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Tūī Syndicate (Years 4 to 6)

Tūī Syndicate is our Year 4 to 6 syndicate. Composite year 4/5 classes are located in the lower area of the school. Year 6 classes are in the lower rooms of the two story block adjacent to the office. As students enter Tūī, they have an increasing range of roles and responsibilities within the school e.g. Sports Leaders, Peer Mediators, Road Patrollers and Ngā Rangatahi o Ngaio members, MacAttackers, Buddy Readers, Junior Journalists and the Enviro Team.

Tūī Syndicate has a Tuakana/Teina model based on developing relationships between our children and helping prepare them for future leadership roles within Tūī Syndicate. 

Planned experiences through Education Outside the Classroom programmes (EOTC) help develop resilience and confidence in our learners. Our school’s ROCKET Values form a basis for these and are central to all our learning in Tūī. One highlight for our Year 6 students is Forest Lakes Camp. Pedal Ready is also an integral programme planned each year. These programmes help increase confidence and provide challenge.

Communication with Whanau and continually developing children’s well-being are essential to our core practice. As year 6 akōnga grow and venture off to intermediate, our teachers recognise that this is an essential time for support and guidance. It can be a time of apprehension and change. Our teachers liaise with families and contributing schools to help support transition of students to intermediate school. 

Below you will find important information about our Tūī Syndicate Team.

Tūī Teachers

Chantal McKee

Ruma tekau (Room 10) Tui Team Leader

c.mckee@ngaio.school.nz

I teach in a year 6 class and am also the team leader of Tūī. I have been at Ngaio School for around 8 years and previous to that I was teaching in Christchurch. In my class I foster inclusiveness and teamwork. I love to tap into children’s interest and talents and put building relationships as a top priority in my classroom. I have 2 daughters, Jessie and Toni. You may know Jessie who was a teacher assistant at Ngaio, she has now embarked on a Masters of Teaching and my other daughter Toni is a pharmacist in Invercargill. Outside of school, my husband Phil and I love to spend time in our caravan and of course try to take Poppy with us when we can. I have a keen interest in sports and have coached and umpired netball for many years. Another passion of mine is rugby, I am a proud Matatū and Crusaders supporter. Throughout the year, I look forward to getting to know you and your child as we help prepare them for their future endeavours.

Poppy McKee

Poppy is a Canine and Friends Pet Therapy Dog. She has many talents, and often seeks out children that may need a cuddle or reassurance in their day. She is very placid and loves to lie with children on the floor. You will often see her at the school sports or around the playground walking with children. Poppy has been known to shake children’s hands at Year 6 graduation and is often a huge favourite in the Leavers Book. She is fondly referred to as Ngaio’s School Dog.

Sam Jenkins

Ruma Tekau mā rua (Room 12)

s.jenkins@ngaio.school,nz

I’m thrilled to once again be teaching year 6, this time in Room 12. I’ve been here at Ngaio since 2018 and love the school and wider community. I like to get involved in lots of different extracurricular activities like Enviro Club, Artsplash Dance, and Wearable Arts. I’ve lived in Wellington for a while now but home is down south in Dunedin, where I visit regularly and often do road trips through Central Otago with my dad. In my spare time I like getting out into nature, playing and watching football (Liverpool is my team), reading and writing, and playing games.

Hayden Trass

Rūma Rua tekau (Room 20)

h.trass@ngaio.school.nz

I have been teaching in the Tūī team at Ngaio School for a number of years now. I have a passion for teaching a variety of subjects. When I am not at school I love to spend time with family and friends, and to travel. I am interested in history, geography, art and architecture. I also love learning languages and enjoy practising Chinese, Thai and te reo Māori. I am a little bit famous for my dogs, three cavaliers called Frankie, August and Pippa.

Louisa Marks

Ruma Rua tekau mā tahi (Room 21)

l.marks@ngaio.school.nz

I'm delighted to be part of the Tūī Syndicate again this year teaching year 4/5. I have been at Ngaio School since 2021. I aim to foster a positive and encouraging learning environment where my students feel well supported. My husband and I live locally and we have three children, who are now almost all at Uni. In my spare time I enjoy immersing myself in my garden and I also love to walk, read and spend time with family and friends. I am looking forward to another fantastic year at Ngaio School and getting to know my new class.

