Week 6 Term 3 - Literacy Project: Kaiako Literacy Action Plan - Analyzing department responses + next steps (August 26 - September 2)

As teacher, I understand and believe that it is important to reflect. Reflect on your practice, to scrutinize what you need to work but to also see and appreciate what is working. In the last 4 years, I have prioritized reflecting through my blog as way to think about these areas for improvement but more importantly to capture what is working for me - as a teacher, HOD and dean. The Literacy Project is something that I am involved in and since it came together (late 2021) I have documented the journey as a way to monitor and reflect on how it is going and what the next steps are. 

I spoke about the recent steps that the Literacy Project has made since it's debut presentation in Term 2 (see Alby Blog's Entry - 15/08/22). One of the steps that I reflected on in this post was the department Kaiako literacy action plan - specifically how each learning area completed the action plan. The Literacy Project working team, since then, have taken the time to analyze the responses. We had four key points that we wanted to cover in our analysis which are: 

• What is the current literacy practice?
• What are the opportunities they see in literacy (what are they hopes with literacy in their learning area?)
• What are the next steps?
• What support do they need?

In analyzing the department's responses, we wanted to ensure that we were sensitive to what they are currently doing with literacy and what they hope to do next. Sensitive in that we affirm what they are doing and empower them to make those next steps, supporting them along the way. As I have said before, the literacy project is a journey to shift the mindset of our Kaiako - so that they all drive effective literacy teaching and learning in their respective subject areas. 

The Literacy Project working team (Mr Milford, Dr Jannie, myself and Julie Luxton) have met to discuss our analysis over three sessions. We have thoroughly enjoyed going through each department's response and appreciate the time and thought that each Kaiako has put into their Literacy Action Plan. We wanted to ensure that we captured what the department's identified as the literacy 'opportunity' that they would like to implement - that would have a big impact. Given the short time frame that we have to work with the different learning areas, we decided to choose one or two opportunities and provided some support around this. 

Literacy Project 2022: Kaiako Literacy Action Plan Analysis + Next Steps

We have documented our analysis and have summarized this into a presentation. The presentation outlines the opportunities as identified by the subject area, next steps and the support we will offer to help them move forward. We hope to meet with the departments in the next week or so, to share our findings and to check in. An important part of this discussion is to make sure that we are on the same page. We hope to share what have found and we hope that from here that the departments can agree with this and we can design what our next steps will be together. We are also prepared in that if we are not on the same page, we will have to review our findings and then reconvene with the department. It has been an awesome experience so far. I look forward in reflecting and documenting each step of the Literacy Project. 

Week 5 Term 3 - English Department: Unpacking New NCEA Standards - 1.2 [91925] - (August 22 - 26)

 The NCEA Level 1 standards are slated to roll out in 2024. After the initial introduction in 2021, the English Department has started to unpack the new NCEA Level 1 assessments. The notable change is that our Level 1 English program will now consist of 2 internal assessments (worth 5 credits each) and 2 external assessments (worth 5 credits each). Currently our NCEA Level 1 English students are offered 4 internal assessments (12 credits total) and 3 external assessments (12 credits total). In addition to this, our Level 1 students are also offered NCEA Level 1 English credits when they are in Year 10 through 2 internal assessments (10 credits total). The new changes to the NCEA structure and in particular, the NCEA Level 1 English structure, focuses on three Big ideas which are: 

Engaging with text is a source of enjoyment and enrichment

Language and identity are inextricable

Making or creating meaning is an active process that occurs when we interpret or produce text

The new assessments for NCEA Level 1 English allow for our students to deep dive and explore texts, create meaning in and through texts and enables students to craft texts through multi models. You can read more about the Big Ideas and the changes to NCEA Level 1 English here - NCEA Education - English - I have also written a reflection on our department's first response to the changes to NCEA here - Alby's Blog Entry: 16/05/22 . At our recent TOD, as a department we dedicated time to unpack and understand one of the new NCEA Level 1 English internal assessments. We wanted to use the time, before the changes kick into gear, to get familiar with the assessments. We decided to start with 1.2 [91925] - Create a verbal and visual personal response to an independently studied text. With unpacking the assessment, I thought that we could focus on five areas (to bring focus to the unpacking and analysis). These areas are:

What is the assessment? 

