A Message from the Deputy Principal
SWell Start to School
We have started off the year in the most wonderful way with the introduction of a SWell Start to School. We dedicated the first two weeks of school to getting to know each other and our school routines and expectations. As part of our SWell Start to School there were lots of fun getting to know you activities and experiences, and a chance to get to know the staff and teachers. Each class was also designated an area or space within the school to develop the expectations for promoting student voice and agency. We share some images below from our Expectations Expo displays!
Term Overviews and Visible Thinking
Each Learning Area team have been collaboratively planning for the learning experiences and foci for this term. Over the next week, there will be an Audiri message from your child/s teachers with a term overview for each Learning Area.
Our overarching Faith in Life and Learning concept this term is Identity and Community. It is wonderful to have our students take ownership of their learning and showing a keen interest in the big ideas being presented through various provocations and rich texts. We are looking forward to hearing about the learning journey as the term progresses.
Our staff are also on a learning journey, modeling the disposition of lifelong learners. We are further developing our knowledge, understanding and application of evidence-based, best practise as teachers. We are currently exploring the Visible Thinking approach. This approach helps learners to develop clear patterns. The aim of Visible Thinking is to foster richer discussion and dialogue, more purposeful thinking, and deeper understanding in any learning situation. Looking at various sides of an issue can help learners to consider different perspectives, while skills such as predicting, summarising, and sharing ideas can help them develop more complex language.
At the heart of Visible Thinking is the use of a pedagogical tool called a Thinking Routine. Dozens of Thinking Routines have been developed or adapted by the Project Zero research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Each routine focuses on a specific kind of thinking. With frequent use of a Thinking Routine, students will sharpen their awareness of opportunities to use that particular process of thinking.
Geraldine Crowe
Deputy Principal