In today’s newsletter we have the following:
● News from the Acting Principal and DP
● Student Congratulations
● Communication – School Apps, School Website, Instagram and Facebook
● Curriculum Spot
● End of Term Exams
● Cyber Safety
● Meet the Teacher Evening
● Y8 Camp
● EOTC
● Sports Programme
● ANI Trips
● World Book Day
● PTA News
● Korean and Chinese Summary
● Upcoming Events
● Community News
News from the Acting Principal and Deputy Principal
Parents and Caregivers,
Tēnā koutou ngā whānau o te kura.
We are having a great time and many students are taking up different opportunities and challenges that they have never tried before, now that we are back into full learning mode at ANI. Many learning opportunities have occurred including John Parsons, Y8 camps, sports and the Whanau/Fono Hui.
John Parsons
Having John Parsons our Cyber safety expert come into school and talk to our Akonga, teachers and parents on a range of topics, which included: Online safety, not being vulnerable online, and not sharing personal information with strangers, especially when you don’t know who they are (even if they have been accepted by your friends). John also talked about parents putting time frames on internet use, (off by 7 or 8pm), not having access in their bedrooms behind closed doors and parents being able to check up on their children at any time on a device. One message that was really important was about not thinking what if I am wrong but what if I was right (relating to an online incident or comments) that might indicate your child has been followed by undesirable people.
The feedback from these workshops was fantastic, all parties listened and interacted with John. Please watch out for some links on our social media platforms to short online videos relating to a number of cyber safety issues which will inform and at times challenge people to make some sort of change whether it be big or small.
We would like to share this one with you: FAMILIES THAT EAT TOGETHER HEAL TOGETHER: linked here
Year 8 Camps
We are looking forward to our year 8 camps going to Tui Ridge. Rimu is already at camp as you read this newsletter and will return on Friday March 4, while Matai will be leaving on Tuesday & and returning on Friday 10 March. Parents can keep up to date with what events are going on with daily updates via our school Facebook page and School Apps. If you are not sure if you are on either of these pages ask your child or the teacher to help you out so you can keep informed.
A huge shout out to the parents and teachers for stepping up to attend each camp and look after and get involved with the students in the 14 activities we have ready to instigate over the four days.
ANI Sports
It was great to see students signing up for trials and trying to get into our tennis and softball teams which have already been to central zones or are about to go to their respective competitions. I know the sign-ups are coming in thick and fast for events like Netball, Miniball and Waterpolo so make sure your child listens carefully to the daily notices so they don’t miss out. A good idea might be to ask them what they have signed up for and how they did to get into a team, I think they will be quietly surprised.
Whanau/Fono Hui
The hui held last Thursday, 22 February, was a great success for all involved. We had our cultural leaders MC the evening and our lovely Samonan Dance Troupe perform to our whanau. We discussed the successes of our 2022 end-of-year data and asked our whanau to contribute to the school’s values, and what it meant to be successful for Maori and Pasifika at ANI and shared some tasty food together.
We are looking forward to working with our Maori Whanau and Pasifika Fono in terms two, three and four to provide an update on student learning opportunities.
Safety at the Gate
This is a reminder to our parents who drop off or pick up their children at the gate during the week. Please make sure you drop off at the gate and do not drive into the main carpark as this can cause some H & S concerns/problems. Please be cautious around these times as our akonga are precious and we want everyone to come to school and get home safely.
Student Lateness
We are becoming concerned about the number of students arriving late to school each day and need the support of our whanau to ensure that they arrive each day by 8.30am ready to learn. We know on odd occasions this can be tricky but if students continue to arrive late parents will be contacted to work out a plan to arrive early.
Y7 and Y8 goal-setting interviews
Please keep in mind the following dates as they have been set aside for our Y7 and Y8 goal-setting interviews:
Monday 20 March 1-7pm & Tuesday 21 March 3-5pm
Links to a google form for interview times will be made available soon.
