Week 7 Term 4: English Department: English Department Publication: Our Voices Vol.2 (November 25 - November 29)

"In tautua, lead our community
Lead through uniqueness, your diversity
Lead through leaning, lead through learning
Lead through others, lead by earning
Your own way in the world."
(Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh)

Some of our Y9 and Y10 writers for 'Our Voices' Vol.2

The voices of our young people are unique, diverse and important. The voices of our young people are the voices that will lead and tautua (serve) their families and wider communities in the future. In this second edition of ‘Our Voices’, the English Department is excited to celebrate our young writers who have crafted their texts with excellence, love and commitment. The new curriculum refresh states that “The stories of Aotearoa New Zealand are unique taonga tuku iho.” We believe and honor the stories, the ideas, the experiences, the creativity and the voices of our young people as taonga.

The launch of 'Our Voices' Vol.2

This edition of ‘Our Voices’ stands as a representation and testament to the creativity and courage of storytelling. It is through their storytelling - through their interpretation of a text or through an opinion essay - that we get the privilege of seeing the world through their lens. Through their storytelling, we have the privilege of understanding their experience and how they see themselves. It has been an absolute honor and joy for the English Department to work alongside our young writers this year and to see who they have grown in their writing.

Click on the image to access the digital version of 'Our Voices' Vol.2

‘Our Voices’ provides a platform for our young people to tell their stories and to create their own narratives. A narrative that is nurtured within the English Department but one needs to be shared beyond the classroom. I want to acknowledge the English Department staff for their commitment, aroha and work that they have poured into our students. Thank you to Mrs Pravina Harde, Mrs Christine Lukhelo Williams, Mr Faiyaz Hoosein, Mr Jeremy Spruyt, Ms Anahina Latu and Ms Francis Kolo. I would also like to acknowledge Mr Jeremy Spruyt for editing and producing this year’s publication. Finally I want to acknowledge and thank all of our young writers who have contributed to this year’s publication - thank you for your gift and voice in your writing. Your words resonate with such creativity, cultural richness and power. My hope is that our young writers continue to use their voices to lead, empower and serve their families, school and wider community.

Week 6 Term 4: English Department: Junior English Program 2025 PART TWO (November 18 - November 22)

 In my previous post, I reflected on the first steps that I have undertaken in redesigning our Junior English Curriculum for 2025. Please see my reflection post here - see Alby's Blog Post Entry: 11/11/24  In this post I outlined the heart of our Junior English Curriculum and the four key areas of Te Mataiaho that we are going to focus on which are: 

Te whakamahi rautaki ki te whai māramatanga | Comprehending and Creating Texts

Te tātari arohaehae | Critical analysis

Te pānui hei whakangahau, hei whakapārekareka | Reading for pleasure

Te tūhono mā te whakawhiti kōrero | Connecting through storytelling

In post this week I am going to outline what the calendar for both Year 9 and Year 10 English will look like in our new curriculum for Junior English 2025. The calendar outline is inspired from work that I have seen through the Papatoetoe High School English Department and Dilworth School English Department. A huge shout out to the teachers there who have created some awesome programs for their Year 9 and Year 10 English classes and akonga. 

YEAR 9 ENGLISH CALENDAR 2025

Year 9 English Calendar 2025

Each term will broken up into themes which all centered our primary theme of 'Our Stories, Our Voices' (which is in direct alignment with our NCEA Level 1 English theme). The themes are each term are as follows: 

Term 1: Who am I?

Term 2: I see myself in texts

Term 3: We are storytellers

Term 4: Using our voices

There will be a primary text for each term and a common assessment task that will connect directly to the learning of the text. Except for Term 1 where we will solely focus on literacy strategies through our structured literacy program and our library program where we will focus on reading for pleasure. We have reduced our common assessment tasks to three assessments (traditionally we cover 5 - 6 assessments for both Year 9 and Year 10 English) but we wanted to focus on less assessments and more on exploring texts and enjoying texts. The common assessment tasks that we are focusing on for both Year 9 and Year 10 English in 2025 are Formal Writing, Creative Writing and Speeches.

YEAR 10 ENGLISH CALENDAR 2025

Year 10 English Calendar 2025

In the same fashion as our Year 9 English calendar, the Year 10 English calendar for 2025 is broken up into themes. The themes for each term are: 

Term 1: Seeing Connections

Term 2: Exploring Voices and Language

Term 3: We are storytellers

Term 4: Using our voices

Like our Year 9 program, each term has a primary text and common assessment task attached. It follows the same formula that we have in our current curriculum except each term is driven by a theme. There is enough room for kaiako to choose texts that they are comfortable with and to dictate how they want to assess the common assessment task. The exception is that all of our Year 10 students will be expected to do the speech in Term 3 in preparation for the Year 10 speech competition in that we would like to run in Term 4. 

I am excited about this new venture and I look forward to documenting our progress and journey in 2025. 

Week 5 Term 4: English Department: Junior English Program 2025 (November 11 - November 15)

 One of the goals for the English Department this is term is: 

Redesign our Junior English Program 
Our hope is to redesign the Junior English program that it aligns to Te Mataiaho (Curriculum Refresh model) and allows the space for a deep dive into structured literacy.  We are aiming to work alongside our Library Department to ensure that we use the space in a meaningful way with our Year 9 and Year 10 students. We are wanting to encourage ‘reading for pleasure’ in our program next year.

