Week 2 Term 4 - English Department: Review of Junior English Program Term 3 (October 13 - October 17)

The theme for our Year 9 and Year 10 English program for Term 3 was “We are storytellers”. The focus for this term was to encourage our students to use their voice and express their voice, thoughts, feelings and opinion when crafting their texts. Whether it be a response to text essay, creative writing or speech - we always encourage our students to use this as a platform to share and express their thoughts. There were a variety of texts that we used this term from Witi Ihimaera’s ‘Big Brother Little Sister’ to the films ‘The Freedom Writers’ and ‘Red, White and Brass’ . The Common Assessment Task that our Year 9 and Year 10 students have been working on in Term 3 was Creative Writing and Speech.
 

9TTt presenting their book creator texts (Term 3)

We continue to use the online literacy app - StepsWeb. The students spend ONE period a week in the library on StepsWeb. We also use the library period for our students to read (the shared class text or a text of their own choice). This aligns with one of our Department goals in our Junior English program ‘Read for Pleasure.’ We are hopeful that we can use some of our student’s creative texts for our Department publication of ‘Our Voices.’

9TTt presenting their book creator texts (Term 3)

The English department is eagerly anticipating Term 4, ready to support our students in successfully completing their common assessment tasks and thoroughly preparing for the final examinations. We are committed to providing all necessary resources and guidance to ensure every student feels confident and well-equipped for the challenges ahead.

Week 1 Term 4 - English Department: Review Term 3 (October 06 - October 10)

Term 3 is always a busy time of the year. The collision of teaching, learning, student assessments, student achievement, language weeks, PLD sessions, extra curricular activities, derived grade assessments and everything in between is how I remember Term 3. For the English Department, Term 3 was a period where we were able to design, collaborate, share and create with our akonga in our classroom. Term 3 was also a period where we were tested, challenged and pushed to our limits. Overall, I believe that there has been some great learning in Term 3 for both our students and ourselves as kaiako and educators. An important focus for us this term was designing our unit for the new NCEA Level 1 English internal assessment (1.2 - Develop ideas in writing using stylistic and written conventions). The assessment encourages the students to do the assessment independently as they have skills on how to craft different texts. As a team, we designed a unit of learning that focused on the teaching and learning of different genres and styles of writing. We decided on Personal Account Writing and Narrative Writing as the genres that we wanted our students to learn and eventually write in. The student’s response to the unit has been positive and we are really pleased with how they have embraced their chosen style of writing and crafted their own unique texts. Designing, collaborating and creating a unit that is meaningful to us as teachers and collectively as a Department has been a highlight for us.

English Department PLD @ Term 3

Another highlight for our department was working together and sharing our PLD for our colleagues earlier in Term 3. Our PLD session focused on the importance of collegiality and how teachers relate to each other. Building on previous sessions about teacher-student relationships, this session emphasizes teacher-to-teacher connections, especially as the year approaches its busy end. We were inspired by the English Language Department and the Social Science Department and their PLD sessions on the importance of Teacher and Student relationships. We took a different approach, where we wanted to focus on and highlight the importance of teacher to teacher relationships, collegiality. The aim of our PLD was to encourage self-reflection and prioritize colleagues, recognizing that strong teacher relationships are as vital as teacher-student relationships, and that connectedness among teachers can positively impact student achievement. The session involved checking in and reflecting on relationships within subject areas. We had two areas that we looked at specifically which were 'How relationships matter' and 'How to cultivate strong relationships.' Both sessions were led by Mr Jeremy Spruyt and Ms Anahina Latu. I led the opening remarks, ice breaker and closing reflection.

As I reflect on Term 3, I am deeply appreciative of the incredible dedication and effort our English Department team has poured into supporting our students. Term 3, in particular, presented its unique challenges, and your tireless work has been truly invaluable. Looking ahead, I am grateful for the commitment each and every member of our English Department has shown in their service during Term 3. It's a humbling thought, but one I firmly believe: my role as HOLA simply cannot function without the collegiality and support of my colleagues. Therefore, I want to extend my thanks and acknowledge the entire English Department—Ms. Anahina Latu, Mrs. Pravina Harde, Ms. Francis Kolo, Mr. Faiyaz Hoosein, Mr. Jeremy Spruyt, Mr. Jeiel Sevilla and our honorary Department member Mrs Viv Hall —for your commitment, professionalism, drive, and enthusiasm. Your dedication to our learning area, to our learners, and to each other is the bedrock of our success. The true strength of our Department lies in the depth of our relationships and the shared history we are building together. I am truly thankful for your trust in my leadership. With that appreciation in mind, let us now turn our attention to reviewing our Term 3 Junior and Senior English program.