Term 4 Mathematics

By: Simon Clarke | Posted: Thursday September 18, 2025

Year 7

This term, our Year 7 students are taking part in an exciting Financial Literacy unit designed to help them build practical money skills they can use in everyday life. The unit focuses on understanding New Zealand currency, calculating costs and change, exploring income and debt, and applying budgeting skills in real-life contexts.

Over the weeks, students will:

  • Recognise and understand New Zealand coins and notes, and practise calculating change using decimals.

  • Explore income and debt, including the difference between gross and net income, and identifying “good” and “bad” debt.

  • Learn to apply percentage increases and decreases, such as GST and discounts, to everyday purchases.

  • Plan and budget for a ‘Fun Day Out’ with a fixed budget, keeping a ledger of expenses, and making financial decisions to stay within limits.

These activities not only strengthen number skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, rounding, and estimation, but also give students opportunities to think critically about spending choices and financial priorities.

How You Can Support at Home
Parents and whānau play an important role in helping students connect their classroom learning to real-world experiences. Here are some simple ways you can support your child’s financial literacy at home:

  • Practice with money: When shopping, ask your child to help calculate the total cost of a purchase or the change you should receive.

  • Talk about budgeting: Involve your child in planning for a family outing—set a budget together and discuss how to make choices to stay within it.

  • Discuss income and expenses: Talk about where money comes from (e.g., wages, allowances) and how it is used to cover different needs and wants.

  • Explore discounts and GST: Show your child how discounts work during sales, or point out how GST affects the final price of an item.

  • Encourage saving and goal setting: Help them set a small savings goal, such as saving for a book, game, or outing, and track their progress together.

Year 8 

This term, our Year 8 students are engaging in the Financial Literacy unit, which gives them the tools and knowledge to make well-informed financial decisions for the future. The unit combines mathematics, problem-solving, and real-world applications, leading up to our exciting Trading Day in Week 10, where students will put their learning into action by running their own small business.

What Students Will Learn

Throughout this unit, students will explore a wide range of financial concepts and skills, including:

  • Income and Tax – researching real jobs, calculating wages and salaries, understanding tax brackets, and learning about the role of taxes in society.

  • Budgeting and Expenses – finding a rental property, creating a weekly budget, tracking expenses, and learning about debt, overdrafts, and financial responsibility.

  • Saving and Investing – exploring simple and compound interest, setting savings goals, and using KiwiSaver and other savings tools to plan for the future.

  • Business and Entrepreneurship – developing a business plan, analysing costs, setting prices, forecasting profit or loss, and marketing their products or services.

  • Trading Day – running a stall, tracking income and expenses, calculating profit, and reflecting on their success.

This hands-on project allows students to experience real-life financial decision-making in a safe and supportive environment, helping them develop confidence and critical thinking in relation to money.

How Parents and Whānau Can Support at Home

You can help reinforce your child’s financial literacy learning by:

  • Discussing money matters openly – Talk about wages, bills, savings, and budgeting in everyday family conversations.

  • Encouraging budgeting practice – Give your child a set amount for shopping, groceries, or an outing, and let them plan how to spend within that limit.

  • Exploring saving and interest – Show them how a savings account grows over time, or use an online calculator (like Sorted) to model future savings.

  • Connecting learning to real jobs – Look together at job ads and discuss wages, skills needed, and how income affects lifestyle choices.

  • Supporting Trading Day – Encourage your child as they prepare their business idea, perhaps by brainstorming product ideas, checking costs, or practising customer service.

By building these habits and having open conversations about money, parents can give their children valuable life skills to carry into the future.