundraiser
  
• Monday 5 September - Year 4-8 ski trip, Mt Hutt
• Monday 12 September - Board Hui, 6pm
  
• Thursday 15 September - Strike Percussion performance in Diamond Harbour
• Friday 30 September - Last day of Term 3 - YOU-niform + gold coin or donation to the food bank