Teacher Only Day
On Monday 24 April, ANI will hold its first Teacher Only Day to provide schools and kura with dedicated time to understand, prepare and engage with changes across The New Zealand Curriculum refresh, the redesign of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, and shifts to strengthen NCEA.
This Teacher Only Day is a Ministry of Education directive that needed to be taken within a short time frame and aligns with our local ACCoS – Community of Schools and will be an opportunity for kaiako to share ideas and expertise, and to grow their confidence in implementing the upcoming curriculum and assessment changes.
New Buildings Official Opening
It is official that we have set a date and time for the official opening for our two new learning spaces, the Multi Purpose Space (MPS) and the Ten Teaching Space (TTS). We would like to invite our parent community to this event as well as past pupils, parents, and board members.
Our guests include Hare Paniora who will bless the new spaces as well as the carving that is now in the MPS space mounted on the wall and Brooke Van Velden from the Act Party.
We are very excited to officially open our new buildings and look forward to seeing everyone celebrate these amazing learning spaces.
When: Friday 17 March
Time: 2pm – 3pm
Venue: ANI MPS
Note: Please fill in the google form to indicate that you will be joining us in the building opening/celebration so we can accommodate for numbers on the day.
Ngā mihi nui
Shane Devery (Acting Principal), Bryce Mills (Deputy Principal)
Student Congratulations
This week’s Principal’s Award is awarded to an amazing student for her support of the school in a variety of areas.
Regards Shane and Bryce
Communication
Newsletters, Monthly Panui, School Apps, School Website and Facebook
Newsletters: Come out on the first of each month and the Monthly Panui will be released approximately 2 weeks later.
Monthly Panui: Will have information on key events, reminders and important upcoming events. This is sent via SchoolApps, so keep an eye out for that too.
School Apps: All day-to-day information, events and updates will be communicated to you through School Apps. The school newsletter (published monthly), the Monthly Panui and any other notices will all be sent to you via a School Apps notification. This app can also be used to report an absence and can be downloaded by the whole family and on multiple devices.
It is important that you update which subscriptions you have on the app – such as Year 7 or Year 8 messages, various sports, classroom-specific messages, etc. You can do this by clicking on the 3 horizontal lines in the top left-hand corner, and selecting ‘Alert Subscriptions’.
School Website: The school website has a great amount of important information so do take time to become familiar with it. From teachers’ profiles to accessing the Parent Portal and excellent curriculum detail, it is a great resource for parents.
Facebook: ANI also has a presence on Facebook with news and information about school life and our community. Just search Auckland Normal Intermediate.
Curriculum Spot
The New Zealand Curriculum Refresh and Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories
Curriculum refresh
You will be aware that in September 2019 the Minister of Education, the Hon Chris Hipkins, announced a need for the national curriculum to be refreshed so it remained fit for purpose. At that time a five-year plan was developed to ensure the curriculum was clear, more relevant and easier to use. The impact of COVID-19 has slowed down this refresh as schools and educators needed to turn their efforts to managing different workloads with online learning and other priorities. This meant more time was required to review, write and engage in the refresh and as a consequence, the timeline has changed.
What does the adjusted timeframe look like for these changes?
Throughout 2022 we saw:
- Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum
- Social Sciences learning area draft content
- Refresh of the English and the Mathematics & Statistics learning areas
- Support of the upcoming mathematics and literacy strategies
- Changes to other parts of the NZC ensuring it is a ‘bicultural and inclusive curriculum
- A Vision for Young People written by young people developed and tested
Throughout 2023 we will see:
- Implementation of the NZ Histories Curriculum (originally 2022)
- An update of the Science learning area (originally 2022)
- A refresh of the Arts and Technology learning areas.
Throughout 2024 we will see:
- A refresh of the Learning Languages and Health & Physical Education learning areas (originally 2023)
- The first release of the Record of Learning (aligned to the new curriculum).
