We encourage whānau to support their tamariki by providing opportunities beyond “school learning”. Spending quality time interacting with your children in enjoyable and meaningful ways helps develop their confidence, relationships, character, and Key Competencies.
Let children play — and play with them.
Read to your children, listen to them read, and visit the library together.
Monitor screen time outside of learning contexts.
Talk, discuss, question, and have conversations with them.
Encourage children to contribute to household tasks such as preparing meals.
Encourage participation in clubs, cultural groups, sporting activities, or organisations such as St John.
Learn something new together — swimming, a musical instrument, an art form, or exploring a topic of interest.
Take opportunities to serve others through Hands of Christ activities, volunteering, or helping neighbours.
If you would like further advice about supporting your child’s learning at home, please make an appointment with your child’s teacher. We are always happy to work alongside whānau.
Guidelines for Home Learning
So, with this in mind, St Teresa’s School has set the following home learning expectations.
Junior School (Year 0-2)
These are the foundational years, where some teacher-directed home learning will be provided to support the development of essential skills.
Read every night with or to your child, or have them read to you. Developing strong reading skills is one of the most important foundations for your child’s future learning. Students will bring home decodable books or can access digital books through Sunshine Online.
Practise Heart Words regularly so children can recognise important words automatically.
Look for opportunities for real-life reading, writing, and mathematics, such as setting the table, baking, writing shopping lists, or following instructions.
Enjoy family games that develop social and emotional skills, including learning how to cooperate, problem-solve, win, and lose.
Play board games together to practise counting, number recognition, and skip counting in a relaxed way.
Talk about things happening in the world and topics that interest your child.
From time to time, classrooms at Waiorongomai and Wairarapa may provide additional activities or resources to support learning in Literacy, Numeracy, or Inquiry.
Middles and Seniors (Years 3-8)
The focus in these years is supporting students to become independent learners who develop curiosity and a passion for learning beyond the classroom.
Read with or to your child each night, or encourage them to read independently. Confident readers may also enjoy reading to younger siblings. Digital texts can be accessed through Sunshine Online.
Use websites and digital resources to practise and reinforce Literacy and Mathematics learning.
Encourage real-life learning opportunities through cooking, budgeting, measuring, writing, researching, and communicating.
Enjoy family time and games that develop resilience, cooperation, and social skills.
Challenge each other to create fun ways to practise core skills, such as designing a board game or quiz.
Have conversations about current events, interests, and ideas. These conversations help older tamariki connect their learning at school with the wider world and support their reading and writing.
St Teresa of Avila encouraged us to be the Hands of Christ on Earth. At St Teresa’s School, the Hands of Christ Challenge provides opportunities for tamariki to grow in faith, character, and service.
The challenges encourage students to focus on others while developing kindness, responsibility, and personal growth. These activities are designed to be completed at home with whānau, and families are encouraged to create their own opportunities to live out our Gospel values.
Students who complete the required tasks for their year group will receive a Hands of Christ badge at the end of the year.
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8
If you would like help to find/source other resources, please get in touch with your child’s teacher in the first instance.
Thank you for partnering with us in nurturing confident, compassionate, and faith-filled young people who thrive and live our Gospel values each day.