Te Karaka Area School

All students achieving to their full potential through the delivery of an inclusive local curriculum promoting identity.

"Turanga Tangata Rite" - Achievement through Unity.

Anei nga uaratanga o Te Kura a rohe o Te Karaka

Ko te Rangatiratanga - Leadership

Ko te Angitu - Success

Ko te Whanaungatanga - Relationships

Ko te Manaakitanga - Care

Ko te Whakaute - Respect

Tuturu whakamaua kia tina, tina!

Haumi e, hui e ,taiki e

Modern Learning Environments

Te Karaka Area Schools Modern Learning Environment was completed at the beginning of 2014. This encompasses several rooms (in most cases four) joined together to create one pod. There are sliding doors between the rooms to enable all pods to be manipulated at any time. The school is made up of 2 pods which are used by different age groups at different times. As well as these classrooms, the school is also equipped with a recording studio, attached to a dance studio. It has a modern science learning facility, a space for hard and soft art activities and a learning centre equipped with books. It has a gym out the front of the school which is attached through sliding windows to the kitchen and cooking facilities. And also an astro turf located behind the gym. The gym is able to be booked by outside groups by contacting the school office.

Modern learning environments enable students to experience many different ways of learning. It allows students and teachers to be flexible in terms of the spaces they need for certain types of practice.

Modern Learning Practices

Modern learning practice is about the teaching and learning that goes on inside the modern learning spaces. It is about encouraging teachers to plan and teach collaboratively, and to give students more choice on when and how they work. Do they want to work outside today? In a silent room? In a collaboration space? Or do they need to attend a workshop in the teaching space. Teachers are required to plan and use the space effectively to meet the needs of their learners and their tasks.

Restorative Practices

Restorative practice lends itself to the behaviour management side of the school. Teachers at Te Karaka Area School who work restoratively do not yell at students, they do not shame students, they instead compromise their management of students with a series of mini chats. When things break down between students and students, or students and teachers, restorative meetings are held with the parents to try and work out a way forward between the two parties. Restorative Practices aims to settle disputes effectively between people, with consequences for students that align directly to the problem they have caused, that they can see a point in, and that they can agree to take an ownership role of themselves. The research behind restorative practices has come out of studies in Aboriginal and Māori communities, and has been shown to make a huge difference in students and adults lives. It is now being adopted by the justice systems in New Zealand, Australia, and North America.

Learning to Learn

Learning to learn enables students to better achieve among a wide variety of disciplines. Learning to learn encourages teachers to teach about things like reflection, time and task management skills, questioning, use of students talents, creativity, goal setting and action, controlling their own thoughts, understanding how their memory works, managing time, to name a few. This approach aims to assist learners in understanding themselves, and their own learning, and how they need to manage themselves once they have left school.

Multi-year age bands

Transition periods are a hard time for a lot of learners. Moving into a new school, or changing classrooms can be very challenging. As a school, Te Karaka Area School has attempted to limit transitions as much as possible. In 2018 we have Three pods. The Early Years, ranging from years 1-6, The Middle Years ranging from years 7 - 10, The Senior Years ranging from years 11-13.

Our learners are not defined by the age they are, nor are they defined by what year they are in. Mixing the age groups helps us to blur these lines and to focus on the real attitudes, values, passions, and potential of our learners.

Te Karaka Kura hi! Te Karaka Kura hi!

Te Karaka Tauira ki mua, Te Karaka tauira ki runga e.

At Te Karaka Area School we provide a safe and caring learning environment that recognises individual needs, and encourages all students to develop to their full potential. Through celebrating our Te Aitanga a Mahakitanga, our learners have access to knowledge of te reo me ona tikanga, our whakapapa, history and resources.

Our school values of Whakaute (respect), Manaakitanga (care), Angitu (Success), Rangatiratanga (Leadership) and Whanaungatanga (relationships) underpin all that we do for our tamariki and rangatahi. We support the whole/holistic development of our students: spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, moral and physical being. Development of positive relationships in our school community is key to the engagement of our students in their learning.

We cater for students from Years 1-13 and this means that we are a whanau focused school. It is common to see our senior students helping the younger students both in the playground and in the classroom. We also create opportunities for the students to engage through whanaungatanga based activities at school and in local learning environments such as the river and marae.

We work to inspire our tamariki and rangatahi with innovative learning opportunities founded on positive and respectful relationships. We pride ourselves on developing positive relationships which allow our younger students to enjoy a safe and supported environment while our older students develop valuable leadership and communication skills. We sincerely believe that students learn best when they enjoy being at school and feel safe and supported in the school environment

Modern learning environments enable students to experience many different ways of learning. It allows students and teachers to be flexible in terms of the spaces they need for certain types of practice. Our small size means that we can offer small classes which focus on individual needs. Our size also means that we have to be innovative in how we deliver our senior curriculum. We support these students to develop individual learning pathways which enable them to make meaningful and informed choices about their future study and work.

“Turanga Tangata Rite” – Achievement through Unity.

Nga mihi, Koka Renae Savage.