THE FOUNDATION CLASS BEGINNING A LIFETIME LOVE OF LEARNING

It’s safe to say that no two days are ever the same in our classrooms. Here in Foundation Class we are guided by Te Wha¯riki, the New Zealand National Curriculum and the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate. As we foster a love of learning, we explore the curriculum areas of literacy, mathematics, physical education, science, the arts, French and digital learning. These are integrated into an inquiry-based programme that will set them up for a successful future – inspiring children to have a love of learning from their first day is an important part of our curriculum.

Our thoughtfully curated environment inspires discovery, wonder and engagement. We inspire the children and their wha¯nau to grow through the Diocesan School values. Teachers support children to discover and further their own interests and abilities; they imagine, investigate and explore, developing memory skills, building vocabulary, extending their skills and knowledge, and learning how to develop relationships with adults and other children.

We are so lucky to have so many wonderful specialist teachers who contribute to our programme. The girls are inspired to explore boldly, immersing themselves in French lessons, swimming class, music and dance and PowerPump. Through the fostering of joy, wonder, fun and curiosity throughout our programme, children develop a love of learning.

Dio values are strengthened through our connections with Reverend Sandy and weekly Chapel visits. “Reverend Sandy teaches us about God and Jesus. We sing Jesus loves me – that’s my favourite song!”

Connections to the Junior and Senior Schools are made through our regular Year 13 visitors, story sharing with Year 6s and our walks and investigations of the campus. “When we walk around the School we go so far away we can’t see Foundation Class anymore! The big girls we see say hello to us – I’m going to be a big girl one day!”

We are delighted that our girls choose to participate in team sports as it’s a great way to develop new skills, meet new friends and learn about teamwork and sportsmanship. The girls learn about commitment to their chosen sport, showing up and giving their best efforts. They learn about bringing the best version of themselves, taking personal ownership for their contribution, supporting others, and being cooperative and resilient. We love seeing their confidence grow as they feel valued and learn to execute their new skills. The fun factor is high and there’s plenty of excitement and challenge to keep the girls engaged.

We have around 40 representative teams up and running in five competitive codes including basketball, hockey, flippa ball, futsal and netball. To service the programme we employ 70 coaches who facilitate trainings and games. Fifty-five of these coaches are senior students who give their time freely in service and leadership. Without them, we could not run our programme and they do provide a very special service. We love seeing the bonds grow between our younger and older students.

We are very lucky to have an incredibly supportive parent community here at the Dio Junior School. Apart from our external coach providers, this winter season we are using 10 parent volunteer coaches in our netball and hockey codes. We also have around 40 parent volunteer team managers who support each week with communication about the game draw and player availability. Of course, we also know that many of our parents are there at games cheering and supporting their girls from the sidelines.

Apart from these winter codes we are also running training programmes for competitive artistic gymnastics and