He aha ta tatou mahi i roto i o tatou wahanga marautanga

Maths / Pāngarau: We will continue to participate in Maths Professional Development in 2024. This term we will be focussing on Number Knowledge, Number Strategies and Collaborative Problem Solving. We will be learning about addition and subtraction. Support your child at home by talking about their next steps in learning and finding activities to do together to help support this learning. “Listening to a student talk about their mathematics is just as important as listening to a student read in literacy.”

Literacy / Te Reo matatini: We believe that every student has “something to say.” Our students will work on a range of writing purposes. Writing is widely taught across the curriculum. The students will be writing to inform, explain, describe, persuade and entertain at different times throughout the Term. Our main focus will be memoir. It is very important that the students develop a love of writing so always encourage them to notice what is happening in the world around them. Expose your child to other authors writing by reading a range of literature to, with and by them.

Structured Literacy / Te Reo Matatini kua Hangaia: We will be continuing with structured literacy and guided reading this term. The junior team will use a structured literacy approach to provide a solid foundation for students just starting school. Students will also engage in guided reading lessons.

As a school we have high levels of reading and writing achievement. However, to equip students even more for reading and writing, this teaching approach builds teacher knowledge and practice and aligns with the science of reading and is evidence based. A structured literacy approach ensures we explicitly teach to develop strong reading and writing skills.

This does mean that students will be reading texts that they can read because the text aligns with the sounds and letters taught beforehand. These texts will not be sent home.

Guided Reading / Panui arahina: In any literacy programme, guided reading has a central role in leading students towards independence in reading. The focused small-group setting enables the teacher to give strategic instruction in making meaning from and thinking critically about increasingly complex texts (and to teach or reinforce decoding strategies when necessary). These texts will be sent home after the students have read them several times in class and are familiar with them.

Home learning will involve:

• Reading to and together with discussion around meaning and vocabulary (high interest books, library books, buzz box books etc).
• Guided Reading books.

Book Bags / Puke pukapuka: Students need to bring their book bags each day so that reading books and library books can be sent home.

Integrated Learning - Te ako whakauru: “Learning to make sense of ourselves, our world, and our place in it.” We will have an integrated approach with the inclusion of Matauranga Maori - “Mātauranga Māori is about a Māori way of being and engaging in the world – in its simplest form, it uses kawa (cultural practices) and tikanga (cultural principles) to critique, examine, analyse and understand the world. We will be learning about our own identity and culture and how cultural practices reflect and express our customs, traditions, and values through storytelling (Korero paki) and visual art.

Te Reo Māori: students will be learning to understand te reo Māori that contains well-rehearsed sentence patterns and familiar vocabulary and can interact in predictable exchanges. They can read and write straightforward versions of what they have learned to say. They are aware of and understand some of the typical cultural conventions that operate in interpersonal communication. Students are developing an awareness of the processes involved in learning te reo Māori.

E-Learning / Ako-e: We will continue to use Seesaw to share and communicate our learning with our families. Seesaw allows students to engage, enhance and deepen their learning across our integrated learning as well as other curriculum areas. Seesaw is private; you will only see posts created by your child so they can share their learning with you. Your child will have this Seesaw account until the end of the year so you really do need to sign up for it.

Please sign up now:

1. Click on this link
2. Choose your child from the list
3. Create your account
4. Once we approve you, you can see content from your child.

After you sign up, download the free Seesaw Family app on your mobile phone and sign in. You will be able to see all the updates and learning we do on Seesaw. You can also access Seesaw from a computer at https://app.seesaw.me.

Please be aware that Seesaw, like your child’s book, is a learning tool and not a publishing tool. In a student's work you may see spelling errors. This is because we are using this tool to capture your child’s critical thinking and teacher focus is on depth of learning rather than on publishing. Thank you for supporting your child's learning! We appreciate you leaving comments on your child’s work.

Physical Education / Whakaako tinana: In Term 1 our focus will be Swimming. Students will be required to bring their swimming togs, towel, goggles and caps to school in a separate bag. The classroom teachers will inform the students of the days they will be swimming. Please ensure that all items are clearly labelled so that items can be returned immediately.

Garden to Table / Maara ki te tepu: All students will have the opportunity to learn different kitchen skills by participating in cooking and baking in the kitchen. They will also get the opportunity to further develop their gardening skills and help take care of our school garden. Students will be planting, learning about what is in season, and using the produce as part of their kitchen recipes.

Kaitiakitanga (Guardianship/Protection practices and values) and Maramataka (Traditional Maori Lunar Calendar) are an important focus within all our GTT sessions.

In our Garden to Table sessions, all students will be learning about how we can take care of our environment by reducing our waste. We at Hobsonville School want to reduce our waste. We will be promoting Waste Free lunches every day of the week. This encourages all students to bring no waste to school and to empty their food out of their individual packets. This will help our school reduce its overall amount of rubbish in our bins, and rubbish that is left outside during break times.

In Term 1 for Garden to Table, there is a donation of $5.00 per child, to help cover the costs of the materials, garden supplies, and pantry items.

Visual Art / Toi ataata: Visual art is a powerful form of expression that recognises, values, and contributes to the unique bicultural and multicultural character of Aotearoa New Zealand, enriching the lives of all New Zealanders. This term the students will be creating a piece of art connected to integrated learning. The art will be inspired by Tracey Tawhiao a contemporary Māori artist working within Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Extra Curricular / Te marautanga taapiri: There are many extra curricular activities that your child can participate in at Hobsonville School including the Junior Choir, Lewis Eady Music Lessons, Marrzipan Drama classes and out of school sports. Look out for more information on these opportunities.