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Charter

Opunake School 2006 Charter

Goals and stratergies diagram

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School Goals

  • Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will have strong literacy and numeracy skills.
  • Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will be immersed in purposeful learning through a thoughtful curriculum.
  • Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will actively participate in co-operative learning and teaching.
  • Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will have opportunities to participate in the local tikanga and te reo.
  • Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will work in an environment that is socially, emotionally, culturally and physically safe.
  • Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will enhance the learning partnerships with the local community.

Explaining the Goals

Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will have strong literacy and numeracy skills.

    • This goal is about Reading, Written Language, Oral Language(s), Visual Language, Spelling and Handwriting.

Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will be immersed in purposeful learning through a thoughtful curriculum.

    • This goal is about teaching Thinking Strategies like Six Thinking Hats, Thinkers Keys, Blooms’ Taxonomy etc.
    • It is also about Curriculum Integration, where units are based on students questions and there is a focus on enquiry or research
    • It is also includes hands on learning, planning around student interests and using outside expertise to relate learning to real life.

Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will actively participate in co-operative learning and teaching.

  • This goal is about working in teams
  • It includes specific skills of co- operative learning being explicitly taught
  • It is about meeting the needs of Maori students
  • It is also about ‘skill’ and ‘will’.

Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will have opportunities to participate in the local tikanga and te reo.

  • This goal is about protocols, pronunciation, local stories and waiata
  • It is also about partnership, participation and protection

Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will work in an environment that is socially, emotially, culturally and physically safe.

  • This goal is about sound behaviour management / PRIDE programme
  • It is about building a safe environment to enable students to take risks and be themselves
  • It is about ensuring students have access to Health related information and role models
  • It is about providing students with cultural and sporting opportunities (including Calf Day)
  • It includes the school environment that is conducive to learning

Students and teachers at Opunake Primary School will enhance the learning partnerships with the local community.

  • This goal is about Open Days / trips / visitors etc
  • It is about local tikanga
  • It is about newsletters, concerts and other school events
  • It is about our relationship with other education groups
  • It is about being a community minded school

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Strategic Plan2005-2007

Goal One: Students and teachers at Opunake School will have strong literacy and numeracy skills.

Key Evidence to Support Goal

 

Theory and Research that Supports Goal
  • A literate environment provides a foundation for successful literacy learning.
  • High teacher expectation is essential in both numeracy and literacy
  • Instructional strategies need to be taught.
  • Partnerships between home, school and students are essential.
  • Knowledge of the learner is critical.
  • Knowledge of literacy and numeracy learning is essential.
  • Assessment for learning is essential.

Evidence and Theory
  • Making a Difference to all Students: MOE 2004.
  • Effective Literacy Practice: MOE 2003
  • Explaining Reading: Gerald Duffy: 2003
  • Using Evidence in Teaching Practice: Timperley and Parr 2004.
  • Unlocking Formative Assessment: Clarke 2001

Outcomes
(what the goal will look like when achieved)

 

Strategies
(what strategies we could use to meet the goal)
  • Students are working at a level appropriate to their age when they leave the school
  • Students will have a positive attitude towards their learning in Literacy and Numeracy.
  • Students are actively using Literacy and Numeracy skills across the curriculum.
  • Students have high levels of investigation skills in Literacy and Numeracy.

Students
  • Current literacy and numeracy material will be purchased that is of high interest and relevant  to students
  • Wide selection of  resources available to enable student choice
  • Students actively engaged in learning through the use of learning intentions and success criteria
  • Support programmes in place for students with needs
  • Appropriate time given for independent reading
  • Teachers will be ‘thoughtful’ in their planning, teaching and assessment practices.
  • Teachers will be regularly participating in professional development and will keep up to date with curriculum developments.
  • Teachers will be actively reflecting on, and modifying where required their programmes for their students.
  • Teachers will be catering for the diverse needs of their students through effective programme planning, individual needs and good assessment practice.
  • Teachers will provide students and their parents with quality achievement information.

Teachers
  • School Journals used appropriately ( as per Harry Hood)
  • Students taught the skills of investigation
  • Teachers accurately assess students using a variety of tools (as per the school plan)
  • Annual professional development will focus on aspects of Literacy and Numeracy
  • Appraisal will often include Literacy and Numeracy as focus areas
  • Teachers will model good Literacy and Numeracy practices
  • Teachers will develop a partnership between home and school  through activities such as reporting, seminars and open days
  • Guided and/or Reciprocal Reading programmes run daily
  • Writing opportunities provided daily
  • Numeracy programmes taught consistently in line with school strategic intent.
  • Schools will utilise a variety of funding.
  • Programmes will be adequately resourced.
  • Senior staff will lead Numeracy and Literacy developments / programmes
  • Board and community will receive regular reports.

Infrastructure
  • Active school library programmes
  • Duffy Books in Homes programme
  • Close working relationship with Town Library
  • Regular review of Curriculum Delivery Plans
  • Strong budget support for Literacy and Numeracy
  • Programme reviews and reporting scheduled
  • Literacy teacher employed to maintain and monitor special needs programmes. Literacy classroom established.

 

Review Outcomes

 

Review Questions

  • Is learning and teaching in Literacy and Numeracy based on accurate assessment data?  What evidence do we have?
  • Are students are actively involved in their learning?  How do you know?
  • Is the school resourced effectively to support Literacy and Numeracy?
  • Are intervention programmes effective?  How do we know?
  • What evidence do we have that professional development has been effective?
  • What should be happening next in our Numeracy programme (Literacy programme)?
  • Does the budget reflect a commitment to ongoing support of numeracy and literacy programmes?
  • Are parents kept well informed about the achievement of their child/children? How do we know?