|
Connect Communication
17 June 2026
|
|
|
|
We are on the hunt for volunteers!
|
|
Look out for a community notice in Hero asking if you can help the THT with a job on Matariki night. Katie Browning is doing a fabulous job of coordinating the team supporting this night, but we need some more helpers to make the magic happen!
|
|
|
|
|
Another way you could help is by volunteering for road patrol. We are hoping to get a team of volunteers together who would commit to one day a fortnight to help man the road patrol in the mornings. Please email Blair if you could help, blair.cook@ararira.school.nz.
|
|
|
|
The Goalposts are Moving
|
|
Staff are currently busy writing the new, mid-year reports for ākonga | students. While we have alerted you to the changes in the past, I just want to remind you once again: the goal posts have shifted!
|
There has been a significant change to the curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics, including a new approach on how schools should assess and report student achievement to whānau. The changes to the curriculum were introduced late in 2025, and this year new assessment frameworks and metrics designed to measure and report on student achievement have been introduced.
|
Here is what these changes mean for your child and our school community.
|
|
1. The Knowledge Gap (Shifting Goalposts)
|
The most immediate challenge is that curriculum expectations have increased significantly, almost overnight. For example, concepts like exponents (squared and cubed numbers) are now introduced from Year 4 upward, whereas they were previously reserved for Year 7 and above.
|
Because the goalposts have moved so suddenly, a "knowledge gap" has naturally created itself. A student currently in Year 7 is now expected to have years of prior familiarity and practice with exponents, despite never being taught them in earlier years (under the former curriculum). It will take time for students to bridge these unexpected gaps.
|
|
2. What Are We Measuring?
|
Previously, we assessed students based on where their individual skills intersected with the curriculum. For instance, a Year 7 student working slightly ahead would have been reported as achieving at the "beginning of Year 8." Now, all schools are required to teach, assess, and report on how a student is performing strictly against the expectations of their current year level.
|
|
This is a fundamental shift in teaching practice. While ensuring every child is exposed to age-appropriate content is a clear strength, it presents challenges for students who are consistently working behind their peers, as it may limit their opportunities to experience success. Our teachers are working thoughtfully to strike the right balance in the classroom, ensuring that support is in place and learning, motivation and challenge are optimised.
|
|
|
|
|
All schools have been instructed by the Ministry of Education to report achievement using five specific progress descriptors:
|
|
Your child’s teachers will utilize a mix of formal assessments, classroom observations, and student work samples to make an "informed decision" (formally OTJ = Overall Teacher Judgement) as to how much support your child needs to achieve the curriculum expectations.
|
|
|
|
|
4. Trajectory of Learning
|
At the mid-year point, a judgement of "Consolidating" may indicate your child is on track to be "Proficient" by the end of the year... however, not necessarily. Rather than referring to the amount of knowledge and skill at applying it your child has, the progress descriptors more accurately indicate the amount of teacher support required for your child to access the expected curriculum outcomes.
|
|
|
|
|
How the child engages with core curriculum concepts and strategies
|
|
|
|
|
Students understand some concepts and strategies for learning with significant guidance and assistance
|
|
|
|
|
Students understand concepts and strategies for learning with some guidance
|
|
|
|
|
Students apply familiar strategies to reinforce their learning with increasing independence
|
|
|
|
|
Students can consistently apply learning strategies confidently, accurately and independently
|
|
|
|
|
Students use higher level thinking strategies to reflect on their learning
|
|
|
The teacher's mid-year informed decision is based upon how the child has engaged with the curriculum to date. They still have new content to learn, so it is not a "given" that they will progress from one descriptor to the next by the end of the year, as the curriculum content has also expanded.
|
Student progress remains the most important aspect we celebrate. One child may always access the curriculum at "Emerging" or "Developing". Each year, the curriculum expectations will increase - so if their progress descriptors are remaining consistent, they have made progress!
|
My thanks to Ben Gorman at St Joseph's, Rangiora for generously sharing his newsletter with other principals in the region. Principals are helping each other make sense and communicate these changes effectively. Ben has done a brilliant job!
|
|
Please feel free to ask questions and engage with us as we implement these new changes. As we shared in the last newsletter, the plane is being built while we are flying!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From the Office
|
Important Reminder: School Attendance Procedures
Please remind your children that if they arrive at school late—even by just one minute—they must come directly to the school office to sign in before heading to class.
