Hereturikōkā 2024
August Newsletter

Kia Ora koutou katoa!

Nau Mai Haere mai ngā whānau hou ki te kura! A warm welcome to all of our new families this term - we have had a spike in enrolments, particularly in the senior school and all students are settling in well.

At mid-year (end of Term 2), 92% of our students were working at or above the expected curriculum level in Mathematics and Statistics, 96% were working at and above in Reading, and 85% of our students were working at and above in Writing. 

We are proud of where our students are at mid-year, with many making expected progress across the curriculum. 

Although many of our students are working at and above their expected curriculum level, some students may not have shown progress from the end of 2023 to mid-2024. There can be some reasons why this occurs. Some students may have struggled with their attendance due to illness, and some students require more time to consolidate their understanding before they can demonstrate measurable progress. It’s important to recognise that learning is not always linear, and with continued support we expect these students to make gains as the year progresses. We are committed to targeted interventions for students who are struggling to grasp and maintain new skills, and as a teaching staff we have a solid collective efficacy  in our approach and expectations. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's progress please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher  and arrange a suitable time to discuss.  

New Curriculums 2025 - English and Mathematics & Statistics 

We are waiting for the draft English curriculum to be released next week for consultation. The Ministry of Education is unable to provide the expected date of final publication, however we are expected to start implementing as of Term 1, 2025. With anything new related to teaching and learning - we take a considered approach and will transition accordingly. Our school is in its 4th year of teaching structured literacy - something you may have heard the Education Minister talk about. We agree that this pedagogy works for our students , however we remain committed to the autonomy of providing a variety of measures, programmes and approaches to ensure student success.   

The Mathematics and Statistics Curriculum draft was released last week for consultation. Initially scheduled for 2026 implementation, this came as a surprise to the education sector. Woodlands Park School will again take a considered approach to the new curriculum and look forward to the Ministry of Education providing time and resource as our staff transition from the old curriculum to the new in our own space and time. 

Global Partnerships
A huge thank you to our homestay families who hosted our first intake of international students from China! This was an uplifting and positive experience not only our visitors but also our Whanau Harakeke students, who had an enriching cultural experience! We hope to continue our partnership with our schools in Shanghai as well as other countries worldwide. 

Finally, we wish our wonderful friend and colleague Jess Parks all the very best as she prepares for motherhood. We will miss her vibrant energy and contribution to the school and are looking forward to her visiting later in Term 4 with her baby! Karen Ellis will be teaching in Room 7 and Whanau Leader through to the end of the year.


Warm regards,

Ngā mihi, 

Nardz Stephenson
Principal 

Wātaka | Calendar

Upcoming Dates
Tue 26 - Fri 30 August - Year 5&6 Camp
Fri 30 Aug - Bake Sale (Junior Kapa Haka)
Tue 3 Sept - Wheels Day
Tue 10 Sept - Inter school netball Yr 5&6 teams (save day 12th)
Wed 18 Sept -  Inter school basketball
Fri 20 Sept - Disco
Fri 27 Sept - Last day of Term 3 (finish @ 2pm)

Teacher Only Day
Term 4: Fri 25th Oct

End of Year Dates:
Prizegiving - Fri 6 Dec @ 11am
Last day of school - Fri 13 Dec (Finish @ 1pm)

2025 Dates
Thu 30th Jan - Mihi whakatau & Meet the teacher
Fri 31st Jan - classes begin
Tentative 2025 finish date: Friday 12th Dec

NB - School closes at 2 pm on the last day of Terms 1-3 and at 1pm on the last day of Term 4

Global Partnership at WPS

We were thrilled to welcome a group of international students from China to our school for week 3. Our visitors had a wonderful time participating in various school activities, learning about our culture, and making new friends. We hope that this visit has been a memorable experience for our Chinese guests and thank you to the whānau who hosted students for the week!

Book Week

Book Week was a huge hit this year! We were lucky enough to have a author Sally Sutton visit our school to inspire our young readers. Our guest readers also did a fantastic job sharing their favourite books with the students. There were book quizzes to test our knowledge, and the famous character parade was a sight to behold, with students dressed up as their favourite literary heroes and villains. It was a week filled with fun, learning, and a love for books.

The Wonderous Dumpling

By Arie, Rm 17

If you have so much as past by a dumpling house the wondrous smell would have wafted up into your nose. You would have stopped to get a taste of some 蒸饺 or steamed dumplings but if you prefer the original dumplings you should try some boiled dumplings. 

Firstly, we sat down and learned about the rich culture and history of dumplings. The dumplings are shaped like a crescent moon. Jiǎozi is very similar in pronunciation to Jiāohuàn which means exchange in mandarin. That is why the dumpling is shaped like the ancient currency called A yuanbao.

Next, one of the ladies from Tui Tuia  demonstrated how to fold a dumpling. Then it was our turn to fold the dumplings. There were two fillings; pork and egg for people who prefer meat and cabbage and egg for vegetarians. First, you would roll out the dough, put a small dollop of filling on it then fold it over in half. Pinch firmly from the top  and make it into a wiggly shape and voila.