As a school, we are looking forward to engaging with each of these learning areas and making positive changes for our ākonga. We want the new curriculum to provide experiences for every young person in our school to achieve and be successful in their learning. Their progress will be celebrated and they will see themselves as successful in learning. We are combining the refresh with a back-to-basics approach in Reading, Writing and Maths. Regular testing and exams at the end of each term in each of these areas will assist us in ensuring students are making adequate progress throughout the year.
More information about the refresh can be found on Curriculum and assessment changes – Education in New Zealand.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories Curriculum
What will our young people be learning about in the Aotearoa NZ histories curriculum?
The content uses the ‘Understand, Know & Do’ elements and the progressions model. Teachers design learning experiences that weave these elements together so student learning is deep and meaningful. There are four phases within Years 1 to 10 and for our school, Years 7 and 8, we will focus on two aspects each term. Linked here are the elements ‘Understand, Know & Do’ for Years 7 and 8.
When will it be released?
Aotearoa New Zealand Histories was officially released in Term 1, 2022 however schools and kura do not need to implement the new content until 2023.
Throughout this year schools and Kura will be supported to access resources needed to teach the new content so we are ready to teach the content at the start of next year. This new timing means we will also be able to use the new Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum alongside the new Social Sciences learning area as they are closely aligned.
Here is an overview of the NZ Histories curriculum content linked here
End of Term Exams
Last year the school decided to provide more opportunities for our students to succeed in their learning by introducing exams at the end of each term.
The exams will take place in the last two weeks of each term. (T1: 27th March – 6th April, T2: 19th – 30th June, T3: 11th – 22th September & T4: 4th – 15th December) They will focus on Reading, Writing and Mathematics.
The exams will gain a better insight into what each student already knows and what they need to improve on.
The data received from exams will help us identify gaps in students’ learning and teachers will use this information to plan direct acts of teaching, to improve the specific skills and knowledge of students in their learning programmes.
The SLT will set the exams each term using Education Perfect (EP) and other options recommended by our colleagues at local high schools.
The results from the exams will be marked online and students will be able to access their results via their EP logins. We encourage our students to share their results at home with their parents.
Y8 students will also begin additional exam preparations in terms 3 & 4 including how to write a formal essay and answer multi-choice exam questions.
We think this new approach will not only improve our student’s skills and knowledge but also improve the student’s ability to cope in an exam situation, under time pressures and improve performance in external and internal examinations in the future.
Cyber Safety
John Parsons is a Cyber Safety and Risk Assessment Consultant working with education, health and private sectors, providing specialist advice and direction on the safe and ethical use of Digital Communication Technology. He visited ANI on Monday 20th February and spoke to students and staff.
Meet the Teacher Evening
Our Meet the Teacher Evening was a great opportunity for parents to meet our teachers, staff and other parents.
After our Meet the Teacher evening, we provided an opportunity for John to talk to parents regarding the safeguards and steps parents can take to keep children safe and maintain a healthy relationship with the internet.
Y8 Camp
Y8 Camp dates:
Rimu camp dates: Tuesday 28 February – Friday 3 March
Matai camp dates: Tuesday 7 March – Friday 10 March
Y7 EOTC
Year 7 Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
All Year 7’s will be attending EOTC during Term 1 and we ask parents to confirm their child’s attendance no later than Friday 10 March. The cost of EOTC is still being finalised with BigFoot Adventures. Your payment will include all student activities and the bus to a number of different venues. As you are aware we will require at least 2 parents to attend EOTC each day per class to ensure the activities run smoothly and H & S rules are followed. Without your support, we can not proceed with EOTC so look forward to parents filling in the application form that will be sent out shortly with all the information you will need.
Totara Team EOTC dates: Monday 27 March – Thursday 30 March
Kauri Team EOTC dates: Monday 3 April – Thursday 6 April
Sports Programme
Superbowl
Superbowl was held on Friday 10th of February and was our first whole school event of the year.
It involved all of our students and had the intention of mixing the Y7 & Y8 students with the teachers and was a wonderful sunny day. It is always a great event as the images below show.
