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Kōkopu School Local Curriculum ​ The Local Curriculum The local curriculum is the school’s interpretation of the New Zealand curriculum. Every state school in New Zealand is required to teach the New Zealand curriculum but how this looks will depend on the value certain aspects carry. At Kōkopu School we have many key features and strengths that are unique to our school and are reflected below. Vision & Values Kōkopu School’s vision is for all our children to be: INSPIRED (Inquiring, Nurtured, Self-Motivated, Positive, Involved, Respectful, Enthusiastic, Dynamic) and to live our school motto of “To Learn and Serve.” In our school, you will see we continuously refer to our values. Respect for Others, Respect for Ourselves and Respect for our Environment. Our values are part of who we are as a school. It is what we expect from ourselves, the children and the community. The values are closely linked to our PB4L, Tuakana Teina and Enviro Schools philosophies. As a school, we look to celebrate students who are showing our values. Proudly Country Kids We are a rural school and students have the opportunity to embrace being proudly ‘country kids’. Students show this through practical activities, where students are challenged and encouraged to be risk-takers, inventors, practical problem solvers, and entrepreneurs. They have a strong connection to the land and are kaitiakitanga or guardians of their environment and rural community. Agricultural day is an important event that brings our community together and provides unique learning opportunities for our students. Learning At Kōkopu School we have high expectations for student learning. We have a balanced approach which includes academic, sporting, artistic, cultural and social learning opportunities. Creative learning through an integrated approach with a local focus is important to us. We focus on students achieving their best and reward effort and progress, not just achievement. We have a growing focus on using the phonetical approach in reading (Literacy), utilize the Write that Essay program in writing and a strong numeracy approach in mathematics. We support and extend all learns to be the best they can be. Behaviour At Kōkopu School we have high expectations of student behaviour and demonstrating our school values. Learning and serving through our tuakana teina approach is important to us. We are a PB4L school (Positive Behaviour for Learning). This means we work hard to create a positive school environment that enables academic and social success for all students. This is based on the expectation that opportunities for learning and achievement increase if: Our school environment is positive Expectations are clear and consistent Children are consistently taught desired behaviours Children are consistently acknowledged for desired behaviours Children are consistently responded to in a fair and equitable way ​ Environmental kaitiakitanga/guardians Students at Kōkopu School become kaitiakitanga or guardians of their environment and rural community. They do this through learning and looking for ways to make the school and local community greener, sustainable and more beautiful. This is evident in our local planting days and caring for our streams and waterways. Culturally Responsive Practice Cultural awareness is embedded in our daily routines and practices. We value the importance of cultural diversity being celebrated and acknowledged the unique position of the Māori culture and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the NZC and our school curriculum. At Kokopu we strive to make learning relevant and effective for learners by drawing on students’ cultural knowledge, life experiences, languages, and connections. At Kokopu School we do this in a variety of ways. Our Tuakana Teina approach enables genuine and across school relationships that create a whanau culture and connections. We are committed to the revitalization of te reo in our school through staff PLD, student learning, involving our community and celebrating the use to te reo on a daily basis. Our whole school Kapa Haka/Tikanga program continues to provide great joy and pride as children learn together. Students love participating in the Kapa Haka festival each year at one of our neighbouring schools. We have a yearly whole school country study where we celebrate cultures, their histories, food and traditions. We look for ways to connect more with our community and use these to link for learning. The school has an ongoing commitment to develop relationships with the Korokota and Maungarongo Marae. Leadership We believe that all children have the qualities and attribute to be leaders. At Kokopu there are many opportunities for our students to experience leadership roles. House captains, student council, monitors, peer mediators, enviro groups, animal care, and cultural leaders, to name a few. Education outside the classroom Each year all our students go on camp and participate in EOTC activities. We believe the key to good EOTC experiences include; Promotion of leadership and self-management skills. Encouraging independence, interdependence and cooperation. Risk-taking. Physical, mental and social challenges that strengthen student wellbeing. Parental and whanau being involved. FUN! Community At Kōkopu School our local community is the heart of our school. Having been established in 1884, we have a long history with many of our families who have been here for multiple generations. This connection to people, the land, and history is important to us and adds to our learning. We have events that allow our community to be part of school and our school to be part of the community. These include agriculture day, planting days, sports days, cultural events, productions, open days, parent interviews, and more. We have strong relationships with the wider school community especially other local country schools through shared events and Community of Learning (Kāhui Ako).

