Week 7 Term 2 - Totara House: Defining our House Values for 2026 (June 01 - June 05)

Totara House 2026: Blessing + Dedication Assembly Term 1

Totara House dedicates Term 1 and Term 2 each year to collaboratively establish its core House values. This respectful and inclusive process is led by the House leaders, who visit mentor classes across all year levels to ask students directly: 'What do you want Totara House to represent?' The leaders diligently gather all student feedback, which is then used by the leadership team to determine the final, simple, and clear values that will guide Totara House for the academic year.

Totara House Leadership Team 2026

Totara House Leadership Team 2026

After discussing and unpacking the student feedback this year, the leaders identified a clear and powerful theme: students want Totara House to represent genuine togetherness and unwavering commitment to their learning and collective work as a house. Inspired by this student voice, the Totara House Leaders proudly chose Unity and Discipline as our core values for the year. These values will motivate us to stand stronger together and dedicate ourselves to achieving individual and collective excellence.

Totara House: House Values Assembly Term 2

In Week 4 of Term 2, our House Leaders proudly revealed our core Totara House Values for 2026: Unity and Discipline. Students have already begun to exercise these expectations, most notably during the recent Inter-Whanau Turbo Touch tournament, where Unity represented Kotahitanga (togetherness) in our teamwork and Discipline guided our commitment and effort. We look forward to seeing these values further explored and reinforced during the upcoming House events for Samoan Language Week, scheduled for Week 7, as we continue to build our collective strength and dedication to excellence as a whanau.

Totara House: Athletics Day Assembly Term 1

Totara House Alumni (House Prefects 2022 @ UoA Graduation 2026)

Totara House is committed to executing our core values of Unity and Discipline. Unity, or kotahitanga, ensures we move forward as one team, lifting each other up, while Discipline provides the structured, focused mindset required for success. We honor the excellence demonstrated by our alumni, former House Prefects 2022 Lakai Vaisima and Lisia Pauu, who showcased this discipline by graduating with their Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Auckland. Their success inspires our House; our hope is that as a House, we will unite and lead with discipline to make Totara House great. 

Week 6 Term 2 - English Department: Unit Plan - Rain (Hone Tuwhare) (May 25 - May 29)

Hone Tuwhare's 'Rain'

The seven-week Year 10 English unit plan is a Short Text Study focused on Rain by Hone Tuwhare, culminating in a Creative Writing Common Assessment Task (CAT). The initial phase in Week 1 is the introduction of the text study, focusing on context, key vocabulary, and concepts. The key goal is for students to understand how the text is influenced by its historical, cultural, and social contexts, which in turn provides deeper insights into its themes, characters, and the author's purpose. Explicit instruction is given on key vocabulary like "Akonga" and "Metaphor," and structured scaffolding is used to practice explaining the relationship between the text's context and setting.

A preview of the Unit plan for 'Rain'

Following the introduction, Weeks 2 and 3 are dedicated to reading the text and completing chapter questions. During this phase, the focus is on students learning how features of text—such as characterization, setting, pacing, compressed plot structure, and narrative perspective—work together to shape meaning and create effects. This knowledge is built upon in Weeks 4 and 5, which center on Theme Analysis. The explicit teaching practices introduce students to defining direct and indirect themes, different perspectives. Student learning activities during these analysis weeks involve working on a Themes Presentation. 

Creative Writing Assessment for Rain

Theme Analysis for Rain

The final stage of the unit, spanning Weeks 6 and 7, is dedicated to the Summative Assessment: the Creative Writing CAT. During these two weeks, the lesson focus is on teaching and learning how to craft a narrative or creative text. The knowledge and practice from the previous weeks are applied as students work on their creative texts. The goal remains the same: using text features to support interpretation, reveal underlying themes, and allow connections with the text to emerge.

Week 5 Term 2 - English Department: Designing our unit plans (May 18 - May 22)

As we move through Term 2 and Term 3, our main goal is straightforward: we're going to focus on creating, sharing, and collaborating on our Units of Learning. Why is this so important for us? Simply put, it helps us all get on the same page. When we work together to build these unit plans, we ensure long-term consistency for our students. It lets us share our best practices—what's working well in your classroom can help mine! This collaboration establishes a really strong foundation for all our future planning, making sure our curriculum is robust and effective across all year levels.

