LEARNING CENTRE & ESOL It has been another busy year in the Learning Centre, made even more interesting by staffing changes at the start of the year. With great sadness we farewelled the wonderful Lesley Anderson-McKenna after 40 years of devout service to the school. She successfully steered the department for most of those 40 years. Lesley has been sorely missed. However, we have enjoyed having her back to help with relief and some reader/writing. Lesley was replaced as HOD by Gill Kilpatrick. She has been in the centre for 10 years, but part of the teaching staff at Christ’s College for 22 years. At the start of the year, we were fortunate to secure the services of wonderful literacy/numeracy specialists Sarah Loughnan and Claire Sparks, respectively. Both have worked in a 0.6FT capacity but have given far more in terms of their experience, expertise, and commitment to the boys. This year, the literacy specialist teachers embraced several professional development opportunities to further their knowledge and understanding of the science of reading. The fully subscribed Year 9 literacy classes have benefitted greatly from their ongoing commitment to providing an evidence-based, structured literacy approach. Our Year 10 programme continues to develop higher-level reading comprehension skills, such as inference reading and locating the main idea. Writing development has an emphasis on grammar, sentence structure, and technical accuracy. We also continue to have Year 11 students on a learning support line, rather than a Diploma course. This has been a valuable addition to our programme as it has enabled these young men to access more support and time to achieve success. Rotational tuition was also popular with many boys. In Years 12–13, tuition continues to focus on the boys’ literacy needs across NCEA subjects. Thank you to Kate Morris, Sarah Loughnan, and Alex Robertson for their work in supporting students
with the dance video uploaded to YouTube. This fun and involved dance performance has become a strong tradition, appreciated by students during UC immersion days. Meanwhile, plans are under way for the 2024 Japan tour. This will involve 22 students and three staff, with the very experienced Steve Everingham as tour leader. The group will spend time in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Kobe, where students will experience a homestay with a family of our brother school, Konan Boys’ High School. The students always enjoy their time on this tour, learning about the vast differences between the Japanese and New Zealand cultures and, of course, experiencing the delicious and interesting Japanese cuisine. In September, two students had the opportunity to take part in the Concours Oral Français 2023, held by the Fédération des Alliances Françaises de Nouvelle-Zélande and the Alliance Française de Christchurch. Otto Elworthy (Year 13) and Sam Hales (Year 12) both represented College well, holding their own in interviews about themselves, their interests and hobbies, as well as being required to provide opinions about an unprepared topic. According to the judges, Otto showed 'plenty of enthusiasm and a varied vocabulary’ and Sam demonstrated ‘lots of energy and great self-confidence’. Although both students did us proud, Sam had a particularly successful interview, placing second in the Year 12 division of the regional competition. Of course, language classes would not be complete without food experiences. This year, the students have been lucky to enjoy making crêpes (French pancakes) and okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes). Thank you to both Maude and Steve, and their dedication to providing our students with the best language and culture learning experience they can offer. “A different language is a different vision of life” – Federico Fellini Elaine Tang HoD International Culture & Languages
with the literacy requirements the boys need to access all their subjects and progress successfully through their schooling. I am also grateful to Nicole Billante, our Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning, who is always willing to find a way to accommodate those students who require an alternative pathway. With the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, international student numbers have begun to increase in 2023. Students have arrived from China and Japan. They study ESOL in the department on a timetabled basis and have taken on the challenge of studying while simultaneously developing their English skills. They have made speedy progress and become more confident communicators in English over the year as a result. Two international senior students have used English Language standards in 2023 to enhance their achievement at Levels 2 and 3. Level 4 EAP writing and reading standards remain on offer to support those students who require additional literacy credits for University Entrance. Alongside this, senior students have been confident about using rotational tuition when necessary to advance their studies. The relationships they build with the department as junior students allow them this flexibility and confidence to return when they want during the academic year. With the employment of a new International Student Manager, Sarah Davidson, who can travel to recruit overseas, we look forward to further growth in numbers next year. The numeracy support programme has been strengthened by the addition of Claire Sparks, who has joined Shelly Jackson as a specialist numeracy teacher this year. Together, they have supported more than 110 students in 2023. Their expertise has helped students improve numeracy skills and overcome challenges in mathematics and related subjects, ensuring a more solid academic foundation for success. The programme continues to focus on developing student skills, knowledge, and strategies using
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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