OUR STAFF Kia ora and welcome to our wonderful school. Through high expectations, Kōkopu staff are committed to providing uniquely rural, fun and engaging programs that encourage children supporting others and bu TEACHING STAFF Yaron Overeem Principal Paul Ruddell Teacher: Rm6 Year 3-4 SENCO Jennifer Hibbert Teacher: Rm4 Year 3-4 COL Across School Teacher Jo Woods Teacher: Rm4 Year 3-4 Tama Weavers Teacher: Rm3 Year 5-6 Anna Boaz Teacher: Rm2 Year 2 Cindy Teacher: Rm1 Year 0-1 SUPPORT STAFF Vicki Lye – Admin Bexs Waterhouse – Admin Peter Stoneman – Caretaker ​ Glenis Delemare – Teacher Aid Rachel James – Teacher Aid Nadene Slabbert – Teacher Aid Pauline Simmonds – Teacher Aid ​ Loida Pyla – After School Care Leader ​ Crest Clean – Cleaners Board of Trustees Jeff Burson – Board Chair Yaron Overeem – Principal Lucinda McBeth – Member Toni Hughes – Health and Safety Tama Weavers – Staff Rep Ross Harper – Property Kirsty Tuhiwai – Member

Stationery ​ Each class has a specific list for the stationery the children need. Stationery can be purchased through OfficeMax. www.myschool.co.nz/ Search for Kokopu School and the class your child is in. ​ Room 1 = NE-Yr1 Room 2 = Yr2 Room 3 = Yr5-6 Room 4 = Yr 3-4 Room 6 = Yr7-8 A small amount is kept at school for purchase in emergencies. For your child’s classroom stationery list please ask at the office. A notice will be sent home by the classroom teacher if any further supplies are required during the year.

School App Stay in touch with our School App. Get notices Get newsletters Send absences and lots more Download Now! Available on Android and IOS. ​

After School Care After School Care runs from 3pm – 5:30pm Monday – Friday in our Whanau Room. ​ It is a great community service and we aim to provide a fun and stimulating care programme for your child. Each day children get afternoon tea, time to do some homework, relax and an activity. ​ If you would like to enquire about After School Care please contact the office. ​ Fees Regular Care: (e.g. care booked on a regular basis) $8.00 per session. (1.15hr per session x 2 sessions) $8.00 retainer fee if a child does not attend when booked. Kokopu School After School Care program is OSCAR approved which means there is a government subsidy for some families. Check whether you are eligible to claim an OSCAR child care subsidy from WINZ.

SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD’S MATHS The best way to support your child’s maths learning is by supporting your child(ren) to notice that maths is all around us and it is a big part of our world. Another simple way of supporting your child is by sharing the everyday maths that you complete. By allowing for this discussion to take place your child(ren) will see that maths has great value. Basic Facts Basic facts are the basic number foundation blocks that help students quickly and accurately work out more complex problem-solving. Basic facts are not just times tables but incompase lots of different areas like half and doubles, unknown start like ___ 8 = 10. etc. Having a good grasp of a student's basic facts enables them to master other skills more quickly. ​ Practice makes perfect ​ Prototec - https://maths.prototec.co.nz/ Choose the relevant Level for your child and practice. The NZ maths system is organised into "Stages" Stage 2-3 = year 1-2 Stage 3-4 = Year 3-4 Stage 4-5 = Year 4-6 Stage 6 = Year 6-7 Stage 7-8 = Year 7-8 ​The different strategies we use: ​We appreciate the strategies we teach at school are very different from the strategies that you might use yourself. The Maths NZ website provides a wealth of information for how you can help. It is the resource our teachers use when teaching maths. This link will take you to the Teacher Tools website which provides a collection of videos that will explain the strategies that we use in school to support your child(ren)’s learning. At Timestables.co.nz you can easily practise all of your tables. The arithmetic problems are clear and simple so you can immediately get started on practicing your tables. Select one of the times tables you wish to practise from the list below and show what you can do on the speed test or print out great worksheets. IXL provides examples and practice for each skill that your child(ren) will learn throughout their time at school. There are also real life scenarios that your child(ren) can apply these skills to. Year 0-8 Khan Acadamy is a great way for your child(ren) to get help with what they’re learning in school or to learn something completely new. It provides tutorial videos and as well as follow up activities that can support your child(ren)’s understanding. Prodigy Maths is a free to use, curriculum-aligned, adaptive, online, role playing style video game. The children need to solve problems in order for their avatar to grow stronger and gain more power. As it is adaptive it will automatically change the level of activities in response to your child’s needs. ​YEAR 1 Talk together and have fun with numbers and patterns Help your child to: find numbers around your home and neighbourhood, (clocks, letterboxes, speed signs etc.) count forwards and backwards (clocks, fingers and toes, letterboxes, action rhymes, signs) make patterns when counting “clap 1, stamp 2, clap 3, stamp 4, clap 5 …” do sums using objects such as stones or marbles eg 2 + 3, 4 + 1, 5 + 4 make up number stories, for example, “You have 2 brothers and 2 sisters. There are 4 of them”. Here’s a tip: maths is an important part of everyday life and there are lots of ways you can make it fun for your child. Use easy, everyday activities Involve your child in: preparing and sharing out food, for example, “two for me and two for you”. Ask, “How many for each of us?” talking about time, for example, “lunchtime”, “storytime”, “bedtime” using words in everyday play, such as “under”, “over”, “between”, “around”, “behind”, “up”, “down”, “heavy”, “light”, “round”, “circle”, “yesterday”, “tomorrow”. You can get library books with these words and ideas in them too asking questions such as “How many apples do we need for lunches? What do you think the weather is going to be like today/tomorrow? What are we going to do next?” Here’s a tip: use lots of mathematics words as your child is playing to develop their understanding of early mathematics (for example, “over”, “under”, “first, second, third”, “round”, “through”, “before”, “after”). Use the language that works best for you and your child. YEAR 2 Talk together and have fun with numbers and patterns Help your child to: find and connect numbers around your home and neighbourhood, for example, find 7, 17 and 27 on letterboxes count forwards and backwards starting with different numbers, for example, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, then back again make patterns when counting forwards and backwards, for example 5, 10, 15, 20 then 20, 15, 10, 5 and 30, 40, 50, 60 or 12, 14, 16, 18 … do addition and subtraction problems by counting forwards or backwards in their heads, for example, 8 + 4, 16 – 3 Here’s a tip: being positive about mathematics is really important for your child’s learning even if you didn’t enjoy it or do well at it yourself at school. Use easy, everyday activities Involve your child in: sorting (washing, odd socks, toys, cans) while tidying up telling you what their favourite things are (food, sport, colour reading), notice and talk about numbers. ask questions about the pictures like “how many birds are there?” a shape and number search together wherever you are, like numbers of shoes, shapes of doors and windows. Here’s a tip: mathematics is an important part of everyday life and there are lots of ways you can make it fun for your child. YEAR 3 Talk together and have fun with numbers and patterns Help your child to: find and connect numbers around your home and neighbourhood name the number that is 10 more or 10 less than before or after a number up to 100 make patterns when counting in groups (skip counting) forwards and backwards, starting with different numbers (for example 13, 23, 33, 43…, …43, 33, 23, 13) try making different types of patterns by drumming, clapping, stamping, dancing or drawing patterns that repeat find out the ages of family or whānau members do addition and subtraction problems in their heads using facts to 20, for example, 10 + 4, 15 – 7 use groups of 10 that add to 100 eg 50 + 50, 30 + 70. Here’s a tip: being positive about mathematics is really important for your child’s learning, even