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Welcome
Term 3 | 2025
Welcome
Term 3 | 2025
Ngā mihi from the ASL team.
Ngā mihi from the ASL team.
Kia ora koutou,
Welcome to our Term 3 newsletter. We hope you stayed safe, warm, and dry over the break and found time to recharge.
This term has been full of rich learning and connection across our kura, with highlights including the Literacy Quiz, Maths Relay, Science Fair, and RoboCup. Ngā mihi to everyone involved in making these events such a success.
As curriculum changes continue to challenge schools, we remain committed to supporting you. In this term's newsletter, you’ll find practical resources, local dates of interest, and snapshots of inspiring mahi from across our community.
Week 6 brought our final round of regional workshops, this time featuring five keynote-led sessions. We hope these offerings spark fresh ideas and strengthen your practice.
Ngā manaakitanga, The Piritahi Kāhui Ako team.
Dates of Interest Going Forward
Dates of Interest Going Forward
Term 4 -2025 Dates
Week 9, Te Wiki o te Reo Māori: September 15th - 21st
Maths Relay: Wednesday 3rd September
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is a chance to celebrate the beauty and strength of te reo Māori across our kura and communities. Whether you're just starting your journey or deepening your practice, every word counts. This week is about connection, pride, and making te reo a natural part of our everyday lives.
Explore the resources below to help bring te reo Māori into your classrooms in fun, meaningful ways—through waiata, whakataukī, games, and more.
Many resources below from: https://www.reomaori.co.nz/
Whakarongo|Listen
Whakarongo|Listen
Play ReoMāori's ‘Te Wiki o te Reo Māori’ playlist in your class 🎶
Listen to learning podcasts like Everday Māori to sharpen your reo. These podcasts range in length with some as short as 4 - 5 minutes. These shorter ones could be a good option to listen to with your older tamariki.
Ensure you check the content prior to ensure it is suitable to your learning goal
Have a Disney reo Māori movie session at your kura. The songs are also available on music streaming platforms
Kōrero|Speak
Kōrero|Speak
Pepeha.nz guides students through creating and publishing a beautiful pepeha—a formal introduction that connects them to their whenua, whakapapa, and whānau.
Pepeha.nz guides students through creating and publishing a beautiful pepeha—a formal introduction that connects them to their whenua, whakapapa, and whānau.
Hei Waiata – Hei Whakakoakoa: A collection of waiata and haka with downloadable tracks and lyrics. Actions can be adapted to suit your local context and learners.
Ako & Tākaro|Learn & Play
Ako & Tākaro|Learn & Play
Pūrārangi is a stunning, easy-to-use, interactive tool to help tamariki learn the Māori alphabet and practise pronunciation.
01_series_1_episode_1.mp4
Kupu is an amazing free app that lets tamariki (and kaiako!) take a photo of an everyday object and instantly see its name in te reo Māori.
Play a Kahoot quiz with tamariki or colleagues. There are lots of pre-made Māori language quizzes on their website. You'll need access to internet and some devices!
Celebrating Our Kura
Celebrating Our Kura
Jump Jam 🎶
Jump Jam 🎶
Agriculture 🌾
(Seddon & Ward Schools)Agriculture 🌾
The Jump Jam Tournament brought rhythm, energy, and serious style to the stage! Teams wowed the crowd with their coordinated moves and infectious enthusiasm. It was a celebration of fitness, fun, and school spirit. A huge shoutout to all the performers who danced their hearts out and lit up the stage with their passion!
🎉 A special shout out to these teams for their placings:
🥇Bohally in the Jungle, G-Town Busters, Fairhall Shakers, The Witherlea Boom Crew, Springlands Lightning Ladies.
🥈Fairhall Cowboys & Cowgirls, Renwick Magic, Witherlea Hype Crew, Bohally Party Rockers, Bohally Boom Boom Squad.