House points were given throughout the day and at the end of the event, Whenua was the winning house.
Trials
Please see the information below about trials at ANI on the ANI Sports website – linked here
Getting information about signups and trials
At ANI our students are responsible for signing up and keeping updated about trial dates and times.
If the student or their whānau have any questions, they can email the teacher in charge of the sport or Mr Carlos (ckucera@ani.school.nz) who is the Sports Coordinator.
In summary, the information is shared in the ways below:
All information about signups and trials for any sports are announced in two ways:
1) Sports Google Classroom
2) Daily notices (a document that teachers read to the students every morning)
Players selection
Our players are selected by using practices/trials in an ongoing process. Here is the information that you need to know:
- Students have to signup to be part of a particular sport
- ANI runs specific trials for each Sport and collects data from the players in each of these opportunities
- This data is used for all competitions ahead (for example, AIMS and Zones competitions).
- However, sometimes we may have new trials for a specific sports event. This information is then added to the original data about each player giving the coaches/teachers an informed decision about the team selection
- Depending on the experience and expertise of our teaching staff, we may use an external selector for some sports
- Depending on the numbers, the teacher in charge of the trial will have to schedule a new trial and split the students into groups. This will allow the teacher to observe, analyse and make their choice about the players.
Central Zone Tennis Tournament
Last Friday 24th February we attended the CZ Tennis tournament with our boys.
They did really well and we brought back many great memories and some outstanding results.
Please, see the results below.
Y7 Singles – ANI 4th
Y8 Singles – ANI 5th
Y7 Doubles – ANI 3rd
Y8 Doubles – ANI 1st – We are the champions!!
ANI Trips
Expressions of Interest
We are in the process of exploring travel options for learning experience trips around September. There will be some overseas destinations (Australia, Japan and Singapore. Please have a talk with your young person and discuss if they might be interested. We are in the early stages of getting an indication of interest only and of course, the trips will COVID dependent and need to be approved by our Board of Trustees. Students and parents can indicate if they are interested in more than one trip.
The google form below is for you to indicate your interest for a certain trip(s). The school will not hold you to the trip but we ask that once you make a firm commitment a deposit will be requested to hold the place.
Cairns (Eco Trip): Approximate cost: $2800 – $3200
Japan (Culture and language Focus): Approximate cost: $4700 – $5200
Singapore (Cultural ): Approximate cost: $4500 – $5000
The following trips will be based on 5 – 7 days which includes accommodation, flights, food and transport. Spending money will be extra.
A full itinerary will be available once we know the numbers and receive board approval.
Please fill out the google form to indicate your interest.
Mr Devery
World Book Day
On March 15th ANI are having a World Book Day. This will be a day filled with books, quote hunts and a chance to connect with our young people.
Staff and students will be asked to dress up as their favourite book characters and there’ll be a chance to see them in their amazing outfits in our assembly in the afternoon. We’re very excited to have everyone involved and see everyone’s creative sides shine!
We’d also like to invite whānau into our classrooms during Period 6 (2.15pm – 3pm) to read with their young people. This can be a book the students are currently reading or it can be a book that you yourself read as a child. It can be in any language. In fact, we encourage you to bring in books from other cultures so our young people can connect with their heritage and see themselves in the characters. Representation is so important to us and our whānau so it would be lovely to see these reflected in the books that are brought in.
People celebrate World Book Day in over 100 different countries across the globe. It’s a great way to encourage our young people to read because of its importance and value. They help us discover things about history, art, ourselves and our culture. Children who read 20 minutes a day are exposed to 20 million words which helps improve vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar. If that isn’t enough, it helps us understand the world around us as well as teaching us empathy and improving communication skills. All of this to say; it’s great, so much fun and it’s nice to learn a thing or two whilst we’re at it!
It’ll be a great day and we’re looking forward to seeing you all!
Please feel free to get in touch with us or your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions. Also if you can come and read with your young person please fill out this form, it’ll be great to see you.
