MANGAKAHIA AREA SCHOOL
TE KURA TAKIWA O MANGAKAHIA
Primary School
Primary School - Te Kura Tuatahi
What is great about an Area School is its family connections. Many of our students in the Primary School have older siblings or whanau in the Secondary School.
Our kura is one large whanau.
Kakano: Yr 1 - Yr 3
Tania Chapman
In the year 0-3 class our literacy program is based around Little Learners Love Literacy. Little Learners Love Literacy is an explicit and sequential literacy approach for teaching children to read, write and spell with confidence.
We also offer a play-based approach which involves both child-initiated and teacher-supported learning. My role as a teacher is to encourage children’s learning and inquiry through interactions both socially and with resources that aim to stretch their thinking to higher levels. A play based curriculum allows each student to explore their own interests and help them to develop social skills and develop concrete strategies based around those interests.
Kohuri: Yr 7 - Yr 8
Karen Parker
Structured Literacy is the big focus in our Yr 7 & 8 classroom this year. We are using the Ideal Structured Literacy programme. This programme should help with filling any gaps our older students have. Also we have a number of students who are part of the Toe by Toe programme which teaches phonics and comprehension skills. This is aimed to help our students obtain the skills needed to read and comprehend confidently when they begin their high school years.
Matatupu: Yr 4 - Yr 6
Sharleena Short
This term our topic in Matatupu is Self-care. Our focus is to develop resilience, self esteem, self awareness, and self respect.
In literacy our students are doing structured literacy to support their reading and writing skills.
Our tamariki have been introduced to the writers toolbox which will also support their writing skills.
In maths we have been exploring position and orientation. Students have really enjoyed reading maps and designing their own maps.
We have also been lucky to have Whaea Sarah with us for the first half of the term. She is a year 1, student teacher and for the second half of the term Miss Taylor Gavin will be joining us. She is a year 3 student teacher. Both are from the University of Auckland.