Nicola Stevenson

Rūma Rua tekau mā toru (Room 23)

n.stevenson@ngaio.school.nz

I am excited to be a new member of the Tūī team. I have already been relieving at Ngaio School and worked in Kakapo in Term 4. I am originally from the UK. I have taught in London, Melbourne and Wellington for over 20 years. In my spare time I enjoy travelling, running, hiking and biking. I am passionate about meeting students where they are at and build on their strengths.

Dan Byrne

Ruma Rua tekau mā wha (Room 24)

d.byrne@ngaio.school.nz

I have been a part of Ngaio School since 2016 and both of my children have been here as students. Before moving to New Zealand, I taught in the UK for 6 years. My interests include playing and watching sports, especially football. Outside of school, you might spot me at the stadium supporting the Phoenix. It has been a pleasure to be part of the community here and I am excited to be teaching a classroom in 2025 as part of the Tui team!

Amy Hickling

h.hickling@ngaio.school.nz

I'm a proud member of team Tūī! I’ve lived in Wellington for the past ten years or so and originally hail from Taranaki/ New Plymouth, so I often pop up there during school holidays. I enjoy making the most of the walking trails around Wellington, as well as reading and a bit of tennis or the beach if the weather is nice.

Frances Grice

Ruma tekau mā rua (Room 12)

f.grice@ngaio.school.nz

I am thrilled to complete my placement for the Masters of Primary Teaching and Learning at Ngaio School. I will be observing and supporting Sam’s Year 6 class. I went to Ngaio School, and I couldn’t be more excited to return to a place that holds such special memories. I am originally from Wellington but spent several years (2012-17) living in Los Angeles where I learned to speak Spanish and travelled all over the United States with my family. In my spare time I enjoy dancing, knitting, crocheting, sewing, reading, and spending time with friends and whānau. I look forward to learning alongside the tamariki and staff! Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.

Tūī Syndicate Information

Teacher Release

Release Teachers: 

Julie Rogers will be providing classroom release for Louisa Marks. She will be teaching once a week in Room 21. 

Alison Craven is also providing classroom release to Dan and Nicola’s classes.

All New Zealand teachers (as of 2025) are entitled, as part of their Collective Agreement, to 25 hours per term (5 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, attending meetings or supporting sports events.

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 Dates

Please refer to website calendar

Syndicate Hui

Tūī Hūī Celebrations will be held in Room 24: From 10.10-11am

 

Friday 9/5 Week 2 – Room 21 Louisa’s Whanau hosting. Whanau of Room 21 akonga are invited to attend. 

Friday 23/5 Week 4 – Room 23 Nicolal’s Whanau hosting.  Whanau of Room 23 akonga are invited to attend. 

Friday 6/6 Week 6 Room 24 Dan’s Whanau hosting.  Whanau of Room 24 akonga are invited to attend.  

Syndicate Programme - Termly Overview

Term 2 Overview

During term 2 our Year 4-6 students will be working on a unit “I am a Musician” through the learning areas of Music – sound arts.

Developing practical knowledge

Students will explore and identify how sound is made and changed, as they listen and respond to music and apply knowledge of the elements of music, structural devices, and technologies.

Developing ideas

Students will:

  • express and shape musical ideas, using musical elements, instruments, and technologies in response to sources of motivation
  • represent sound and musical ideas in a variety of ways.

The second half of the term will be focused on Science through the  Material World.

Properties and changes of matter

Students will:

  • Observe, describe, and compare physical and chemical properties of common materials and changes that occur when materials are mixed, heated, or cooled.
  • group materials in different ways, based on the observations and measurements of the characteristic chemical and physical properties of a range of different materials

Chemistry and society

Students will:

  • Find out about the uses of common materials and relate these to their observed properties.
  • compare chemical and physical changes.

