Kia ora Upper Harbour whānau,

We are well into the swing of things here at school, with teachers and learners settled into their classroom routines and learning well underway.

We have had a lot to celebrate already this term. A special welcome to all of our new whānau who joined us at our recent pōwhiri. It was a fantastic occasion, and we are grateful to Mr Clark for leading kapa haka. Our kapa haka group and the whole school singing our waiata did us proud! We also acknowledge our Year 4-6 learners who participated in our recent swimming sports. It was great to see them showing a can-do attitude, one of our WiTS, as they competed with enthusiasm and supported one another. A huge thank you to Miss Steyn for her organisation of this event.

You'll also see a note that the Shore to Shore is coming up - Mrs Heck has twisted my arm to run it with her, and I'd like some support from our families! Please have a read, sign up, and come along for a fun run/walk as part of our school community!

Curriculum Updates

As you may have read in the previous newsletter, significant changes are underway in the New Zealand Curriculum. These changes clarify expectations for teachers, students, and whānau. Students will encounter more complex learning at an earlier stage, raising expectations for achievement.

Key updates include:

A shift from "Levels" to "Progress Outcomes," focusing on students' learning progress rather than fixed levels. Reporting will now describe specific skills and next steps.
Clear learning progressions outlining what students should 'know,' 'understand,' and 'do' at each stage.

These updates mean this year’s progress reporting on Hero won’t be directly comparable to previous years, as progress expectations have been realigned. We will share more information about this as we approach the end of Term 2.

Information Afternoons for parents

Throughout the year we would like to share information with parents about our school and curriculum. The first of these will take place over the coming weeks.

Keeping Ourselves Safe

Keeping Ourselves Safe Information Afternoon

All Parents

Wednesday 12th March @ 2:15pm

UHPS School Hall

Teachers will be leading their classes through the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme, supported by our community constable in the last three weeks of term. More information regarding the content of this programme can be found in the attached link by reviewing the 'Junior' and 'Middle' Primary Resources. There will be a parent information afternoon led by our community constable, Tania Wansink on Wednesday 12th March from 2:15pm - 3pm in the UHPS School Hall.

Learning to read in a Junior classroom

BSLA Curriculum Information Afternoon

Pīwakawaka Parents (Year 0-2)

Wednesday 19th March @ 3:10pm

Room 18

The way we teach children to read has changed in significantly in the last few years. For parents of children in the Pīwakawaka team, we invite you to a curriculum afternoon on Wednesday, 19th March in Room 18. This session will provide insights into how these curriculum changes align with the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) and our structured literacy programme. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about how we are supporting early literacy and what this means for your child’s learning journey, including developing a greater understanding of what books they will bring home, and how you can support them.

We look forward to seeing you there!