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Year 4 has a very experienced blend of three teachers and two learning assistants. Working closely together, they bring the best of all worlds to their students. Mrs Leigh Knight is well-known around our primary school having taught at St Cuthbert’s for seven years. Until recently she’s taught Year 5 and says this gives her the perfect insight for what Year 4 girls need to be ready by the end of the year for the next step up. She says Year 4 is a particularly good Year group to teach, as while the girls are all at different stages, their enthusiasm is high for everything. She says, “These girls just love to learn, they’re over the stages of initial settling and are growing in independence. I love being able to move them forward and improve their self-management”. Mrs Suzanne Bradley who taught at an intermediate level for many years before taking a break to raise her three daughters says she appreciates that every girl is unique. “What I learnt from the years of juggling home life and teaching is I’ve been able to take the best from each and combine the teaching methods and pedagogy in my daily classes. I’m very passionate about teaching, for me this is where joy lies. To unpack a student’s knowledge and see the ‘penny drop’ is such a precious moment.” Mrs Kate Lightfoot re-joined St Cuthbert’s again this year, having had many years at St Kentigern Girls’ School where she held various roles including the setting up of a gifted and talented programme. This was followed by working as a professional supervisor for student teachers at The University of Auckland which she continues now alongside her classroom teaching role. Asked what she likes about returning to St Cuthbert’s she says, “It’s truly like coming home. The community feel here – especially being alongside the staff – they are simply incredible and that’s what has drawn me back. How lucky I am to be part of this team and the wider Junior School staff and management”. The three teachers are well-supported by two wonderful Learning Assisants, Mrs Sarah Klisser and Ms Kam Wenlock who take small groups for Reading, Mathematics and Art, as well as running the spelling programmes. Mrs Lightfoot also reflects that what is embedded particularly well at St Cuthbert’s is the values, “It’s evident here that we are growing young people with an understanding of their responsibilities in the world, and it's wonderful to see this being fully supported by the parents, which is so encouraging”. Year 4 is the start of the Huia Whānau representing Years 4, 5 and 6. The teachers say this is a good natural grouping and the cross-year work is very collaborative. It assists placement later in the year for Year 5. Each child is known to them, and they take great care with selecting the justright teacher for the following year, so that they already start with knowledge of each individual child. That knowledge is observed at shared assemblies, get togethers and in meetings as a whānau.