What are the key words/concepts of the assessment?

What are the opportunities with this assessment?

What are the potential barriers for kaiako with this assessment?

What are our next steps?

Below is the Department's responses to each area. I wanted to document and reflect on this as I believe that it will help us prepare and plan for the new changes to NCEA in 2024. 

Mr Spruyt sharing the character analysis presentations his Level 1 class did in Term 2

Connecting what we are currently doing + applying it to the new NCEA Level 1 English standard (1.2)

1) What is the assessment? Understanding the premise of the assessment. 

• Verbal + Visual response to a text
• Similar to the Connections + Reading Responses assessment that we offer in Year 10.
• The student is required to create a verbal and/or visual response to a independently chosen text
• The response is based on the student’s understanding on the key elements in the text - whether it be character, setting, theme, conflict in the text, key relationships, symbolism, language etc. 

Summary: Currently we offer two Level 1 internal assessments to our Year 10 students - 90852 (Explain significant connection(s) across texts) and 90854 (Form personal responses to independently read texts). . Both assessments align with this new standard in that students have to study and analyze a text. The difference is that the student's response to the text can be presented through different multi models. Currently they are producing a written report for the texts that they have studied. With this new assessment the students can present their analysis through visual mediums such as Google presentations etc. Also with this new assessment, there is an emphasis on verbal component - so the student has to verbally show an understanding of the text. We like the idea of exploring the different elements of a text - such as character, relationships within the text, symbolism and language. With the current assessments, there is a huge focus on theme and understanding how the text connects to the theme. There is a little bit more freedom to deep dive into the text(s). 

2) What are the key words and concepts of the assessment? Understanding and unpacking the language of the assessment. 

• Speech (assisted by a slide show)
• Monologue
• Multi-model
• Could be an audio/video
• Static image with an explanation
• Creative freedom
• Must have a verbal component
• choosing a text, and appropriate aspect(s) of the text to focus your response
• checking with your teacher regarding your choice of text and aspect(s)
• making connections between the world of the text and your own world
• selecting the best mode for your presentation: for example, a comic strip, slideshow, oral presentation (must include visual component), seminar, Prezi, zine, YouTube clip, TED talk, vlog
• checking with your teacher that your presentation mode includes both verbal and visual components
• drafting your presentation
• seeking feedback from your teacher
• crafting and submitting your presentation.
• Focusing on a character's experience
• Focusing on an issue, problem or idea
• Focusing on elements of the setting
• Focusing on a conflict
• Focusing on how language is used
• Focusing on a significant event
• Focusing on a relationship.

Summary: The key concept that stood out for our department was 'multi model'. We spend a large portion of our teaching time teaching students how to craft a text. This new standard allows our students to have a bit more creative freedom to explore different models such as comic strips, slide shows and vlogs. We currently use these visual tools but we do not assess them as they do not fit the assessment criteria for NCEA Level 1 English. We are excited that we are able to incorporate these visual tools into our teaching and learning as the students really enjoy using them. We are hoping that they will engage with the learning more as we are able to use (and assess) visual tools that they not only use but use really well. 

3) What are the opportunities with this assessment?

