20 March 2026

Kia ora koutou,

There has been so much happening at our place recently, with even more on the horizon! Behind the scenes, our teachers have been deeply invested in a significant wave of professional learning centered around the new curriculum changes.

Whenever I lead a period of change, my first priority is to do two things: block out the noise and act as a sieve. My goal is to break complex updates down into manageable, actionable chunks for our staff so they can focus on what matters most... your children.

By filtering the information this way, we can get down to business and focus on:

• The core purpose and benefits of these updates.

• Identifying what we are already doing well.

• Pinpointing the major differences we need to address.

This year marks the first year all state schools are required to fully implement the new English and Maths Curriculum. Interestingly, the current version of Maths is quite different from the "new" version we unpacked together during last year's Curriculum Days.

To ensure we are fully prepared, we are joining most other primary schools in the Eastern Suburbs for a professional learning day:

REMINDER: School is CLOSED on Monday 23 March. This is the first of two Ministry-funded curriculum days specifically focused on Maths this year.

Because our teachers are learning just a step ahead of the new material, we are approaching this as a "breathe deep and be thoughtful" kind of year. Consequently, our reporting process will look a little different:

• New Benchmarks: We will not be making comparisons to previous achievement levels, as we are now basing all judgements on new, year-level-specific benchmarks.

• Term 2 Meetings: Teachers will walk you through these changes in person during your end-of-term progress meetings.

• Physical Reports: Because the reports look significantly different this year, we will provide hard copies rather than sending them electronically.

Rest assured, while the curriculum is new, our commitment to robust assessment is not. Teachers are constantly assessing student progress through a mix of formal, informal, standardised, and non-standardised tools.

We are currently placing a sharp focus on moderation—ensuring that a judgement made by one teacher matches the judgement of another. While the Ministry of Education is still working to provide national moderation examples, we are working proactively as a school to ensure our internal standards are consistent.

Thank you for your patience and support as we work through these "work in progress" moments together!

Ngā mihi nui