ICT (Information and Communications Technology)
Here at Tawhai school, we have ICT programs in place to improve students’ understanding of information literacy. Our children learn using up-to-date technology. As a tool for learning, ICT offers our students the potential to enhance their work, experience new ways of learning, and create samples of work not possible without ICT.
Staff are taught and supported in developing their knowledge, confidence and skills through an ICT committee made up of teachers representing all levels of the school. ICT is effectively planned and integrated into learning contexts in a manageable and sustainable way.
Learning Support and Gifted and Talented
Tawhai School has a Senior Leadership Team meet regularly to discuss the needs of students requiring additional support and/or extension. The purpose of the SENCO is to assist our teachers and teacher aides in helping our learners and to provide for their individual and specific learning needs. The SENCO & Senior Leadership Team also encourage teachers to think critically about:
- Who they teach – the students individual learning needs
- How they teach – the teaching strategies and tools being used in the classroom
- How they know their teaching is making a difference – ensuring assessment practices are being used to inform the next learning steps
At Tawhai School we acknowledge that every child is different and unique in their own right. Classroom programmes will be tailored to meet each child’s individual learning needs. On top of this we also provide additional learning support and gifted and talented support through specialist teaching and learning programmes.
Student Leadership Programme
The student leadership programme aims to provide opportunities for our senior students to develop their leadership skills. Senior students are encouraged into areas of responsibility that best fit with their skill sets and interests.
Programme aims
- to provide a stronger ‘student voice’ within the school.
- to provide students with a wide range of activities beyond the classroom
- to foster student responsibility
- to build and develop relationships across the two teams as well as agencies in
the wider community - to encourage student participation in decision-making
- to provide positive role models for our younger students
- to develop students interpersonal skills as they work in teams
Programme successes
- students have a sense of pride and belonging
- improved levels of student self-esteem and self-confidence
- students build a stronger bond and relationship with the staff
- teachers have reported a number of students who are part of this programme making major changes in their behaviour and school work – this is simply from belonging to a leadership team where they create positive outcomes for themselves
- feedback from students suggests that the Leadership Programme is one of the highlights of their time in the senior school
Student Leadership Opportunities
There are many varied leadership opportunities available to all students through the senior school. These include:
- student council
- ICT digi-kids
- peer mediation
- student librarians
- road patrol
- peer tutor readers
- assembly announcers
- buddy classes
- Enviroschools programme
Behaviour Management Strategy
Tawhai is a PB4L ( positive behaviour for learning ) School, where positive behaviours and attitudes towards learning are achieved through a school-wide approach. For more information please click on the link from the Ministry of Education: PB4L. The Tawhai School Values programme aims to ensure that our school culture is one where:
- positive behaviour and learning thrive
- students feel safe and love coming to school
- differences and diversity are celebrated
Students are explicitly taught the behaviours expected of them. The school-wide ‘values’ approach focuses less on the individual students as the problem and more on changing the ‘environment’ around them to support positive behaviours.
The purpose is to focus on:
- preventing problem behaviours from occurring
- developing students’ social skills
- reinforcing desired behaviours
- consistently addressing and reducing inappropriate behaviours
- using database tracking to identify trends and patterns in behaviour
To learn more about our school behaviour management strategy download the Behavior Management Strategy
BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 2018
Enviro-Schools
We are currently involved with the Enviroschools programme run by ‘The Enviroschools Foundation’. The purpose of this programme is to empower and enable students, staff and families to work together to create a healthy, peaceful and sustainable community.
We are using the Enviroschools programme to build strong connections and trusting relationships with the school and with the wider community. 
Tawhai Schools student Enviroschools team lead by teacher Sharon Boese are working to:
- encourage positive change and action
- enable the development of skills, knowledge, confidence and experience to contribute to our local community
- integrate Māori perspectives
- encourage awareness and understanding of the ecosystems that we are all part of
- promote respect for the diversity of people and cultures in our communities and world
- encourage creativity and sharing
Initiatives include
- recycling and waste audits
- planting of a native bush area and fruit orchard
- composting
- design for two school murals
- creation of worm farms
- planting and general garden care
- vegetable garden
- supporting community environmental projects and initiatives
| Type | Title | Size | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
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BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT STRATEGY 2018.docx | 230 KB | 26/09/18 |