What are the different modes of presentation (Current presentation models that we can implement into the standard):

• Written reports
• Connections Report
• Static Image
• Reading Responses
• Use of Google Slides, Book Creator + Canva

Students can create:

• Static Image - (with a written explanation - a personal response - a reflection about the piece of work, show knowledge of the text and their own reaction to it)
• Google Slide Deck
• Book Creator
• Text Review

Texts:

• Novel
• Film
• Fan fiction
• Possible move away from the novel
• Pasifika/Maori narratives (short/extended)
• Short films
• Newspaper articles
• Short stories
• Speeches
• Songs/Poetry/Albums
• Podcasts

Potential roll out of the assessment (how we see it in our classrooms) 

• Study an independently chosen text (teacher to provide 4 texts)
• Spend 4 weeks studying 4 texts
• Teacher to guide student selecting the texts
• Go through different text analysis with the students (character/setting/language)
• Go through the multi model with the students.
• Trial the assessment with our Year 10 cohort in 2023

Summary: The opportunities with this assessment are exciting. We spent time sharing what we are currently doing with character analysis (for a text study) and how some of us are using Google Slide Deck with presenting character analysis. Some of our team use Book Creator and shared how students have used this in a meaningful way in addition to the text study. There are already some good practice with visual tools and the purpose of sharing this with each other is to enforce that we do not have to reinvent the wheel. We can apply this to the new assessment. We even started to talk about how we would teach it to our students. 

4) What are the potential barriers for kaiako with this assessment?

• High tech requirement
• Sustainability (keep the pace)

Summary: We did not spend too much time on this area. Not because we did not want, but I think we knew that the opportunities with this assessment outweighed the potential barriers. We did acknowledge that this assessment requires all students to have access to a device and online learning (as we anticipate that the students will craft their responses online) and managing the pace so that the students are engaged - are two of the potential barriers. We also acknowledge that some of our kaiako may be strong in knowing multi model tools than others. It is a team effort and we know that we need to support and help each other feel comfortable and confident in knowing how to support our akonga with the learning how to present their findings in new and creative ways. 

5) What are our next steps?

• Meet again in Week 8 to go through 
• Go through the 3 exercises (1.2 91925)

Summary: There are a few activities that NZQA have attached to the assessment. We are going to review these in the next week or so, to get familiar. We would like to trial this assessment in 2024 with our Year 10 students. That would give us an insight on what they know, what we know but also what we need to know in order to support the assessment. 

I look forward to unpacking the rest of the assessments for NCEA Level 1 English with the team. It is both exciting and nerve wrecking knowing that our program is going to change. But we know that these changes are going to have a positive impact on our learners.

Week 4 Term 3 - Literacy Project: Next steps forward - Working with the subject areas. (August 15 - 19)

In Week 9 of Term 2, the Literacy Project was pitched to the curriculum committee. The purpose of this presentation was to inform the HODs on what the project is about and what our plan is going forward. I wanted to make sure that the vision was clear to them and that our steps going forward, are steps that need to be taken together as a team. Their support, understanding and buy in is a crucial part of the Literacy Project journey - as Literacy is a school wide priority across all subject areas. I wrote a reflection piece about the presentation and shared my thoughts on how it went (Alby's Blog Entry: 04/07/22). 

Literacy Project 2022 Presentation

Tell your story: Kaiako Literacy Action Plan

Since the presentation there has been positive progress and I feel that the project is finally gaining some traction. Following the presentation the HODs were asked to complete the Kaiako Literacy Action Plan with their departments. The Kaiako Literacy Action Plan is a document from the Ministry of Education, where kaiako are able to reflect on their current literacy practices (reviewing on what they currently do, what is working well etc), reflecting on what the literacy opportunities the department wants to explore and what are the next steps in achieving those goals. The Kaiako Literacy Action Plan is an opportunity for teachers to really look at what they are doing with literacy, to see what is working well and to find the gaps - or as I like to refer to, an area of opportunity. The departments had three weeks to work through the document. The response was positive with all subject areas completing the plan. 

Click on the image to access the Kaiako Literacy Action Plan

The ultimate goal with the Kaiako Literacy Action Plan is to reflect on what you are currently doing with literacy, find opportunities to grow and explore literacy in your classroom as kaiako and then map out what your next steps are. I am excited that all the subject areas and their HODs are on board and that they have started to journey with us in the Literacy project. As I have mentioned before, the heart of the literacy project is the student and doing all that we can to support their literacy. In order for this to happen, it is important that kaiako understand that they drive the initiative. The Kaiako Literacy Action Plan allows kaiako to reflect, dream and see how they want to drive and lead literacy in their classroom. 

