Te Miro School
TUPU TAHI TATOU - TOGETHER WE GROW
Nau Mai Haere Mai / Welcome
Bigger isn’t always Better
"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.
PRINCIPAL’S WELCOME
OUR VALUES
Whanaungatanga - Relationships
Kotahitanga - Holistic Development
Kaitiakitanga - Taking care of our environment
Kia ora koutou, Nau Mai Haere Mai,
Situated on the beautiful Maungakawa maunga, just a short drive northwest of Cambridge, Te Miro School is a place where the holistic growth of our tamariki is at the heart of all we do. We foster meaningful connections between academic learning, the environment, and our local community.
Established in 1920, with the original classroom still standing proudly on site, we cater for students from Year One to Year Eight (ages 5 to 13). Our passionate and innovative teachers deliver rich learning experiences, both in the classroom and beyond, within our stunning rural setting. Through our Nature Education program, vegetable gardens, and native forest (Ngahere) all located on-site, students engage deeply with the whenua (land) around them.
This holistic approach is reflected in our school vision: "Ruma Kia Tipu - Room to Grow."
We believe that happy, healthy children are the key to successful learning. By working in close partnership with whānau and maintaining strong community connections, we ensure that each child’s unique needs are understood and celebrated. At Te Miro, every child is valued as an individual, and we are committed to helping them grow and thrive.
I would be delighted to personally invite you to visit our school to meet our fantastic staff, aākonga (learners), and explore the inspiring learning environments we have created.
Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions.
Ngā mihi nui,
Luke Willis
Principal
principal@temiro.school.nz
Green-Gold Enviro-School
The Enviroschools kaupapa (philosophy) is creating a healthy, peaceful and sustainable world through facilitating action-learning; where inter-generations of people work with and learn from nature. It weaves in Maaori perspectives, combining traditional wisdoms with new understandings. Importantly, our kaupapa reminds us to be in connection: to love, care for and respect ourselves, each other and our planet. We are a Green Gold Enviro School.
Play-Based Curriculum & Structured Literacy
Our teachers create authentic learning opportunities where rich conversations encourage ‘wonderings’ and ‘curiosities’ that enable them to learn more about the world around them. Through play, the teacher becomes a partner of learning, judging when it is appropriate to provide a scaffold to new ideas and knowledge, when to be a resource provider, when to be a commentator and when to be a silent partner in the process.
Nature Ed
Learning in our many outdoor classrooms, ākonga develop an understanding of how their curiosity inspires learning.
Our 10-acre bush, borrowed from our neighbours, is a weekly learning environment for the whole school along with our orchard and gardens.
Aakonga work their way through levels in areas of Science, survival, bushcraft, arts and biodiversity.
They develop a strong connection with the native bush and respect the unique space where they learn, cooperate, discover and play.
Community
At Te Miro school, 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, our local iwi Ngati Haua, and a proud community.