Congratulations to Rowena and Jack who received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist at the Easter Saturday Vigil Mass. They were welcomed into the church at the Mass at which we celebrate the Risen Lord.

Dear Diary.

Today was Palm Sunday. Jesus came trotting on his smelly old donkey. Everyone was shaking palms and shouting  “ Hosanna our King!” I was in the back of the crowd and in the background of everything. I heard the leaders shouting “ BOO! FOLLOW US NOT HIM BOO!” I was shocked! The people obviously wanted to follow Jesus not them. Everyone kept shouting “ Hosanna , Hosanna”.

Six days later…Jesus asked me to come to a meal called “ The Last Supper” so I went , of course. When I stepped into the awfully large room I was welcomed with a sunny smile from Jesus. He had a wet, dirty, old towel around him. “Hey Judas take a seat over here”. He guided me to a small cracked chair in the corner it had a pot of water in front. “Why is there a towel around you my highness? And why have you guided me to a seat with a pot of water in front of it?” I said as I backed away from everything and looked up, down, left and right. “ I will serve you by washing your feet “ said Jesus. I leaped on to my dusty, wrinkly feet. “Why? You are not my slave” I said. “Tonight someone will turn away from me” Jesus said and sadly drooped his eyes down to his feet. “why?, why?” said the crowd of disciples. “Take this piece of bread and do what you must” Jesus said to me, face to face. I ran off into the dark dust, my face turned red and my hands turned sweaty. “Why does it have to be me” I asked God… Two days later… everything was back to normal.

Jesus asked us us to meet him in a garden and I went… Jesus was waiting there for me, he said, “stay here, stay awake with me, stay here and pray”. It was 9:45 pm I was half asleep suddenly the guards came barging in and grabbed Jesus.  “NO! You can not take him” I said . “Let them take me” Jesus said sadly with a sigh. The guards marched off with Jesus between their arms.

Three hours later… Jesus was nailed onto the cross and crucified. Mary and her friends made a HUGE puddle from their tears… Thirty minutes later… Mary and her friends left and Jesus got moved into a tomb and got wrapped up in soft white bandages. Two days later… I walked to the tomb and the large stone had gone I walked in I got the shivers, once I turned the corner I saw the tomb was empty. I heard screaming outside so I hopped outside. It was Mary and Jesus? What? I overheard some of the frightening conversations Jesus said to Mary “ Go and spread the news, I have RISEN!” A day later… Everyone knew the amazing news! See you next time Diary. Bye

By Sarah HG 12

Reporting Timetable
All parents are welcome to meet with the Home Group teacher at any time throughout the year to discuss their child’s progress and achievement.

YEARS 0/1
6 Week School Entry Assessment Report
A ‘Net’ report at age 6
Where appropriate, according to birth date, written reports and sharing the learning

YEARS 2 – 6
Term One –  Sharing the Learning

Term Two –  Student-Led Conference / Written Report,

Term Three – Sharing the Learning

Term Four – Written Report

Student-Led Conferences
During Weeks 7 – 9 this term, student-led conferences will be held for Years 2 – 6. All parents are expected to attend these. They will take the form of a conversation between the student, their parents and the teacher. The purpose of student led conferences is for students to display learner agency (ownership of their learning) and to help them take personal responsibility for their progress. It is a chance for them to share their learning journey with their parents. More information will come from the home group teacher about specific conference times.

A significant part of the Programme of Learning at St Joseph’s is students being able to discuss the progress that they have made, what they are achieving and what their next learning steps are, within the curriculum areas of reading, writing and mathematics. The students may also share their learning in Religious Education, The Arts, Physical Education and Inquiry Learning.

What do the children gain from Student-Led Conferences?
Traditional parent-teacher conferences saw students as “third parties” to assessment, hearing about their progress through the grapevine of teachers and parents. Teachers and parents do play a vital role in assessment but students must also take an active role in this area to maximize their potential for success.

We believe that student involvement in the conferences makes learning more active, provides better opportunities for students to evaluate their performance, and encourages students to accept greater responsibility for their learning.

Having students take charge of the conference makes them more accountable for what they are learning. In addition, this form of conferencing creates a stronger partnership between the home and the school that is very important for the student.

2018 Reporting To Parents
Both research and experiences by schools throughout NZ have demonstrated that student-led conferences offer many benefits including the following:
– stronger sense of accountability among students
– stronger sense of pride in achievement among students
– more productive student-teacher relationships
– development of leadership skills among students
– stronger links between home and school

Prior to the conference:
You can expect…
The teacher will work with your child to co-construct their report.
A suitable time is arranged for you and your child to meet for the student-led conference with the home group teacher.
The teacher will help prepare the students to run their conference.

At the conference:
You can expect…
To be introduced to the teacher. This may seem staged, as you will already know your child’s teacher, however it is an important part of the process for the students – learning how to formally introduce people.

Your child will share what they have learnt as they show you through relevant items of work that they want to share with you, using a prompt sheet to help them. At this time you are able to encourage your child, listen to their achievements and next learning steps, evaluations etc. It is essential that you give them time to collect their thoughts, but at the same time you don’t leave them floundering. This is supposed to be a success!! Feel free to ask appropriate questions related to your child’s learning throughout.

If you have a particular concern you would like to discuss with your child’s teacher without your child being present, please do not hesitate to contact their teacher and make an appointment.

At St Joseph’s we value Student-Led Conferences and Learner Agency as a way of empowering our children to become effective communicators for the future. For more information on these explore the web pages below:

http://assessment.tki.org.nz/Reporting-to-parents-whanau/Examples-and-templates/Student-selfassessment-and-reflection/Student-led-conferences-and-three-way-conferences

http://elearning.tki.org.nz/Teaching/Learner-agency

We look forward to meeting with each of you and celebrating the progress and achievement your child has made so far this year.

Overview
Each year schools throughout New Zealand send student achievement data to the Ministry of Education. This assists both the schools and the Ministry of Education in understanding what is going well in relation to learning in Mathematics, Reading and Writing, and identifying possible areas that could be focused on the following year. 

2018 Achievement Data for St Joseph’s
Reading: 90.3% of students achieved at or above

Writing: 76.6% of students achieved at or above

Mathematics: 87.5% of students achieved at or above

2019 Areas of Focus 
This year we are focusing on Writing and Mathematics.

Teacher Professional Development
Areas of focus are developed in order to enhance the teaching and learning programme for all students. When looking at the areas of focus teachers review the teaching strategies that are currently in place and where appropriate, carry out professional development.

This year we have Sally Muir, a writing adviser, working alongside the teachers to encourage students in developing a joy of writing. The feedback we have received from parents is that their children are coming home sharing their joy of writing. This is wonderful to hear.