Waitakere College News

Newsletter Issue 21

Structure is King, Discipline is your Superpower

Welcome back to Term 3 2024. The daylight hours are longer and we seem to be able to get more done in a day as a result.

We call Term 3 ' The Money Term' referring to the phrase in the Jerry Maguire movie, "Show Me the Money."
This is the term where the expectation is on us as teachers and our students to 'bank' NCEA Credits in all the Internal Assessments available to us. Term 4 and the September Subway Study Break are about the preparation and completion of work for the external NCEA assessments.

So, what must students and teachers do in this term?
Firstly, Structure is King. Embed routines and systems in place that allow good learning habits to occur.
For Teachers - Ensure we have a Do Now, clear Lesson Objectives, scaffold the content, have explicit exemplars of A, M, & E, check understanding regularly and give clear assessment dates and times.
For Students - Be on time, attend school regularly, and use and populate a calendar planner which includes school and sports/ family commitments. Know when assessments are due. Attend study tutorials to complete work.

If Structure is King, then Discipline is your Superpower! Make sure you have the manawanui and hard work to complete these assessments by sticking to your good routines.
We will then each be able to 'bank success' and be rewarded with brighter days as we go through the term.

Ngā mihi
Mark P Shanahan