if you didn’t enjoy it or do well at it yourself at school. Use easy, everyday activities Involve your child in: telling the time (o’clock. half past, quarter to) learning their 2, 5 and 10 times tables repeating and remembering telephone numbers they use a lot reading and sharing a book. Ask them questions about numbers in the story and use the number of pages as a way to practise number facts, too doing a shape and number search when you are reading a book or looking at art (such as carvings and sculpture) helping at the supermarket. Ask your child to get specific items (medium-sized tin of red beans, two litres of milk, 250g of mince). Here’s a tip: talk a lot to your child while you are doing things together. Use the language that works best for you and your child. YEAR 4 Talk together and have fun with numbers and patterns Help your child to: find and connect numbers around your home and neighbourhood – phone numbers, clocks, letterboxes, road signs, signs showing distance count forwards and backwards (starting with numbers like 998, 999, 1,000, 1,001, 1,002 then back again) make patterns when counting – forwards and backwards, starting with different numbers (73, 83, 93, 103… or 118, 108, 98, 88…) explore patterns through drumming, clapping, stamping, dancing find out the ages and birth dates of family and whānau see patterns in the numbers in their times tables. Here’s a tip: being positive about mathematics is really important for your child’s learning – even if you didn’t enjoy it or do well at it yourself at school. Use easy, everyday activities Involve your child in: making lunch or a meal for a party or a hui – make sandwiches in different shapes. Can they cut their sandwich in half? Can they cut the other sandwich in half a different way? helping at the supermarket – choose items to weigh – how many apples/bananas weigh a kilo? Look for the best buy between different makes of the same items (eg blocks of cheese) – check on the amount of sugar or salt per serving telling the time – o’clock, ½ , ¼ past deciding how much money you will need to put into the parking meter and what time you will need to be back before the meter expires thinking about how many telephone numbers they can remember – talk about what they do to help them remember the series of numbers reading together – help them look for numbers and mathematics ideas looking for shapes and numbers in newspapers, magazines, junk mail, art (like carvings and sculpture). Here’s a tip: mathematics is an important part of everyday life and there are lots of ways you can make it fun for your child. YEAR 5 Talk together and have fun with numbers and patterns Help your child to: count forwards and backwards (starting with numbers like 10,098, 10,099, 10,100, 10,101 then back again) find and read large numbers in your environment eg nineteen thousand, three hundred and twenty-three learn number pairs to 100 eg 81 and what equals 100? read car number plates, look at the car’s odometer to see how far you’ve gone work out patterns – make codes from numbers. Here’s a tip: being positive about mathematics is really important for your child’s learning – even if you didn’t enjoy it or do well at it yourself at school. Use easy, everyday activities Involve your child in: making and organising lunch or a meal for a party or a hui, including equal sharing of fruit/biscuits/sandwiches/drinks helping at the supermarket – choose items to weigh. Look for the best buy between different brands of the same items (breakfast cereal, spreads like jam or honey) practising times tables – check with your child or their teacher which times tables you could help your child with telling the time e.g., 5 past, 10 past, 20 past, ¼ to, 25 to… Here’s a tip: mathematics is an important part of everyday life and there are lots of ways you can make it fun for your child. YEAR 6 Talk together and have fun with numbers and patterns Help your child: count forwards and backwards (starting with numbers like these fractions: ¼ , ½ , ¾ , 1, 1¼ , 1½ then back again) talk about large numbers in your environment e.g., computer game scores, distances talk about the phases of the moon and link these to the best times for fishing/planting talk about the patterns in the night sky – summer and winter. What changes and why? talk about graphs and tables that are in your local newspapers. Here’s a tip: being positive about mathematics is really important for your child’s learning – even if you didn’t enjoy it or do well at it yourself at school. Use easy, everyday activities Involve your child in: making dinner at home, at camp or on a marae – look at how many and how much is needed for the people eating (potatoes, bok choy, carrots, sausages). Talk about fractions (half, quarter, fourth) to calculate how much to cook and cooking times helping at the supermarket – look for the best buy between different brands of the same item and different sizes of the same item (e.g., toilet paper, cans of spaghetti, bottles of milk) looking at the nutrition table on food labels – how much fat, sugar, salt – and deciding on the healthiest choice practising times tables – check with your child or their teacher which tables you could help them with. YEAR 7-8 Talk together and have fun with numbers and patterns Help your child to: talk about sales in town – 25% off, 30%, 10%, half price. Look for the best value and make a game of calculating the savings on items your child is interested in identify and describe how 2D shapes have been moved within kōwhaiwhai and tukutuku panels, and how 3D shapes have been moved in carvings budget pocket money and/or plan ahead to open a savings account. Talk about earning interest and investigate which bank account will give them the best return for their money talk about current prices for items that interest your child and investigate which store offers the best price. Here’s a tip: being positive about mathematics is really important for your child’s learning – even if you didn’t enjoy it or do well at it yourself at school. Encourage your child to find out more about mathematics at the library and on the Internet.

