HJHS Prospectus 2014

8/13/2019 HJHS Prospectus 2014

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2014 Prospectus

www.hjhs.school.nz


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2 www.hjhs.school.nz

Hamilton Junior High School is a wellrespected Year 7 to 10 learning provider.Our special character of small classsizes, homeroom learning experiencesand high expectations, makes us theschool of choice for Year 7 to 10 studentsin Hamilton.

Quality teaching and learning is at theheart of everything we do.

We progress student learning levelssignificantly from the time they begin theireducation with us as a Year 7 student towhen they leave us at the end of Year 10,fully equipped with a strong foundationin literacy and numeracy to becomesuccessful with NCEA in Year 11.

Our school is a warm, dynamic and

caring place in which students develop

skills and attributes they will need for

their future.

We have high expectations for our

students that enable them to show respect

for themselves and others, to develop a

can do attitude, and to participate in all

areas of school life.

Your child will experience top qualityteaching from our highly skilled and

committed teaching team as they prepare

your child for a future of success.

We look forward to welcoming your

family into our learning community.

Warm regards

Tanya ThompsonPrincipal

Welcome


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Hamilton Junior High School is a middleschool which caters for Year 7 to 10 students.Our programme is engaging and dynamic tohook emerging adolescents into learning.Our programmes develop well rounded andcollaborative learners through engaging andmotivating students to meet their academic,social, physical and emotional needs. Ourdelivery focuses on students maintaining aclose learning relationship with their teacherand having students needs recognised and

met through an individualised approach.

Year 7-10 is a time of rapid personaldevelopment. We pride ourselves onproviding a safe and secure environmentfor our students. We see our school as afamily school providing opportunities for thedevelopment of respectful relationships.

Our four year teaching programme meansthat we have a much better opportunity to getto know our students as learners and that wehave a much greater opportunity to meet their

learning needs whilst they are with us.

Students are organised into composite classesto ensure stability for learning. We haveYear 7/8 homeroom classes and Year 9/10homeroom classes. Classes are organisedinto teams with a Team Leader responsiblefor each.

An additional support for your child isWhanau Time. Each student is allocated aWhanau class and teacher when they startat our school. This teacher will support andguide your child for the 4 years that theyare at our school. During Whanau Time weuse goal setting, academic mentoring andrelationship building to effectively support andguide your child to reach their full potential.

Each component of our school works togetherwith others to provide a motivating andpositive learning community for our students.The school climate is warm, friendly andwelcoming.

Our School


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Together We Learn

Every member of Hamilton Junior High School is a learner. Teachers, students and the wider community engage inlearning together, not only in subject content but also in the process of learning about ourselves as learners.

HJHS Learners

Self Manager Contributor Communicator

Are resilient

Are resourceful

Set and achieve goals

Make informed choices

Use their initiative

Actively participate locally, nationally

Contribute purposefully

Connect with others and their ideas

Are collaborative

Listen actively

Discuss, debate, explain, share theirknowledge, ideas and opinions /

points of view clearly

Use a range of communication tools

Articulate their thoughts, experiences, needs

Explorer Thinker

Use a range of tools and strategies toaccess information

Takes learning risks

Find and solve problems

Seek new solutions

Think about thinking

Think critically

Think creatively

Are intellectually curious

Apply and use their knowledge skills and understandings

Understand the power of advertising and media on their andothers lives

Our Vision

Learning for LifeOur Mission Statement

Hamilton Junior High School will enable and enhance resilientand intellectual learners by providing learning that is personally

meaningful, challenging and vital. We promote self directionin life long learning and the desire to contribute

positively to society.

HJHS LearnerRespect for Ourselves, for Others and Our World


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Our Beliefs About Teaching and Learning

We believe:

Everyone is a learner and a teacher staff students,parents and whanau

Everyone will learn to their personal best

Everyone will be supported and nurtured as individuals

Everyone will have the opportunity to experience andacknowledge the bicultural nature of Aotearoa

Everyone will have the opportunity to experience andacknowledge their cultural diversity within our schoolcommunity

Everyone will demonstrate the attributes of the HJHSLearner

Students will be encouraged to take responsibility tothink globally and act locally

That the HJHS curriculum will have meaning foreveryone, connect with their wider lives and engage thesupport of their families, whanau and communities