Writing & Reading Focus Term 2

Writing 

This term, ākonga will be engaging in a range of authentic writing activities that support students to consider their audience and purpose. This includes poetic writing and the link between poetry and song lyrics, procedural/instructional writing, and scientific reports based on experiments. 

Students’ writing will also be developed through other areas of the curriculum including our topic and unplugged digital activities.

Daily writing covers the structural and language features of the above text types, and also covers the following skills: 

  • Common spelling patterns, understanding syllables, looking at suffixes and prefixes and building an increased understanding of how these occur in a variety of words.
  • Punctuation – using capital letters, full stops, commas, question marks, and speech marks consistently, as well as exploring more sophisticated punctuation.
  • Grammatical conventions, e.g. correctly formed sentences, consistent use of tense, subject-verb agreement, consistent use ofReading

Reading

Our reading program provides opportunities for children to read to, with, and by themselves on a daily basis. The children participate in a guided reading program that may include instructional reading, focusing on aspects of comprehension, fluency, structure and vocabulary while building their understanding of the world around us. Children will discuss genres, structures, language features, meanings, and ideas across a range of texts. Where possible, texts are selected to align with learning in other curriculum areas. 

Students also attend weekly library sessions, where they are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and explore new types of texts.

Personal Reading: selecting and reading independently for enjoyment and information.  

Instructional Reading: Ability based reading groups (Ra Hina – Ra Mare). 

Shared Reading: teacher/student reading. Reading for information.  

Developing Reading Comprehension: discussing genres, structions, language features, meanings and ideas in a range of texts.

Spelling / Phonological Awareness – Essential Lists, Spelling patterns, HFW, Word of the week, Dictionary skills.

Mathematics Focus Term 2

Ākonga participate in a structured mathematics programme Monday through Friday, where they have opportunities to work in both whole class and small group sessions with their teachers, engage in Maths Talks, problem solving and independent activities. Our maths teaching features a range of both explicit teaching and rich learning opportunities. 

 

Number: Operations (Mult/Div including Rational Numbers)

  • Students will practise and develop fluency in new and previously learned multiplication and division facts (e.g., families of facts, multiplication table grids, arrays, games)
  • Students will investigate patterns in the multiples of times tables and to generalise multiplication problems beyond recalled facts by looking for patterns. connect multiplication with skip counting using jumps on a number line or arrays.
  • Students will
    • Explain and demonstrate the vertical-column method for division and multiplication, ensuring students understand and practise the procedure and connect with place value, known facts, and estimation.
    • Make estimates or mental calculations by connecting to place value, partitioning, and known facts.
    • Investigate by decoding and solving word problems, representing them as equations
    • Use problems such as “If this recipe feeds 4 people, how much of each ingredient do we need to feed 20 people”?

Statistics

Through Statistical Investigations student will:

  • Pose questions that can be answered with data 
  • Make conjectures or assertions about expected findings
  • Plan how to collect primary data to support answering the investigative question
  • Use a variety of tools to collect the data, and check for errors in it
  • Create and describe data visualisations to make meaning from the data, with statements including the name of the variable
  • Choose descriptive statements that best answer the investigative question, reflecting on findings and how they compare with initial conjectures or assertions
  • Check the statements that others make about data to see if they make sense, using information to clarify or correct statements where needed.

Te Reo & Kapa Haka Term 2

Te Ao Māori Term 2

Students will be learning a range of adjectives and nouns to express likes and dislikes with a connection to music. They will also learn how to note observations about physical qualities, with links to chemistry and food. Purakau will link to Matariki, drama and music.

Kapa Haka: students to continue weekly lessons with Hemi Prime, practising a variety of local and other familiar waiata and haka. Later in the term, we will divide into groups in order to upskill an extension group for the Kapa Haka festival late in Term 3

Digital Technology Focus Term 2

Digital Learning

Students will use the Google suite with more efficiency, utilising keyboard shortcuts and reformatting skills.

Students will also develop their digital skills through unplugged coding activities (activities that don’t require devices). Using directional instructions, students will learn about algorithms and how to debug them when things don’t go as planned.

