Curriculum Statements

Mission Statement:

‘Waikite Valley School – Developing Learners for Life.’

Curriculum delivery will foster the highest possible achievement for all students attending Waikite Valley School.  Learning and teaching are at the heart of our school. Our Values and Beliefs about learning guide us as we provide our children with rich learning environments. We are committed to providing our students with a broad curriculum which allows in-depth learning.

We have identified 6 Key Characteristics, which we believe children will need to be successful citizens of the 21st century. These are:

1. Caring
2. Respectful
3. Enthusiastic
4. Proud
5. Confident
6. Loyal

We are committed to integrating these values and beliefs into all aspects of the curriculum.

Students will experience opportunities in all of the learning areas (English, The Arts, Health and PE, Learning Languages, Mathematics and Statistics, Science, Social Sciences and Technology.)  We aim to develop 21st century learners and therefore provide considerable e-learning experiences.

Our students will experience a rich and balanced education.  Priority will be given to numeracy and literacy (particularly in years 1-6). This will be supported through inquiry learning and an integrated approach to teaching.  Inquiry learning models were trialled in 2007.  We are into our 3rd and final year of the ICT professional development contract and are committed to the inquiry learning approach. 

 'The real process of education should be the process of learning to think through the application of real problems.' John Dewey

Rationale
Our literacy vision is:

To help give all students to achieve success in literacy through a variety of stimulating learning experiences. 
We are trialling the Ministry of Education ‘Literacy Learning Progressions – Meeting the Reading and Writing Demands of the Curriculum’ in 2008.  This will provide us with clear expectations for student achievement in literacy.  This will be reviewed at the end of 2008. Additional support resource material can be located in ‘Effective Literacy Practice in Years 1-4 and 5 to 8’ and in TKI and English Online.

Reading and Writing Skills:
Guidelines

Reading and writing skills are learnt best when:

1. They are taught in the context of everyday life and offered a broad range of experiences. This may include the class theme/inquiry learning.
2. They are taught and modelled well by teachers.
3. Regular use is made of libraries (mobile bus and school).
4. There is a balanced programme which includes reading to, by and with children.
5. There is a balance between fluency, creativity and technical accuracy.
6. We aim for all children to be reading at or above their chronological age.
7. Children will write regularly for a variety of purposes.
8. The processes of planning, writing, editing and publishing are to be imbedded in the writing programme.
9. Writing is to be assessed identifying deeper and surface features.
10. Teachers will provide written and oral feedback and feed forward (next steps).  Students are actively involved in this process (refer to formative assessment).
11. Library and information literacy skills will be taught regularly.
12. All classes will be taught literacy for a minimum of 1 ½ hours per day this is likely to be higher in the junior classes.  This includes all aspects of English -writing, reading, library, spelling, handwriting, speaking listening, viewing and presenting.

Listening and Speaking Skills:
Guidelines

1. Listening and speaking skills are to be taught and modelled well.
2. All children will be taught to become active listeners.
3. All children will be given the opportunity to develop the skills and confidence to speak in a wide variety of contexts within supportive environments.
4. All children will be taught communication skills needed to resolve conflict and form reflective responses.

Viewing and Presenting Skills: 
Guidelines

1. Viewing and presenting skills are to be taught and modelled well.
2. Handwriting skills will be regularly taught and practised.
3. A variety of publishing formats will be used to present work in a creative and attractive manner.

Mathematics and Statistics
Rationale
For students to develop the ability to think creatively, critically, strategically and logically.
Purposes

• To provide students with the skills, concepts, understandings and attitudes to gain confidence in their mathematical ability.
• To foster the ability to think and reason logically.
• To equip students with a variety of approaches to problem solving.
• To continually extend every student’s mathematical knowledge and skills.
• To understand the relevance of maths in everyday living.
• To enjoy intellectual challenge.

Guidelines

1. A balanced programme will be provided across all strands with a greater emphasis on number to reflect the numeracy goal of NAG 1. This is approximately broken into 80% numeracy and 20% strand for years 1-3 and 60% numeracy and 40% strand for years 4-8.  Learning is structured in 3 strands; number and algebra, geometry and measurement and statistics.
2. A long term overview will be completed each year.
3. Maths will be taken daily for at least 45 minutes.
4. Daily lessons should include hot spots, maintenance, skill focus and a time for individual practise.
5. Daily maintenance could include: blackboard work, flip chart discussions and oral recall.
6. Concrete materials need to be available to every child who needs them
7. Additional resources can be located in the numeracy books, NZ maths, Figure it Out series and TKI.

Health and Physical Education
Rationale:
“In Health and PE, the focus is on the well-being of the students themselves, of other people, and of society through learning and health-related and movement contexts”. (Refer to page 22 of NZ Curriculum).
Guidelines

1. Provide meaningful and progressive child-centred physical activity based on the needs, abilities and interests of the children.
2. Provide an active environment and programmes that enhance physical activity. Teach a minimum of 2 PE, 2 fitness and 1 sport session each week.
3. Contribute to an active community giving consistent messages and quality experiences to encourage children into lifelong participation.
4. Establish a sports committee for senior students.  This group will be positive sports role models, assist with lunchtime activities and school sport sessions and days e.g. athletics, swimming, jump rope etc.
5. Consult with the community when developing health and sexuality programmes.
6. “Students will develop their understandings of the factors that influence health”.  Students will learn about sun sense, nutrition, healthy bodies, grief loss and change etc through a range of experiences including ‘Life Education Trust’, classroom programmes and the health nurse.
7. Establish a Year 7 and 8 EOTC academy.  This will be trialled in 2008 and will encompass water skiing, mountain biking, snow skiing and bush skills.  Additional activities may be trout fishing, golf, squash, kayaking and abseiling.
8. Camp for Years 4-8.  The camp in 2008 will be at Lake Rerewhakaaitu.
9. Additional resources are located in TKI, Health and Physical Education Online, ‘Gamesense’ cards, Active School Tool box, Kiwisport Fundamental Skills and KiwiDex books, Curriculum Concepts series and Health Nurse

We have enrolled in the ‘Active Schools’ professional development for 2008 -2009.  This is run by Sport Bay of Plenty.