Understanding your story: Literacy Project analyzing the Kaiako Literacy Action Plan

The Literacy Project team which includes myself, Dr Jannie and Mr. Milford (with the support from Julie Luxton - Evaluation Associates) have met to plan out the next phase of the literacy project. The information from our colleagues is rich and compelling and we know that need to study it and try our best to interpret and more importantly, respect and understand, their story. In this new phase, we have taken all of the plans from each department and divided them amongst Dr Jannie,  Mr. Milford and myself - from here we have started to analyze the responses from each learning area. The four key areas that we have started to analyze are: 

1) Current Literacy Practice - what are you already doing?

2) Opportunities - what is the one opportunity that you want to implement that will have the biggest impact?

3) Next Steps - what are the next steps that you want to take?

4) Support - how can the Literacy Project team support you?

We have met twice to discuss the responses and share our analysis with the project team. There is a common theme coming through the responses from the different departments which are: 

• Understanding the data - across the learning areas, there is a mutual request to understand the Asttle and PAT Data (which are our most commonly used tests that we use to give us our literacy data). 
• Consistent literacy strategies across the school - learning areas want to share and use literacy strategies that can be easily transferred into different subjects. 

There are of course some specific goals that have come through the plans. Our plan from here is to finalize our analysis and then speak with each department to share our findings. We want to share our findings with the department ultimately to make sure that we are on the same page as them. The plan from here is to then work WITH the departments in helping them in our literacy journey. Asking them what are the steps they want us to take with them that they feel will have the biggest impact. 

I know that how we approach each department is important. The goal is to support, work and journey WITH each group. To respect their story and to help them write the next part of their story in this literacy journey. It has been a daunting and exciting experience so far and I am happy that I have reflected and documented each part of the journey as I am learning a lot about myself. More so, I am learning about how important literacy is to everyone - especially our young people. In a Pandemic era, reading and writing at school has taken a hit and we are now presented with students who sit on all areas of the literacy spectrum. I look forward to seeing how this project can speak to and support our learners in their literacy journey. 

Week 3 Term 3 - English Department: Literacy Strategy - Create a Pathway (August 8 - 12)

Student engagement with writing can be a hit or miss. At the beginning of Term 1 our Year 9 and Year 10 students completed various tests, most notably the EAsttle Writing test. What we (English Department) noticed with our student's writing was that most of them did not complete it, when we questioned our students as to why they did not complete it, they responded with "we don't like writing so we just did anything" and "I don't know how to write so I just did whatever". My Year 9 English class - for the most part - did engage well with the writing and did the bare minimum when it came to writing. In reflection, I thought WHY - WHY are the students disengaged with writing? There are a few conclusions that I came to in my reflection starting with the impact of the last two years with lockdown and because of this, the gap in their writing and literacy overall has widened. 

So what is the solution to the problem? A shared goal for the English Department is that we want to explore effective literacy strategies that our students can connect to. We also want to learn from and use the literacy and language experts that we have at school so that we can upskill at the same time. In Term 2, Mr Milford worked with 2 of our Year 9 class going through the Reading Skills program and Dr Jannie introduced the Crafted Writing Program to three of our Year 9 class. Both programs were prioritized over our regular term planning and the students went through an intensive 3 - 4 week period focusing on the literacy. For my Year 9 class (9TNi) they went through a 3 week intensive with the Crafted Writing Program led by Dr Jannie. Following this, Ms George introduced the students her unit - Create a Pathway. The premise of the unit is to create a story and an online book. There are five phases in the unit. The first three main features of the unit are as follows: 

The first three phases of Ms George's 'Create a Pathway' Unit

The first three phases of the unit require the students to CREATE. Ms George spent time with 9TNi to go through first three phases and to get them started with creating their story. 

