Discover Learning at Whanganui City College
“Whāia te mātauranga hei oranga mō koutou”
Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing
WCC Graduate Profile – Providing Opportunities For The Adults Of Tomorrow
In order to contribute positively to our community, it is essential for students to be able to extend their skills in literacy and numeracy, as well as in a range of the specialist learning areas. However, developing all of these academic skills is only one part of the picture. Without the ability to creatively solve problems, communicate ideas, listen to others, work independently or as part of a wider effort, those academic skills will not amount to much.
Throughout their time with us, we actively teach our students to be able to grow and put into practise, the skills and values of the Whanganui City College Graduate Profile.
To achieve this, our curriculum covers more than just the seven essential learning areas, as required by the National Curriculum. It also aims to teach students the life skills necessary to become future-ready learners. The curriculum that we offer takes advantage of our extensive facilities and our teaching expertise.
Our curriculum provides students with opportunities to:
- Gain full academic qualifications.
- Develop self-confidence.
- Explore a wide range of learning, leisure and sporting skills.
- Pursue their special interests.
- Make career choices based on their interests and abilities.
At Whanganui City College, our ākonga are provided with exceptional opportunities for a meaningful education. These opportunities lead to sound career pathways, appropriate to the interests and aspirations of each student.
A Day In The Life …
Like most other secondary schools you might visit in Aotearoa New Zealand, our ākonga/students develop skills in Mathematics, English, Science, Social Sciences, Te Reo Maori, Technologies, Physical Education/Health and The Arts. What makes us different is that wherever possible, we deliver the curriculum skills and knowledge from these learning areas, in real-world contexts.
For a junior student, WCC is unlike any other school. Right from the start of your time here, you get to choose all of your classes. As well as choosing courses based on your interests, you also have the opportunity to work with a variety of different students throughout the day, including Year 10 students. This keeps your programme interesting and challenging.
Our year is organised into two semesters, of approximately 17 weeks each. This means that you can choose to do a different programme in the second half of the year. This is a lot like what life is like if you choose to go on to study at tertiary level. It also means that you can try a wider range of learning areas during your junior years.
Each day, our timetable is broken down into one or two hour lines. Each line has a theme and you can choose from 8-10 courses that are available during that line.
Themes for the main lines include:
Ngā Reo – eg Literacy based courses focusing on reading, writing, oral communication
Pāngarau – eg Numeracy based courses focusing on measuring, calculating, solving
Waahi Ako – eg Subject courses focused on different Learning Areas eg Social Studies, English, Maths, Science based courses)
Mahi Kaupapa eg Project based courses, actively learning by working on a project to make a difference
Some of our other exciting choices included programmes in Korikori (movement), Ngā Karapu (Clubs), Hauora (Health living) and Iwi Whanui (community work). Each of the activities in these lines happen in the afternoon, and give students a chance to do some active learning which is of interest to them. Each of these are important because they help our students to develop as well-rounded young people. That is why we set aside time in our timetable each week, to get involved.
Programmes change annually, to meet the needs and interests of our students. You can find more information about our current courses by downloading the Course Booklet from our website.