Nau mai, Haere Mai

Welcome to Whakamārama School, a picturesque rural school located 20 minutes from downtown Tauranga in the sunny Bay of Plenty. 

For us, the success of our school begins with creating a safe place for all and having a shared vision – staff, students, parents, whānau, board of trustees and community members. We encourage positive relationships and live by our mission statement ‘Growing a Positive Learning Attitude’ to ensure that the potential of each student flourishes during their time with us. 

This website is a place where you can find information about our school and where we can communicate with you. Browse our site and get a feel for the learning environment we create for our students.

We welcome inquiries and feedback at any time from school families past, present and future. Please do not hesitate in contacting us if you would like to find out more about our school.   

Ū ki te ako, tu tangata ai apōpō 
Excel in teaching so our learners will excel in the future

Whakamarama School 2019
​ Board of Trustees’ Election

FROM THE BOARD CHAIR
Firstly, I would like to thank board members that have recently finished their tenure. Mike, Keryn, Truan and Jacqui have been committed trustees for the past 6 years and their efforts across this time have ensured positive outcomes for Whakamarama School students.

Congratulations to our newly elected parent trustees - welcome aboard Fraser, Maria, Mark and Mike. The board of trustees is an essential and important role for the school and we look forward to the journey ahead - a journey for our students, whanau and staff.

The full makeup of the new board:
Parent elected trustees – Marie, Fraser, Mike, Mark and me (currently the board chair)
School based trustees – Natasha (principal) and Brenda (staff)

Acknowledgement of Achievement

ROOM 3 RECOGNITION CERTIFICATES - WEEK 6
7 JUNE
Ember - A keen author:  Ember is a writer who thinks about the purpose of her writing.  Her writing is interesting - She is beginning to use speech and similes.
Tipene - A focused reader:  Tipene works hard at being independent when reading. He asks some great learning questions.
Eli - Trying hard :  Eli is trying to focus  on writing ‘correctly’ and … focus on writing interesting Stories.   Yay!
Chloe - Confident approach:  Chloe dives into learning.  She is keen to give everything a go!  A super learning attitude.

ROOM  2 RECOGNITION CERTIFICATES - WEEK 6
7 JUNE
Destiny - For being a responsible member of our class.  You know what you need to be doing and can organise and manage yourself to complete tasks in the given time
Lauren - Demonstrating confidence during Fresh Moves. Lauren you are focused and determined to do your absolute best!  Your confidence boosts others around you!
Miles - Applying past knowledge to new situations.  Miles you know how to use your prior knowledge to gain understanding.  We appreciate the contributions you bring to discussions.

ROOM  1 RECOGNITION CERTIFICATES - WEEK 6
7 JUNE
Nina - Valuing confidence.  A ‘Can Do’ attitude in everything she does. Determined, a risk taker.
Alyssah - Dedicated and committed approach to mathematics. Keep up the effort!
​Holly - Valuing perseverance during mathematics. Well done!

Grant Congratulations to Our School

Special thanks to TECT for their support. TECT Charitable Trust approved a grant of $5,200 to support Whakamarama School towards ICT equipment. ​

Special Thanks

Aroha mai, aroha atu
Love received, love returned

GROWER DIRECT
​Thanks to the support offered from Debbie at Grower Direct, we have enhanced the school grounds with beautiful ceramic pots around our verandas. Grower Direct is a hidden gem in Te Puna. I would highly recommend taking a visit.

Thank you Grower Direct
HELLERS' SAUSAGES
​The school would like to acknowledge Heller’s for sponsoring this year’s supply of sausages for our cross country events. Heller’s is a firm believer in supporting community initiatives through donating their award-winning sausages, rather than writing a cheque. Sausages for Schools is about helping more Kiwi kids!

School Cross Country

Our school is so lucky to have a wonderful cross country course on our doorstep. From the moment that it is set up our students are itching to get out there and experience woodlands, open country and hills. Enthusiasm exuded from all our children and the afternoon air on Friday 24th May was filled with cheers from parents, grandparents, whānau and friends.

Well done Whakamārama School; Kei runga noa atu koe (You are awesome).

The Amazing Team Challenge

Sport Bay of Plenty’s Amazing Race saw local schools battle it out in a test of brains and brawn on Friday 17th May 2019 at Te Puna Quarry Park Gardens.

The race is a long standing annual event that is lots of fun and always popular with schools. Teams get a passport issued in their race pack and they don’t know how it works until they open it.There are various points to navigate themselves towards where they complete a task or solve a clue. It’s day was a great team-building event.

Our students had a ball and have some great photos to send in for the photo competition. This event will definitely be calendared in years to come!
Above: Year 5 / 6 team Shanae, Nina, Mika, Jayden, Joshua & Jacob 
Above: Year 7 / 8 team Lucy,Lillia, Madeline, Joshua, Michi and Matthew

Pink Shirt Day

​An outstanding effort made by Whakamarama School on Friday 17th May. The sea of pink shows us standing together to take action against bullying. It’s about creating a community where all people feel safe, valued and respected, regardless of age, gender identity, ability, or cultural background. Did you stand up to stop bullying?
He aha te mea nui o te ao.
He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.

What is the most important thing in the world?
It is people, it is people, it is people.

School Assembly 10th May 2019 

What has 2019 held for Whakamārama School?
​Check out our photo gallery

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