Kia ora Northcross Parents and Whānau

Thank you to our community for attending parent/student/teacher interviews last week. As always, I trust the information provided gave you a clear indication of your child’s progress and next steps. I also hope you were able to view the Science Expo exhibits our students have worked on through the last 2 terms. Both the extremely high standard of presentations and the diverse range of experiments is outstanding. Congratulations again to all students who entered into the Science Expo. Thank you to Mr Adam Martin for overseeing this event.

You will be aware of the recent media releases regarding mathematics education in Aotearoa. New data from the Ministry of Education shows that just 22% of Year 8 students are meeting standard. Urgent action has been implemented in an effort to address this challenge.

The Government has mandated a new mathematics curriculum for 2025, to address the challenges identified. While the curriculum aims to improve mathematics education for all students, we believe that our strong foundation in mathematics education positions our students well to excel in this new framework. However, a standardised, narrower approach to teaching and learning is not consistent with expert advice.

We are proud to share that Northcross Intermediate is bucking this national trend. Our dedicated teachers and supportive school environment have resulted in 86% of Year 7 students achieving at or above the curriculum bench mark and 87 % of Year 8 students achieving at or above the mathematics curriculum benchmark. This is a testament to the hard work and commitment of our staff and students supported by their parents.

We extrapolated the mathematics data from our Progress and Achievement Tests (PAT) which all students sit in term 1 and term 4. PAT testing has also been mandated by the Government to be used formally every year to collect data on Numeracy and Literacy for a national overview on student assessment. Northcross Intermediate has been using PAT testing and data for the last 20 years.

Northcross is committed to providing our students with the best possible mathematics education. Our teachers are continually upskilling to deliver engaging and effective lessons that cater to the diverse needs of our students. We believe that a strong foundation in mathematics is essential for success in all areas of life.

In several weeks, 200 of our students will be competing in the New Zealand, Intermediate and Middle Schools (NZAIMS) Sports Competition in Tauranga. Last year 11000 students from around New Zealand and Australia competed this competition. There is a myriad of sporting codes students can compete in; the AIMS tournament is certainly a challenge for our high performing athletes. Congratulation on your preparation and perseverance, we certainly wish you all the best for the AIMS Games week.

Nga mihi nui

Jonathon