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| Mr Sevilla and his Junior students 2025 |
The Junior English Program for 2025 marked the exciting rollout of a completely new curriculum for Year 9 and Year 10 students, aligning with the refresh of the New Zealand Curriculum, Te Mataiaho. The program was structured around four distinct term-based themes, each designed to focus and deepen the students' learning. For example, the Year 9 program moved from "Who am I?" in Term 1, to "I see myself in texts" in Term 2, "We are storytellers" in Term 3, and finally "Using my voice" in Term 4. Each theme centered on the study of relevant texts, such as the extended text Kura Toa or the film Three Wise Cousins, and culminated in a major Common Assessment Task (CAT) as the final output, including tasks like Formal Writing, Creative Writing, and Speech.
Term 1 Theme: Who am I? - Extended Text Study + Formal Writing (CAT)
Term 2 Theme: I see myself in texts - Short Text Study + Creative Writing (CAT) + Mid Year Examination
Term 3 Theme: Using my voice - Visual Text Study + Speech (CAT)
Term 4 Theme: We are storytellers - Final Year Examination
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| Year 9 Speeches Term 4 2025 |
Our Junior English program for 2026 is set to be enriched with the introduction of new texts from esteemed Aotearoa Māori and Pacific writers, including works by Tim Tipene (Kura Toa) and Tusiata Avia. This is alongside the continued opportunity for selected Year 10 English students, those at curriculum Level 5 for PAT reading comprehension, to sit the Literacy Co-Requisite assessment, which was last offered in the September (Term 3) intake. These students were effectively prepared by their English teachers, dedicating a double period during the Week A schedule to practice with previous Co-Requisite papers. We are also thrilled to be fully rolling out the new, comprehensive Year 9 and Year 10 Junior English curriculum in 2026. This program, developed over the course of 11 months, is fully aligned with Te Mataiaho (the curriculum refresh). Core features of the new course include a reduced Common Assessment Task (CAT) schedule, a prioritization of structured literacy activities, a whole term dedicated to literacy intensives (Term 1), and regular library periods for all Year 9 and Year 10 students to promote reading for pleasure.
