Commerce Staff
Faculty Leader Vivianne McDermott Accounting & Economics
 
Talaiasa 'Ofamo'oni  
Business Studies
   Maria Green  

An understanding of the business and commercial world around us is an important aspect of our education. The knowledge and skills gained in studying Commerce subjects, and exposure to enterprise culture, can help shape creative, energetic, and enterprising young people who will contribute to New Zealand’s economic future.

Business Studies

In Business Studies, students develop their understanding of business theory and practices, of how businesses plan and develop goods and services to satisfy the market, through both real-life experience of running a small business as well as theoretical approaches to learning. Students will develop an awareness of how business is influenced by, and impacts on, the cultural, ethical, environmental, political, and economic conditions of the day.

Economics

Economics is the study of how consumers, producers and government make decisions about their resource use, and of the forces that affect those decisions, with a focus on local and NZ producers, the local community, and the NZ economy. Economics explores: issues of sustainability (efficient use of scarce resources); enterprise (identifying profit-maximising levels of output); citizenship (economic decisions affecting New Zealand society) and globalisation (the benefits of international trade).

Accounting

Accounting gives students the financial literacy tools to make real life financial decisions in a constantly changing world. The students study the process of preparing and communicating financial information to a wide range of users, from households and sole proprietorship businesses in Year 11, through to partnerships and companies in Year 13. 

Year 7

Year 7 students will study a compulsory core:

Religious Education, English/ESL, Mathematics, Science, Health and Physical Education, Social Studies, Technology, Arts (Art, Music, Drama),  Languages (French, Chinese and Te Reo Maori, numbers permitting)

Year 8

Year 8 students will study a compulsory core:

Religious Education, English/ESL, Mathematics, Science, Health and Physical Education, Social Studies, Technology, Arts (Art, Music, Drama), AND 2 Languages (Chinese, French or Te Reo Maori - numbers permitting)

Year 9

All Year 9 students will study a compulsory core:

Religious Education, English/ESL, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Health and Physical Education, Arts (including Music, Art, Drama), Technology (three trimester courses of Technology, Design and Visual Communication, Digital Technologies, and Fashion and Interior Design)

AND 1 Language (French, Chinese or Te Reo Maori - numbers permitting)

Year 10

All Year 10 students will study a compulsory core:

Religious Education, English/ESL, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Health and Physical Education AND 3 options from the following:

Art, Business Studies, Chinese, Dance, Digital Technology, Drama, Fashion & Interior Design,French, Design & Visual Communication (numbers permitting), Music, Te Reo Māori (numbers permitting), Technology

Years 11, 12 and 13


All Year 11 students will take Religious Education,  English, one Mathematics course (Mathematics or Mathematics with Statistics), and one Science course (Science or Laboratory Science), plus three other subjects.

All Year 12 students will take Religious Education and an English course, plus five other subjects.

All Year 13 students will take Religious Education and five other subjects.

RECOGNISE – RESPECT – RESPOND – REVIEW

These four words summarise the rationale and work of the team. We recognise that our learners present a very wide range of learning needs. Each learner is unique and we respect their individual personalities, strengths and learning challenges. In responding to this diversity, we are constantly open to learning about new developments in inclusive education, alternative teaching methods and strategies. Our progress and interventions are regularly discussed and reviewed, especially during our fortnightly Diverse Needs meetings, which are attended by a multidisciplinary team.

STAYING ON TRACK WITH LEARNING SUPPORTLS2

Is your daughter working extremely hard but not gaining the expected results? Are there issues with organisation?  Does your daughter display 'avoidance' strategies with regard to her school work? Do you intuitively know that 'something is not right'?

The Learning Support team is available to work with students at all levels of the College and in any area of the curriculum. Through initial testing, groups of students are identified early in the year. These students will receive help from either a Learning Support teacher or a teacher aide in addition to their classroom teachers. This help may be one-to-one, in a small group or within the regular classroom. To discuss learning support for your daughter, contact Lorraine Evening our Head of Learning Support.

SUPPORTED STUDY - LEARNING HOW TO LEARN

Supported study is designed for senior students who, for a variety of lessons, might require teacher assistance during a supervised study time. Students will have access to a quiet space and a teacher who will help them develop an individual leaner profile/plan which includes setting SMART academic and personal goals for the year. They will be supported to develop learning skills and strategies to support these goals and their progress will be closely monitored to ensure they meet their desired goals

SPECIAL ASSESSMENT CONDITIONS (SAC)LS3

Students with a diagnosed learning, medical, sensory or physical difficulty may be entitled to special examination and test conditions. If a student has an up-to-date Educational Psychological Assessment or has undergone testing in Learning Support, she may be granted Assessment Conditions (SAC) to enable her to better access her assessments..

If you suspect that 'something is not right' with your daughter's learning and progress, please contact her Dean in the first instance. A discussion of your concerns may lead to a referral to Learning Support for a formal assessment – and improved outcomes for your daughter.

SENIORS TUTORING JUNIORS

We have a number of dedicated senior students tutoring/mentoring junior students in a range of subjects. Tutoring occurs during lunchtimes. This programme has become extremely successful again this year. The benefits of this programme are gained by seniors and juniors alike. Students who wish to be involved need to see their Dean.

ACTIVITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE GIFTED AND TALENTED

Our philosophy is to provide for our gifted and talented students in class by way of differentiation of the curriculum. Cooperative learning strategies are also encouraged as a way of ensuring that the diverse needs of our learners are met.

In addition to the enrichment that occurs at a subject level, there may also be a separate focus for various year levels, dependent on student need. Students also have a vast range of extra curricula areas to choose from to extend themselves.

Some of the activities that our gifted students have been involved with include Future Problem Solving, book clubs, conferences, debating and critical thinking activities. Often giftedness can be masked by learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, and in some cases, our gifted students may even need individual tutorials in subjects that challenge them. The Teacher In Charge of Gifted and Talented is Monique Williams.

DYNAMIC LEARNING FOR ORS STUDENTS

Learning Support is located in the lower ground floor of the refurbished MB block. Our main classroom, MB1, equipped with its own modern kitchen provides an invaluable resource for our high-needs students whose programme includes life skills such as Cooking and Nutrition, Gardening, Health, Dance and Social Skills.

We have a dedicated team of teacher aides who work with our ORS students to achieve their learning goals. This ORS team is capably led by Samantha van der Merwe, our teacher in charge of ORS and junior students.

VOLUNTEERS - HAERE MAI!

Volunteers are able to assist the team in a variety of ways. We are very grateful for people who can assist as Readers and Writers for assessments during the year, and for formal NCEA examinations in November and December. If you are able to help in this way, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss your possible involvement.

LEARNING SUPPORT STAFF

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Head of Learning Support

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - TIC of ORS and junior students

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Teacher Aide

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Teacher Aide

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Teacher Aide

Frances Quirke - Teacher Support