Enrichment Programmes

All students at Botany Downs are encouraged and supported to achieve their potential. Where appropriate, we offer opportunities for students to extend their learning with enrichment programme. Programmes include learning areas such as: Literacy, STEAM, and Mathematics. 

Coding in Scratch – follow this link for an example of student work using Scratch coding 

Matariki Stars

 

ICAS

We offer senior students the opportunity to sit ICAS exams. This is an academic competition that challenges students and recognises their achievements in core subjects such as English, Maths, and Science. The competition was started over 40 years ago and has since become an internationally-recognised annual event completed across 41 countries. The questions are engaging, fun, and written in a way that is entirley different to regular school assessments, aiming to test students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities.

 

Otago Maths Problem Solving Challenge

A group of high performing Year 6 Numeracy students are selected to participate in a series of five mathematical challenges involving five questions to complete in 30 minutes, over the course of the year.

 

Mathex

A group of high performing Year 5 and 6 Numeracy students are selected to compete in teams at the HPPA Mathex Competition. Students are required to work as a team to answer maths questions in a fast-paced mathematics competition

 

New Zealand Lit Quiz

A group of high performing Year 5 and 6 Literacy students are selected to compete in the HPPA NZ Lit Quiz. This involves working as a team to answer questions based on selected novels written by top New Zealand authors that students have read.

 

Speech Competition

Year 5 & 6 students are taught to write and present speeches as part of their Literacy learning. Finalists enter a school competition, with the winner being chosen to represent our school at the annual HPPA Speech Competition. Year 3 & 4 students are introduced to public speaking through our oral reading competition.

 

Chinese Speech Competition

Students who can confidently read Mandarin or Cantonese are given the opportunity to work with a bilingual teacher to write a speech and enter our school Chinese Speech Competition. The winners then go on to represent our school lin the HPPA Chinese Speech Competition.

 

Garden to Table

In the Garden to Table programme, students are learning how to;

• grow/germinate vegetables and fruits from seeds
• transplant seedlings into gardens
• identify useful plants from not-so-useful ones (weeds)
• use simple garden implements like shovels, spades, rakes
• plant fruit trees in appropriate locations
• take care of fruit trees to increase yields
• use mulch to suppress weeds and prevent moisture loss
• work in teams
• learn where our food comes from and how it grows

In the near future, if we can get more parents and local helpers, we aim to:

• prepare food from the garden and to share meals made from the garden produce
• start composting the school waste once again

Please contact the school if you would like to come and join us.