• Pick your genre: Ms George explained the concept of genre and encouraged the students to choose a genre that their story will be centered around. This was done through a class discussion. She also describe and explained what types of genre there are. Students were encouraged to mix genres if they felt the need to. 

• Create your main character: Once the students chose their genre they then moved onto the main character. Ms George explained the four main features of the main character - name, age, ability and powers. Students were encouraged to create their character online so that they could have full design control over their character. 

• Create a map: The next phase is to create a map. The purpose of the map is to give your genre and character, a setting and a place to belong. With this phase the students can start to map out their story - where their character comes from, where the main action or story takes place and where it ends. At this point the students have not started any writing the story - they have chosen their genre, created their character and map. Ms George introduced the first three phases to hook the students and for 9TNi, they were definitely hooked into the unit. 

Student work: Character + Map for the Create a Pathway Unit

Ms George gave the students about a week and a half to work through the first three phases. When I inherited the unit, I extended it for a little bit longer as some students wanted to create more than one character while others had really complex maps that they wanted to complete. Once phase one, two and three were finished the students then worked on phase four which was - crafting the text. 

• Crafting the text: The students had spent 4 weeks prior to this unit, working with Dr Jannie and the Crafted Writing Program. In this program the students learnt the basic elements in crafting a text - independent clauses, dependent clauses, prepositions, prepositional phrases and sentence structure (short, medium and long).  Going into the Create a Pathway unit, fresh off the Crafted Writing Program gave the students good leverage. They were able to start crafting their text confidently because they were aware of the basic and fundamental elements needed to craft a text. The non-negotiable features for the writing that I shared with my students were:

The writing had to have a combination of independent/dependent clauses

A variation of sentence types (short, medium and long)

The writing needs to include metaphors, personification, imagery and similes (at least)

Contrast needs to be included in the writing - contrasting point of view, description of scenery, values - it helps to make the writing interesting

The non-negotiable features were the only conditions that I gave to the students. I wanted them to craft their text freely and without too many conditions. The students really enjoyed this part of the process and I gave them two and half weeks to plan, craft and edit their writing. Near the end of phase four the students spent time reading each other's work and sharing their work to the class - in the hope that it would ignite some creative inspiration to their peers. 

Student work: Crafted text during phase four

Now that phase one, two, three and four are well underway, it is now time to implement phase five. The students have now spent time creating and crafting their text. Phase five is about combining all of those elements and creating their online book. We used the app www.bookcreator.com - it is user friendly, the students can use their school email as their login and they are able to navigate their way through the design templates quite easily. The students were given a link to join my group on bookcreator and I was able to walk through the process with them whilst they were creating their book online. This phase was one that the students really enjoyed because they were able to pull everything that they have created and crafted. The element of ownership and control was exciting and liberating for them. 

Student Work

Student Work

Student Work

Writing is always going to be an important life skill that we need to have. Writing allows us to communicate, express and connect with the world. The Create a Pathway Unit is built to create a space for students to explore, enjoy and find creative freedom in writing. The students thoroughly enjoyed this unit (so much so that they want to do it again this term). Their engagement with writing (through this unit) shifted and I felt that they were more engaged with it because they were in control of it. They were more engaged with it because they had the freedom to create a character and a world on their conditions. For many of my students - the work that they produced in this unit surpassed what they did in Term 1 with their writing. The confidence and eagerness to create and craft a text is definitely a highlight for me this year. I want to thank Ms George for creating and introducing this awesome unit to the students. It was a mana-enhancing experience for them and for that, I am grateful to Ms George to sharing this gift with us. I am definitely going to do this again! 

