Which of the New Zealand Curriculum values should be at the heart of Cashmere Avenue School's culture?

Thank you for all your feedback on the New Zealand Curriculum vision. The next step we need to take as members of the Cashmere Avenue School learning community is to identify the New Zealand Curriculum values that we feel are the most important.

These values will be at the heart of the school's philosophy, structures, curriculum, classrooms, and relationships.  We need your input to make sure that the values that are prioritised and influence the curriculum reflect what the school community is striving towards.

Follow this link to read more about the New Zealand Curriculum values.

We hope you will take a moment to take part in our poll.

Thank you for your time and support.

The Junior School Parents' Response

For homework last week the Junior school children talked to their parents about the behaviours, attitudes and skill they think a child leaving Cashmere Avenue School should have.  

This is what they decided was important:

• Be respectful to teachers and students
• Good at listening and speaking
• Have the skills to learn
• Hard working
• Know their basic facts
• Fit and healthy and know how to stay healthy
• Be helpful
• Able to work in teams, with others and independently
• Friendly, have friends and know how to make friends
• Interested in learning and love/enjoy learning
• Get on well with other people
• Try their best at sports
• Enjoy the arts
• Happy, enthusiastic and positive
• Able to stand up for themselves
• Confident and feel capable
• Sensible, polite, well-behaved, well-mannered
• Organised and prepared
• Leadership skills
• Mentoring skills
• Exam skills
• Able to resolve conflicts
• Good work habits
• Try things, even if they can't do them yet
• Ready to take on challenges
• Good at reading, writing and maths 
• Honest and open to others
• Aren't afraid to ask questions
• Look forward to the future
• Feel safe
• Have initiative
• Good role model
• Have time for everyone
• Tolerant of people and differences
• Caring and kind
• Responsible
• Sensitive to other's needs
• A good friend
• Participates at school and in the community
• Independent
• Know where to get help
• Appreciates and respects the environment
• Have high aspirations of themselves
• Ambitious
• Use ICT appropriately to support learning
• Have empathy for others
• Creative and imaginative
• Problem solving skills
• Self motivated
• Understands strengths and weaknesses
• Proud
• Encourage and support others
• Show initiative
• Inquisitive

What do you think of their list? Have they missed out any behaviours, attitudes or skills you value? Which of these elements are most important to you? Have your say!

The Children's Perspective

Groups of children from across the school have been working with Miss Gallop to think about what Cashmere Avenue School's vision should be. To make this a child friendly task the children thought about what a 'Cashmere Learner' should look like when they leave Cashmere Avenue School. What behaviours, attitudes and skills will they need to be successful at their next school? This is what they came up with (click on the image to enlarge):

Creating a School Vision Together

Welcome to Cashmere Avenue School's first ever blog!

The Ministry of Education has published a revised New Zealand Curriculum which all schools in New Zealand are required to put into action by 2010. 

In response to the new curriculum document we, as a school community, are redefining the school's vision and curriculum this year. 

As parents and members of our school community your ideas and thoughts about the direction of our vision and our school curriculum are extremely important and valued.

The first step the school community needs to take is designing a school vision that will describe the kind of attributes and dispositions we want to see in the children at Cashmere Avenue at the end of their time here. Follow this link to view The New Zealand Curriculum Vision Statement. We hope you will post your thoughts and questions about this vision statement. 

• What are the big themes that come through in the vision? 
• Which of these themes do you think we at Cashmere Avenue are passionate about? 
• Which themes do we not think about often enough? 
• Which attributes and dispositions do you value and would you like to see in your child when they leave Cashmere Avenue?

Thank you for you time and input. Your thoughts will help us to ensure that Cashmere Avenue School's vision reflects the views of the whole of our school community.