Principal News

What is this PBL that I keep hearing about?

As we continue to focus on providing our students with a high-quality education, we are excited to share with you some updates on our approach to teaching and learning.  We "dipped our toes" into project-based learning (PBL) through our Kaitiakitanga themed work last year.  This year the Board has invested in professional development for 11 of our staff to attend a three day course to gain a greater understanding of how to deliver a high quality PBL programme.

Project-based learning is a teaching method that emphasises hands-on, experiential learning. Rather than simply memorising facts and figures, students are presented with real-world problems and challenges that require critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills to solve. Projects integrate multiple subject areas, giving students a deeper understanding of the connections between different fields of knowledge.

We believe that PBL is an effective way to prepare our students for the complex challenges they will face in the 21st century. By working on projects that are relevant to their lives and communities, students are motivated to learn and are more likely to retain the information they acquire. Additionally, PBL helps students develop important skills that are essential for success, such as leadership, teamwork, and creativity.

Next term, the overarching topic that the students will be studying is sustainability, and we will be providing an interesting challenge for them to solve next term, but we will talk more about that then.

We believe that project-based learning will provide our students with an engaging and challenging education that will prepare them for success in the real world. We are excited to see the amazing work that our students will produce and the skills they will develop through this innovative approach to education.

As much as new programmes and initiatives are exciting to introduce, the time tested school camp programme is always an important and enjoyable experience for our students and one that shouldn't be overlooked.

Thank you to all the parents who gave up their time supporting their child's class. Thank you to the teachers who give up their time away from their families to ensure your child has a wonderful experience. A special thank you to the many teachers who supported their colleagues and attended more than one camp and, in some cases, three. Putting on a class camp is a huge undertaking and the whole project was superbly led by our teacher in charge of EOTC, Courtney Lousley.

We hope you get to spend some time together as a family over the upcoming break and that your child returns well-rested for a very busy term 2.

Kā mihi nui

Simon Clarke