At Holy Cross School, we use a structured literacy approach to help all learners build strong reading and writing skills. This means we teach key skills clearly and step by step, especially in the early years, to help students make steady progress.
Structured literacy includes skills like speaking and listening, hearing and working with sounds in words (phonemic awareness), learning letter-sound patterns (phonics), handwriting, building vocabulary, understanding word parts (morphology), grammar (syntax), reading fluently, understanding how texts are organised, using writing processes, and making sense of what they read (comprehension). These skills are built into how we plan and teach in the English learning area.
In Years 1–3, we use the Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA). BSLA is a New Zealand-developed programme that builds early skills like hearing sounds in words, matching letters to sounds, speaking and listening, and small group reading.
From Years 4–8, we continue using structured literacy principles. Our learning programme includes elements from BSLA and the spelling programme The Code. We have also sought guidance from Clarity Education NZ to help us use this approach across the school and support older learners with vocabulary, spelling, writing, and reading comprehension.
It is our goal in 2026 to develop a Holy Cross School Literacy Curriculum—a document that reflects our unique identity as readers, writers, and communicators, the teaching practices we value, and how we support every learner to think, talk, create, and express themselves with confidence and purpose.
At Holy Cross School, we are actively implementing Te Mātaiaho – the refreshed Mathematics and Statistics learning area of the Aotearoa New Zealand Curriculum. This new curriculum focuses on clear learning progressions, deep conceptual understanding, and building mathematical confidence in all Ākonga.
Our staff have completed two of the four compulsory Ministry of Education professional learning days focused on the new mathematics curriculum, with the remaining two scheduled for 2026. These sessions are helping us strengthen our approach and ensure all teaching is well aligned with the national direction.
Currently, we use:
In 2026, we will begin using Maths — No Problem! Whakawhitinga Edition, a mastery-based programme developed for New Zealand schools, which we believe aligns more closely with both Te Mātaiaho and the learning needs of our kura.
It is our goal in 2026 to develop a Holy Cross School Mathematics Curriculum, a document that reflects our unique identity as mathematicians, the pedagogies we value, and how we support every learner to think, talk, and work like a mathematician.
We are proud to be recognised as a model school for the Garden to Table programme, regularly welcoming visits from other schools seeking inspiration. Garden to Table is all about reconnecting tamariki with the whenua, the seasons, and the food we eat. It teaches children how to grow, nurture, harvest, prepare, and share fresh, seasonal kai straight from our own school gardens. Tamariki work alongside each other in both the garden and the kitchen, learning practical skills, honouring the natural rhythms of the earth, and developing an appreciation for healthy eating and sustainable living.
Throughout the year, our students can take part in special extension activities, such as the Root to Tip competition, where they create dishes from local gardens using every part of the plant. Garden to Table builds beautifully on the learning, practices, and expectations of IOL, weaving together every area of the curriculum. It offers rich, real-life learning that strengthens teamwork, problem-solving, and creative thinking, while deepening our connection to the land, to each other, and to the food that sustains us.
As part of the Holy Cross WAY, we are exploring The Zones of Regulation—a framework designed to help both tamariki and adults recognise and manage their emotions. The Zones help us understand how we’re feeling and why, by grouping emotions into four coloured zones:
Blue (low energy: sad, tired, sick),
Green (just right: calm, focused, happy),
Yellow (heightened alertness: worried, excited, frustrated),
Red (extremely heightened: angry, out of control, panicked).
Regulation is something we all work on throughout our lives. By learning to notice when we are becoming dysregulated, we give ourselves the power to pause, reflect, and use strategies to return to a more balanced state. This self-awareness helps us stay connected to others, ready to learn, and true to our school values of Whānau, Aroha, and YES!
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