🥉Redwoodtown Redboomtown Juniors, Whitney Rockers, Springlands Freaks, Riverlands Magik and Bohally Can't Hold Crew.
Three enthusiastic teams from Seddon and Ward Schools—The AgriStags, The Oinks, and The Cattle Girls—headed to Invercargill for the 2025 AgriKids NZ Grand Final, tackling quizzes, modules, race-offs, and tractor challenges with energy and teamwork. The Oinks placed 1st overall, also winning the Race-Off and celebrating Liam Underwood as Contestant of the Year, while The Cattle Girls came 10th and The AgriStags 14th. Huge thanks to our Marlborough community for the generous support that made this unforgettable experience possible!
100 Days at School 🎉
100 Days at School 🎉
Literacy Quiz 📚
Literacy Quiz 📚
Springlands School marked 100 days of learning with a lively celebration in their Year 1 classes.
To celebrate, they decorated a giant “100” cake, made crowns, created banners, wrote about the number 100, and of course… had a disco! They sang “Happy 100 Days at School,” received certificates, and enjoyed some well-earned cake.
What was a joyful way to reflect on all the learning, laughter, and growth so far this year!
Our recent Literacy Quiz was a hit! Students dressed up as their favourite book characters and tackled questions from a wide range of stories—testing their knowledge, teamwork, and love of reading. The energy was high, the costumes were fantastic, and the competition was fierce. Congratulations to the Springlands team Super Sleuth, who cracked the clues and took out the win!
Robocup 🤖
Robocup 🤖
Stargazing with Omaka ✨
(Renwick School)Stargazing with Omaka ✨
Robocup Jr is a nationwide event that blends coding, engineering, and performance in a fun, student-led competition. Teams design, build, and program robots—often using Edison Bots—to perform a choreographed routine set to music. Alongside the performance, students take part in technical interviews where they explain their software, hardware, and creative choices.
The event encourages collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation, with students refining their routines across multiple rounds based on feedback. Robocup Jr is a brilliant way to bring STEM learning to life through storytelling, movement, and technology.
To see more photos, videos and useful resources, check out the Ministry of Inspiration page on Facebook.
A magical night under the stars brought the Pakahukahu whānau together at Renwick School, led by the amazing team from Omaka. Tamariki explored the cosmos through constellation making, augmented reality, and telescopes—finished off with biscuits and hot chocolate 🍪
Vision, Value and Logo Review 🏫
(Rapaura School)Vision, Value and Logo Review 🏫
"We want our ākonga/students to be resilient, engaged, confident learners who have a strong sense of identity, belonging and connection."
With a revised vision statement in 2023, we set about connecting it to the foundation elements of the school, acknowledging the past, giving priority to the present and preparing our wonderful students for the future. Connecting this with our PB4L culture review and mahi, we have reviewed every layer of the school to create a narrative that tells who we are.
The Rapaura School logo has been refreshed with a clear purpose and symbolic design elements. The goal was to create a modern design that represents students while incorporating aspects of the past. The design features were taken from student submissions for our Tika Token. Anton Matthews talked about tika at our Piritahi Teacher Only Day, and this inspired us to explore our Rapaura Tika and base our ‘free and frequent’ positive reward on it. The wonderfully detailed designs the students drew told us about what they valued, and we beautifully incorporated them into the Tika Token by local designer Leanne Hayes of Vanilla Hayes.
The student is our main focus; therefore, they are placed at the heart of the logo. The historic tree within the design signifies growth and represents the generations of families who have previously attended Rapaura School since it opened in 1862.
The school's new values, Manaakitanga, Kaitiakitanga, Manawaroa, and Kotahitanga form the foundation, supporting the child's learning at the base of the logo. We have chosen reo Māori values based on feedback from consultation with all stakeholders. Whānau Māori felt in particular that the inclusion of te reo Māori in our foundational material was important. During the consultation, Arthur Phillips was our advisor, bringing the perspective of our rangatira iwi, Ngāti Rārua, to the conversation, provoking thinking. We are committed to continuing to develop our knowledge and deepen this important partnership.
