Learning and Teaching Update
'We aim to provide a school environment where ‘Every person can flourish and be known’ This means that our teaching program identifies the unique needs of each individual student, and delivers a learning program designed to grow them into the best person that they can be'.
Learning and Teaching Update
Dear Parents and Caregivers
This year the major focus for our Teachers’ Professional Learning is on Mathematics and Numeracy.
As your child’s first teacher, you play an important role in helping develop their numeracy skills from an early age.
Numeracy skills give children an important start to their learning and development. They also help prepare them for daily life at all ages. For example, in handling money and problem solving.
Why numeracy is important
Numeracy is more than numbers. For example, numeracy helps us:
- understand and use numbers and other mathematical ideas in everyday life
- recognise and use shape
- work out the chance of something happening
- understand the data we see in the media.
Numeracy is necessary for everyday living. From daily activities like telling the time, cooking and setting the table to more difficult tasks such as understanding mobile phone plans, planning a trip, reading a map and understanding timetables. As children and young people move through life stages the everyday numeracy demands become more complex. Employers see numeracy as important in the workplace.
Research shows that higher numeracy skills lead to higher levels of health and wellbeing and other benefits such as better decision making and financial independence.
I would like to share with you the Numeracy guide: numeracy at home This is a fabulous resource that has a range of fun activities that you can try together based on your child’s interests and experiences. The activities are organised according to age and there are some interesting and engaging ways to build on your child’s Numeracy.
I would also like to share with you nzMaths which provides some ideas for how you can raise awareness and share mathematics using everyday experiences and resources found around your home. It includes ideas for supporting your children’s learning in all areas of mathematics: geometry, measurement, statistics, algebra and number.
I wish you all a wonderful and safe Term break.
Kind Regards
Glennis Kerr
Teaching and Learning Leader