The purpose of redesigning our Junior English Program is to ensure that it aligns to Te Mataiaho (Curriculum Refresh model and framework) and that it prioritizes a deep dive into structured literacy strategies. This is an important priority and goal for the English Department as we want to make sure that our Year 9, 10 and Year 11 English programs are connected and make sense. The main key that I want to focus on is 'engagement' - we want our students to engage with English through exploring different text types and crafting different text types. Learning, creating and sharing their texts that is mana enhancing. 

Junior English 2024

The heart of our Junior (Year 9 and Year 10) English Program (from Te Mataiaho: The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum). The theme is Our Story + Our Voices

Language and literature give us insights into ourselves and others

The stories of Aotearoa New Zealand are unique taonga tuku iho

Stories are a source of joy and nourishment

Communication depends on shared codes and conventions

Literature, language, and texts embody power relationships

• We will look at Our Stories - we will look at the stories and experiences of others and you will write about your own story and experience.
• We will focus on Our Stories - we will look at the stories and experiences of those in our community. You will create a text that is a response to the stories we have studied from our own community.
• We will explore Our Stories - the stories and experiences of those inside and outside of our community. The stories of our community in Glen Innes, Aotearoa New Zealand and in the world are unique taonga tuku iho. 
• We will explore Our Voices - We will look at the stories and experiences of others. You will craft an oral text as a response.

Understand/Know/Do - Junior English Program 2025 (Draft)

Understand/Know/Do - Junior English Program 2025 (Draft)

The four key areas that Junior English curriculum is centered around are from Te Mataiaho (as seen in the image above and highlighted below). 

Te whakamahi rautaki ki te whai māramatanga | Comprehending and Creating Texts

Te tātari arohaehae | Critical analysis

Te pānui hei whakangahau, hei whakapārekareka | Reading for pleasure

Te tūhono mā te whakawhiti kōrero | Connecting through storytelling

In my next post, I will show the draft outline of the program that we will offer for Year 9 and Year 10 English and themes that we will focus for each term. 

Week 4 Term 4: Totara House: Thanksgiving Assembly (November 04 - November 08)

Totara House Thanksgiving Assembly 2024

*An excerpt from my Dean's message at Totara House Thanksgiving Assembly (Friday November 1 2024)

As we come to the final weeks of our academic year at school, I believe that it is important that we take time to reflect on the year that has been. Cambridge Insights defines that act of reflection and explains that “It allows us to create a pause between our thoughts and often emotional responses and actions. Reflection helps us gain perspective, come to terms with events, learn from our experiences and enjoy moments of gratitude. So, reflection is about our lived experience”

Today I want to encourage everyone in Totara House to meet me in this time of reflection. To be present with me in this time of reflection. To think about your year, your learning, your experiences at school (good or bad). Everything that you have done, accomplished, everything that you faced and that challenged. I encourage all of the students and staff in Totara House to think about these moments that are a part of our lives, that are a part of our year. As we sit here today and reflect on these moments, events and experiences - let us be grateful that we have made it through those challenges, that we survived those tests, that we walked through our own grief and loss, that we have been blessed with opportunities to learn and grow together.

Totara House Leadership Team 2025

‘Discipline’, ‘Commitment’ and ‘Passion’ are the Totara House values for 2024. This year Totara House have worked together in our strive for excellence towards being more disciplined in school, committed to achieving our goals in school and doing it all with aroha and passion. It has been an awesome, challenging and rewarding experience to journey through this with the House Leaders who have done an amazing job in leading their House this year. They have all led this house with integrity and mana and for that I am truly grateful and humbled.

Totara House Thanksgiving Assembly 2024

We have come together this year and collectively shown our house values on the field, on stage and in the classroom. I have enjoyed working with you and see you thrive in the Totara values of discipline, commitment and passion as we have shown in our Athletics Day, Samoan Language Week and Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Language Week campaign for 2025. What I have learnt as your Dean from working closely with you is that something that we value and that we are committed to is togetherness. The spirit of togetherness in that we will all pull together and work together. I am grateful for this and I applaud each and every one of Totara House students for your contributions to our House this year. Thank you all!

I would like to acknowledge the Totara House Mentorship team:

Ms Ferguson - 9TFn

Mrs Rani - 9TRn

Mr Krishna - 10TKr

Ms Ngyuen - 11TNg

Mr Niko - 11TNi

Ms Kolo - 12TKl

Mr Koch - 13TKh

Ms Tuitupou - 13TTt

I thank you all for your commitment to the house, their mentor classes and our values. I am forever grateful to work alongside a great team of mentor teachers. 

Totara House Thanksgiving Assembly 2024

I am grateful for the Totara House Leadership team for 2024. I am thankful to have worked and journeyed alongside a team of gifted, talented, patient and understanding students who have led their house with compassion and dignity. I want to acknowledge Daliz Betham, Stephney Fifita, Anaysha Puaga, Feao Tameifuna and Troy Tuari. Thank you for your love, commitment and service to Totara House 2024. You have led from the front, the side and behind. Your leadership was wrapped around Totara House and you made this year an enjoyable, memorable and exciting year for the young people. You were called to serve and sometimes that service meant that you had to step out of your comfort zone. I am so proud of what you have accomplished and contributed to the House. You all worked together to make sure that each student in our House felt safe, that they matter and that they belong. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

As we close 2024, I want to wish all of the Year 13 students in 13TKh and 13TTt in Totara House the very best for this new season in your journey. Thank you for your contribution, service and love that you have poured into Totara House since 2021.