Tēnā Koutou, Te Kura o Tūtarawānanga - Merivale School is unique in that we are a small school in town with a roll of approximately 200 students. Our school comprises of
To ensure we optimise the learning day of our students, the starting time for our formal lessons is slightly later than other schools. Daily Schedule 8.00 am Merivale School is open. Students who arrive at this time go to the staff room and have the option of breakfast and a milo or just chat with friends. 8.20 Students are allowed to move into the body of the school to play and socialise. 8.50 Classrooms opened. 9.20 School Bell rings for the beginning of instructional lessons.
11.15-11.30 Interval 11.30-1.00 Instruction Time 1.00-1.30 Interval 1.30-1.45 Kai Time and Circle Time 1.45- 2.50 Instruction Time 2.50 End of school At the end of the day students must leave the school either by being picked up by an adult at the front of the school or on one of our walking school buses. We welcome visitors to our school. If you would like to come and look around or ask questions, please feel free to ring the school office on 07 578 6900 to make an appointment. At this time, we will have a more detailed discussion on how our school operates and the many opportunities we have on offer for your child. | We are privileged to have a team of experienced staff members, both teachers and support staff. At our school people come first and we do our very best to ensure the ongoing learning and well-being of all our students. The V.A.L.E Way Students learn our 4 core values known as The V.A.L.E. Way Very respectful Always safe Learning for life Expect the best At Merivale School we encourage high standards and our focus is on Positive Behaviour for Learning and Restorative practices.
Our four VALE house teams are represented by an animal well known to New Zealand. Ruru (Owl), Tohora (Whale), Tuatara (Lizard) and Whai (Stingray.) Students are put into a house team on enrolment. If they have a sibling at school they will be put into the same house team. Teams meet weekly for team sports where points can be earnt for their team. Each student has the opportunity to earn VALE tokens for showing the VALE way. These tokens are posted in their team box which is in the office area. On Fridays at school hui to tokens are drawn out and the student whose name is on it is recognised with a small reward. Transition We work hard to make a student’s transition to school as smooth as possible. We are flexible in arranging visits and are happy to make arrangements that suit everyone regarding the time, the day and the number of visits. We do encourage that you visit with your child 4 times before they turn 5 for New Entrants. This gives you a wonderful opportunity to see our school in action. Enrolment forms, uniforms and stationary are only available through our school office. | Junior School In our junior school we keep classes as small as possible. This is dependent on staffing and available classrooms. Our New Entrant class is a play based environment. A play-based program uses play as a context for learning. In this context, children can explore, experiment, discover and solve problems in imaginative and playful ways. A play-based approach involves both child-initiated and teacher-supported learning. Structured Literacy All junior classes run a structured literacy programme. This approach supports children’s early reading, writing and oral language success. It includes the systematic teaching of phonological awareness skills and letter sound knowledge skills through fun, games based activities. The approach also includes explicit teaching in vocabulary skills and in building children’s oral language and listening comprehension skills through quality children’s story books. Inclusiveness We are proud to be an actively inclusive school. No matter your child's needs, we tailor our programmes to suit them. We are committed to every student having success. Open Door Policy We believe the partnership between home and school is vital and therefore encourage parents and whanau to ask questions and to discuss concerns. The students are also proud to share their work and learning with whanau. Localised Curriculum Our school is unique in that we have combined the NZ Curriculum and Te Marautanga O Aotearoa to create our own localised curriculum. It has been especially designed for our area and our tamariki’s needs. It is referred to when planning units of work.
Celebrating student achievements |