Ngā mihi nui,
Faiza Chowdhury and Sam Carruthers.
PTA News
Our first PTA meeting was on Monday 27 February. If you did not make it, please do come along to the next meeting. It’s a great opportunity to meet other parents and teachers and work together to make a positive difference to your child’s school. Any help would be appreciated.
Please do contact us if you would like to help with any of the fundraising events this year – the Chocolate fundraiser, Knowledge-athon or help to organise the school Socials. We would also like to hear from you, if you or your company would like to donate prizes for our fundraisers this year.
Our first event this year is the School Social with both year groups invited and the first PTA event to be held in the MPS! More details to come.
If you are curious and just want to find out what the ANI PTA are all about, please contact us or come along to our next meeting.
Email: pta@ani.school.nz
Korean and Chinese Summary
In every newsletter and Monthly Panui we will add a short Korean and Chinese translation to assist families where English is not their first language.
Please see below a summary in Korean:
8학년 캠프
Rimu는 이미 캠프에 있으며 3월 4일 금요일에 돌아올 예정이며 Matai는 화요일에 떠나 3월 10일 금요일에 돌아올 예정입니다. 학부모는 학교 페이스북 페이지와 학교 앱을 통해 매일 업데이트되는 이벤트를 최신 상태로 유지할 수 있습니다.
ANI Sports
자녀가 놓치지 않도록 매일 알림을 주의 깊게 듣도록 하십시오. 무엇에 가입했고 어떻게 팀에 들어갔는지 물어보면 조용히 놀랄 것 같아요.
탑승구에서의 안전
주중에 자녀를 탑승구에 데려다 주거나 데리러 오는 부모님을 위한 알림입니다. H & S 문제가 발생할 수 있으므로 게이트에서 하차하고 메인 주차장으로 운전하지 마세요.
학생 지각
학교에 늦게 도착하는 학생들의 수에 대해 우려하고 있으며 그들이 매일 오전 8시 30분까지 배울 준비가 되도록 도착할 수 있도록 지원이 필요합니다.
School Apps:
모든 일상적인 정보, 이벤트 및 업데이트는 School Apps를 통해 전달됩니다. 학교 뉴스레터(매월 발행), 공지 사항은 모두 School Apps 알림을 통해 전달됩니다. 이 앱은 결석 신고에도 사용할 수 있으며 온 가족이 여러 장치에 다운로드할 수 있습니다.
7학년 또는 8학년 메시지, 다양한 스포츠, 교실별 메시지 등과 같이 앱에 있는 구독도 업데이트하는 것이 중요합니다. 왼쪽 상단에 있는 3개의 수평선을 클릭하여 업데이트할 수 있습니다. 손 모서리를 클릭하고 ‘알림 구독’을 선택합니다.
기말 시험
작년에 학교는 매 학기 말에 시험을 도입하여 우리 학생들이 학습에 성공할 수 있는 더 많은 기회를 제공하기로 결정했습니다. 시험은 각 학기의 마지막 2주 동안 실시됩니다. (T1: 3월 27일 – 4월 6일, T2: 6월 19일 – 30일, T3: 9월 11일 – 22일 & T4: 12월 4일 – 15일) 읽기, 쓰기 및 수학에 중점을 둡니다. 시험에서 받은 데이터는 학생들의 학습 격차를 식별하는 데 도움이 될 것이며 교사는 이 정보를 사용하여 학습 프로그램에서 학생들의 특정 기술과 지식을 향상시키기 위해 직접적인 교수 행위를 계획할 것입니다. SLT는 Education Perfect(EP) 및 지역 고등학교 동료들이 권장하는 기타 옵션을 사용하여 매 학기 시험을 설정합니다. 시험 결과는 온라인으로 표시되며 학생들은 EP 로그인을 통해 결과에 액세스할 수 있습니다. 우리는 학생들이 집에서 부모와 결과를 공유하도록 권장합니다. Y8 학생들은 정식 에세이 작성 방법과 객관식 시험 문제에 답하는 방법을 포함하여 3학기 및 4학기에 추가 시험 준비를 시작합니다.
