Mission Statement:

‘To create a positive learning environment that supports every child’s well-being and achievement’

Essence 

    Students learn best when they feel accepted, when they enjoy positive relationships with their fellow students and teachers, and when they are able to be active, visible members of the learning community.  Effective teachers foster positive relationships within environments that are caring, inclusive, non-discriminatory, and cohesive.

    NZC page 34

A child’s hauora is changing and can change across the school day.  As a school we contribute to a child’s hauroa to support and contribute with a range of tools or (Winds of Wellness).

We aspire to nurture our HAUORA for our tamariki, our whānau, ourselves and our community

Winds of Wellness:  

• Te Whare Tapa Wha

• Mana Potential

• Ko Wai Au

• Restorative Practice 

• Positive Culture for Learning.

Major components of Hauora:

Hauora is a Māori philosophy of health unique to Aotearoa.  There is an abundance of research around health and wellbeing, at Whanganui East School it is important that we base our knowledge and research on the work of Professor Sir Mason Durie and “Whare Tapa Wha” model.

Taha tinana (the physical dimension)
Physical wellbeing as well as the physical body, its growth, development, and ability to move, and ways of caring for it.

Taha hinengaro (the mental dimension)
Mental and emotional wellbeing including coherent thinking processes, acknowledging and expressing thoughts and feelings, and responding constructively.

Taha whānau (the family dimension)
Social wellbeing exploring family relationships, friendships, and other interpersonal relationships; feelings of belonging, compassion, and caring; and social support.

Taha wairua (the spiritual dimension)
Spiritual wellbeing and the values and beliefs that determine the way people live, the search for meaning and purpose in life, and personal identity and self-awareness. (For some individuals and communities, spiritual wellbeing is linked to a particular religion; for others, it is not.)

Each of these four dimensions of hauora influences and supports the others.

Major Components of Mana Potential:  

A strengths based tool for supporting children's emotional and learning needs  (It’s about Mana - potential, influence and opportunity)- 

• Strength based, focussing on what a child can do, not what they can’t do (growth Model)

• Culturally centred 

• Based on Ako (co constructed)

• Relationship focussed (belonging and connectedness)

• Range of learning modalities (bring the stories to life, visual, imaginative)

• Develop plans and strategies for sustainable change

• Holistic measuring outcomes model

Ko Wai Au:

• Allows children to share who they are to strengthen their connection with others

• Connects with Te Whare Tapa Wha dimensions

• Supports with transition to a new class within the school or when moving onto a new school

• Who we are, who we bring and what we do with that

Restorative Practice: 

Is a relational approach to managing school life grounded in beliefs about equality, dignity, mana and the potential of all students.  

• Focusses on building and maintaining positive respectful relationships

• Using best practice tools and techniques to support a consistent and sustainable approach to managing positive, respectful relationships 

• Builds and maintains positive, respectful relationships within a school, staff to staff, staff to student and student to student, issues are more easily manage

Positive Culture for Learning:

Consistent approach to supporting appropriate behaviour choices, based on establishing respectful relationships through:

• Collaborative consultation

• Positive stated expectations for all students and staff

• Procedures for teaching these expectations

• A continuum of procedures for encouraging and demonstrating and maintenance of these expectations in line with Mana Potential

• Data based decision making 

WES Teaching and Learning Programme

Creating a supportive Learning Environment by:

• Collaboratively developing behaviour expectations

• Establishing a supportive physical environment

• Establishing and explicitly teaching routines

• Using preventative strategies

• Providing feedback and encouragement

• Providing feedback and fair consequences for behaviour choices

Encouraging reflective thought and action by:

• Encouraging self regulated behaviours

• Supporting students to manage their learning

• Supporting goal setting and self reflection on learning and behaviour

Facilitating Shared Learning by:

• Teaching Social behaviours for group work

• Using cooperative learning approaches

• Helping students to mentor and support the learning and behaviour of others

Providing sufficient opportunities to learn by:

• Provide multiple means of engagement - the ‘why’ of learning

• Provide multiple means of representation - the ‘what’ of learning

• Provide multiple means of action and expression - the ‘how’ of learning

Reflection, inquiry and problem solving by:

Given supportive conditions, teacher learning can dramatically influence student achievement, critical thinking, self regulation, sense of identity, and ability to relate to each other and contribute to the community.

Strengthening Student Leadership

Is achieved through diverse opportunities for students

• Kapa Haka

• Peer Mediators

• Road Patrollers

• RESPECT Leaders

• Librarians

• Sports Teams

• Students strengths are fostered and shaped for Leadership roles