|
Our attendance system automatically marks students absent if they are not in class when the morning roll is taken. Signing in at the office ensures we know they are onsite and updates their status from "Absent" to "Late."
|
Why this matters: If a student goes straight to class without signing in at the office, our system will still flag them as absent, and you will receive an automated notification stating that your child is missing.
|
|
Likewise, please remember that if your child needs to leave during the school day, they must be signed out via the office by a parent. If they return to school later that same day, they must sign back in at the office before returning to class.
|
|
|
|
|
Important Dates
- 17 June - School Board Meeting, 6:30pm in Tāhuna | Staffroom
- 19 June - Hui (Huarapa 123), 9:15am in the Hall
- 26 June - ASP Matariki Evening, 5:30-7:00pm
- 29 June - Matariki Festival - Lincoln Events Centre (Kapa Haka)
- 03 July - Last Day of Term 2
- 20 July - First Day of Term 3
|
|
School Board
|
|
Next meeting Wednesday 17 June, 6.30pm in Tāhuna | Staffroom
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Artistic Gymnastics Success
|
We would like to extend a warm congratulations to Indi, Hannah, and Lily from Kaunuku, who recently competed in the Primary School Sports Artistic Gymnastics competition on the 11th of June. The girls represented our school exceptionally well, showcasing our core school values with pride throughout the event. We are immensely proud of your efforts and achievements!
|
|
Good Luck at Canterbury’s!
|
Sending a huge "all the best" to Thomas H from Kaunuku 2 and Connor S from Huarapa 4! These two fantastic runners will be representing our school at the Canterbury Cross Country event at Ngā Puna Wai on the 17th of June. We are already so proud of you both for making it this far!
|
|
Sports Outside of Ararira Springs:
|
|
Open NZ Karate Championships
|
|
Artem, from Kaunuku 2, competed in the Open NZ Karate Championships held in Auckland and achieved 1st place in his division. He worked very hard in training to prepare for this event, and we are very proud of his achievement.
|
|
|
About a month ago, Adam in Hikuwai 5, earned his Yellow belt in Kung Fu, which was a special milestone for him after working hard and practising regularly.
|
|
More recently, he participated in the Alpine Ice "Winter Whirl" skating event and received a certificate for his efforts. He was especially excited to place 1st in the Beginner Badge event and 2nd in Stroking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Zones Tournament: 19th June at Foster Park
|
A quick update regarding our tournament teams:
|
-
|
Football: Taking senior A & B teams, and junior A & B teams (mixed-gender, 7-a-side).
|
-
|
Compulsory gear: Shin pads and long socks.
|
-
|
Hockey: Taking one senior team only (mixed-gender, 6-a-side). We will not be entering a junior hockey team.
|
-
|
Compulsory gear: Mouthguards and shin pads.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The closing date for Issue 4 is 03 July 2026.
|
|
|
|
We recommend you place your order by 12 June to ensure you receive your order before the end of Term 2.
|
All orders will be delivered to school in batches and distributed to the classrooms as they arrive. Any orders marked as gifts, we will put to one side and contact you when they are ready to be collected.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hagley College Year 9 (2027) enrolments are closing soon!
|
Applications close on Friday 26 June at midday (earlier than most other high schools).
|
|
Late applications cannot be accepted. Apply online now:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mid-Year Reports: Live in Week 11 Reports will contain the following information in Reading, Writing and Maths: A narrative about your child’s learning (what they can do) Next steps How you can help at home A progress descriptor describing your child’s current ability to work within their year level content. Sliders for each element of Reading and Writing, and each …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Berry Street Education Model BSEM at Ararira - Nicky Harding and Claire Howison At Ararira Springs, we are committed to fostering a learning environment where every child feels safe, supported, and ready to thrive. To support this, our kura has adopted the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) - a trauma-informed, strengths-based framework designed to boost student wellbeing, engagement, and academic …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Attendance Monitoring at Ararira The government has publicly stated that it wishes to lift attendance rates at New Schools so 80% of all children are attending 90% of the time by 2030. We have set this as a target for our kura|school in 2026. All schools are required to have an attendance management plan (AMP) in place that follows stepped …
|
|
|
|
|
|
