Blog
Attendance at Ararira
The Importance of Attendance We all recognise that education is the pathway to the future. The key to educational success relies on being present at school. Consistent routines and mileage is a big component of learning. Neurological pathways in our brains require...
Neurodiverse Learners
Neurodiverse Learners Neurodiversity is a term used to describe the range of neurological differences among individuals, including conditions such as autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and others. From a school's perspective, it is essential to acknowledge the diversity in the...
Peer Mediation at Ararira Springs Written by Meeghan Coetzee
Peer Mediation Ararira Springs has adopted the peer mediation programme as it fits so strongly with our values of being caring, curious and capable. Peer mediators, selected from Year 7/8 classes, undergo a period of training based on the 'Cool Schools Peer Mediation...
Aotearoa New Zealand History Curriculum Written by Carolyn Sutherland
The curriculum taught in New Zealand schools is currently undergoing a refresh and changes to the eight curriculum learning areas will be phased in over the next three years (2023-2026). The first area to be redesigned and introduced into schools across the country is...
Payments and School Donations
Payments and School Donations Our community’s socio-economic status means our school is not eligible for the government’s school donations scheme. Our equity index means we receive less operational funding than other schools. More information can be found at the...
Structured Literacy Approach to spelling (years 3-8) Written by Shelley Smith
The structured literacy spelling approach involves explicitly teaching tamariki how to encode (spell) the English language. It connects the reciprocal nature of reading and writing together. English is an Alphabetic Code It uses symbols of the alphabet (letters or...
Navigating the journey: Relationships and Sexuality Education at Ararira Springs Primary Written by Nicky Harding
At Ararira Springs we use the Family Planning programme ‘Navigating the Journey’ to teach Relationship and Sexuality Education. This is taught appropriately to your child’s age and stage by your child’s ako teacher. Relationships and sexuality education sit within the...
Mana Ōrite Written by Carolyn Sutherland
Mana Ōrite / equal status is founded on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. In our school it is the understanding of mātauranga Māori, Māori approaches to teaching and learning and the Te Ao Māori kete of knowledge, as having an equal value within education. It is...
Anxiety – What is it and how can we help our tamariki? Written by Donna Frame
It has been a challenging few years for many of us with lots of unforeseen events we would not have thought would ever happen. So it is understandable that there has been a rise in children and adults feeling anxious. Anxiety is a normal and natural response that...