Our Learning Communication
At Te Manawa ō Pāpāmoa School, communication is a key part in partnering up with whānau (families), kaimanawa (learners) and kaiako (teachers) to ensure our kaimanawa thrive while they are here.
The three main forms of communication pathways we use are HERO (Student management system), Seesaw (kaimanawa learning portfolio) and Facebook for general celebrations and messaging to the wider community.
HERO
Communication via APP / email.
Weekly panui / updates
Assessment & Reporting
Absences
SEESAW
Kaimanawa learning posts
Reflection tool for Manawatanga (School Learning Values).
Distance / remote learning
FACEBOOK
Celebration of learning
Community updates
Community collaborations / marketing
Hero
Hero (student management system) is our main form of communication from kaiako / kura to whānau and this communication comes through our HERO APP (notification) on your phone and through your email. HERO is set up with all new enrolments when they start their learning journey with us at Te Manawa ō Pāpāmoa.
Seesaw
What is Seesaw?
Many of you may be familiar with Seesaw from your child’s previous school. Seesaw is a learning communication platform that is particularly child friendly. It is used in many kura within Aotearoa and around the world. Seesaw is engaging and provides a powerful learning loop between Kaimanawa, kaiako and whānau.
Why have we chosen to use Seesaw, when we already have Hero?
Seesaw has amazing functionality for children that will engage our Kaimanawa by allowing them to capture/ record evidence of their learning and share this with you at home quickly and effectively.
The use of iPads in āko hapori (learning environments) makes this even easier.
Unfortunately, Hero is not as user friendly for our Kaimanawa in terms of sharing learning in this way. We believe it is essential that our Kaimanawa are central in the learning process and Seesaw will involve them directly in this - through reflection and discussion about the learning they are involved in.
What is our role as whānau?
Your role as whānau is to download the Seesaw Family app and register, or sign in if you already have an existing account. A simple video for doing so can be found here; https://youtu.be/EyugY17AiCM
Read, acknowledge, comment and reply to your child’s learning that is shared via Seesaw.
Discuss at home the learning that your child is sharing and possibly add to, or take this learning even further.
Continue to use Hero/ email for communicating with kaiako (teachers). Please do not use Seesaw for communicating with kaiako, as this is not the best place to do so. Any communication of a formal nature is best done face-to-face, via email or through Hero.
What is the difference between Seesaw and Hero?
Seesaw will be used for sharing your child’s learning - they will be driving this, particularly in the senior school (year 4 - 6). It will be more informal in nature.
Hero will continue to be a main platform for kaiako/ school communication with you (school wide and hapori). Hero is more formal in nature. Hero will be used to share progress and achievement information for your child.
See the attached factsheets (Hero: E-Learning/ Seesaw: E-Learning).
To ensure we get the most out of Seesaw from a learning perspective, we look forward to sharing more information and support with you throughout the year. Your child’s kaiako is the first and best place to start with any Seesaw related questions.
