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Our Learning

NZ Curriculum

Students at Ellerslie School will strive to be confident, connected, actively involved lifelong learners. Our students will be literate, numerate, critical and creative thinkers.

They will aspire to be positive in their own identity, able to relate to others, willing and able to contribute to the well-being of New Zealand. We believe that through their learning experiences  our students will develop their own values and respect the values of others. 

The New Zealand Curriculum is the basic document for all New Zealand Schools to plan their learning and teaching programmes from.  Allowance is made within each class for children to work above or below their age and the curriculum level.  This means that many programmes in the classroom have a range of grouping and levels of work happening at the same time.  The New Zealand Curriculum has eight learning areas and these are:

English

In English, students study, use, and enjoy language and literature communicated orally, visually, or in writing.

The Arts

In the arts, students explore, refine, and communicate ideas as they connect thinking, imagination, senses, and feelings to create works and respond to the works of others.

Health & Physical Education

In health and physical education, students learn about their own well-being, and that of others and society, in health-related and movement contexts.

Languages

In learning languages, students learn to communicate in an additional language, develop their capacity to learn further languages, and explore different world views in relation to their own.

Mathematics & Statistics

In mathematics and statistics, students explore relationships in quantities, space, and data and learn to express these relationships in ways that help them to make sense of the world around them.

Science

In science, students explore how both the natural physical world and science itself work so that they can participate as critical, informed, and responsible citizens in a society in which science plays a significant role.

Social Sciences

In the social sciences, students explore how societies work and how they themselves can participate and take action as critical, informed, and responsible citizens.

STEAM

In STEAM, students learn to be innovative developers of products and systems and discerning consumers who will make a difference in the world.

We are committed to making a difference and being the best we can be.

School Organisation

At Ellerslie School we are structured into 5 teams:

  • Years 0 / 1  situated in Rimu Pods

  • Year 2  situated in Rata Pod

  • Years 3 / 4 situated in Mataī Pods

  • Years 5 / 6  situated in Pōhutukawa Pods

  • Years 7 / 8  situated in Kauri Pod

Children begin school on the first Monday following their 5th birthday and are classified as Year 0.   Children who begin school before April will be classified as Year 2 the following year.  Children who begin after April will be classified as Year 1 the following year.  Children who are born during April are reviewed at the end of the year and are either placed in Year 1 or Year 2, depending on what is considered best for the child.

Term Dates

Term One 2024

01 February - 12 April

Holidays - Waitangi Day - 06 February, Good Friday - 29 March, Easter Monday - 01 April, Easter Tuesday - 02 April

Term Two 2024

29 April - 05 July

Holidays - King's Birthday - 03 June, Matariki - 28 June

Term Three 2024

22 July - 27 September

Term Four 2024

14 October - 18 December

Holiday - Labour Day - 28 October

Term One 2025

03 February - 11 April

Holiday - Waitangi Day - 06 February

Term Two 2025

28 April - 27 June

Holidays - King's Birthday 02 June, Matariki - 20 June

Term Three 2025

14 July - 19 September

Term Four 2025

06 October - 17 December

Holiday - Labour Day 27 October

Music

Each guardian group from Years 2 - 8 will receive multiple 60 minute specialised music lessons throughout the year in the music suite with our music specialist teacher.  The classroom programme offers hands-on musical experiences, grounded in the NZ Music Curriculum, integrating an Orff style teaching approach with music appreciation and analysis, games, movement, playing of instruments, performance opportunities, composition, and plenty of fun and creativity. 

Through this programme other groups such as Choir, Marimba Group, a Rock Band and a Ukulele Group are also on offer for children to participate in.

Parents can also sign their child/ren up for private music lessons with some highly skilled music teachers. These are held on site, during school time. Please click on the link below if you would like to sign your child/ren up for drums, guitar, ukulele or piano lessons.

Physical Education (PE)

Ellerslie School runs a varied and engaging Physical Education Programme for our students where a skills based programme is delivered.  Alongside this run extra-curricular opportunities for children to engage in sport and sporting events.  Some of the highlights of our programme are:

  • Whole school Cross Country
  • Junior and Senior School Athletics day
  • Netball teams 
  • A range of sports teams for Zone tournaments (senior school students)
  • Kelly Sports Programmes (run within school) 
  • Senior School Swimming Sports

Technology (STEAM)

Ellerslie School runs a STEAM Programme for Years 2-8 with a our specialist STEAM teacher.  During STEAM, students learn about Electronics, Hard Materials, Soft Materials and Food Technology. Year 2 - 4 students will attend twenty, 90 minute sessions of STEAM throughout the year. Year 5 and 6 students will attend twenty, 90 minute sessions of STEAM throughout the year and the Year 7 and 8 students will attend a 180 minute STEAM session each fortnight. Lessons are held in our purpose built Technology Suite/Innovation Pod with John Macnaughtan, our technology specialist teacher, and Melissa Jacobs, our Teacher Aide.  Team 1 will do Technology within their pods and with their guardian teachers.  



Pods & Classes

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