Week 2 Term 3 -Totara House: Review of Term 2 + Plan for Term 3 (August 1 - 5)

TERM 2 OVERVIEW

For Totara House, Term 2 was all about setting the foundation. As Term 2 was a full term (with no interruptions), I made sure to use the time to set the foundation well. What I mean by this is to establish a good routine with my mentorship and leadership teams (regular meetings), maintain our standard of structure for the house assemblies and get the students involved in the different school activities. The most important priority for me was to establish our house values for 2022. I am grateful that there was time and space in Term 2 to explore these priorities as Term 1 was a term where we experienced disruptions due to COVID 19. Here are some of my priorities that I had for Totara House in Term 2: 

• House Values: In one of my previous posts, I reflected on how we came to our 2022 House Values (Alby Blog's Entry: 28/06/22). This was focal point for me as the Whanau Dean, in that I wanted to give the students and mentors in my team a sense of purpose and on the same page in terms what our direction is for the year. 
• House Spirit (getting involved): In addition to this, I am grateful for the opportunities that I have had to work with the mentorship and student leadership teams outside of the classroom and outside of meetings, specifically getting involved in the different House events in Term 2. We were represented at every event in Term 2 and we made sure to encourage the students to participate and have fun. 
• House Data: It has not all been fun and games, I dedicated time throughout each week to review and study our Totara House data (attendance and academic data). I shared this with the mentorship team weekly and we would review it at our Mentor/Dean meetings every two weeks. For me, this was a good way to check in with the mentors and give my own updates on students in their mentor classes. This was also an efficient way for my mentors to share their updates as they have more contact with the students - we would record the information on a centralized document that is on-going throughout the year. This was for both the attendance and academic data spreadsheets. 

Totara House Student Leaders with members from 9TGu/9TNi and two of our mentors - Mr Gutry + Ms Paketama - Matariki Week Celebration Term 2

I am extremely grateful to my mentorship team - Mr Gutry (9TGu), Mr Niko (9TNi), Ms Paketama (10TPt), Mrs Rani (11TTt), Ms Tuitupou (11TTt), Mr Koch (11TKh), Ms Ferguson (12TFn), Mr Booker (13TBk), Mr Daniels (13TDs) and our academic mentors Ms Kolo, Mr Singh and Mr Milford. The student leadership - Falakika Tuakivakatau, Maletina Niko, Lisia Pauu, Lakai Vaisima, David Betham, Siale Pulupaki and Miracle Heta. The team overall really pulled together in Term 2 - to help make everything happen for Totara House. 

Term 2 Review: Totara House Junior School (9TGu, 9TNi + 10TPt)

The Junior School cohort in Totara House is made up of three classes - 9TGu, 9TNi and 10TPt. Collectively there are 77 students that make up our Junior School cohort in Totara House (55 Year 9s and 22 Year 10s). Some of the highlights in Term 2 for our Year 9 and Year 10 students include: 

• 9TGu and 9TNi's attendance for Term 2 was an average of 66%
• 10TPt's attendance for Term 3 was an average of 63%
• 9TGu, 9TNi and 10TPt across the board showed some positive shifts in their literacy - particularly writing (this was evident when they were assessed for Junior Exams in Week 8)
• All of our junior students were involved and participated in our House activities - the junior school presence was definitely felt and alive for the Samoan Language, Matariki Week and International Language Week celebrations. 

9TGu + 9TNi Week 4 Term 2: Crafted Writing Program with Dr Jannie

9TGu + 9TNi @ Matariki Week - Week 8 Term 2

Our junior students in amongst the senior school - International Language Week - Week 10 Term 2

At the end of the Term 2, I asked some of the Year 9 and Year 10 students to reflect on Term 2 (what was their highlight, what was something that they learnt about themselves etc). Here are some positive comments from some of the junior students in Totara House when asked 'what is something that you did last term that you liked or that you are really proud of? Why?' and 'What is something that you have learnt about yourself in Term 2?'

