Kākāpō Year 1 classes are located adjacent to the field in rooms 13 to 17.

Kākāpō Year 2/3 classes are located in the upper floor of the building adjacent to the office.

The Kākāpō team fosters self management, supporting akōnga to become increasingly more independent and resilient as learners. The curriculum is  integrated, with student voice and personal interest driving learning experiences.

Below you will find some information about the Kākāpō syndicate.

Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher (kaiako) at any point during the year. 

Kaiako are in their classrooms from 8:30am in the mornings so the best time to discuss any issues or concerns with them is between 8:30-8:45am. Kaiako are more than happy to meet with you at other times.

Kākāpō Teachers

Michelle Pontifex

Rūma ono (Room 6) Kākāpō Team Leader

m.pontifex@ngaio.school.nz

Teaching is my absolute passion and I am excited to be leading the Kākāpō team.

I have a vital interest in developing and preparing ākonga for their future. I believe in providing the best for my students in order to enable positive development and growth. To achieve this I provide a balanced, stimulating and challenging classroom programme, catering for the wide range of diversities I meet. I believe an important part of my role as a facilitator is to encourage ākonga to become lifelong learners. This is achieved through honest and open communication with the children in my care and their families.

It’s going to be a fun filled year, full of lots of wonderful learning and exciting adventures.

Tessa Gatenby

Rūma whitu (Room 7)

t.gatenby@ngaio.school.nz

I am delighted to be back teaching in the Kākāpō syndicate this year. I’m looking forward to getting to know some new faces and building positive connections with the tamariki as we learn and grow throughout the year. I’m going into my fifth year of teaching at Ngaio School and I’m excited to work within such a fantastic team. I believe creating and maintaining reciprocal and effective relationships with students is a crucial aspect of teaching, and I work hard to make sure every child feels valued in the classroom. I’m a Wellington local and thoroughly enjoy being part of the Ngaio community.

Christina Johnstone

Rūma Rima (Room 5)

c.johnstone@ngaio.school.nz

I’m thrilled to be a kaiako in Kākāpo Syndicate again, this time teaching Year 2-3. I have been at Ngaio School since 2015. During this time I have taught years 1, 2, 3 and 4 and am very much looking forward to teaching a year 2-3 class. When not at school, I am usually having fun outdoors with my three year old daughter and husband.

Wendy Holbrooke

Rūma Waru (Room 8)

w.holbrooke@ngaio.school.nz

I have been a kaiako at Ngaio School for many years. I love teaching and feel privileged to be a part of your child’s learning journey. I have 2 children and a beautiful granddaughter called Lucie. When not at school I enjoy catching up with friends, walking and reading.

Bronwyn O'Halloran

Rūma waru (Room 8)

b.ohalloran@ngaio.school.nz

Teaching has always been my passion. I have been teaching at Ngaio School for 8 years and I am very proud to have been the team leader for the Pōhutukawa Syndicate during this time. I am very excited to be stepping down from my leadership role this year and taking time to be in the classroom full time. I am a Wellington girl at heart. My husband and I have two very tall boys who are quickly becoming wonderful young men. We are a sporting family who are often out and about most weekends. My favourite thing is walking Waikanae Beach and enjoying time with my family.

Alison Craven

Rūma waru (Room 8)

a.craven@ngaio.school.nz

I am excited to be teaching Year 1 this year with such a dedicated and supportive team. I moved to Wellington with my husband from the UK 9 years ago and have experience teaching in Early Childhood as well as Primary School. I believe in ensuring our tamariki feel safe in their environment, they belong and their wellbeing is acknowledged for them to succeed. I am really looking forward to learning about everyone's different strengths and building relationships with whānau for your child to thrive. In my spare time I love long walks, listening to live music and spending time with my family of friends.

Morag Roberts

Rūma tekau ma whitu (Room 17)

m.roberts@ngaio.school.nz

I am really excited to be teaching a Year 1 class this year and getting to know your tamariki. Originally from Britain, I moved here with my husband and daughter 21 years ago. I was lucky to join the Ngaio School team in 2019 having spent the past 13 years at Muritai School in Eastbourne. I am passionate about teaching and particularly love working with the junior age group. I believe in creating a calm, caring and supportive environment and always love to celebrate students’ work by displaying it creatively in the classroom. I enjoy walking, going to the movies and spending time with whānau and friends.