7학년 교실 밖 교육(EOTC)
모든 7학년은 1학기 동안 EOTC에 참석하게 되며 학부모님께 늦어도 3월 11일 금요일까지 자녀의 출석을 확인하도록 요청합니다. (날짜 확인) EOTC 비용은 여전히 BigFoot Adventures에서 확정 중입니다. 귀하의 지불에는 모든 학생 활동과 다양한 장소로 가는 버스가 포함됩니다. 아시다시피 우리는 활동이 원활하게 진행되고 H & S 규칙을 준수하도록 하기 위해 수업당 매일 EOTC에 최소 2명의 학부모가 참석해야 합니다. EOTC에 참석하는 부모는 MOE 지침을 따라야 하며 이중 예방접종을 받아야 합니다. 귀하의 지원 없이는 EOTC를 진행할 수 없으므로 필요한 모든 정보와 함께 곧 발송될 신청서를 작성하는 학부모님들을 기다리겠습니다.
Totara 팀 EOTC 날짜: 3월 27일 월요일 – 3월 30일 목요일
Kauri 팀 EOTC 날짜: 4월 3일 월요일 – 4월 6일 목요일
ANI 여행 –
9월경 학습체험여행을 위한 여행 옵션을 모색하고 있습니다. 일부 해외 목적지(호주, 피지, 누메아)와 퀸스타운 옵션이 있습니다. 자녀와 대화를 나누고 관심이 있는지 논의하십시오. 우리는 초기 단계에 있으며 물론 여행은 COVID에 따라 달라지며 이사회의 승인을 받아야 합니다. 학생과 학부모는 둘 이상의 여행에 관심이 있는지 표시할 수 있습니다.
케언즈(에코 트립): 대략적인 비용: $2800 – $3200
일본(문화 및 언어 중심): 대략적인 비용: $4700 – $5200
싱가포르(문화): 대략적인 비용: $4500 – $5000
여행은 숙박, 항공편, 음식 및 교통이 포함된 5-7일을 기준으로 합니다. 지출 비용이 추가됩니다. 숫자를 알고 이사회 승인을 받으면 전체 여정을 사용할 수 있습니다.
1학기 종료 4월 6일 목요일
교사 전용의 날 – 휴교 4월 24일 월요일
ANZAC DAY – 휴교 4월 25일 화요일
2학기 시작 4월 26일 수요일
Please see below a summary in Chinese:
主要事项：
1. 八年级露营：
Rimu 队（教室9-16）已经在露营了，星期五3月4日回来。
Matai（教室2-7）下星期二去露营，
七年级EOTC:
Totara 队（教室25-30): 3 月 27 日星期一至3 月 30 日星期四
Kauri（教室19-24): 4 月 3 日星期一至 4 月 6 日星期四
2.体育活动：Netball, miniball, waterpolo 等体育活动很受同学们欢迎。请提醒孩子们认真听每日通知，
3. 上学迟到：请家长们协助，让同学们每天早上8点半准时到校，
4. 期末考试：考试将于每学期最后二周进行。重点是阅读，
5.STEAM课程：
6.学生国外旅游学习：今年学校将组织学生去日本，新加坡，
7. 学期结束及开学
这个学期4月6日星期四结束
下个学期星期三4月26日开学。(星期一4月24日教师培训日，
Upcoming Events for Term 1, 2023
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Community News
The MG Mystics are opening the 2023 ANZ Premiership season against the Southern Steel in their FIRST home game of the season, Saturday 4 March and they need your support!
There will be plenty of entertainment for the whole family including food trucks, market stalls and a Kids fun zone with free popcorn, giant games and much, much more.
Grab your ticket now and head along early to enjoy the market atmosphere: linked here
Food Trucks & Market from: 5pm | Doors Open: 6pm | Game Begins: 7pm
