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
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
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 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 rural East Coast town of Wairoa has been significantly impacted by a second catastrophic flooding event. On June 26, 2024, hundreds of homes were damaged by flooding which has left whanau homeless. Wairoa had still not recovered from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, when hundreds of homes in a different area of town also flooded. These events have had a devastating impact on our community and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected.
We will be having a Wheels Day fundraiser on Tuesday 3rd September.
Please bring a gold coin donation.
Each whanau group will have a time slot to ride.
9:30 - 10:30am: Whānau Pohutukawa
11:30 - 12:30pm: Whānau Kowhai
1:30 - 2:30pm: Whānau Harakeke
There will be 4 zones:
netball courts
hall carpark (for speedsters)
bike track on the field around the hall
courts for remote control cars
There will be no riding before school and during break times. Wheels will all be stored at classrooms until it is time to ride.
Teachers will closely supervise and dangerous areas (such as the path down to the hall) will be roped-off.
You can now order delicious and healthy warm and cold mains, and more through Kindo’s ezlunch service by clicking here! Simple and easy!
Click here to view the menu.
Orders are made online through your myKindo account. One account for the whole family! Get started now and be ready… Click here or go to www.mykindo.co.nz to start ordering!
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.
Me, Rhys, Angelica and Kaitlin walked down to the car which was parked outside the school then we started driving; I was in the front seat, next to Rich [ who is Angelica dad]. When Rich got us to the art gallery Abbey led us into the art room. Then Abbey showed us what we were doing for the day. Then Abbey talked about Fred Graham. He is ninety-six years old and also a Senior Māori Carver.
Abbey then showed the class some of Fred Graham's art. My favorite wood carved art was the big wave. The carved wood was based on a painting created by a Japanese Artist. The painting is very famous. The smallest sculpture was as small as my hand but the biggest one was bigger than hazel! The smallest one was a fantail. the biggest one was about the gods, Ranginui and Papatūānuku pushing their parents apart. I drew the big wave and the corals stacked on top of each other; Kevin drew the corals stacked on top of each other as well.
I was very excited to do an art called collage where you overlap paper. The table that me, Kevin, Raymond and Luke were on was light green, black and yellow paper. After we had finished our collage, we drew things with the white pen on the paper. In my group you had to draw stuff that relates to your table in the collage. Then I went in the car back to school with my car group.
I was tired at the end of the day. My favorite part of the day was the walk through the gallery. I am looking forward to going to Te Uru again.
Playball - Mondays at lunchtime for Years 1-3. Contact Coach James
0274817000 or email james@playball.co.nz
Unlock your child’s creative potential right here at our school!
Music Education Centre 0800 89 39 39.
With more than 25 years of out of school care experience, sKids bring our tamariki with a variety of fun and interesting activities, games, and sports through their Adventure Programme.
Hours: Monday – Friday
Rise then Shine (before): 7-8:30am
Stay and Play (after): 3-6pm
Enrol and Book here: www.skids.co.nz/woodlands_park