It has been a busy and engaging time in Te Manga, with lots of exciting learning happening across the curriculum. The tamariki have settled well into new routines and are showing enthusiasm, curiosity, and a positive attitude towards their learning.
Science – Biology
Through our Biology learning within our school environment, the tamariki have taken a genuine interest in everything that is in our school environment, especially all the insects. Our classroom became a place to get up and personal with insects (that are no longer living). The enthusiasm for insect hunts at lunch time became legendary. We use the mantra that we are scientists and scientists appreciate and inquire about the world around us – all living things!
This lead onto Seaweek 🌊 where students explored the impact of plastic pollution and began to understand how everyday choices can affect the marine environment. We also learned about the importance of marine reserves and how they help protect the ocean for future generations. It has been wonderful to see students making connections between their learning and real-life actions they can take to care for our environment.
Structured Literacy
In literacy, we are continuing to build strong foundations through structured literacy approaches:
- The Code – phonemic awareness, spelling rules, syllable types, and morphology (suffixes/prefixes) to improve students’ reading and writing.
- Handwriting – developing correct letter formation and presentation
- Writing and Reading – strengthening comprehension, sentence structure, and confidence
Students have responded really positively to our new learning format. The use of whiteboards across all areas has been a highlight—allowing the tamariki to practise, take risks, and receive immediate feedback in a supportive way.
Mathematics (PR1ME Programme)
In maths, we are using the PR1ME programme alongside online resources to support number knowledge. Our focus areas include:
- Basic facts and times tables (2x, 5x, 10x)
- Ordering Numbers to 1000
- Place value to 1000
- Odd and Even Numbers
- Rounding to the nearest 10
Students are building confidence and fluency through a mix of explicit teaching, hands-on practice, and digital tools.
Kawa of Care 💻
As part of our digital learning, we have been exploring the Kawa of Care, which focuses on being responsible, respectful, and smart learners when using devices. The class worked collaboratively to create a movie to share their understanding of how to care for our devices and use them appropriately. This is the link to our movie post – https://pstemangawhanau.edublogs.org/2026/03/13/kawa-of-care/
Te Manga kids are fabulous!
Te Manga is a class that gets along well and enjoy learning together. We have had a few wet lunch times, and students have appreciated the opportunity to play and connect indoors. These moments have helped strengthen positive relationships within the class.
What a great term it has been. We have one more week to do and it will continue to be jampacked full of learning!
