Please see below the digital copy of the letter that went home to whanau today.

6th August 2021

Kia ora Parents and Caregivers

Starting in Week 5 of Term 3, all Year 7/8 classes will begin working on a unit in Health focused around Relationships and Sexuality Education.

This unit aims to provide students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills to develop healthy, positive and resilient attitudes towards the diverse changes that they could experience throughout adolescence and into their future lives.

Students will work on developing their understanding of healthy and safe relationships along with critical thinking skills on topical issues such as gender diversity, LGBTQI+, inclusiveness and issues associated with the media and sexuality and gender.

Through the key concepts of this unit, students will learn about:

• The physical, mental and emotional, social, and spiritual growth and development that occur throughout adolescence; along with strategies to manage these changes

• Factors that influence their choices during adolescence (including their whanau, peers, the media, attitudes and values)

• Strategies to manage changing interpersonal relationships

• Their own feelings, rights and responsibilities including assertiveness

• The influence of the media on sexuality and gender

• Gender diversity

On Wednesday 11th August at 4pm in Puaka we will hold a whanau consultation in order for you to come and view some of the teaching and learning materials involved in this unit of work and to ask any questions you may have.

I warmly encourage you to come along and join us, meet the staff leading this unit of work and get an understanding of the lesson content for yourself.

If you have any concerns around this unit of work and/or would like to discuss this further please contact me, emma@oxford.school.nz

Alternatively you may contact Mrs Claudia Faulkner, Dean of Year 7-8, claudia@oxford.school.nz

If you wish to withdraw your child from this unit of work or aspects of it, then please notify the Principal, Mike Hart in writing, mike@oxford.school.nz by 3pm Friday 20th August 2021.

Nga mihi nui

Mrs Emma Don

Head of Department Health, Physical Education and Outdoor Education