Writing At Kokopu School we use the Write That Essay program to teach writing from year 2-8. It is a system that teaches children the rules, structures and patterns of writing. Click the link to view an explanation of each year level writing expectations and what area means. Writing Overview Goals and Explanations for parents ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The easiest way to support your child(ren)’s writing at home is by providing them with authentic situations for them to write. This could include writing shopping lists, emails or letters to friends and family or starting a diary to capture everyday life. Some of the most common questions we have are around spelling and children not wanting to write at home. If your child(ren) is avoiding writing at home try to use materials and tools that support both their thinking process and the physical act of writing: ​ Use wide lined paper which help them line up and space their letters Use a whiteboard, which allows them to easily erase and try again Use a keyboard, which also allows children to easily edit ​ All year 4-8 students at Kokopu School have a Writers Toolbox login. It is a great tool for practising what is learnt in class. Pobble 365 provides a daily interesting picture, writing prompt and philosophical questions to spark an idea for children’s writing. This is a great tool for keeping writing flowing during the school holidays. Storybird lets anyone make visual stories in seconds. Storybird curates artwork from illustrators and animators around the world and inspires writers of any age to turn those images into fresh stories. YEAR 1 Make writing fun Help your child write an alphabet letter, then go letter hunting in your house or in a book to find that letter Let your child see you writing – you can use your first language Encourage them to write shopping lists or make birthday cards Water and a paintbrush on a dry path or a stick in the sand are fun ways to write letters and words. Here’s a tip: don’t worry if your child’s letters or words are sometimes backwards or misspelt at this age. The important thing is that they have fun writing at home and are making an effort. Give them reasons to write Write to each other. Write notes to your child and leave them in interesting places, like their lunch box. Ask them to write a reply Help them email, text or write to family, whānau or friends Work with them to put labels on special things – like the door to their room or their toy box. Here’s a tip: display their work. Put it on the fridge. Be proud of it. Share it with others. Talk about their writing Talk about the letters in your child’s name and where the name comes from. Help them create a scrapbook with pictures. Encourage them to write stories under the pictures and talk to you about them. Ask them to write about pictures they draw on paper or on the computer. Or get them to tell you the story and you write it under the picture. Here’s a tip: talk about what your child writes. Be interested. If you don’t understand what your child’s picture or story is about, ask them to tell you about it. Encourage writing Have felt pens, pencils, crayons, and paper available Put magnetic letters on the fridge and ask what words they can make with the letters. YEAR 2 Make writing fun Encourage your child to write whether it is on paper or on the computer. It is OK for you to help and share the writing. Give lots of praise Enjoy the message and don’t make your child anxious about spelling or neatness Make a photo book and get your child to write captions Scrapbooks are fun, too. Old magazine or newspaper pictures about a favourite subject, dogs, your family, motorbikes or the latest toy craze, pasted on to blank pages with room for captions or stories, too Play with words. Finding and discussing interesting new words can help increase the words your child uses when they write. Look up words in the dictionary or on the Internet or talk to family and whānau to find out more about the meaning and the whakapapa (origins) of the words. Here’s a tip: talk a lot to your child while you are doing things together. Use the language that works best for you and your child. Give them reasons to write Write lists: ‘Things I need from the shop’, ‘Games to play when I am bored, ‘Things I want to do in the holidays’. The last one can be cut up and go into a box or bag for a lucky dip when the holidays finally arrive Write out recipes or instructions for other people to follow (especially fun if the instructions are for an adult) Keep a diary, especially if you are doing something different and exciting. Your child can draw the pictures or stick in photos. Their diary could be a web page on the computer Write letters, cards, notes and emails to friends and family and the Tooth Fairy (you might write replies sometimes, too) Cut out letters from old magazines and newspapers to make messages write secret messages for others to find in their lunch box or under their pillow. Here’s a tip: display their work. Be proud of it. Put it on the fridge or share it with others. Talk about their writing Make up a different ending for a favourite story together and get them to write it down Ask them to write