Expectations of our Students

It is expected that all students at Hamilton Junior HighSchool will demonstrate commitment of the following:

To develop the attributes of the HJHS Learner

Attend school every day please note we have 95%minimum attendance

Arrive well prepared for learning and all classroomprogrammes

Demonstrate mana and respect towards students,staff and our community

Expectations of our Parents and

Whanau / Families

To help students to succeed the school needs the help ofthose at home. Basic requirements that you can assistwith include the following:

Help students attend school everyday on time

Ensure that they get sufficient food and sleep to helpthem learn effectively

Take an interest in their school work by looking attheir books, ePortfolios and supervising home learningat night

Encourage your child to meet their potential

Keep in touch with the school by:

- text and email

- writing notes

- phoning the school when necessary

- coming to meetings

- helping with sports and other school activities

Diverse Learning Environments


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The Homeroom Learning Environment

A strong component of our learning community are oursmall class sizes and the commitment of our staff to buildstrong, positive learning relationships with our studentsand their families. Our average class size in Year 7/8 isaround 25, and in Year 9/10 is around 20. Our technologyand the arts classes are around 17 students per class.

Our students experience a mixture of specialised andgeneralised teaching situations throughout the school.

All students (Year 7-10) work for a large part of the dayin a homeroom environment. This means that studentshave one teacher for general curriculum areas whichproves to be a major strength to our learning communityenvironment. In addition to the core classes our studentsattend additional Writing through eLearning and ScienceLessons to further support their learning. Our students alsocover the Technology and Arts Curriculum by learning inour specially equipped teaching spaces.

Our curriculum delivery focuses on identifying and meetingstudents individual learning needs within the classroom.This provides exciting opportunities for students to make

good progress within a supportive learning community.

Meeting Students Individual

Learning Needs

We offer special challenges for gifted and talented studentswho excel and need extension through our classroomprogrammes. Diverse learning experiences are providedto extend every students thinking.

We offer students who have learning difficulties in literacyand numeracy additional in-class support. As well as

this we offer withdrawal booster programmes designedto assist students in general classrooms with learningdifficulties. This is designed to support and nurture theclassroom programmes.

Our learning community here at Hamilton Junior HighSchool promotes positive achievement at a personal level.We believe every student can learn and achieve success.


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Supporting Student Learning

Effective eLearning Tools for Learning

We believe that students need access to a range of toolswhen and as the need arises, therefore we provide digitaltools in all classrooms. These tools range from computers,laptops, netbooks, iPads, data projectors and interactiveboards. Our eLearning tools will enhance your childsachievement and motivate them to succeed at our school.

All students have the opportunity to Bring their own device(BYOD) to support their learning. A digital approach to

learning supports our dynamic programme and makeslearning motivating, collaborative, engaging, challengingand exciting for our learners.

At Hamilton Junior High School we use an online learningenvironment which provides:

Engaging virtual classrooms

Integrated parent portal

Dynamic ePortfolios

Safe social networking

Students and parents can access our website from bothschool and home to support their childs learning.

International Students

Each year we welcome applications for enrolment fromInternational students. We provide specialised programmesincluding ESOL and we have an experienced InternationalStudent Manager who oversees their transition into theschool as well as their on-going pastoral care. This personis also able to assist with home stay requirements. Pleasecontact the school for her contact details.

A Safe and Nurturing Learning CommunityWe believe that all students have the right to learn inan environment where they feel safe and valued. Weencourage our students to take responsibility for theirlearning and behaviour through the attributes of the HJHSLearner. As a community we place daily importance onresponsible thinking practices whichallow students to think throughchoices and to consider theimpact their decisionshave on others.

HJHS Expectations

Show Respect Manaakitanga(to yourself and others)

Mana Dignity(pride, behaviour, uniform, language)Awhinatia Caring

(act with kindness, support others)

Sustainability Kaitiakitanga(environment grounds, buildings, equipment)


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Our Staff / Team Work

Our Staff Quality Practitioners

At Hamilton Junior High School, we believe firmly that the learner sitsat the centre of our teaching and learning model. Accordingly, weprovide vigorous and continuous Professional Development for ourstaff as learners themselves to ensure that they are up to date withcurrent educational theory and practices. Over the past several yearsour staff have been involved with Professional Development in BestTeaching Practice, How Students Learn Best, ICT to Enhance Learning,the Numeracy Project, Restorative Relationship Building and theCareer Education Project. We strive for educational excellence for both

our staff and students. Consequently we have a dynamic and highlyskilled group of teachers and support staff who will help your childreach their potential.

