Familiarisation with Setting

First Impressions

My first impression is a well organised school who pride themselves in providing a quality education for all the girls that attend the school. There is a lot of support for both the staff and the students. The support for the staff includes a teacher support person who is mainly for the new teachers who are finding their feet. They have plenty of resources for the classroom and the staff.

The teaching staff were welcoming and happy to share their knowledge and welcomed me into the teaching world. I can sense the staff are keen to help the students achieve the best they can and are trying different approaches to achieve the learning to happen in a way that suits the students best. The staff praise the students and their behaviour which leads to a positive learning environment.

The girls who attend this school are motivated to learn and be part of the school. There was a great team spirit with the house teams and the sport day they had recently. A lot of excitement about the results and who won the chant competition for the day. The school has mixed the tutor groups across the school so that year 7 through to year 13 are in the same group allowing a big sister approach to occur for the juniors.

Final Reflections

My final impressions still support what I observed in the first impressions. There is a great sense of community in the school and support in the school. The school has a great number of resources and opportunities for the ākonga. The house teams were used for several other events such as a coin design where the tutor groups used coins to make a design on the court the winning designs won points for their house. This had a great vibe around the school and the ākonga were able to express themselves and be competitive in a positive way with their tutor group peers. There was also a house music competition for the whole school and there was a great vibe in the school leading into this event.

Respect and pride for the school is high among the staff and the ākonga. The ākonga are expected to do their best and are encouraged to do so in a positive environment. In class the ākonga are supported to do their best as well. The kaiako support the ākonga that are struggling to develop their understanding of a concept. Assessments are regularly done in class to evaluate what learning has occured. If ākonga are having issues outside of school their names are shared in the staff meeting to ensure kaiako who have them in their class are aware of that and to let the dean know or the councillor know if further support is needed.