about pictures they draw. Get them to tell you the story Keep writing fun and use any excuse you can think of to encourage your child to write about anything, any time. Here’s a tip: don’t worry if your child’s letters are sometimes backwards or words are misspelt at this age. The important thing is that they have fun writing at home and are making an effort. YEAR 3 Writing for fun Talk about interesting words with your child, especially ones that are fun to say, like “hippopotamus” or “ringaringa”. Short and simple games could involve finding how many little words can be found using the letters in the word ‘elephant’ Work together on the small word games found in the children’s section (or word section) of the newspaper Make up a story or think of a pakiwaitara (legend) or traditional tale and act it out with costumes and music, write down the names of the characters or tīpuna (ancestors) Make up a play with your child. You could help your child to write the play down. Use puppets they design and make themselves to give a performance to the family Here’s a tip: keep writing fun and use any excuse to encourage your child to write about anything, any time. Writing for a reason Writing for a real purpose can help your child want to write. For example, writing invitations, typing emails or writing and posting small notes Personalising notes by cutting, decorating, sticking or stamping are great skills for coordinating fingers and being creative. Postcards are a good size for a sentence or two and they are cheap to post, too Encourage your child to write what they need to pack for a holiday, dictate your shopping list to them, or get them to write a list of jobs that need doing. Here’s a tip: talk about what your child writes. Be interested. If you don’t understand what your child’s picture or story is about, ask them to explain. Supporting your child’s writing Talk to your child about what you are writing. Let them see you making lists, writing emails, filling in forms Keep envelopes, banking slips, forms you don’t need so that your child can do their own ‘grown up’ writing Display your child’s writing where others can admire and read it Play with words. Find and discuss interesting new words (this can help increase the words your child uses when they write). Look words up in the dictionary or on the internet or talk to family and whānau members to learn the whakapapa (origins) of the words. Here’s a tip: be a great role model. Show your child that you write for all sorts of reasons. Let them see you enjoying writing. You can use your first language – this helps your child’s learning, too. YEAR 4 Write for fun Writing about their heroes, sports events, tīpuna (ancestors), hobbies and interests helps your child to stay interested in what they are writing about Help your child to leave messages in sand on the beach, send a message in a bottle, do code crackers, word puzzles, crosswords, word finds – these are all fun to do together Make up a story or think of a pakiwaitara (legend) and act it out with costumes and music. Write down the names of the characters or tīpuna (ancestors) If you or someone in your family has a computer, encourage your child to use it to write, email and publish or print for pleasure (emails, birthday cards, poems, jokes, letters, pictures with captions). Or you could use a computer at the library. Here’s a tip: keep writing fun and use any excuse you can think of to encourage your child to write about anything, any time. Talk about your child’s writing Get your child to talk about their writing and share it Cut out words and letters to make stories, codes, poems, puzzles and more… Play word games together Play with words. Thinking of interesting words and discussing new ones can help increase the words your child uses when they write – look words up in the dictionary or on the Internet or talk with family/whānau to find out more about where the words come from. Here’s a tip: talk about what your child writes. Be interested. If you don’t understand what their story is about, ask them to tell you more about it. Use questions they will want to answer. Write for a reason Get your child to help write the shopping list, invitation lists for family events, menus for special dinners, thank-you cards when someone does something nice Postcards are a good size for a sentence or two and they are cheap to post, too. Have a special place to keep your child’s writing at home (notice board, fridge, folder). You might frame a piece of writing and hang it up, too. Here’s a tip: be a great role model. Show your child that you write for all sorts of reasons. Let them see you enjoying writing. Write to them sometimes, too. You can use your first language – this helps your child’s learning, too. YEAR 5 Make writing fun Help your child write about their heroes, sports events, tīpuna (ancestors), hobbies and interests. This helps them stay interested in what they are writing about Play word games and do puzzles together to help your child learn more about words and spelling Have interesting paper and pens available or help them make a special book to write in Write to your child, or give them jokes, cartoons or short articles you think they’ll like