To show you what this looks like in action, here is an example of a unit plan I've created and shared with the English Department. This is the template we all use for our Unit Plans.

First part of the Unit plan (template)

Second part of the Unit Plan (template)

The unit plan is a detailed framework that maps out a course of study over several weeks, such as the 7-Week Short Text Study for Year 9 English. It outlines the specific Knowledge students need to learn and the Practices they will master.

The unit plan is a clear and explicit roadmap for instruction. It shifts the focus from simply preparing for an assessment to building a complete body of teaching and learning. It helps you deliberately sequence and time the exposure of important concepts so that students will acquire knowledge, engage in deep learning, and successfully transfer that knowledge into their long-term memory.How to Follow the Unit Plan. 

Follow the Weekly Focus: Use the table to guide your lesson's main focus, the knowledge required, and the practice goals for that week (e.g., Week 5 focuses on Character and/or Theme Analysis).

Use Explicit Teaching Practices: Implement the recommended methods for instruction:Direct Instruction on key vocabulary and literary concepts (e.g., Akonga, Metaphor).

Think-aloud processes to demonstrate how to analyze relationships, such as between context and setting. Model how a text’s historical and cultural context influences its meaning.

Factor in Time: Ensure students have spaced interactions with the new content over time, which is essential for deep and transfer learning.

Use Assessments: Administer the planned Formative assessments (like weekly quizzes) and the final Summative Assessment (e.g., the Common Assessment Task/Creative Writing)

*In my next post I will share a unit plan that I have created for one of our short texts that we are doing this term, Hone Tuwhare's poem 'Rain'. 

Week 4 Term 2 - English Department: Department Goals for Term 2 (May 11 - May 15)

Term 2 represents a crucial and pivotal phase for the English Department, as we shift our focus from foundational work to consolidating growth and achieving specific outcomes. For the coming term, we have strategically identified and prioritized goals that simultaneously address the unique learning needs of both our Junior and Senior School English students, ensure the continued robustness of our curriculum delivery, and align precisely with the overarching goals of the school. While we acknowledge that the dynamic nature of the school year often requires flexibility and adaptation—a reality we are prepared for—we are committed to diligently pursuing these core objectives throughout Term 2. Below are some of the key goals we endeavor to work towards this term.

Students at risk of achieving - We want to work with our identified students who are at risk of achieving credits in English. We have identified who the students are, the reasons and the next steps that we want to put in place.

Literacy Co-Requisite - We are looking to prepare our students for this assessment (in May Term 2). We look at the students who achieved a High Level 4 to Level 5 of their PAT reading results in Term 1 2026. This group will sit the CAA Test scheduled for Week 5 Term 1.

Derived Grade Exams -We aim to strategically prepare our NCEA students for the Derived Grade Exam scheduled for Week 11 of Term 2. This includes ensuring every student is fully informed about the exam's critical nature and providing targeted support and resources. Our specific focus will be on actively encouraging and tracking attendance to ensure maximum participation, thereby providing students with a vital safety net and practice opportunity ahead of their derived grade external assessments. 

Week 3 Term 2 - English Department: Term 2 Senior English Review (May 04 - May 08)

Senior English Program Term 1 2026

Term 1 for our NCEA English students (Levels 1, 2, and 3) began with introductory assemblies aimed at establishing clear curriculum expectations and detailing the assessment schedule for the year. Our focus was on ensuring a thorough understanding of the program from the outset.

NCEA Level 1: The curriculum centered on the study of different writing genres, focusing specifically on Personal Account and Narrative writing. After dedicating Weeks 1–7 to studying and practicing both genres, students completed internal assessment 91926 in Week 8, submitting a final piece in their preferred style. We are pleased with how the students responded to this unit and the assessment.

