Junior Department

Another exciting year with our department functioning at full capacity, ensured opportunities for children to fully explore the Key Competencies by: working in Teams across the department, engaging in activities that acknowledge their Thinking and the ideas of others, prioritising Communication skills through professional learning and explicit teaching of Self-Management skills using programmes such as the Mindful Movers. Appraisal Connector An ongoing indicator of the dedication and commitment to self-improvement of the teaching team, was evident throughout the year as teaching inquiries were recorded and shared with peers using the Appraisal Connector platform. Our shared theme this year was a focus on strengthening Oral Language skills in our young learners. All Junior Department staff attended an Oral Language course run by Sheena Cameron and Louise Dempsey in January 2021. Each term key areas were selected by individual teachers and their inquiries were shared in Appraisal Connector using the following prompts: • What you trialled in your practice… • The impact it had on learning… • Questions you still have… • Any possible next steps…

Individual inquiries followed by collegial sharing ensured a depth of learning and rich experiences for our students. It was evident by the end of the year that our children could communicate their learning and opinions in a variety of settings.

Embedding our Learning Culture A common theme across the Preparatory School was introducing and unpacking the school wide StAC-UP programme. The Junior team welcomed this addition and initially linked it to our Oral Language inquiries. The language of StAC-UP was shared through acts of explicit teaching to ensure our young students developed successful learning and behaviour strategies. Students have been reflecting on their actions around three key areas: Be Ready, Be Safe, and Be Respectful. This cycle of reflecting and linking actions to StAC-UP through guided conversation and implementing change has become part of our daily practice.

Another welcome introduction was the token system relating to our School Houses: Rutherford, Erwin, McGibbon and Thompson. Tokens were given to children in recognition of StAC-ing-UP. Winning Houses celebrated each term by drawing together children across the Preparatory School in a House coloured theme day. Our young children embraced this fully and strived to support peers from their Houses, as they enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate the team effort.

Our full staff professional learning focus around the Restorative Practice approach to conflict resolution supported our StAC-UP programme. Restorative Practice conversations in the classroom and the playground ensured the children were supported in developing the necessary language skills to reflect on and resolve the issues at hand. Links were always made to the key elements of StAC-UP: Be Ready, Be Safe, and Be Respectful.

Literacy Reading, Writing and Phonics were timetabled with priority across the Junior Department. Daily reading and writing lessons guaranteed explicit teaching of scope and sequence relating to each subject. A structured phonics programme provided a beneficial link across the curriculum. Children who required extra backing to get underway were given one-to-one support with a skilled teacher. A strong foundation in literacy across its disciplines was a priority in our department with high levels of achievement reflecting our commitment to this goal. Mathematics Prime Mathematics was the core of our teaching and learning programmes and will remain so in 2022. Our Prime programmes ensured a balanced exposure to the three dimensions of Mathematics: Procedural and Computational Skills, Conceptual Understanding, and Problem Solving. Our team of passionate teachers willingly sharing their knowledge with others. This is also evident during Mathematics interchanges undertaken across some year levels providing an opportunity for in depth, targeted teaching, meeting the learning needs of small groups of children. The Prime Mathematics review chapters have provided evidence of progress and next learning steps.

Transition to School Programme Full new entrant classrooms with happy and settled children reflected the successful Transition to School programme operating in 2021. Strong connections and an inclusive relationship between the Pre-school and our Junior Department ensured the children’s needs were the first consideration in all planning. Children who came in from other pre-schools benefited from this wealth of knowledge, crucial for a student arriving without a network of friends. We continue to be proud of the programme and its positive results.

Digital Technology Digital Technology presented some exciting learning opportunities under the expertise of Mrs Anneke Kamo. The students in Years 1 and 2 have become

very confident in coding our BeeBot robots. BlueBots were also introduced, a step up from the Beebots. The BlueBots allowed the students to write code on the iPads and transfer this code and control them through Bluetooth.

At the start of Year 3, the students transitioned from using iPads to Surface Pro laptops. For some, this was their first time using a laptop so there was a range of new skills to learn. They began with the Digital Literacy programme in Term 1 and later in the year, extended their coding skills by completing a range of projects using the coding programme Scratch. To conclude the year, a highlight for the Year 1 and 2 students was creating Christmas stop motion projects using the iPads.

Inquiry The Year 3 inquiry for 2021 was designed to investigate change in our local environment, with a particular focus on the geographical, historical, and environmental change of the Port Hills. The inquiry began with a provocation – a letter from the Secretary of the Summit Road Society that invited the Year 3 students to take part in a new project planting trees as part of a regeneration programme in Avoca Valley, on the east side of the Port Hills. There they enjoyed the experience of digging holes, planting trees, and considering how change has impacted on the Port Hills. They also enjoyed some sketching which involved careful observations of the area. After this initial activity, the students researched native birds and native trees, and considered the impact of introduced predators to the environment. They read about the success of Zealandia in Wellington and were able to imagine how their work might contribute to a similar project on the Port Hills.

During the inquiry, the children worked closely with our IT specialist to develop skills that enabled them to present their learning in a digital format.

It was unfortunate that they were not able to end the inquiry with the traditional celebration of learning. However, the students completed their research into a native bird of their choice during the lockdown in Term 3. They have been able to share their learning with their families as part of the outdoor activities that they have undertaken.

Learning is lifelong, and our hope is this inquiry has engendered an ongoing interest in the flora and fauna of New Zealand and the protection of our local environment.

Discovery Time Tūhura Time remained the highlight of the week for many Year 1 and 2 students in the Junior Department. Under the care of Mrs Marlene Van der Bent it continued to flourish with adjustments, allowing a more meaningful reflection session at the end. Looking forward to 2022 brings some highly anticipated refinements ensuring even more inclusion and extension.