The values are represented as koru, symbolising growth, partnership with whānau and iwi, and commitment to the Tiriti ō Waitangi. The koru is also a feature in the school's sports uniform design. The koru are also connected to our school taiaha, which were gifted to the school by former students, Dylan Gifford and Chase Clarke, following an Aotearoa - New Zealand Histories inquiry. We held a mihi whakatau in 2023 for the taiaha, which was attended by Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Rārua Pouwhakahaere Shane Graham.
These elements are enclosed in a protective circle, representing the partnership between whānau, staff, the board, and the wider community, all working together to create a high-quality learning environment that fosters high achievement and positive behaviour.
Additionally, we have revised our Māori whakataukī, "Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai," which means "nurture the seed so it will grow," reflecting the school's commitment to nurturing each child's individual needs to help them aspire to and reach their full potential.
The six larger leaves integrated into the design represent the key competencies that are incorporated in all inquiry learning planning and teaching: character, collaboration, curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, and communication. We are developing these as part of the curriculum review and work to connect what we believe is fundamental to a whole child’s development and the Government’s priorities.
Curriculum
Curriculum
Maths 💰
(Financial Literacy)Maths 💰
Banqer is a free, teacher-friendly platform that brings financial literacy to life in the classroom. It’s packed with ready-to-use modules covering income, saving, budgeting, banking, and more—aligned with NZ curriculum strands in maths and social sciences.
Students engage through a simulated economy, earning income, paying expenses, and making financial decisions in a safe, interactive environment. Teachers love Banqer for its ease of use, built-in scaffolds, and the way it sparks meaningful conversations about money, choices, and future planning.
SquareOne is a Kiwi app that helps children learn real-world money skills in a safe, hands-on way. Linked to a prepaid Mastercard, it lets kids earn money for tasks, set savings goals, and make spending decisions—all with parent oversight. It’s not a bank account, but a learning tool designed to build financial confidence and responsibility.
Parents can track transactions, set limits, and guide money conversations at home, while kids gain practical experience with budgeting, saving, and spending. SquareOne is a great way to turn pocket money into lifelong money smarts.
Maths
(Tāhūrangi Links)Maths
Literacy
Literacy
Teaching Handwriting
Teaching Handwriting
This resource provides guidance on teaching handwriting. It has been updated to support the release of the English learning area years 0-6. You can download it from our Piritahi Kahui Ako Resource folder by clicking here
🔤 Phonics Printable Resources
This page offers free, teacher-friendly printables to support classroom phonics lessons. From heart word cards and sound wall visuals to grapheme cards and implementation guides, these resources help educators deliver structured literacy with clarity and consistency.
Scroll the image below or click it to see the site.
The Ministry has released classroom strategies to stretch and challenge confident learners within Mathematics.
Click the link above to view online
A quick read............
Inclusive Learning
Inclusive Learning
(Celebrating and Supporting)
Find more of Neurowild's inclusive learning artwork & tips here on Facebook.
Local Sites of Significance
Local Sites of Significance
Flaxbourne Museum 🐑
(Ward)Flaxbourne Museum 🐑
This vibrant museum in Ward showcases Māori settlement, early farming, and local legends. With artefacts like the Cape Campbell lighthouse lens and interactive displays, it’s a brilliant stop for schools exploring regional identity, migration, and community stories.
Taylor Dam 🌊
(Blenheim)Taylor Dam 🌊
Renwick Museum 📚
(Renwick)Renwick Museum 📚
Taylor Dam offers a rich outdoor classroom for exploring freshwater ecosystems, biodiversity, and environmental stewardship. Programmes like “Stream Secrets” let ākonga investigate invertebrates, assess stream health, and connect science with real-world action—perfect for Years 4–8 and Enviroschools projects.