Team Work

While students are at HJHS they are a part of a House culture. Wehave four different House teams which each student will belong tofor the time that they are at HJHS. Each House has representativesfrom each year level and they compete against each other in manysporting, academic, arts and cultural events throughout the year.House competitions take place during all major school sporting

events such as Swimming Sports, Athletics and Cross Country.House competitions also run during lunch times and cover a rangeof cultural, academic, arts and sporting activities.

Student Leadership

We offer many opportunities for students to lead within our school.Alongside these roles we also provide training programmes to ensureour student leaders are well supported in their roles.

Students can gain positions for the following:

Head Girl Year 8, Year 10

Head Boy Year 8, Year 10

Sports Captains

Cultural Captains

Learning Captains

Class counselors learning, cultural and sports

Digitech ICT experts

House Captains

Peer Mediators

Librarians


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Student Opportunities

Interschool Sport Academic Teams Cultural Teams Other Opportunities

Swimming Literature Quiz Kapa Haka Head Girl / Boy

Athletics Waimaths Choir Learning Council

Touch Speech Team Rockband House Captains

Tennis Science Fair Envirogroup Librarian

CricketInternational Academic

Competitions Japanese Club Music Tuition

Cross Country Otago Problem Solving Chess Club

Netball Primary Research Project Photography Club

Rugby Science Online Challenge DigiTech Computer Club

Hockey Seasonal Sports Teams

Soccer School Camps

Basketball School Productions

Volleyball Drama Group

Sports Camp Young Leaders

Golf Dance Day

Table Tennis Music Day

Badminton Visual Arts Day

Gymnastics

Police PCT Challenge

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Student Opportunities


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A Thinking Curriculum

A Thinking Curriculum

Here at Hamilton Junior High School we believe in enabling our learners to become successful HJHS Learners. As a keycomponent of this we have designed a Thinking Curriculum which places huge focus on developing successful lifelonglearners. Alongside the HJHS learner attributes there are eight essential learning areas. Year 7-10 students learn across theeight essential learning areas as a part of our curriculum delivery. Our Year 9 and 10 students have access to a diverserange of additional options to ensure they are ready for NCEA in Year 11. All of our Year 9 and 10 students will be able toconstruct a pathway towards earning NCEA credits in 2014. This allows our students to have an added advantage whenthey start high school with credits.

The Technology and The Arts Learning Programme

Technology The Arts Year 7 10 Options

Biotechnology

Textiles Technology

Food Technology

Hard Materials Technology

Traditional M ori Taonga

The Lab Music, Drama and Dance

Art Workshop The Arts

Fashion Drawing

Restyle Wearable Art Textile Art

M ori Performing Arts Toi Whakaari

Te Reo and Tikanga M ori Language

Vive le franais! French

Konnichi Wa!!! Japanese

Spanish

Horticulture Plant Science

Myth Busters Mad Science

Financial Literacy

Enterprise Studies Business / Economics

History

Geography

Technical Drawing

Beauty Therapy

The Technology and The Arts Curriculum is a specialfeature of the learning programme at Hamilton Junior HighSchool. Students learn through hard materials (wood,metal and electronics), textiles technology, biotechnologyand food technology, each taught by a different specialistteacher. We deliver all of these exciting programmesthrough our HJHS Day which happens every Wednesday.This ensures that students have 1 day each week wherethey explore learning in meaningful and engagingsituations. This is a huge point of difference for our schoolas we prepare your child for either an academic future or

a future in the trades.

We have newly designed rooms for technology and the artswhich will be opening soon. We have specialist teachersteaching in these rooms who have extensive expertise intheir field.

The programme provides our students with the opportunityto acquire new skills in the process of design andconstruction and to further appreciate the ways in whichtechnology impacts on their lives.

The arts programme offers both music, dance, dramaand art, each taught by a different specialist teacher andemphasising creativity and expression. Our specialistteachers in music, dance, drama and art, bring with thema wealth of expertise and experience. Student art work iswell promoted across our school and performance is also

popular, offering a combination of music / dance and drama.

