Maungatapu School Charter 2008

A PARTNERSHIP DOCUMENT:

Students, Teaching Team, Community & Ministry of Education

Truth, Courtesy, CourageKia Maia Atawhai Whakapono

Vision

Mission Statement   

Maungatapu School provides a safe and happy environment for learning where children are encouraged to give their best and to grow as individuals and life long learners.

Our Charter

Our Charter is a ‘partnership’ document.  Together, students, teaching team, community, Ministry of Education and support agencies have worked to produce this strategic document that sets clear goals for improving student achievement” and meets the mandatory government initiatives.  Our Charter sets the future direction for our school. We see it as a “living document” able to be adapted and changed as required. It backgrounds our shared values and beliefs and the meaning behind our vision, not only for the students but for the school as a whole.

Core Beliefs - Working towards "Our Vision"

Maungatapu School is a working partnership of students, teaching team, Community and Ministry of Education. 

Together we will:

Provide a solid foundation for learning, a balanced curriculum delivery and a supportive learning environment to meet the needs, interests and abilities of all students.

Preserve the open space nature of our attractive location, maintaining the key components of a safe and healthy environment.

Encourage high expectations in social behaviour, academic, cultural and sporting achievement, instilling in pupils the importance of taking responsibility for their learning and actions.

Maintain a friendly and welcoming environment that acknowledges the tangata whenua relationships with the school, and the school’s bi lingual history.

Provide opportunities for communication, consultation, celebration and acknowledgement of pupil achievement with care givers and the community.

 School & Community

Maungatapu School is a decile 5 contributing primary school, serving the educational needs of the children of the greater local community – which includes both rural and residential areas. The school has a roll range of 460 to 550 pupils.  The children come from a wide range of socio economic home backgrounds and parent involvement and interest in the school is a community strength.

Maungatapu School acknowledges the cultural diversity of local and national society.  The Maungatapu peninsula is steeped in Maori history.  There are two local maraes and Maori children comprise 41% of the total roll.  Maungatapu School recognises the unique position of Maori within New Zealand society, and is privileged to offer families the option of enrolling their children in the school’s full immersion whanau classrooms, providing them with experience and understanding of Maori cultural traditions, te reo Maori, local and National history.  The school is also very welcoming of pupils from other cultures, offering access to personnel and specialised assistance to support their participation in mainstream classroom programmes.

Management’s commitment to providing the highest quality education opportunities for its students is reflected in the attention to professional development programmes for its teaching team members. This has resulted in the very proud and positive ‘collaborative culture’ within the school & community which is represented by high quality, committed, loyal and long serving team members of Maungatapu school.

Core Values

Surveys conducted in 2003 and 2005 consulted the Schools partners (students, teaching team and community) to evaluate and identify areas of strength and areas that required development (see summary page 4).  From this exercise a set of CORE VALUES were identified as being important qualities we demonstrate in our relationship with others in the Maungatapu School learning community. 

These CORE VALUES have been integrated into daily classroom codes of conduct and are referred to as the “six Cs” (Care, Consideration, Courtesy, Commonsense, Courage, and Co-operation).

Identified “Core Values”:

Care, Consideration, tolerance and respect for others

Pride in ourselves and our environment

Fair play and sportsmanship

Courtesy and positive social interaction

Leadership skills and role model behaviour

Use of commonsense and initiative when working and playing with others

Willingness to accept responsibility

Courage to meet challenges and resiliency to “bounce back” from disappointments

Positive encouragement to participate and “give things a go”

The ability to be able to co-operate with others

 Partnership Surveys - summary of results

Areas identified as: Strengths & Importance

A balanced delivery of curriculum and skills based teaching

A happy, friendly and welcoming environment

Staff collegial support and a team approach

Heath and safety given a high priority

Respect, attitudes, values, and life skills promoted and modelled through the “six Cs” code of conduct

Co-curricular activities promoted for social, sporting and cultural opportunities

Provision for children to learn Maori language within immersion classrooms

Support for children with learning and behaviour needs

Recognition of the long history of generations of family involvement with the school

Parental support and involvement in classroom programmes, school organisation activities, school events, pupils’ sports and extra curricular activities

Being a well resourced school

Having a wide range of playground and sporting equipment available to pupils

High level of motivation, professionalism, and humour amongst staff

Recognition of success and achievement

Demonstration of pride in what we do as a school

Good communication between parents and teachers

 

Areas identified as: Requiring consideration for development

Continued recognition of the bi-cultural nature of our school through teacher development in Maori education and Te Reo, with links to the Maori community and other cultures reflected in the school environment

To promote the teaching of effective Literacy and Numeracy throughout the school through professional development, use of resources and specialist personnel, and pupil participation

Continued planned development of the general school environment including classrooms, landscaping, and administration areas to allow for the growth of the school roll and increased staffing

Continued development in the areas of Gifted and Talented education and Information Technology

Continued opportunities for parent, school and community liaison

Continued promotion of active encouragement, affirmation and role modelling between older students and younger students

Increased participation by students in physical activities and physical education within the school programme and also in the community