Otakiri School

The School

Otakiri School is a full primary school located on the outskirts of Edgecumbe. The school was founded in 1920, and has been operating since then. The school has many facilities including a field, sports turf, computer suite, library, hard court and several playgrounds. The school also uses the Otakiri District Hall, which is located next to the school. The hall is mainly used for assemblies but is used occasionally for shows, fundraising and other events. It is the primary place where the whole school meets.

Students

As of the 10th of January 2014, the school has a roll of 165 students. Of these, 51% are girls and 49% boys. The school is 59% New Zealand European, 39% Maori, 2% Indian, 2% 'Other Asian' and 1% Chinese.

Logo

The Otakiri School logo consists of Maori patterns and designs, and shows a Pukeko in front of a triangle, which represents Putauaki (Mt Edgecumbe), a nearby mountain.

Uniform

Otakiri School does not have a compulsory uniform that must be worn daily. However, there is a uniform used on camps and field trips consisting of a blue polo shirt and a blue and gold polar fleece. Also a blue bucket hat is worn during Terms 1 and 4, which the summer months fall upon. School sports teams also have their own uniforms of the same colours.

Country Fair

Each year around late October-early November, Otakiri School hosts the 'Country Fair'. This is a fundraising event open to everyone and generally features live music, an auction, rides and carnival games and each class also manages a stall. The money raised at the event is spent on projects to help improve the school.

Calf Club Day

Like many other rural schools in the surrounding region, Otakiri School holds an annual Calf-Club day, where Otakiri students compete in multiple exercises with their calves, lambs, or kid goats and are judged for ribbons and trophies. Those students who earn a ribbon, and/or trophy, can go on to Group Day, where other rural schools in the Rangitaiki Plains compete together for another selection of ribbons, trophies and awards. The host for Group Day is shared out amongst the competing schools, which means that it is sometimes held at Otakiri.

Jubilees

The school has held multiple jubilees and celebrations since its creation in 1920 to mark certain milestones. The most recent event was in 2010, where school celebrated its 90th year. The school dressed up in old-style clothes and held games. In 2020, the school will enter its 100th year.

Other Events

On special events and days, such as Easter, and the Summer Olympics, the school holds some activities, games, and competitions for the students during school hours. These events are usually managed by the school's student council, under supervision of staff members.

Student Council

While the school is ultimately managed by the admin staff, a group of students have a say in certain parts of the running of the school. These students, known as the student council, are elected by their fellow students at the start of each year. The student council's main objective is to help the students voices be heard in the running of the school. The student council runs the school assemblies, organizes and runs fundraising events and helps to decide what the money they raise should be spent on. They also have several other minor roles. There are different roles within the student council, such as Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Boy, Deputy Head Girl, Treasurer, Event Coordinator, Technology Manager and then representatives for each classroom. The students on the council have the opportunity to increase their leadership and speech skills. The student council is usually managed by a senior staff member.

School Houses

Currently, there are 4 school houses:

Originally 5 school houses were used, until a recent change (Blake continued to exist after the change). The former houses were:

Each house has two students as House Captains, who are the leaders of their house. They are elected by their house members at the start of each year.

School Buildings and Classrooms

The school has many buildings which include 8 classrooms used for everyday teaching, a two story library and computer suite complex, a staffroom, offices for senior staff, the school office, several extra-learning and storage rooms and several toilets. The Otakiri District Hall is also used for some activities and school assemblies, with the school being the hall's primary user.

Curriculum

Otakiri School classes are taught the same subjects, just at different levels. English, Math, Topic Studies, Reading and Physical Education are some of the main subjects. Others include Spelling, Handwriting and Art. Students also have opportunities in Music, Science and Drama. As part of their learning classes also visit the library weekly to choose books to read. The Computer Suite is also visited often to assist other subjects and increase students computer skills. There is support for students who are struggling and plenty of opportunities for those who excel. A Self Directed Learning Program was introduced in 2010 for senior (Year 7/8) students who are excelling. The program allows students to be able to manage their day and make sure they get their work done by themselves, with guidance from a teacher. Each year, students are also given a basic introduction into a different language. Some past languages that have been taught are Spanish, French, and German. A different language is taught every year.

School Publications

The Otakiri School newsletter is published once every fortnight. It is prepared by the office staff and contains notices, acknowledgements, event details and information on the recent activity of the school. Every alternate fortnight that the school newsletter isn't published there is another newsletter, The Otakiri Kids News. The Otakiri Kids News is organised and published by a different class every fortnight. The class writes stories and articles on their recent activities and publishes them in their newsletter. They may also put puzzles and jokes in the newsletter, and these are also found or created by the students. The School Newsletter is usually one-sided. however has a term planner printed on the reverse at the start of each term. The Term Planner is a calendar with all the school activities for one term marked on it. The Otakiri Kids News is usually double sided. Class teachers may also prepare newsletters occasionally, but these are only sent to the parents of that class, not the whole school community. The school will also send home important notices, permission slips and questionnaires occasionally.

Blue and Gold Teams

Otakiri School is separated into the Junior School (New Entrants/Year 0-Year 4) and the Senior School (Year 5-Year 8). The Junior School is known as Blue Team and the Senior School is known as Gold Team. They are called these as the school colours are blue and gold. The two different 'teams' are separated for different activities such as going to the nearby pools in Kawerau, going on trips, sport days and occasionally they will both have separate assemblies. An unofficial 'green team', marking the age group in the middle of both the gold and blue team is also sometimes used for camps and school activities.

School Shows and Productions

Otakiri School host a School Show every 2 years and every alternate year they have a talent quest. The most recent school shows have been Snow White (2009) and A Big Green Adventure (2011).There have also been talent quests in 2010 and 2012. Students are able to audition for parts in the cast. They audition in front of a group of staff members and then those staff members choose what role each student should play. For some productions each class had organised a class dance to be performed as part of the production, so everyone can be involved. The talent quest is optional to enter, and students usually sing, dance or play an instrument, however other talents may be displayed, and at the 2012 talent quest a Wearable Arts section was introduced with the themes of recycling and/or Matariki. Both the talent quest and show are performed in the Otakiri District Hall.

School Trips and Camps

To support student's learning Otakiri School will usually have a few trips each year and also usually a yearly camp for each age group. Trips are usually to nearby areas and have included the Onepu Wetlands, nearby beaches and a variety of other nearby locations. Each age group usually has a camp each year, with camps lasting from between two days to a week, depending on the age group. Camps have taken place in many cities, places and attractions around New Zealand including Wellington, Hamilton, Thames and Mount Ruapehu. These camps are used to support learning and to give the students new experiences.