Perfect for history and literacy programmes, Renwick Museum houses one of NZ’s most complete School Journal collections alongside local settler stories. The Watson Memorial Library offers a treasure trove of early learning texts—ideal for sparking curiosity in Years 4–8.
Pasifika Language Weeks
Pasifika Language Weeks
Pacific Language Cards
Pacific Language Cards
Have you seen the Pacific Language Cards created by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples? They are available in 11 Pacific languages and are tailored to non-speakers of the language as a good starting point for all to use. Each provides a pronunciation guide, the alphabet and everyday phrases.
Download them all here and help us celebrate Pacific languages every day of the year!
Auckland Museum have a strong Pacific dimension called Teu Le Vā. Part of this is to work closely with New Zealand’s Pacific communities to maintain and promote heritage languages. Their site provides online access to resources for all Pacific languages.
Creative Resources to Try
Creative Resources to Try
For your Bookshelf
(NZ Authors)For your Bookshelf
Be Inspired Online
Be Inspired Online
In a previous lifetime Lizzie Bayliss, the editor of Everyday, worked in fashion. She founded Ruby, a New Zealand label blending skate and snowboard influences with a feminine twist. After selling the business, Lizzie transitioned into education in 2010, driven by a desire to give back to society. Her teaching career has flourished alongside raising two children, with roles in diverse schools supporting bilingual learners and advancing digital practices. As a Numeracy and Kāhui Ako Leader, she’s championed equity and purpose-driven education. However it was her work in coaching, combined by her drive to continuously innovate and improve that led to the creation of everyday.
A quick read from "everyday" that may inspire collaboration with your colleagues in your kura.
Work Smarter with Canva 🌟
(For Kaiako - let Canva lighten your load!)Work Smarter with Canva 🌟
Why do kaiako ❤️ Canva?
Canva makes it easy to create eye-catching slides, worksheets, posters, and newsletters—without needing to be a design expert! It’s intuitive, packed with templates, and perfect for saving time while still looking polished. Free for educators if you provide evidence.
The ASL team is happy to support your learning—whether you're just starting out or keen to explore advanced features. Let us know if you'd like a quick demo or help getting started!
Follow pages of teachers who are content creators. You'll find so much pre-made, helpful, free resources for the classroom: @teachcheat
🖍️ Canva Tips – Teacher Essentials
Want to level up your classroom design game? The Canva Teacher Essentials course offers bite-sized video lessons to help you create engaging resources, streamline planning, and use AI tools like Magic Write and Magic Switch.
Perfect for beginners, this free course walks you through templates, assignments, feedback tools, and more—plus you can earn a certificate to showcase your skills.
Ideal for teachers keen to save time and boost creativity!
The Science of Learning 🧠
The Science of Learning 🧠
Do you use EXIT tickets?
The name “exit ticket” makes it sound like you need a ticket to exit the room, but exit tickets are final quick check-ins with students before class wraps up.
Exit tickets are a powerful tool to wrap up a class effectively, offering a quick way to assess understanding, encourage reflection, and gather valuable insights. With the right exit ticket ideas, teachers can create engaging prompts that range from formative assessments to reflective questions about the learning process. Digital tools like Google Slides and PowerPoint make it easy to design interactive and creative exit tickets, while also saving time for educators. By using prompts that stimulate student analysis, provide feedback, or encourage open communication, exit tickets help solidify learning, enhance retention, and guide future instruction.
Click the pic above for FREE exit ticket templates
For our PRT 🍎
For our PRT 🍎
Something for whanau
Something for whanau
Here is a Google Slide Presentation which supports whanau in understanding the changes that have taken place with the refreshed curriculum and how this may affect their child's learning. You could share this on your school website or as part of an information evening/meeting.
The School Leavers Toolkit has a huge range of information available for senior secondary students, giving them skills and tools to prepare for life after school. You can find the Toolkit here – share it with your students, or explore it with them so that they know exactly where to go to support a smooth transition from school into the next stage of their lives:
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