In Ōtāwhito, our vision for your child is to create a supportive and welcoming learning environment where they feel valued and inspired. We want to help them discover what they love, build their confidence, and connect with the world around them. We believe that by understanding each child’s unique needs and motivations, and by working together with you, we can nurture their passions through creative learning experiences and consistent routines. Everything we do is guided by our school values, as we work to help your children thrive as learners and responsible, well-rounded citizens, ready for whatever the future holds.
In Ōtāwhito we have a focus on:
Incorporating the use of IT into all aspects of the school day.
Self directed learning through workshop style programmes in literacy and numeracy.
Growth mindset and the development of Halswell School values (Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Kaitiakitanga, Manawanuitanga and Kotahitanga).
Inquiry learning as a way to develop skills in questioning, exploring, investigating and presenting.
Grouping that is flexible and based on the needs of the students.
Acknowledging New Zealand’s biculturalism by integrating tikanga and Te Reo into our learning programmes and by providing regular Whānau afternoons.
BYOD
A range of competition opportunities – e.g., sports competitions at Zone and Canterbury level, Literacy Quiz, Spelling Quiz, Current Events Quiz, EPro8 Challenge, Otago Maths Problem Challenge.
Many musical opportunities – Senior Choir, Vocal Group, Jazz Band, School Production
A 3 day camp for Y5 and Y6 students, every two years