Selwyn Times: June 28, 2016

4
Tuesday June 28 2016
News
$79,500 for
Darfield Primary
DARFIELD PRIMARY School
has been given funding for new
ways of teaching.
School teachers Keri Conrad
and Mark Rob applied for funding
from the Ministry of Education
to trial new approaches to
teaching and looking at how to
prepare pre-school children for
primary school.
Darfield Primary and its
partner Annabel’s Educare, of
Darfield, will receive $79,500 for
its project, which the school will
run for two years.
This funding allocation has
come as part of the Government’s
$359 million Investing in
Educational Success initiative
which aims to encourage collaboration
between schools to
enhance teaching practices.
Darfield Primary principal
Aaron Richards said it is exciting
for the school to gain this
funding.
“It’s good news for the school,
especially the teachers that put
the proposed project together,”
Mr Richards said.
The school has partnered up
with Canterbury University to
carry out the research and in
the second year it hopes to share
what they have learnt with other
primary schools.
“In the second year of the
project we hope to share what we
have learnt with other schools
in the Malvern area,” said Mr
Richards.
Selwyn MP Amy Adams has
welcomed the allocation of
funding and what it means for
local schools.
“I’m happy to see our local
education providers working
together to raise achievement for
children here in Selwyn,”
“These projects will trial new
ways of doing things, all with
the aim to increase achievement
for young New Zealanders.
Where these projects are successful,
other schools will be
able to learn from the successes
as well so that excellent practice
becomes common practice,” Ms
Adams said.
This round of the fund involves
114 schools and six early
childhood education providers,
and has committed about $3.6
million of the $18 million fund.
The next funding round will
open in November.
Modern learning comes to
growing Tai Tapu School
• By Caitlin Miles
TAI TAPU School officially
opened its new learning space
on Friday.
The learning space is the
equivalent of nine classrooms
which will cater for students
from year 3 to 8.
The pupils started the opening
ceremony by performing a
waiata for the community which
was followed by several speeches
and a powhiri, before the ribbon
was cut by principal Andrew
Barker.
The building is part of the
Ministry of Education’s move
to make more open plan learning
spaces in schools around
Canterbury.
The learning space has
been built on existing school
ground and is the equivalent of
nine classrooms. Six original
classrooms were removed as
they were too old and three
were added to cope with role
growth.
The building was completed in
under a year.
The school is sitting at just under
300 pupils, and Mr Barker
believes the school will be at 300
by the end of the year.
NEW SPACE: Parents and members of the community
enjoyed getting to look around the new building.
WELCOME: Students sung a
waiata to start the ceremony
before the new building was
opened. ​
The space has a kitchen, open
learning spaces, quiet places for
learning and access to technology,
like Apple TV.
The community and parents
enjoyed getting to see the new
space and have been supportive
SELWYN TIMES
of the changes.
“They are really impressed by
the space, especially since the
kids have been raving about it,”
he said.
The pupils have been using the
space for just over a month and
have already adjusted to the new
environment.
“They have taken to it like a
duck to water, their values and
their competencies and how
they have just come in and their
learning is just thriving in this
environment,” Mr Barker said.
The learning space will allow
for further role growth at the
school.
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