MacAttack

Children are continuing to develop their digital fluency by using a range of creative apps and outputs. They are doing this while working with our external provider (Danny). MacAttackers are also brilliant leaders for our younger year levels.

Junior Journalists

After a busy start to the Junior Journalists, we are getting ready to begin our own news reports. The journalists will be creating their own scripts, forming questions, developing voice overs and interviewing students throughout the school.

Physical Education Focus Term 2

Physical Education 

Physical Education Times

Harakeke

Room 10 (Chantal)  Tuesday 1.30-2.30pm

Room 12 (Sam) Tuesday 1.30-2.30pm

 Rātā

Room 20 (Hayden) Monday 1.40-2.40pm

Room 21 (Louisa) Monday 1.40-2.40pm

Room 23 (Nicola) Wednesday 1.40-2.40pm

Room 24 (Dan) Wednesday 1.40-2.40pm

 

Health

  •  Mindfulness- connection to atua, drama 

 

Physical Education: 

Through Invasion games: 

We are learning to:

  • Use sending and receiving skills
  • Select and apply sending and receiving skills with our hands and/or feet
  • Maintain possession of the ball to create scoring opportunities

Cross Country: 

Students will take part in the annual school wide cross country event. Ākonga will learn correct running techniques and focus on maintaining their stamina throughout the event.

Dodgeball: All Tui students will have the opportunity to participate in the house dodgeball competition at lunchtimes.

Daily Fitness: Each day students will have the opportunity to improve their basic fitness through participating in a range of physical activities and cooperative games. 

Year 6 have Pedal Ready Level 2 at the beginning of term. Thai involves biking on the road and learning important knowledge of road markings and awareness of safety.

Key Competencies Focus Term 2

The Key Competencies we will be focusing on are:

Using language, symbols and text

Using language, symbols, and texts is about working with and making meaning of the codes in which knowledge is expressed. Languages and symbols are systems for representing and communicating information, experiences, and ideas. People use languages and symbols to produce texts of all kinds: written, oral/aural, and visual; informative and imaginative; informal and formal; mathematical, scientific, and technological.

Thinking

Students who are competent thinkers and problem-solvers actively seek, use, and create knowledge. They reflect on their own learning, draw on personal knowledge and intuitions, ask questions, and challenge the basis of assumptions and perceptions.

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.

 

Harakeke

Room 10 (Chantal) Wednesday 10-11am  

Room 12 (Sam) Tuesday 9.15-10am

 

Rātā

Room 20 (Hayden) Tuesday 10.15-11.00

Room 21 (Louisa) Thursday 11.45-12.30

Room 23 (Nicola) Thursday 9-10.00am

Room 24 (Dan) Wednesday  11.20 – 12.30

Electives Term 2

This Term, children can select an area of interest to focus on once a week. During this time, classes will consist of year 4-6 ākonga.  These lessons will help upskill essential learning areas through creative activities, helping build a sense of belonging through cementing tuakana/teina relationships (which is integral to our beliefs in Tūī).

Enviro Club

Enviro Club is an opportunity for students to learn about the environment and their role within it through both information and hands-on sessions.

Children are invited to opt in to the sessions they find interesting.

Enviro Club also offers leadership roles within the school, such as recycling, composting, and running sessions with younger students.

Throughout the year we will be focusing on the Arb and how the students, as kaitiaki, have a responsibility to look after our environment. We will also be working to improve our composting system across the school with the aim to reduce and reuse organic waste.

The Arb is closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays to encourage growth, and to allow students to monitor the impact they may have on the environment.  The Enviro Team endeavours to try to balance access and the impact children may have on our taonga.

Home Learning

The ROCKET Challenge is an optional home learning programme.

The purpose of the Tūī ROCKET Challenge is to:

  • recognise the learning children already do outside of school, and to encourage them to extend themselves in these areas
  • challenge children to try new things 
  • encourage children to contribute to your family, school and community  
  • enable children to discover, develop and showcase their talents. 

You can find out more about the ROCKET challenge here. 

 

The Rocket Challenges close Friday 21st November (week 7)