Nau mai, Haere mai, a big welcome to Worser Bay School - Te Kura o Whetūkairangi

Our school has sat proudly on the Miramar Peninsula on what was once Whetūkairangi pā since 1897.  Whetūkairangi, meaning ‘stargazers’ or those who consume the stars’, provides us with the context for our big overall purpose, “To achieve excellence in learning”, which is our overarching goal, the brightest star!

We are not just ‘any old school’.  We have many unique qualities that guide the way when your whānau joins us.  “Encouraging a community to flourish” is what we live, learn and teach here.  Our strong, embedded Positive Education/ Wellbeing philosophy is internationally acknowledged and provides a very strong foundation from which all members of the community can gain so much from - children, staff, parents and wider whānau. 

This strengths based approach is very much aligned with our collaborative model of teaching and learning. This isn’t anything new and has been embraced at Worser Bay for over 40 years. Research indicates that there are recognised learning gains for learners and also many professional benefits for teachers. When teachers share responsibility for learning, children have improved access to their diverse strengths. Here, they benefit every day from the talents of the team of teachers who support them. No teacher is an island and can do it all!

Collaborative team teaching, strengthens student learning as teachers get creative, learn from each other more readily and take greater collective responsibility for all students. There is a certain energy that is created, and when you are here you can certainly feel it!  We totally celebrate the balance and quality that team teaching provides and we all reap the rewards!.

Dedication to a strong foundation in Reading, Writing and Maths, high standards and plenty of ‘grit’ is a key for unlocking our rich and varied curriculum. Our children have fun in their learning and experience a vast array of opportunities. This doesn’t happen by chance - our staff are a passionate and clever bunch!

Located where we are, on one of the most outstanding natural school sites in Aotearoa/ New Zealand, our curriculum takes heed of place, culture and people. The short walk down the hill to the beach or up the road to the bush provides an authentic context for great learning, and on bad weather days our outdoor classroom really comes into its own.  

The cultural significance of our site combined with our strong focus on Te Ao Māori has supported us to bring the concept of ‘Mana’ to the forefront. We uphold the mana, the building up of all learners (big, small, young, older) in our community. All are accepted and respected for who they are and what they bring.  And our community is diverse - with 26 cultures and families with many different strengths and life experiences. 

Our school is vibrant and dynamic. Big enough to offer a lot, small enough to ensure all children are well known, well taught and have a strong sense of place and belonging, of feeling safe and cared for whilst being supported and expected to achieve their excellence in learning.

We have:

• A rich history, as Whetūkairangi Pā site, as the first school on the Peninsula, and being surrounded by much natural beauty - beach and bush

• A strong relationship with whānau and a positive community, family vibe.

• Developed programmes to be creative and forward thinking - educating for the future

• Very rich, structured and active class programmes with high expectations for academic/ social/ emotional and physical achievement

• Wellbeing and resilience building as the foundation layer of our curriculum and our work is well recognised in the ‘Positive Education/ Wellbeing’ sphere. 

• Annual goals in Reading, Writing and Mathematics that remain at the core of our work and children’s progress and achievement is carefully tracked and reported on against New Zealand Curriculum Expectations

• A passion for learning/ teaching in Te Ao Māori, the Arts and Physical Education

• An experienced passionate staff team and low teacher:student ratios

• Strong learning support provided by experienced teachers for individuals and small groups of students requiring something different

• A staff who know all children and children who are provided with big opportunities to build solid friendships between as well as within classes

• Limited change for children from year to year with only 2 transitions in their time here

• A dedicated new entrant class and outside play/ nature learning space and a very strong transition to school programme, Rising 5s, from Early Childhood Centres.

More about our classes:

Junior School: Autahi and Tautoru
Autahi  - Year 1 with 2 teachers
Tautoru  - Year 2 and 3 with 2 teachers

Senior School : Matariki and Mahūtonga
Matariki 1 teacher
Māhutonga 1 teacher

In Years 4-6 groupings change depending on the purpose for the learning. At times they will be in separate year groups, at other times mixed, at other times in small needs based groups. All children have a ‘base group teacher’ who is their main teacher and the parent’s person’ . 

….and onto Intermediate
There is a thoughtful and well planned transition to Evans Bay Intermediate School for Years 7 and 8.

Worser Bay Students do well and continue to flourish. They are often the sports leaders, the arts leaders, the class leaders and for a smaller school we have had much success with  our children being selected as Head Students of Secondary School. 

We get them off to a great start!

We look forward to you belonging to our school community.

Ngā manaakitanga