 Learning Languages
Rationale: To provide students with the opportunity to learn a second language, explore and to appreciate another culture.
Guidelines

1. For students to learn a second language. This is our first year and we will be offering this to Years 6, 7 and 8.
2. Use the Learning Media resource manuals, CDs etc.  Also to use TKI and any human expertise (where possible).
3. To teach approximately 45 -60 minutes per week.
4. Trial this programme for 2008.  It will be reviewed at the end of the year.
5. Teachers to attend any relevant PD courses.

Integrated Curriculum – Inquiry Learning
Rationale:
Inquiry is a dynamic process of being open to wonder and puzzlement and coming to know and understand the world. Inquiry is an investigation or study into a worthy question, issue, problem or idea. Inquiry involves serious engagement and investigation and the active creation and testing of new knowledge.

Background
The Integrated Curriculum is designed to empower our children to be effective and engaged 21st century learners. Programmes of work are based on topics of substance and significance and help students make connections and see real purposes for their learning.  We are committed to the inquiry learning approach. Throughout 2006, 2007 and into 2008 the staff have been involved in the ICT professional development contract. 
We explored 4 school wide themes for the year.  In 2007 these were–

• Hau ora (Health focus)
• How do we impact on the environment? (Science and Technology focus)
• How others live (Social Sciences focus)
• The Arts – school production and art exhibition (The Arts focus)

Generally each theme lasts for an entire term. Refer to integrated theme overview. Planning and ideas are shared.  Inquiry learning allows personalised learning for students to occur and the integrated approach encompasses the learning areas of science, social sciences, the arts, health and technology in greater depth.  In 2008 our themes will integrate values and virtues which were identified in 2007 through consultation with our community, BOT, students and staff. (Refer to integrated theme overview)

What is Inquiry Learning?
Guidelines

1. Engage students in meaningful and purposeful work. Work that is authentic, intellectually and emotionally engaging.  To discover what is powerful learning and what is powerful to learn.
2. Develop big ideas that excite students and teachers alike.
3. Improve student’s learning through quality teaching.
4. Make connections to prior learning experiences and draw on the children’s natural curiosity to ask questions.
5. Make school an intellectually exciting place to be, a place where learning is fun even when it is hard.
6. Requires teachers to be co-inquirers with the students in the inquiry.
7. Requires teachers to co-create meaningful, authentic learning tasks and activities with students that lead to deep understanding.
8. Integrating  appropriate and meaningful ICT and e-learning.
9. Teachers should always feel that while content is consistent across the school, implementation allows for individual teaching styles and approaches.

Assessment

Rationale:
“The primary purpose of assessment is to improve students’ learning and teachers teaching as both student and teacher respond to the information it provides” (Pg 39 NZ Curriculum). 
At Waikite Valley School we employ a range of assessment practices and processes.  Teachers use a variety of formative and summative assessment tools. We are developing school-wide practices that are integrated into our teaching and learning programmes.  Information is gathered to identify students and groups that require both extension and extra assistance.

School-Wide Assessment
This provides us with specific information on the impact our programmes are having on our students.  In 2007 we appointed a school wide assessment coordinator who collected, collated and analysed our data.  We report to BOT and inform them and the community about our programmes of work and our annual targets.  Teachers work together to establish school wide goals and expectations for students’ learning. We meet regularly to review progress.
A whanau group was established in 2007.  Maori parents are informed of assessment information.  The aim for 2008 is to work together with Maori parents to develop plans and targets to improve the achievement of Maori students.
Examples of school-wide assessment tools used in 2007 were:

• STAR
• PAT
• Burt spelling
• PRETOS spelling
• Numeracy NUMPA and GLOSS test
• Questioning and Processing Information

Teachers use a range of other assessment tools to gather student data.  Examples are:

• MOE Exemplars
• Written language exemplar matrix – deeper and surface features
• ARBS
• NEMP test
• Running records – PM and PROBE
• 6 Year Net
• Oral language survey
• School Entry Assessment
• asTTLE (2008 for writing)
• Observation of and conversation with students
• Student self and peer assessment/reflections

Formative Assessment

‘Often referred to as assessment for learning, formative assessment:
...refers to all those activities undertaken by teachers, and by the students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. Such assessments become formative when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching to meet the needs.’ (Black and Wiliam 1998)

Guidelines

• tudents and teachers identify learning intentions or learning goals
• Teachers provide students with effective feedback and feed forward to students through rich conversations
• Students are actively involved in their learning and can articulate their learning and next steps
• Teachers respond to students identified learning needs and modify their teaching approach(es)
• Teachers  provide effective written feedback and feed forward (next steps) to students
• Provide support for staff through meetings, professional readings, TKI etc