Teacher Release

All New Zealand teachers are entitled, as part of their Collective Agreement, 15 hours (3 days) per term of Classroom Release Time (CRT). From term 3 this will increase to 20 hours per term (4 days). Part time teachers are timetabled to work in the classrooms during this time.

Teachers are also released for various other work related reasons, for example attending professional development courses or for carrying out assessment tasks with students.

Where possible we utilise our pool of part time teachers who are known to the children and familiar with Ngaio School’s routines and expectations. At times however, we employ relief teachers who may not be known to the children. This is most often for sick cover when our part time teachers are already booked, or if several teachers are being released at once.

Our team leaders also have regular release to carry out their syndicate leader responsibilities and some teachers with allocated responsibilities also have a small amount of release time to carry out their roles.

You can check out our part time teachers in the Our Team section.

Syndicate Hui

Unfortunately all Kākāpō huis are postponed until further notice, due to the flood damage.

 

Kākāpō hui will be held in Rūma 2 from 9:10am on the following dates:

TBC Week 8: Friday 22nd March – Christina’s class hosting 

Swimming

Swimming Timetable 

Monday

Rūma 8 Wendy 11:30-12:30pm

Rūma 16 Bronwyn 1:40-2:40pm

Tuesday 

Rūma 6 Michelle   9:05-10:00am

Rūma 7 Tessa  10:05-11:00am

Rūma 17 Morag 1:40-2:40pm

Wednesday 

Rūma 13 Alison 1:40-2:40pm

Thursday 

Rūma 5 Christina   1:40-2:40pm

Syndicate Programme - Termly overview

Inquiry: I am a Ngaio Ākonga (Visual Arts and Health)

This term we are exploring the cultures of our Kākāpō ākonga through the visual arts activities. 

Ākonga will:

Understand Visual Arts in Context

Share ideas about how and why their own and others’ works are made and their purpose, value, and context.

Develop Practical Knowledge

Explore a variety of materials and tools and discover elements and selected principles.

Develop Ideas

Investigate visual ideas in response to a variety of motivations, observation, and imagination.

 

Communicate and Interpret

Share the ideas, feelings, and stories communicated by their own and others’ objects and images.

Share ideas about how and why their own and others’ works are made and their purpose, value, and context.

Share the ideas, feelings, and stories communicated by their own and others’ objects and images. 

 

We look forward to sharing this learning journey with you.

Writing & Reading Focus - Term 1

Reading: Our reading programme provides reading to, with, and by ākonga on a daily basis. Monday to Friday tamariki participate in a structured reading programme: guided reading, response work and task board activities. Ākonga are expected to read most nights and bring their book bag to school every day. Reading material will cover a range of text types, including poetry, library books, fiction, non-fiction, picture books and independent readers. Texts should be easy and enjoyable, whilst continuing to build confidence, fluency and understanding. 

 

Writing: Classes are involved in regular writing activities covering a variety of genres including, character descriptions, recounts, letter writing and creative story writing. 

This term ākonga will be engaged in writing opportunities where the focus will be on consolidating the children’s knowledge of:

  • Consonant sounds, blends, and vowel sounds
  • Common spelling patterns and the transfer of these between words
  • Punctuation – using capital letters, full stops, commas, question marks, and speech marks consistently 
  • Grammatical conventions, e.g. correctly formed sentences, consistent use of tense, subject-verb agreement, consistent use of pronouns, and correct use of prepositions.

 

Mathematics Focus - Term 1

Ākonga participate in a structured mathematics programme Monday through Friday, where they have opportunities to work in small groups with teachers, engage in Maths Talks, consolidate new learning through response work and task board activities.

This term will be be covering the following aspects of the Mathematics curriculum:

 

Mātauranga tau | Number

Number strategies 

  • Use a range of counting, grouping, and equal-sharing strategies with whole numbers and fractions. 

Number knowledge 

  • Know the forward and backward counting sequences of whole numbers to 100. 
  • Know groupings with five, within ten, and with ten. 

Equations and expressions 

  • Communicate and explain counting, grouping, and equal-sharing strategies, using words, numbers, and pictures. 

