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Robyn Marquand

JUNIOR ROOM TEACHER

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I have been a part of the Waitetuna community for the past 16 years.  All 4 of my children started at the Playgroup here, which was a fantastic way to be a part of the local community.  Connor and Shannon are now at Raglan Area School, Danielle and Toby are still here at Waitetuna School, and my husband Bevan is on the Board of Trustees.    

 

During that 16 years I have worked part time here at Waitetuna, and also Te Pahu, Whatawhata and Ngaruawahia.  I have been lucky to have taught at all year levels and I love that I can use all those skills at the small school environment at Waitetuna.  I have also been involved in running Playgroup, Plunket groups, mainly music, and Raglan iGirlz as part of the wider community.

 

My two main passions in the curriculum are literacy and music.  I love opening the world to children through story and song.  I particularly love the excitement of helping children unlock literacy at junior level. Literacy involves looking, listening, talking and moving, and our classroom is full of opportunities to do all these things through a range of play based activities from all areas of the play continuum. I believe music can be a vital tool for learning in all areas, I’m that teacher that actually enjoys the sound of 25 children all playing different instruments, and recently I even taught a group of girls how to play the recorder - although it must be said I now prefer teaching ukelele! 

 

The Junior room offers a safe and easy transition from early childhood settings to the world of school.  Our small school environment means that all children quickly become part of our Waitetuna whanau and are welcomed by children of all ages. Our daily programme includes lots of opportunities to learn through play and to follow children's natural inclinations and explorations, as well as introducing them to more structured play and formal learning environments. Play has always been a part of my classroom teaching, and I am continually on the lookout for interesting ‘junk material’ (aka loose parts) to inspire and enhance our learning.