NCEA Level 2: Year 12 students initiated their film study of Gran Torino and began preparation for internal assessment 91107 (Close Viewing). Although this assessment is due in Term 3, the cohort made excellent use of Term 1 to get a head start.

NCEA Level 3: Year 13 successfully completed their film study of A Beautiful Mind and finished their first internal assessment: 91480 (Close Viewing, 3 Credits).

We eagerly anticipate commencing the written text studies with all our NCEA learners in Term 2. Please see some of our NCEA English students from Term 1 below.

Senior English 91926 Student Exemplar - Term 1

Senior English 91926 Student Exemplar - Term 1 

Week 2 Term 2 - English Department: Term 2 Junior English Review (April 27 - May 01)

Term 1 Program: Junior English

Our focus for Year 9 and Year 10 English for Term 1 was “Who am I?” Our primary text for Term 1 for our Year 9 English classes was Tim Tipene’s ‘Kura Toa’. For our Year 10 English classes, we looked at ‘The Wave’ and ‘Dawn Raid’ as our primary extended text. The Common Assessment task that our Year 9 and Year 10 English students have been working on is Formal Writing. We are really happy with how our students have responded to the assessment.

Term 1: Junior English Formal Writing: Student Exemplar

We continue to utilize the online literacy app, StepsWeb, during one dedicated weekly library period. This period is also used for sustained reading, allowing students to engage with either the shared class text or a text of their own choice, which directly supports our Junior English program goal of ‘Read for Pleasure.’

Term 1: Junior English Formal Writing: Student Exemplar

I am truly pleased with the success and depth of our Junior English curriculum and the excellent material we covered during Term 1. To ensure long-term consistency and shared best practices, we are currently engaged in the valuable process of collaborating, creating, and sharing comprehensive unit plans for all the texts we teach. It is wonderful that this essential groundwork has already begun in an organic and supportive way as we successfully taught each text this term, establishing a strong, collaborative foundation for our future planning. 

Week 1 Term 2 - English Department: Term 2 Review (April 20 - April 24)

English Department @ TOD Term 1 2026

Term 1 proved to be a highly productive and busy period for the English Department, marked by significant planning and the exciting addition of a new team member. We were thrilled to welcome Mrs Nivashni Lata to our team, and we are so excited to have her join our department. Our work focused on strengthening our foundation for the year, starting with a comprehensive review of our Senior English credits and establishing clear expectations for all our students. Furthermore, we dedicated considerable time to reviewing our Term 1 curriculum, which largely focused on text studies across our Year 9, 10, 12, and 13 English classes, and reviewing our writing unit for our Year 11 classes.

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to the entire English Department team for the incredible work, time, and effort you poured into our department and our students throughout Term 1. I especially want to acknowledge Ms Anahina Latu and Mr Faiyaz Hoosein for their exceptional leadership of the English Department while I have been away on maternity leave. I am profoundly grateful for the dedication and guidance they provided, and I am particularly thankful for their willingness to lead during the always-busy period that marks the end of the term. Thank you all for ensuring a successful and productive term.

I want to express my sincere appreciation to the entire English Department team for a truly successful Term 1. Your commitment, professionalism, and dedication have been outstanding, and I couldn't be more grateful for your collective efforts. Thank you, Mrs Pravina Harde, for your steady support and valuable contributions and for leading the EAsttle and PAT testing; Mrs Nivashni Lata, for jumping into our busy environment with such enthusiasm and skill; Mr Faiyaz Hoosein, for his vital leadership and unwavering commitment; Mr Jeiel Sevilla, for his hard work and positive impact on our students; Ms Anahina Latu, whose guidance was crucial during my absence; and Ms Francis Kolo, for your consistent effort and reliability. We achieved so much this term, and it is entirely thanks to the dedication and success of each and every one of you.

As Term 1 ends, please take a moment to reflect on all the hard work and dedication you’ve poured into our students and our department. I am so grateful for everything that has happened in the classroom this term, from the engaging text studies to the focused writing units, and I know that the profound impact you have all had on our students’ learning and growth will carry forward into the next term and beyond. Thank you for making Term 1 such a success.