to read from the newspaper Play with words. Thinking of interesting words and discussing new ones can help increase the words your child uses when they write – look words up in the dictionary or on the Internet, or talk to family and whānau members to learn more about the background and the whakapapa (origins) of the words. Here’s a tip: be a great role model. Show your child that you write for all sorts of reasons. Let them see you enjoy writing. You can use your first language – this helps your child’s learning, too. Talk about your child’s writing Talk about ideas and information they are going to write about. Talk about experiences, diagrams, graphs, pictures, photos and material that your child is planning to use for school work. Discussing the information and main ideas can help their planning for writing and their understanding, too Share enjoyment of their writing. Read and talk about the writing that your child does. Give praise for things they have done well to support their learning. Play with words. Thinking of interesting words and discussing new ones can help increase the words your child uses when they write Share your own writing with your child – lists, planning for family events or an email. You can help them to see that you too use writing for different purposes. Here’s a tip: keep writing fun and use any excuse you can think of to encourage your child to write about anything, anytime. Write for a reason Encourage your child to write emails, invitations, thank you letters, poems, stories or postcards to friends, family and whānau – make it fun. Ask your child who they would like to write to. It is helpful if what they write is given or sent to others Ask them to write a story to read to a younger sibling A diary or journal – on paper or on a computer – can help your child to write about their experiences and their own feelings about things that have happened at school, at home, in the world, on the marae, at sports events and on TV. Here’s a tip: talk about what your child writes. Be interested. If you don’t understand something they are writing about, ask them to explain. YEAR 6 Make writing fun Encourage your child to write about their heroes, tīpuna (ancestors), sports events, hobbies and interests to help keep them interested in what they are writing about Play word games and do puzzles together. Games and puzzles such as crosswords, tongue twisters and word puzzles help build your child’s knowledge of words, spelling, thinking and planning skills Start a blog about a family interest. Find a topic you’re both interested in and set up your own blog. Here’s a tip: be a great role model. Show your child that you write for all sorts of reasons. Let them see you enjoying writing. Use your first language – this helps your child’s learning, too. Write for a reason Encourage your child to write: Suggest your child is responsible for the weekly shopping list, equipment list for weekends away and holidays, task lists for the week Encourage your child to write to others – emails, letters, texts, postcards. It will help if some of what your child writes about is for others Short stories or a journal – on paper or on a computer – can help them to write about their experiences and their own feelings about things that have happened at school, in their family, on the marae, in the world, at sports events and on TV Report on a new baby or pet addition to the family. This might be a slide show, scrapbook, page on the computer Make an argument in writing for a special request – trip, event, present etc Draw up written contracts for agreed jobs; eg Every day I will…(make my bed, do one lot of dishes, and when I complete the contract I can choose…). Here’s a tip: keep writing fun and use any excuse you can think of to encourage your child to write about anything, anytime. Talk about your child’s writing Talk about ideas and information they are going to write about. Talk about experiences, diagrams, graphs, photos, treasures and taonga, waiata, pictures, whakapapa and material that your child is planning to use for school work. Discussing the information and main ideas can help their planning for writing and their understanding, too Share enjoyment of their writing. Read and talk about the writing that your child does. Give praise for things they have done well and say what you liked and why – this all supports their learning Play with words. Thinking of interesting words and discussing new ones can help increase the words your child uses when they write – look words up in the dictionary or on the Internet to find out more about what they mean. Talk to family and whānau members to learn more about the background and the whakapapa (origins) of the words Share your own writing with your child – lists, planning for family events, song lyrics or letters and emails. You can help them to see that you too use writing for different purposes. Here’s a tip: talk about what your child writes. Be interested. Use it as a way of starting conversations. Listen to their opinion, even if you don’t agree with it. YEAR 7-8 Make writing fun Encourage your child to listen for and use interesting words. Having a wide range of words will help your child create