St Joseph's Catholic School follows the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC). The NZC is based on 5 key competencies: thinking, managing self, participating and contributing, relating to others, and understanding language, text and symbols. People use these competencies to live, learn, work and contribute as active members of their local and global communities. 

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More complex than skills, the competencies draw on knowledge, attitudes, and values in ways that lead to action. They are not separate or stand-alone. They are the key to learning in every NZC learning area. 

 There are 9 learning areas in Years 0 – 8: 

 

•  English 

•  Mathematics and Statistics 

•  The Arts 

•  Health and Physical Education 

•  Learning Languages 

•  Science 

•  Social Sciences 

•  Technology and the Digital Curriculum 

 

Our students use inquiry learning strategies to make meaningful connections to the world around them. 

 

Class Learning Programmes

Individual class teachers design learning programmes based on the NZC and their professional overall teacher judgements on the individual needs of the learners in their class. For this reason, learning programmes will often look and feel different in different classrooms.

What you will see in each class: 

 

•  Welcoming learning environments 

•  Examples of student learning 

•  Class, group or individual teaching and learning situations 

•  Students discussing and critiquing their learning (learner agency) 

•  Ongoing assessment and evaluation of learning 

•  A range of digital and traditional learning resources

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What does Learning Languages look like at St Joseph’s Catholic School?

Learning a new language provides a means of communicating with people from another culture and exploring one’s own personal world. Languages and cultures play a key role in developing our personal, group, national, and human identities.

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We learn basic Samoan, Tongan,  Te Reo Maori and other Languages for communication, and gaining language and cultural knowledge about the countries and its people.

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Developing oral communication through learning greetings, numbers, classroom phrases, introductions and other everyday phrases. Striving towards accuracy in pronunciation using our language knowledge. Written communication and understanding will include writing simple sentences. Students demonstrate knowledge about a country with a language and culture a research project.

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Career Education

Our school is dedicated to providing comprehensive career education and guidance to all students in year 7 and above. We believe in equipping our students with the necessary knowledge and skills to make informed career choices.

 

Our curriculum focuses on introducing students to the diverse roles and responsibilities present in workplaces within our community. We understand the importance of showcasing the various career paths available and the perspectives of professionals in different fields. To achieve this, we regularly invite representatives from various sectors, including professionals from the church and school, to come and share their experiences and responsibilities with our students.

 

Integrating careers into our schoolwide planning is a fundamental aspect of our approach. We strive to create a learning environment where career exploration and development are embedded in all aspects of our students' education. By incorporating career education across subjects and activities, we provide opportunities for students to understand the real-world applications of their learning and how it relates to future career pathways.

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