New School Journal and Junior Journal 69 have arrived

Three new School Journals and the latest Junior Journal are being sent to schools this term. The School Journal series is published in three levels, which are now aligned with the refreshed curriculum: 

• Level 2 is now Year 4  

• Level 3 is now Years 5–6 

• Level 4 is now Years 7–8 

The journals contain a variety of stories, articles, and plays that will engage students and support their literacy development. The content is aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum and is designed to reflect the lives of New Zealand students. This release explores the central themes of community in the School Journals and island life in the Junior Journal. 

New Teacher Support Materials (TSMs) are in development and will be published on Tāhūrangi in December. TSMs from 2024 and 2025 are also being refreshed to reflect the updated curriculum and structured literacy approaches. These updated resources will support effective teaching and learning and will be available on Tāhūrangi from Term 1 2026. 

Teachers and kaiako can continue using previous School Journal and Junior Journal issues confidently—these updated resources will support their use in today’s classroom. 

Supporting resources 

All teaching materials to support structured literacy instruction—including new and refreshed TSMs—will be available on Tāhūrangi. You can find out about them here: Teaching resources to support structured literacy approaches 

Looking ahead to Term 1 2026: 

CHAPTERS, our instructional series designed to help students transition into chapter books, will be distributed in Term 1, 2026. New Ready to Read Phonics Plus resources will also reach schools at the beginning of Term 1. Digital versions will be available on Tāhūrangi in December to help inform planning.