Our Learning
Students of today will be entering a workforce vastly different from the one that their parents have known. They will need different skills, knowledge and attitudes to cope with the challenges of working and living as they grow. As educators we recognise the mode of curriculum delivery needs to be adapted in order to prepare learners for life in the best possible way.
This page highlights our fundamental learning areas and how we aim to teach your child.
Our key priority is to set children up so they have the skills and dispositions to be life-long learners and positive citizens. Our values of respect, responsibility and resilience sit at the heart of all we do.
Why are we teaching Active Learner Traits at Waterloo School?
To give students the opportunity to develop and practice skills they need for the future. We believe it is important to focus on the process rather than the outcome.
What are the key competencies and why are they important?
The key competencies are the capabilities people have, and need to develop, to live and learn today and in the future.
The New Zealand Curriculum identifies five key competencies: Thinking, Relating to others, Using language, symbols, and texts, Managing self and Participating and contributing. To see how our students progress through each stage of our active learner traits, have a look at our rubric.
Prompts for speaking to your children at home about the Active Learner Traits:
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Tell me who helped you with your learning today.
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Tell me what things helped you learn today.
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Tell me what you liked about your learning today.
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Tell me what you do when the learning gets hard... what could you do?
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Read me your story... What were you learning today? What is your favourite part? I like the part where... because...
Learning Through Play
This is a programme that we are continuing to develop across the Junior School to enhance the children’s agency over their own learning as well as their independence and self‐management. Happy, calm children have a natural disposition for learning.
We believe Learning Through Play:
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Will continue to improve the transition between ECE and school
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Caters for the diversity of our learners. Our learners are individuals and arrive at school with different levels of readiness both socially and academically
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Will encourage children's natural curiosity and wonderment
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Will create learning that is personalised
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Will allow children to have autonomy over their own learning through the support of their teachers and other learners.
Our Learning Through Play programmes are influenced by:
Te Whariki
Emilio Reggio
Walker Learning
Longworth Education
LEOTC
LEOTC (Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom - also known as Education Outside the Classroom or EOTC), is a large part of the New Zealand Curriculum and takes many forms. LEOTC programmes provide students with access to exhibits, artefacts, expertise, and hands-on experiences that are not available in school. They offer unique and stimulating learning opportunities.
An LEOTC experience could be:
a walk up the Te Whiti Riser
a trip to the zoo
a trip to the Island Bay Marine Museum
a visit to the Royal NZ Ballet
walking to the Dowse to see an exhibit
Year 6 camp
Year 6 camp is undoubtedly our biggest LEOTC experience and is offered to all Year 6 students. The camp is held in term 4 each year. It is usually four days and includes a wide variety of fully supervised activities including kayaking, horse riding, archery, rope climbing, orienteering, rafting and more.