stories which will increase in complexity Use technology. Text messages and emails are a form of writing even if the language is not always standard English Use computers if your child isn’t keen on writing. They don’t have to think about the presentation of their work and editing does not require a complete re-write. Spell-check helps, too Play card and board games and complete difficult crosswords and word puzzles Create a message board such as a white board, blackboard or pin board. The messages might be instructions, reminders, or praise for a job well done, as well as examples of work. Encourage your child and other family members to respond with messages, too. Here’s a tip: make writing fun and use any excuse you can think of to encourage your child to write about anything, any time. Talk about writing with your child Talk with your child about their day. Talking helps them to organise their thinking and is an important first step for any writing Talk about new words your child is not familiar with, using a dictionary to find out more – there are dictionaries online Be a positive audience for your child. Always respond to the effort behind the message and the message content first (regardless of how the message is written) and the presentation second. Keep in mind what your child is currently learning to do and comment just on that Keep a holiday journal. Before the holidays ask your child to write a list of possible activities they want to do that keep to your budget and get them to draw up an activity plan. Remember to include any events or activities you have to attend; e.g. school camp, noho marae, church, doctor, sports training, family/whānau reunion. Your child could write a list of what to pack. Here’s a tip: talk about what your child writes. Be interested. Use it as a way of starting conversations. Listen to your child’s opinion, even if you don’t agree with it. Keep them interested Encourage your child to read. Reading and writing are linked and success in one is likely to lead to success in the other Buy interesting stationery for your child to use. Coloured pens and pencils can be an incentive to write together with special paper or books. Give a diary, book or notebook as a present Plan for them to be able to use a computer for writing – at home or the library Look for real reasons for writing. Encourage your child to read and write letters, messages, postcards, invitations, lists, rosters, thank-you notes, recipes, emails. Start with postcards to family and friends – encourage your family to write back Make lists for a particular reason; eg shopping lists or jobs to be completed Encourage your child to write on their own – on paper or on the computer. Poems, songs, waiata, short stories or a diary or journal. A journal can be a way for your child to keep track of their thoughts, ideas or a particular interest. For example, keep a journal of their sports training, kapa haka practice or compile favourite recipes It might be fun to write to a favourite author or kaumātua to ask what helps them to write their stories and compositions. Here’s a tip: be a great role model. Show your child that you write for lots of reasons, eg replying to an email, writing a shopping list, invitation or letter, writing for your work or your own study. Use your first language – this helps your child’s learning, too.

Learning at Home Parent Help Helping your child learn at home is a great way to reinforce what is being learnt at school and practice some of those key skills they need. ​ The following pages will provide information about how you can continue to support your child(ren)’s learning at home as well as links to sites that can help you. Please note, if you have any specific questions or concerns regarding your child’s learning and achievement we would encourage you to make an appointment as soon as possible to discuss these queries with your child’s teacher. Reading Writing Maths As well as developing strong home-school partnerships to support our students learning, we are also dedicated to providing support and practical strategies that support parents and caregivers in their role as parents. The following links aim to provide you with resources and useful insights into the developmental stages throughout the parenting journey www.parentingplace.nz/ The Parenting Place offers support, advice, educational courses and workshops to help make your family life enjoyable and fun. ​ www.mentalhealth.org.nz/ ​The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is a charity that works towards creating a society free from discrimination, where all people enjoy positive mental health & wellbeing.

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Community Playgroup Kokopu School Community playgroup runs on a Tuesday from 9am - 11:30am in the school whanau room. Come along and enjoy mixing with other families and getting to know the school.

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ERO Reports The Education Review Office evaluates and reports on the education and care of children and young people in all early childhood services and schools. ​ Click to view Kokopu School’s latest Education Review Office report. ​ Click to view