Principal’s Review of 2024

Annual Goals

As we come to the end of the year, it is a pleasure to reflect on the progress made in 2024 and our plans for 2025. Thank you to everyone who took part in our community consultation last year. The consultation became the foundation for our annual plans for 2024 and 2025. These plans guide the work of the Board of Trustees and the focus of the school.

From the consultation process, we developed three goals. See the progress that has been made towards each below.

GOAL 1: To enhance children’s academic achievement

Academic Goal

Outcome at end of 2024

Our target was for 85% of children in Years 4 -6 to make sufficient or accelerated progress by the end of 2024.

We reached our goal with 85% of children in these year groups making sufficient or accelerated progress.

In 2024 we have continued to roll out Structured Literacy across the school and have provided training for our junior staff to further enhance the teaching of Reading and Writing. Kaiawhina were appointed to Matakana Pod to assist children learning in Te Reo as well as English. Our Reading Recovery teacher continued to support some of our learners in the junior school. The achievement of our Māori and Pasifika children has been tracked as they move through the school and we have some positive results to share below. Children have been able to challenge themselves through the Kiwi Literacy and Maths Competitions.

Goal 2: To reflect our community within our school

We have been delighted to see parents participating in a range of events we have had at the school this year and coming to assemblies to celebrate their children’s successes. We have enjoyed our cultural celebrations and would like to thank whānau and our wider community for being our cultural experts. Our children have been kaitiaki of our local environment working with Project Parore and our local Community Centre to look after our gulley and to plant trees along the Haiku Pathway.

Goal 3: To promote well being for all

We have worked with our Whānau Navigator to overcome barriers for children to come to school. We have been really pleased this year to continually see our attendance rates increase. This is so important as attendance at school is the most important factor in children’s academic success. Staff members have been trained in Trauma Informed Practice to enable us to better support some members of our school and we have continued with our focus on Positive Behaviour for Learning - children really enjoying our house celebrations and earning their Erica Awards. Our Sports Coordinator has done an amazing job again this year enabling our children to take part in a wide number of sporting events.

Māori Achievement

We have been delighted with the progress of our Māori students as they have moved through our school.

· In Year 4 our Māori cohort had the highest percentage of children making sufficient or accelerated progress (89%) in Reading. 53% of the cohort made accelerated progress.

· 84% of our Year 4 Māori cohort made sufficient or accelerated progress in both Maths and Writing.

· In Year 5 our Māori cohort had the highest percentage of children making sufficient or accelerated progress (83%) in Reading. 67% of the cohort made accelerated progress.

· 93% of our Year 5 Māori cohort made sufficient or accelerated progress in both Maths and Writing.

· In Year 6, 95% of our Māori cohort made sufficient or accelerated progress, with 68% making accelerated progress.

· 86% of our Year 6 Māori cohort made sufficient or accelerated progress in both Maths and Writing.

Attendance

We have had a major focus on attendance this year because attendance has a significant impact on children’s learning. We have seen positive improvement in children’s attendance with the percentage of children having regular attendance increasing by 7% in Term 3. Thank you for working with us to get our children to school regularly.

Staffing

This year we farewell four long serving staff members: Mrs. Anne Morriss (Deputy Principal) who has been at our school for over thirty years; Whaea Ann who has worked at our school for over twenty years; and Whaea Tania and Mrs. Woodham who have both been with us for over 10 years. We would like to say a huge thank you to these ladies for their years of dedication and wish them the very best for the future.

Our Board of Trustees has agreed for us to fund 2 over entitlement teachers next year to keep our class sizes as small as possible. With the over entitlement teachers and our ladies who are leaving, we will be seeing some new faces at the school in 2025. We will be welcoming Mrs. Lynda Massey as Deputy Principal for the junior school; Mrs. Angela Breen as a junior teacher; Ms. Michelle Casey taking a year 2 and 3 class; Mrs. Machelle Harris as Kaiako in Matakana Pod and Miss Chloe Skarratt working in the senior school. We look forward to welcoming them to our team.

What’s new in 2025?

Curriculum Changes

We are excited about a number of curriculum changes which are coming through in 2025, which we feel will help to support children’s learning.

Better Start Literacy Approach

At KKPS we have been running a structured literacy programme for 2 years. We have been focusing on phonics and writing in particular. We have 5 members of the junior team who are trained in BSLA, and 4 more will be training in the first 2 terms of 2025. All of our junior staff by then will be BSLA trained. BSLA is an evidence based Structured Literacy approach with 100,000 children across New Zealand engaged in the programme. Initial assessment data results in our school are very pleasing showing acceleration of progress in reading and writing. BSLA has taken a lot of commitment from our teachers to upskill so I would like to thank them for their hard work.

