Taranaki

Welcome to Taranaki, we are the year 2, 3 & 4 classroom here at Midhirst School. There are 23 of us in the classroom and we are taught by Meg Hunter. We are extremely lucky to be taught Mrs Rosewarne every fortnight and have help from a range of lovely learning assistants. 

Structured Literacy

In Taranaki we follow a structured literacy approach to help teaching and learning of Reading, Writing, Handwriting and Spelling. Structured Literacy involves clear, methodical, and step-by-step literacy instruction at various levels, including phonemes, letter-sound associations, syllable patterns, morphemes, vocabulary, sentence structure, paragraph structure, and text structure.

In Taranaki ākonga follow structured literacy through learning specific rules to apply to both reading and spelling from 'The Code', which is explicit teaching of morphology and syllabication. Ākonga explore a range of different texts such as novels, decodable text, classic colour wheel readers and picture books to help build their knowledge. 

PR1ME Mathematics 

Here in Taranaki class we follow the PR1ME mathematical approach to teaching and learning. PR1ME is a structured programe that guides tamariki from years 1-8. Depending on the needs of the tamariki they get to attend workshops, and follow independent work to help them apply their knowledge. 

In Taranaki we also use rich math tasks which are open ended questions. Ākonga can explore their knowledge and apply it to a range different contexts in a way which fully engages them in the learning. It provides an opportunity for tamariki to use prior knowledge and develop new knowledge. 

Kapa Haka 

On Fridays we are lucky to have Whaea Raewyn come in to take us through different waiata, karakia and tikanga. The tamariki are enjoying getting involved and learning abour different waiata that we then practice in class. We are apart of both the junior Kapa Haka and the whole school one as well. 

The tamariki love when Whaea Raewyn comes to visit us and are enjoying being the leaders in the junior Kapa Haka and helping the younger tamariki from Panatahi and Ngā Motu. 

Art with Mrs Morresey

During Term 1, Taranaki absolutely loved creating pieces of Art with Mrs Morresey and have learnt to develop techniques when using pastel, paint, vivid, dye and collage.

Swimming

During this term, Taranaki will be swimming everyday.  Our swimming sessions are in the afternoons and on Monday we have swimming with our Instructor, Skye  at the school pool. Taranaki also has instructional swimming lessons at Wai o Rua every Friday. The aim of our swimming sessions is to improve the students confidence in the water and teach them basic swimming skills. Swimming sessions are a great way to enhance the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of your child.

TRYathlon 

During Term 1 the tamariki participated in a TRYathlon where they ran around the field, swam in the school pool and biked on the bike track. This was an awesome experience for the tamariki who had lots of fun giving it a go and trying their best. Everyone was proud of themselves for completing it! Thank you to all of the whānau who came to support the tamariki. 

Junior Syndicate Assemblies 

The Junior Syndicate’s assemblies are a fun and meaningful way to build school spirit and support personal growth. Students gather to sing together, strengthening unity and boosting confidence.

The assemblies also include social coaching, where students learn valuable skills like empathy, communication, and teamwork. A special highlight is the presentation of KAHA certificates and wristbands, recognizing those who show kindness, helpfulness, and positive behavior.

These gatherings play a key role in creating a supportive and inclusive environment, encouraging students to grow into kind, confident individuals. 

End of term KAHA assemblies 

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