• To be honest I was really proud of the story I wrote on my English test because of how lengthy it was (Y9 - Totara House)
• Finishing my first junior exams (Y9 - Totara House)
• I need to think before I speak (Y9 - Totara House)
• I learnt that I need to prepare and not waste time at school (Y10 - Totara House)
• That I can be smart sometimes but I chose not to (Y9 - Totara House) 

Overall Term 2 was a good term for the Year 9 and Year 10 students in Totara House. They were able to settle themselves into school, get familiar with the routine and establish good relationships with their teachers and peers. 

Term 2 Review: Totara House Senior School (11TKh, 11TTt, 12TFn, 13TBk + 13TDs) 

There are 5 classes that make up the Senior School cohort in Totara House. In total there are 86 Senior School students in my House (37 Year 11 students, 20 Year 12 students and 29 Year 13 students). Some of the highlights for our Year 11, 12 and 13 Totara House students include: 

• 15 students have achieved NCEA Level 1 Literacy 
• 3 students have 30+ credits for NCEA Level 2
• 4 students have 40+ credits for NCEA Level 3
• 1 student has already achieved NCEA Level 3
• Some Totara House Year 13 students showed great leadership and initiative through leading some of different campaigns in Term 2 (for example - Pink Shirt Day)

Totara House Year 13s presenting for Pink Shirt Day Term 2

Some of the Totara House Year 12 students (12TFn)

In reflecting on Term 2, I spoke to some of our Year 13 students and asked them 'What went well for you in Term 2? What was successful for you and why?' Here are some of their responses. 

• ART - This was successful because I started on the assessment early, I went to my art classes on time (all the time) and it helped. Commitment. (Y13 - Totara House)
• SAS + Maori - I got my work and the teachers were really helpful. They helped me stay motivated. (Y13 - Totara House)
• Myself - self motivation (I motivated myself to finish the work) (Y13 - Totara House)
• The House (Totara House) - for the house, the international language was good - it showed our value of family. We all came together, no one was in a tough crowd and we did it together. Level 3 English was good, I wasn’t behind and I understood what I was doing. (Y13 - Totara House)
• Writing the proposal to SLT - it was something different. Being a leader, we are told to do certain things but I felt I was using my voice and leadership in a good way - to bring change. (Y13 - Totara House)

Term 2 gave our senior students - the familiarity and a sense of 'back to normal' which they have been deprived of for a while. I am fully aware that for our senior students, there is a degree of 'fatigue' with school. I have learnt to be patient with my senior students. I have learnt that it is OK if school is not a priority, what I can do as a Whanau Dean is support them with school work and also offer a space for them to breathe a little bit. 

TERM 3: What is the plan?

Totara House's first assembly for Term 3 Week 1

Student Leader (Maletina Niko) talking about our House Values @ assembly Term 3.

There are two main priorities for Totara House as a whole. They are: 

• Create opportunities for the students to interact with each other

A major focus for this term is to explore our House Values (Respect, Family + Resilience). The student leadership team want to see how they can bring the House together with interactive, fun and meaningful activities. The Student Leadership team have come up with some ideas on how they can do this - with a main goal to do things that require low effort but have high impact. Here are some of their ideas: 

House Quiz - get to know the House values etc (leaders could give a prize)
At St Pius - Y8 + Y2 had an event called ‘Soul Body’ - we helped them with their work.
We could have own study classes
Karaoke
House song
Leaders to come up with a House Chant
Have a ‘House Day Out’ - do fun stuff
Sports events are always good
Water activities
We could activities during mentoring

• Prioritize learning (senior school focused) - get as many credits as possible

For our senior students, this is the last term to complete internal assessments. I want to support all of the students in Totara House in achieving their credits. Whilst there has been some good progress made I know that there is so much more to do, the students know that they have so much more to do with their learning. I am hopeful that this term, they put in a greater effort for a favorable return. The Totara Academic Mentors are looking to continue working with our priority students as well.

Term 3 is slated to be full on - inside and outside of the classroom. I am hopeful that I am able to manage the House through this term. I would like to see the House get involved in all of the activities, enjoy all the learning opportunities that are on offer and do their best this term.