"As for how small schools stack up against larger schools academically, they hold their heads high. The Otago University-based National Education Monitoring Project has made some qualitative assessment and dismissed the claim that "bigger is better". Its research says that size is not a predictor of student achievement.”
Neville Peat in NZ Herald.
Te Miro School sits proudly in the centre of our community, providing quality learning for children from years 1-8. Our learning pathways are developed to support all learners to be confident, strive to achieve, and make a difference.
We hold very high expectations for student achievement, and work alongside learners and their whānau / family to support children to develop as competent and capable learners. We want learners to be excited about, and interested in their learning; for learning to be meaningful and relevant.
Our goal, to nurture children for their unique talents, marks us as distinct. One size does not fit all at Te Miro School. Learning is designed to meet individual learner needs, in contexts that learners can connect with.
We provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities and opportunities for children to engage with, timetable regular celebrations of success in learning, implement quality enrichment
programmes, develop extension for talented learners, and offer strong remedial programmes for those needing targeted support.
We are tremendously proud of our rural setting, and our rural approach to play. Children climb trees, make huts, and run freely across our large outdoor areas. Many children choose to bring bikes, scooters, and skateboards, enjoying the concrete areas and the long sloping front path.
Establishing effective partnerships with parents, family/whānau, and community is a priority at Te Miro School. We value open, honest and clear communication, and welcome your involvement in the school community. Our team maintains regular contact with families, celebrating learning successes, and sharing progress made towards achieving goals and challenges.
Te Miro School is a great place to learn. We look forward to welcoming you into our community.
We act in ways that show respect for self, for others, and for our environment.
We have a go, take risks, make mistakes, notice and celebrate our own progress, and continue to strive for success in all that we do.
We are empowered to manage ourselves, to be in charge of the choices that affect our learning and wellbeing.
We seek answers to our questions, challenge barriers, see opportunity in problems, and continue to ask, ‘what if...?’
Set in the idyllic countryside, just ten minutes outside of Cambridge, Te Miro is the perfect school for children to explore and be part of nature, while still being surrounded by a safe and supportive community.
Te Miro School is a full primary school, catering for children from Years 0–8. Our learners are organised into two class groups.
Our junior class learns in the Kowhai room, and our senior learners learn in the Rimu class. We are very well resourced, and learners have ready access to quality ICT tools as and when needed within learning programmes. A voluntary BYOD approach is in place in the Rimu class, giving learners access to excellent digital and online learning tools.
The school grounds consist of large playing areas, tennis courts, two swimming pools, an orchard, native bush area, radio station, as well as spaces for small group work. Our beautiful library has historic significance. Built in 1910, it was the original school building, and is now a treasured learning space.
At Te Miro School you can expect to find a warm welcome and sense of place. We are innovative, and persistent in our approach to supporting every learner to meet his or her potential.
Strong partnerships are fostered, both within our school and beyond to the wider community. As a result, the school is very ably supported by a strong PTA group, a dedicated Board of Trustees, and a proud community.
Together, we are committed to maintaining Te Miro School as a top-quality learning environment for our children.
At Te Miro School the classroom curriculum is designed to meet the needs of individual learners. Our teachers are highly skilled, and have a great understanding of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) document. They engage learners within meaningful contexts, and work alongside each individual to ‘notice, recognise, and respond’ to needs.
Literacy and numeracy are priority learning areas, and these are emphasised across and through each of the other curriculum learning areas: science, social science, health and PE, technology, learning languages, and the arts.
Through all learning and teaching programmes we aim to strengthen individual identity, and increase the sense of empowerment or agency each learner experiences.
Teachers work alongside each learner to identify a specific learning goal, to identify the steps needed to achieve it, and to track progress towards achieving it. Each learner is invited to take increasing amounts of responsibility for their own learning. Through each experience learners grow a greater understanding of who they are as a person and who they are as a learner.
Environmental education is a valued part of our school curriculum. As an Enviro School with Green Gold status, we are committed to caring for the environment, and we actively promote sustainable practices.
Our Ahurei (unique and special) group, year 7 and 8 learners, are highly valued as leaders in the school. Each year, our senior students are invited to discover their own potential, grow, and push themselves through participation in a range of experiences, including participation in the William Pike Challenge and ‘Future Leaders’ training. Our bi-annual Wilderness Camp is a highlight of this programme.
All senior learners are encouraged to carry out ‘passion projects’, and invited to contribute to or lead a project that will make a difference for our school or the community.
Year 7 and 8 learners also attend the Technical Arts programme run at Cambridge Middle School every Monday afternoon.