Next year the Ministry of Education will no longer be funding Reading Recovery but Mrs. Menhinick will be supporting children with their writing instead.

Maths

Structured Maths Programmes will become a feature of our school next year. We will be following a programme called Maths No Problem which is highly successful in other countries including Singapore and the UK, and has been adapted for New Zealand. We are very fortunate that one of our new staff members, Ms. Kath Sewell, is a trained facilitator for the programme. She will be working alongside our Maths team to provide professional development for all staff. The benefits of the programme include:

· A mastery curriculum that builds concepts progressively, ensuring deep understanding.

· A clear framework for both teachers and students, enabling consistent progress and reducing cognitive load on teaching staff.

· A collaborative teaching approach that emphasises the use of concrete and pictorial resources to embed concepts, both challenging and supporting learners.

Developing the Culture of our School

As a staff we have been focused on Trauma Informed Practice and Positive Behaviour for Learning. We intend to strengthen our expertise in these areas in 2025 by working with a facilitator from the University of Waikato on Restorative Practice. We will also be having three new school rules which we will share with you and the children at the start of next year.

Donations Scheme

The school will continue to be part of the Ministry of Education’s Donation Scheme in 2025 which means that parents will not be asked for a school donation.

Thank you to whānau members and our community for your support for the school and the children’s learning this year.

Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou.

Andrea Nicholson – Principal

Presiding Member’s Review of 2024

As we conclude the school year, it’s my privilege to reflect on the incredible achievements and milestones of 2024. This year has been one of growth, community, and learning, and on behalf of the school board, I am thrilled to acknowledge the efforts and successes of our tamariki, staff, and whānau.

In 2024, our school focused on three key strategic goals. Some highlights include:

1. Enhancing Academic Achievement

Our structured literacy approach has accelerated progress for many students, with noticeable improvements in literacy and numeracy.
A school-wide focus on writing has supported students in expressing themselves more effectively and confidently.

2. Reflecting Our Community Within Our School

We’ve celebrated the diverse cultures of our school with events like Matariki, te wiki o te reo Māori, the cultural day with the flag parade, Diwali, and open afternoons, including our grandparents and special friends’ afternoon as well as the family picnic to start the year.
Collaborations with Project Parore have restored our gulley area and added trees along the Haiku Pathway, strengthening the connection between tamariki and their local environment.
Our partnership with the rūnanga has provided meaningful support for our tamariki and whānau.

3. Promoting Wellbeing for All

Attendance rates have improved, demonstrating the commitment of our students and their whānau to prioritising education.
Events like athletics day, cross country, swimming sports, as well as visits from published authors, Book Week, and Pink Shirt Day have offered our tamariki opportunities to explore and support their own wellbeing.
We’ve also celebrated a record number of students earning the ERICA All Stars Award, showcasing excellence in our school values: Excellence, Respect, Integrity, Citizenship, and Attitude.

We transitioned to SchoolDocs for managing policies, ensuring accessibility, community feedback, and legal compliance. The new newsletter format serves as an excellent communication tool to keep families informed and celebrate student achievements.

Next year brings new opportunities with curriculum changes that will support our tamariki to grow and thrive. These changes, alongside our continued focus on academic achievement, community connection, and wellbeing, ensure that Katikati Primary School remains a place where all students can proudly succeed.

None of these achievements would be possible without the incredible efforts of our school community.

To our teachers and staff: Thank you for your passion, dedication, and tireless efforts to inspire our students every day. Your work lays the foundation for their success.
To the Parents of the School (POTS) team: Your fundraising efforts provide resources and opportunities that enrich our children’s school experiences. Thank you for your hard work and dedication.
To our parents, caregivers, and whānau: Your partnership—from reading at home to helping on trips or cheering on the sidelines—is instrumental in your children’s success.
To our volunteers and the wider Katikati community: Your contributions, including coaching sports, running the breakfast club, or reading with students create an environment where our tamariki can thrive. Your generosity is deeply appreciated. A special thank you to those who have supported our kura for over 15 years.

To all our students, take pride in what you’ve achieved this year. You have worked hard and grown so much. To our Year 6 graduates, today marks a milestone, but it’s also just the beginning. The skills and values you’ve developed here will guide you as you take the next steps in your education. Stay curious, be kind, and keep succeeding.

In the words of Jessica Watson, the Australian sailor who circumnavigated the globe solo at the age of 16: “You don’t have to be someone special or anything special to achieve something amazing. You’ve just got to have a dream, believe in it, and work hard.”

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. On behalf of the Board, I wish you all a safe and joyful holiday season. Meri Kirihimete.

Ngā mihi nui

Anita Rapson

Presiding Member
Katikati Primary School Board

In this issue

Activities & Announcements in our Community