LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Wellsford School teaching programmes are organised around the essential learning areas based on the Revised National Curriculum. A recent survey of staff, students, and parents identified Literacy, Mathematics, and Physical Education & Health, are the key learning areas for this community of students. Our overviews and priorities for classroom teaching reflect this.

English Literacy:
Children work to the achievement objectives in all three strands of the English curriculum: Written Language (Reading and Writing), Oral Language (Speaking and Listening), and Visual Language.  Emphasis is put on the reading and written areas.  Through reading recovery, remedial programmes, and our buddy reading programme, children with difficulties in these areas are identified and additional assistance in groups or as individuals is organised to fit the individual level of achievement.

 

Mathematics:
The school mathematics programme is based around the Numeracy Project that has been developed to ensure students have the knowledge and strategies to understand the Number Strand from the curriculum. As well each year children will work with the other strands of: Graphs and Statistics, Geometry, Measurement and Algebra.

Information Technology:
Our school has laptops and a variety of I Pads in every classroom, enabling students to have the opportunity to use ICT to enhance their learning, or the presentation of learning in one area. From 2012, a class of Year 8 students have the opportunity to learn in our new digital classroom, using I Pads. All the ICT resources are linked through a school wide network enabling students to work on developing their skills relating to Information Technology and being able to access the global world of information. The office and library are fully computerised as well. 

 Physical Education:
The programme, at the various levels, include large and small ball skills, athletics, gymnastics, swimming and cross country.  The swimming programme, as well as focusing on swimming skills, also has an emphasis on teaching the children safe practices and water survival.  Regular fitness is done by all children using a variety of activities such as skipping, running exercises and Jump Jam. School Netball teams participate in the local Saturday morning competition and often have practises at school.  Other students join local soccer, rugby, squash, tennis and athletics clubs.

 Integrated Topics:
To ensure a balanced coverage the school has developed an Integrated Topic approach to cover the curriculum objectives in Science, Social Studies, Health and Technology.

The Arts:
The art programme ensures a range of skills are covered over a period of time. In addition, Dance, Drama and Music are integrated with other curriculum areas as well as being done separately. The school present a Production every year to the community. This Production may be a Junior School Show, a Middle School Production, or a Senior School Extravaganza.

Kapahaka:
The Wellsford School Kapahaka group known as, 'Te Kura o Werewhitu Kapahaka Roopu.'   This group has performed at a high standard for many years now and visits a variety of festivals. Tamariki learn nga moteatea, poi, waiata a ringa, haka me ona tikanga. Kapahaka groups are strongly supported by whanau. The group is increasingly popular for students to join.

Outdoor Education:
 All children have the opportunity to experience Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC). The experiences include camps and day trips for all ages, as well as the traditional Calf and Lamb Day, Athletics Day and Cross Country, Swimming Sports and interschool Sports challenges. Children can benefit socially, physically and educationally from experiences outside the classroom therefore programmes of work which provide these experiences are to be planned and encouraged.

To achieve this rationale the following guidelines are in place:

1.       At all levels of the school teachers will be encouraged to involve their children in education outside the classroom, whether a day trip or stays of longer duration.
2.       Overnight camping beyond the school grounds will be available for children in Year 4 and above with each syndicate planning activities at local camps.
3.       Finance will be considered when planning for activities out of the school grounds takes place.
4.       One of our charter objectives is the provision of experiences in the wider geographic area so that numerous well-planned daytime excursions are supported by the Board who see these experiences as part of our overall plan to use outdoor education to stimulate learning.