Our HJHS Options Programme allows our students theopportunity to learn about a diverse range of areas andlook at possible career pathways. Our options programmeallows our student to take part in the following:


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The Sporting Arena

We actively encourage students to take part in sportingactivity and our school provides a wealth of opportunitiesto take part in both individual and team sports. Theseinclude teams in netball, rugby, hockey, cricket and indoorbasketball. Students in Year 7/8 and Year 9/10 are givenopportunities to take part in a comprehensive programmeof sporting events as part of the inter-intermediate andmiddle school programme.

Further Options

We actively encourage our students to experiment witha variety of curriculum areas during their time at HJHS.Our Music tuition is a way that students can branch outand try something different. Instruments on offer dependon the students requiring lessons registration ofinterest in lessons occurs at the beginning of each year.Instruments available for tuition are:

Guitar

Bass Guitar

Drums

Violin

Keyboard

Piano

Saxophone

Flute

Clarinet

Our languages programme is another way that studentscan branch out and explore other cultures and languages.

The languages we offer at HJHS is dependant on staff,but generally they are:

Te Reo

Spanish

French

Chinese

Japanese


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Another exciting component of our curriculumis delivered by the experts we invite intoour school to enrich and diversify the eightessential learning areas. These peopleperform, entertain and present demonstrationsfor our students. We will also take ourstudents out to these experts or facilitiesshould they not be able to be accessed atschool. These include:

Rhythm Interactive drumming shows

where each child gets a bongo drum forthe entire show (Music)

Stand Up Be Heard Speech makingtechniques from experts (EnglishSpeeches)

Technology Roadshow (Technology)

Science Roadshow (Science)

Disability Awareness

Waikato Museum a variety of exhibitions

Careers Expo

Local Libraries International Acts which travel through

our region

Cultural Exchange Programme in

Japan

Our school has established links withschools in Japan and we host studentsfrom these schools each year in Home Stayarrangements. We have a fantastic exchangeprogramme with Makuhari Junior High School

in Japan where students from HJHS travel toJapan in September for the return visit. If youare interested in participating in the Japaneseexchange programme or you would beinterested in being a Home Stay Host familyplease contact the school.


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Our Wider Learning Community

As a learning community, we aspire to engageour staff, students and families within a culture oflearning. Our staff hold strong beliefs around theimportance of building strong, positive learningrelationships with our students and their families.We believe in keeping parents regularly informed.

To ensure this we encourage regular communicationbetween home and school and vice versa. Whilst

we have specified times in the year when we sharestudent learning with parents and families, we alsooperate an open door policy. We feel it is importantthat you can come into school at times when it isconvenient to find out about your childs learningand how they are progressing at school. We alsobelieve that the student is central in this process andwe encourage student lead conferences. This alsoencourages students to take more responsibility fortheir own learning and successfully tracking theirprogress and achievement.

Teachers and students report to parents / caregivers

about learning through:

ePortfolios samples of student work acrossall curriculum areas

Conferencing and Goal Setting interviews Set in late February and July

Written feedback and feed forward of student work

Formal Mid Year (July) and End Year (December)reports

In addition to this we encourage parents to:

Pop in during the day to see learning in action(via our School office)

Keep channels of communication open

Contact the classroom teacher whenconcerns arise

Contact senior staff when concerns arise


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Our School

Facilities

At HJHS we have:

Sporting Facilities:

Gymnasium with Basketball markings andequipment

Courts with Netball, Tennis and Basketballmarkings and equipment

2 Soccer Fields

Rugby Field

Adventure Confidence Course

Asphalt areas for small ball games

Many grass areas with BBQ tables

Learning Facilities:

Library

Multi Purpose Room (MPR) for shows, assemblies etc

TV and Radio Station

Science Laboratory

Music Room for band practice, individual music tuition We have a school mini-van which make class outings

more manageable

Newly upgraded Technology and Art Facility

School Uniform

We have a uniform which students are expected towear with pride. Our uniform details can be found in theadditional information insert with our prospectus.


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Should you require more

information, simply

contact us at:

Hamilton Junior High School

90 Heath Street

St Andrews

Hamilton 3200

P07 849 2819

F07 849 [email protected]

www.hjhs.school.nz


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Anewpathwaytolearningforlife

90 Heath Street, St Andrews Hamilton 3200

P07 849 2819 F07 849 3760

[email protected]

www.hjhs.school.nz

Documents

HJHS Prospectus 2014