11 December 2022

Kia Ora koutou katoa, 

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone for their incredible support this year. Covid and all its complexities have continued to impact staffing, health and attendance, however we have made it through to the end of the year! 

Reporting on student progress is important to us and next week you will receive your child’s summary end of year report. Overall our end of year assessment data is showing expected levels of progress and all of our students and families should be extremely proud of their achievements. It has been fantastic to read through all of the general comments made by classroom teachers and to see the holistic growth and development of all our students. 

We welcome to the school board Fraser Jackson, nau mai haere mai Fraser, we look forward to the next 3 years of future growth of Woodlands Park!

We congratulate and farewell Samantha Scarlett as she takes up her new role at the Northern Health School in 2023.  Sam begun her career as a teacher here 7 years ago and has nurtured and cared for her students with dedication to their learning and welbeing. We wish her all the very best in her future endeavours and will miss her immensely. We welcome Ms Steph Boden who will teach Year 3’s next year. 

We also congratulate Andrew Te Aotonga who will be stepping into a Deputy Principal position in East Auckland. Andrew has been with us for the last couple of years as Whanau Leader and we wish him all the best for his future leadership pathway. We welcome Lance Pope who will teach Year 4’s next year. The Whanau Leader for Whanau Pohutukawa next year will be Jess Parks. 

To all of our part time staff who have been part of the WPS whanau, we thank you for your hard work, commitment and dedication to our school. In particular we acknowledge the courage throughout Alert Level 3 ‘bubble school’ where their ability to step in and look after our students at that time was invaluable. Some of our part time teachers will be returning in different roles for 2023. 

The highlight for me when bringing the school year to a close is always our students. They have all done so remarkably well this year - they have remained engaged, respectful and a pleasure to interact with. On behalf of the entire WPS staff, we wish all of our kids a happy and relaxing Christmas break. 

To all of our families of our year six students, as your children finish their primary years of education and head off to intermediate, please remember they don’t step out into this transition on their own but rather with the love and support of their Woodlands Park whanau behind them. To our Board of Trustees and all the staff and of course our families and children, thank you for your support in 2022. I wish you all a peaceful and reflective holiday season. 

Nga Mihi nui,

Nardz 

“Poipoia te kakano ki a puawai”   Nurture the seed and it will blossom. 

End of Year Report 2022

The purpose of reporting is to share progress and achievement made throughout the school year.  Our data reflects 40 weeks of school learning. I would like to acknowledge the support from families with their children’s learning throughout this year’s after the previous 2 years of covid disruptions.  Our overall data reflects progress that despite covid’s impact is tracking above the expected national average. 

This report reflects student progress and learning in Reading, Writing and Maths as well as shared key understandings taught through Science, Social Sciences and Health.  In line with our annual strategic plan we have also reported on our school values and how your child demonstrates these core life values in their daily interactions within the school environment. 

Students are assessed throughout and upon completion of learning in a particular area and receive a level for their work based on the national curriculum objectives. There are eight best fit levels from 1 to 8. The following diagram indicates parallels between levels of achievement and year levels. It is not expected that all students of the same age will be achieving at the same level at the same time. 

At Woodlands Park School, student achievement is levelled against the National Curriculum. Our strategic goal is for students to make 1-2  sub levels progress per year (1 sub level progress is the expected, 2 sub levels indicates accelerated learning). The focus is on progress made. 

Understanding Curriculum Levels

The graph below shows the expectations that each year group should be achieving in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum.

The gradual shading at each level recognises that learning is a personal journey and students make progress at different rates;within any year group there will be students achieving at different levels. Each curriculum level is divided into 3 sections to identify where students are achieving in relation to the curriculum. You will see this in your child’s report. 

Basic – Achieving at beginning of level

Proficient - Achieving in the middle of level

Advanced- Achieving at end of level

I am so proud of all our children’s achievements this year and hope you’ll celebrate with your children their successes and transitions at the end of their learning journey for 2022. 

Your child will meet with their new teacher for 2023 this Wednesday - please remember to ask them who their new teacher will be! Reports will be sent electronically at the end of the day on Wednesday. 

Year 4 Sleepover & BLC trip

The annual Year 4 Sleepover was a lot of fun! Thanks to all the parents who came along to help out and to those brave enough to sleepover! We had a fantastic day out at Birkenhead Leisure Centre after the sleepover