As we reach the middle of term 1 the staff and I have taken time to reflect on our ‘why’.  Student progress and achievement must be at the centre of everything we do.  Therefore asking why we do something the way we do, or why it has to be done that way, is an essential part of growing our practice, and overall student success and achievement. The refresh of the NZ curriculum has helped us ask the ‘why’ questions as we take time to evaluate our current assessment practices at Mayfield School.

Part of the art of teaching is supporting students to build on the child’s strengths to meet their needs and providing them with challenging yet achievable steps towards their learning goals.  Over the past few weeks teachers have been noticing and gathering information about your child’s strengths, so they can help the student build on them.  There are several techniques (Assessment for Learning) staff can use to identify the learning that has taken place, in order to identify where to next. 

As we wait to hear from the Ministry of Education about what revised assessment practices they may require schools to put in place, please be reassured we will continue to report and connect with you in ways we always have.

Reporting and Connecting:

Real Time Reporting - Ongoing throughout each term based on your child’s goals

Term 1 - Goal setting conferences

Term 2 - Mid year report

Term 3 - Whānau progress and achievement conferences

Term 4 - End of year report

As whānau, it is important you are part of the strength building.  You can provide insight into your child’s thinking processes and help them become more aware of what they are learning and how they are learning it. This empowers our children to take control of their learning. 

In week 10, Wednesday 2nd or Thursday 3rd April, you will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s classroom teacher 1-1.  They will share with you, your child’s current curriculum goals and co construct your child's learning pathway with you. Bookings can be made using HERO. 

I look forward to catching up with many of you on Saturday, at the Mayfield Show. 

Ngā mihi

Emma Hewett