Patterns and relationships 

  • Generalise that the next counting number gives the result of adding one object to a set and that counting the number of objects in a set tells how many. 
  • Create and continue sequential patterns.

 

Tauanga | Statistics

Conduct investigations using the statistical enquiry cycle 

  • Pose and answer questions.
  • Gather, sort, and displaying category and whole-number data.
  • Communicate findings based on the data.

 

Ine | Measurement

  • Estimate and then reliably measure capacity using standard and non-standard metric units.

Te Reo & Kapa Haka Term 1

Te reo Māori

Ākonga will use and respond to basic classroom language in te reo Māori. This will include simple commands, classroom objects, colours and numbers. At the beginning of the term each class will create a kawa (ways of working together/class treaties). 

Kapa Haka

Every Monday morning our children participate in Kapa Haka with Hemi Prime. Our children learn waiata, karakia, haka and poi during these sessions. 

Digital Technology Focus Term 1

All students will complete a cyber safety programme. In these internet safety programmes students explore the amazing possibilities that come with using technology. They’ll also learn from the fun characters, who take a pledge to be safe, responsible, and respectful when travelling through the online world. There is a programme aimed at Year 1 students and a separate programme aimed at Year 2 & 3. These programmes include introductory discussions around media balance & wellbeing, privacy & security, digital footprint & identity, cyberbullying and media literacy.

Physical Education Focus Term 1

Ākonga will participate in daily fitness activities, as well as swimming, gymnastics and cross country training this term.

Please encourage your tamariki to wear appropriate clothing for physical education activities

Key Competencies Focus Term 1

Relating to Others (Aroha, Respect, Honesty)

Relating to others is about interacting effectively with a diverse range of people in a variety of contexts. This competency includes the ability to listen actively, recognise different points of view, negotiate and share ideas. 

 

Managing Self (Initiative, Perseverance)

This competency is associated with self-motivation, a “can do” attitude, with students seeing themselves as capable learners. Students who manage themselves are enterprising, resourceful, reliable, and resilient. 

Library Visits

Each week we visit the library and children are able to choose 1-2 library books to take home and enjoy. The books are then returned the following week, in time for new books to be issued. Please help your child to remember their library books each week, so they can return them and get new books issued. The library is also open during lunchtimes for children to independently issue and return books.

 

Library Timetable

Monday

Rūma 7 – Tessa

Rūma 6 – Michelle 

Wednesday 

Rūma 5 – Christina

Rūma 8 – Wendy

Thursday 

Rūma 16 – Bronwyn 

Friday 

Rūma 13 – Alison 

Rūma 17 –  Morag 

Home Learning

Reading

At Ngaio School we use the Better Start Literacy Approach in our first two years of school. Your child will bring home a variety of language tasks to practise. These tasks can vary from guided books, independent books, word building games or phonics games to help your child practise their decoding skills. 

Please click here for more information about how you can help support your child with their literacy at home.

Poetry Books : Each week your child will bring home a poem in their poetry book to share with you. 

In years 2 and 3 students continue to be exposed to a broad range of texts and vocabulary and reading widely at home helps to reinforce the reading strategies introduced at school. Poems and reading books are sent home regularly and students are encouraged to select their own reading books for personal enjoyment.

Library Books: Each student will have the opportunity to select and share one or two books from our wonderful school library with their whānau.

Spelling

In the year 1 classes we work to develop the children’s spelling knowledge through both phonic knowledge, word building, rhyming words and securing the skills to spell new words.  

Twice a year (Term 1 and Term 3) the children will be tested formally on their spelling vocabulary and the data will be sent home so you are able to support your child with words they have not yet secured.

This continues in year 2 and by year 3 akōnga have their own individual spelling programme based on results from Essential Word testing. Akōnga have five words to learn each week, are tested by a buddy on Fridays, then new words selected.

Basic Facts
Each child in Kakapo has their own individual basic facts programme based on testing of the Basic Facts. Children have five facts to learn each week and are tested by a buddy on Fridays, then new facts are selected.

The ROCKET Challenge is an optional home learning programme.

These are presented in our classes as they are completed. Children are able to demonstrate their organisation skills and enjoy sharing their experiences and challenges with their peers. 

Find out more about the ROCKET Challenges here.