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13 Junior School Tēnā koutou! Welcome to Queen Margaret College Junior School. The first day of Junior School marks the beginning of an exciting adventure for our students. We provide a joyful and nurturing environment, where a strong sense of community – kotahitanga – is fostered amongst students, teachers and families. Students come to school curious about the world and eager to learn. QMC is a proud International Baccalaureate school and in the Junior School we offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP) as our platform for learning. We focus on developing a strong foundation in literacy and mathematics, which is transferred to other learning areas. The PYP promotes critical thinking and collaborative enquiry, and the energy and enthusiasm created in these contexts is reflected in the passion of our Junior School classrooms. All of our students learn French fromYear 2, as part of our international school development. Building confidence in students is a key focus for all of our teachers. We aim to develop strong learner-focused relationships, based on mutual respect. We encourage students to take ownership and develop initiative and self-regulation for learning by building courage and capability through a growth mindset, and by setting goals for continuous improvement during learning conversations. The Junior School offers a wide range of opportunities to develop skills and confidence outside the classroom. Specialist teaching in visual art, music and French add vitality to the programme and help enhance students’ creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration. Further opportunities in the arts, outside of core teaching, are promoted through choirs, dance, individual music tuition, speech and drama, and visual art club. Additional clubs such as chess, robotics, Chinese and gardening are offered at lunchtimes and support the development of friendships through purposeful activity. Head of Junior School