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The School Curriculum design and review

16 June 2009

Dear Parents

The school curriculum: design and review

From the New Zealand Curriculum to our school curriculum

The New Zealand Curriculum sets the direction for teaching and learning in New Zealand schools. But it is a framework rather than a detailed plan. This means that schools have considerable freedom to design and implement its own curriculum. This design process is to be completed by the end of the year ready for implementation at the beginning of the 2010 school year.

In carrying out the design process we are asked to determine ‘ what we want our students to know, to be, and to be able to do by the time they leave our school.’
First we will address what we want our students to know and be able to do. I propose managing the process by working our way through each of the eight learning areas first.

I can’t help but add we did this very same exercise twelve years ago and it became our Student Achievement Monitoring programme. We asked our parents the same question as we believed the new curriculum at the time wasn’t very robust and there were knowledge gaps in it, for example, students knowing where NZ places are on a NZ map. Most of the agreed learning outcomes you find reported on in the students’ reports (reviewed and updated every three years). Our work went out on a CD to schools nationally as an example of good practice. I like to think that the rest of New Zealand is catching up with Riwaka School now J !

At the end of the process we will look at what we want our students to be. We will visit the key competencies described in the New Zealand Curriculum as competencies people use to live, learn, work and contribute as active members of their communities, and will review our current school vision statement, values and principles.

Students will be interviewed also as part of this design process.

On our Teacher Only Day, Monday 18 May, we brainstormed what we believe our students should know and be able to do in the learning area of Mathematics & Statistics.

Could you have a look at these and put a tick in the Agree or Disagree column. There is a space at the end for you to add any you would like us to consider. Can you return your response to school by Friday 26 June please.

I will be sending more of these questionnaires out to you as we work our way through all of the learning areas. We really would like to encourage you to contribute your ideas and comments whenever you get the chance.

Christine Sutton

Principal