We are now deep into planning for 2021 and have begun looking at the make up of our classes.

At the end of 2019 we decided to make a change to the way we design and organise our classes. At Silverdale we have always valued the power of meaningful relationships and building a sense of whānau and community at our school - and after reading and hearing from experts in the field of brain development and education (like Nathan Wallis) it became obvious that we need to find ways to maximise this. 

We decided to keep our learners as much as possible with their teacher for 2 years. 2020 was our first year trialling this and it had been met with such positivity from students, caregivers and staff. It has meant that teachers already knew well half of their class at the start of the year. Relationships with families were already established, teachers knew their goals and aspirations for their children. Teachers found that learning could start where they left off the year before - further extending learners or giving additional supports.

For our students it meant far less anxiety going into a new year. They already knew their teacher and half of their classmates, had an understanding of classroom routines and expectations, and were able to take on leadership roles within the class, welcoming and supporting those new to their room. 

Building on our success this year we will continue to plan our classes in this way for 2021. 

We know that there are some special circumstances where for what ever reason it is not always appropriate to keep children in the same class, and in these situations we are happy to speak with whānau and make decisions based on individual needs. 

And of course, our learners who are transitioning into a new team (i.e. moving from Junior School to Middles, or Middle School to Seniors), they will be joining a new class group next year. As always we are happy to hear from parents, whānau and caregivers about what we may need to consider from your point of view when placing your children. You are the experts on your children after all! If you would like to make an appointment to catch up with me about this, please email me. I'm also happy just to receive an email containing your request if you are comfortable with that. 

As you could probably appreciate, it is quite a complex task balancing the classes and forming what we believe are the best compositions to enhance the learning of all. So we can't make any promises and can't always meet all whānau requests. But your voice is important and we'd like to hear from you. Please feel free to email or call if you have any questions.