This is a collaborative process where teachers and the leadership team use their expertise and knowledge of your child to place them in the best learning environment.

To help manage the process, we use a customisable class placement program called Pluto. Pluto combines data from Hero (our student management system) with teacher insights to create optimally balanced classes.

To place children in a class, we use the following process;

Teachers input academic and social information about each child into Pluto.
Pluto creates balanced classes considering academic data, additional learning needs, behaviour needs, gender and learning relationships.
Team Leaders and the Senior Leadership Team review the class lists and make adjustments.
The draft lists are then shared with teachers, and as the term progresses, the teachers, Team Leaders and Senior Leadership Team continue to edit the class lists to ensure the best possible placements.
Final class placement information will be posted on Hero at the same time as the end-of-year report.

We appreciate this can be an anxious time for parents. However, we ask that you trust us in this process and be assured that we will make every effort to place your child with the teacher we feel is most appropriate to ensure that they have a productive and positive 2024.

2024 Class Structure

The school will be structured into six teaching teams, and the class composition will be as follows;

Class Composition

You will notice that next year, we will have two composite classes. These classes are comprised of two-year levels; this is common practice in New Zealand Schools.

Why do we have composite classes?

The Ministry of Education determines how many teachers we are entitled to based on our total roll, not how many students in each year level. Composite classes are a practical response to uneven year-level enrolments when there are too many students to form one class and too few to create another. Composite classes enable us to ensure greater consistency in class sizes and allow for roll growth. By taking this approach, we are maximising school funding and resources.

However, there are misperceptions about composite classes; we have all heard the expression that 'one size does not fit all', and if we look at the foundational principles of the New Zealand curriculum, we see this in action.

Our curriculum talks about 'personalising learning' to the individual child, which means we teach all children to their learning needs - not their age. The technical term teachers use to describe how we personalise learning is called 'differentiation' of learning - which means to alter the content, task, or product required based on the child's strengths, needs or interests. Teachers will always group flexibly to best cater for their class's learning needs; indeed, school is the only place in life where we put people of the same age group together.

All classes, whether composite or one-year level, are made up of students with varying strengths and abilities, so in fact, by definition – all classes are composite. No classroom exists where all students are at the same level and require the same things, delivered in the same way. So, regardless of classroom structure, a child's education will come down to the quality and effectiveness of the teacher.

Remember…

The key point to remember is that effective teachers will teach to individual needs, every child will have their own learning programme, and it is the teacher's job to ensure that every child in their class meets or exceeds their learning goals. What matters most is the quality of the teacher in front of your child; this will be the most significant contributor to their success.

Fond Farewells

At the end of term, we will say goodbye to some of our staff; Grant Arendse, Danielle Nicholson, Lisa Lord, Andy Boys, Olivia Palmer and Emily Yates.

We wish them all well, as they head off on new adventures.

Welcome to the Team

We are excited to welcome some new staff to our team: Amy Moller, Emma Maclean, Danny Vaughan, Pieyu Li, and Genevieve Thomas. We look forward to welcoming them to the team and sharing their expertise, energy and enthusiasm!

Finally, we look forward to seeing you at the Festival of Song on Friday, 8 December. Bring a picnic and enjoy our student's wonderful singing.

Noho ora mai

Lucy Naylor
Tumuaki