Southern View: June 27, 2017

SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi
Tuesday June 27 2017 15
Christchurch Intermediate
Schools
Specialists in Year 7 and Year 8 Education
OPEN NIGHTS 2017
Intermediates are exciting places for students to
begin their adventure into adolescence. In addition
to providing a rich, age and stage, middle-yearsspecific
curriculum in a stimulating, challenging and
rewarding environment, intermediates cater for many
interest groups and clubs.
Intermediate schools target the needs
of early adolescent Year 7 & 8 students
- 11-13 year olds. These two-year, coeducational
schools are in many ways ideal
environments for students to begin their
adventures into adolescence.
Early adolescence is a unique and special
time of immense physical, intellectual,
emotional and social development.
These changes create specific needs and
challenges that are significantly different
from the needs of younger children or older
adolescents.
An intermediate school can support your
Year 7 & 8 child in ways that include but are
not limited to:
• The staff are all focussed on the needs
of early adolescents and teach in these
schools because they establish strong
relationships and particularly enjoy
working with Year 7 & 8 students. They
are highly qualified, experienced and
skilled teachers of early adolescent
students, who ensure pastoral,
social and emotional needs are well
supported.
• The resources are all designed and
acquired to meet the needs of this age
It is not surprising that New Zealand and overseas
research concludes that the quality of teaching is
one of the most significant factors influencing how
well students learn at school. Given that quality
teaching occurs in most New Zealand schools
regardless of their type, it’s only natural to consider
other factors that might make a difference for early
adolescents.
The young people at intermediates are changing
rapidly – physically, emotionally and socially.
Intermediates focus solely on this age group and
are well positioned to meet their needs. A mix
of specialist and home room teachers helps to
provide the choices, challenge, love for practical
activities and academic rigour in the students’
learning. Resourcing, both human and physical, that
is developed deliberately to meet early adolescent
student needs, helps to build self esteem, assist
students to develop and find strengths and links
learning with career aspirations. Teachers who are
focussed solely on the middle years are able to work
collaboratively to provide level-appropriate engaging
programmes that connect learning to students’ lives
and interests and provide challenge for all students
to achieve to the best of their ability.
group - age appropriate experiences,
opportunities and challenges are
planned for and provided.
• Leadership development focuses on
opportunities for students to develop
the important skills associated with leading
their peers - people their own age.
• Secure and supportive yet challenging
environments are provided to support
students to develop their independence.
• Students thrive on the opportunity to
step up.
• Specialist teaching opportunities enable
students to receive age appropriate
and challenging learning in technology,
science, performing arts and visual arts.
• Significant home group environments
support strong literacy and numeracy
programmes differentiated in creative
ways to meet students’ individual
needs - all students are extended and
the focus is on accelerating progress.
The intermediate schools in Christchurch
work closely together to collectively provide
a wide range of extracurricular opportunities
for students in sporting, cultural and
academic contexts.
Current intermediate school students list these
points:
1. “There are more children of my own age here
because our school takes all the year sixes from a
few different schools and they come to one school.
And because we’ve got bigger numbers of pupils
we can have more sports teams and … there’s
something for everyone” Y8 child
2. “Our school has different specialist teachers for
subjects like music art, P.E. and technology, so we
get used to that – which is good preparation for
secondary school” Y7 girl
3. “At intermediate school everything is for our two
years (age group).” Y8 girl
4. “I like that we don’t have to look out for little
children. That was neat at our old (primary) school
but it’s nice to just have our own age here. Y7 boy
5. “It’s good that we don’t have big secondary kids
here. We can worry about them when we’re older…
and then we’ll be big too. Y8 boy
For a specialist focus on middle year schooling, use
the table on this page to find the time and date of
the open night for your nearest intermediate school.
ENQUIRIES WELCOME
This is a great opportunity to
see Intermediates in action
Attending our Open Nights is a
great way to see Intermediate
schools in action
School Date Time Principal Email Phone Website
Breens Thursday 6 July 4.30pm – 6.30pm Nikki Clarke office@breens.school.nz 359 8108 www.breens.school.nz
Casebrook Wednesday 2 August 6.30pm – 8.30pm Sharon Keen office@casebrook.school.nz 359 7428 www.casebrook.school.nz
Chisnallwood Wednesday 5 July 6.00pm – 8.00pm Justin Fields info@chisnallwood.school.nz 388 4199 www.chisnallwood.school.nz
Christchurch South Thursday 27 July 6.30pm – 8.00pm Ross Hastings office@chchsouth.ac.nz 332 2408 www.chchsouth.ac.nz
Cobham
Tuesday 25 July
3.30 pm – 5.30 pm &
6.30 pm – 8.30 pm
Eddie Norgate office@cobham.school.nz 351 6381 www.cobham.school.nz
Heaton Thursday 27 July 6.30pm – 8.30pm Andrea Knight admin@heaton.school.nz 355 9555 www.heaton.school.nz
Kirkwood
Tuesday 4 July
9.00am – 12.00 noon
and 7.00pm – 8.30pm
Phil Tappenden school.information@kirkwood.school.nz 348 7718 www.kirkwood.school.nz
Shirley Thursday 3 August 6.30pm – 8.00pm Geoff Siave office@sis.school.nz 385 2229 www.sis.school.nz