Stanley Bay School

Academic

At Stanley Bay we believe our children learn best in an environment where they feel safe, secure and valued as an individual. By developing positive relationships with adults and their peers students will develop self awareness and a strong sense of self worth.

Stanley Bay provides a curriculum that is personalised, integrated and future focused.

Our curriculum is integrated. Each term has an inquiry focus into which the traditional subjects are woven. Research shows that the best learning takes place when students make authentic connections to and between what they are learning. All areas of the curriculum are enhanced by specifically designed programmes where the STEAM subjects of technology, science, and the arts are the driving themes.

Personalised learning recognises the unique and different ways in which everyone learns. At Stanley Bay students take responsibility for their own learning, taking ownership and setting goals. They understand what they are learning and why and they play an active role in constructing the curriculum and learning environment.

At Stanley Bay, we provide a curriculum that is designed to best suit the needs of the modern student. The current generation is growing up in a future that is uncertain, unpredictable, and different from the one we grew into. We can not manage knowledge and in the modern world, the ability to acquire and analyse information is more important than being able to recall it. To best meet the needs of our students all of our units of inquiry are concept and skills-based. Units of inquiry will focus on a concept such as change or function rather than predefined historical or scientific knowledge. Students will use and learn skills such as social, thinking, and research developing new knowledge along the way. Our future-focused curriculum is student centred, promotes student agency, encourages problem-solving, and develops 21st-century skills.

Academic

Maths

At Stanley Bay we use a problem-solving approach to maths for more information please click here – Maths at Stanley Bay – to find information from the Maths Information Evening.

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Programs for Success

In addition to the class teaching, we also provide a range for Programs for Success. These programs engage students who require additional support and/or enrichment.

Programs for success are overseen by our two Special Needs Co-ordinators and facilitated by one of our experienced teacher aides.

Reading Recovery is an early literacy intervention designed to reduce literacy difficulties significantly. Reading Recovery provides daily one-to-one teaching with a specially trained teacher for children making the slowest progress in literacy learning after a year at school. Find out more.

Small group literacy intervention program that focuses on preventing the cumulative effects of reading failure. Content covers several aspects of the reading process, including writing and phonological processing, and metacognitive strategies. Find out more.

A computer-based literacy development program suitable for all levels, from early readers to adults and English language learners. Steps develop all aspects of literacy, including vocabulary, comprehension, and verbal reasoning. At SBS Steps is used as a remedial program (as opposed to the whole class) Find out more.

The program is specifically for students who have English as a second language. All international students are initially included in the ESL program. Find out more.

At SBS, all our Y0/1 students participate in PMP. PMP uses facets-physical education, music, fitness, dance, and gymnastics – to develop children’s perceptions. The perceptions and judgments formed over time help determine how children react to their environment, others, and new ideas. Find out more.

Bounce Back is a small group program that promotes positive mental health, well-being, and resilience. Find out more.

All schools must recognise and respond to the diverse needs of their students. At Stanley Bay School, we provide programmes that enrich the learning of our students. These range in content and are designed term by term that aligns with our inquiry focus. We encourage our school and the broader community to assist us in delivering high-quality experiences for our tamariki. These include, but are not limited to, EPRO8 science and engineering challenges, robotics, coding using Scratch, Otago problem-solving maths challenges, percussion and musical enrichment, drama and dance, technical drawing, science badges, artist group, writers society and photography. Students are nominated and then selected by teachers and support staff using information collected at school via testing, data analysis, observations, conversations, and individual learning assessment.

By the end of their time at Stanley Bay School we want our students to demonstrate the attributes of our graduate profile – to be connected, to think critically, to show creativity and to be confident. All students at Stanley Bay are encouraged to behave in a manner that upholds our values of respect, resilience and integrity. By aiming for this in all students we hope to produce students who are socially responsible with an awareness of their community both local and global.

Teachers at Stanley Bay encourage students to follow their interests, develop new interests and be continually curious – growing into enthusiastic, lifelong learners.

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Graduate Profile

A key part of learning at Stanley Bay is around the development of skills and dispositions. We have four characteristics that we focus on – our ‘graduate profile’. We hope that when students leave Stanley Bay they are:

Confident learners

Take risks in their learning. Ask questions and actively seek new knowledge and understanding, they share new ideas, have their own opinion and discuss it with others. They make good decisions about when and why they access digital media

Creative learners

Find new ways to solve a problem and always search for different solutions. They enjoy sharing their learning in new ways and apply existing knowledge to new situations. They are able to use a range of digital devices to enhance their learning

Critical thinkers

Challenge ideas and are comfortable to be challenged. They think about why things happen and the way it affects different groups. They reflect on their learning, set goals and understand there are things they can not do yet. They are able to evaluate the authenticity of learning online

Connected learners

Understand the importance of their actions in the school, community and the wider world. They collaborate with others, share new learning and show the skills of an active listener. They use digital technology appropriately to access and provide information and communicate with others

At different points during the year students will focus on the skills and attributes that will enable them to display these dispositions. By teaching our students to behave in these ways we are helping them develop important 21st century skills and the key competencies laid down in the New Zealand curriculum document.

Stanley Bay School

Sport

Sport is an opportunity for students to learn new skills in a fun and supportive environment. There are many reasons for children to be involved in sports; meeting new friends, getting exercise, improving physical skills, and having fun!

At Stanley Bay, sport provides students with valuable learning experiences that emphasize sportsmanship and fair play. Sport is an opportunity for children to develop an understanding that competing means not only striving to win but doing so in a way that models respect and integrity.

As part of the class programme children will have regular opportunities to participate in fitness and sports activities. We also offer a variety of sports within and beyond the school, this could mean representing the school at Interschool Peninsula events or participating in an extracurricular sport.

We currently offer  the following sports that are played outside of school hours:

Year 3 to 6 – Netball
Year 3 to 6 – Hockey
Year 5 to 6 – Basketball
Year 1 to 6 – Touch
Year 2 to 3 – Netball

Our school sports teams rely on the dedication of our school community and parents to coach and manage our sports teams.

Stanley Bay School

Cultural

Our programmes are delivered to ensure that Māori students achieve success as Māori. The school acknowledges the unique position of Māori through the provision of Te Reo and Tikanga Māori and employs a fluent speaker of Te Reo to provide whole school instruction in kapa haka and Te Reo. School occasions observe Tikanga and the kaupapa of the school and community.

Improved outcomes for Māori will come about through integrating elements of student identity, language and culture into the curriculum and school culture. The school ensures that all perspectives are in accordance with the views of iwi kainga and tangata whenua and recognise that Te Reo and Tikanga are taonga.

Productive partnerships with parents, whānau, hapū, iwi and the community will retain high expectations and support Māori to achieve success. District hui have established a community perspective to support Māori; Stanley Bay School recognises that Tapuika (Te Arawa), Tauranga Moana/Maataatua iwi have an interest, participate and contribute to the education of our children.

Stanley Bay School

EOTC

At Stanley Bay we have a structured Education Outside of The Classroom programme which offers a variety of challenging and diverse experiences.

Year 0, 1, and 2 – Camp Day on the school field.

Year 3 and 4 – A week of team-building activities that focus on collaboration and participation. The year 4 students also have a 1-night sleepover to help prepare them for the following year.

Year 5 and 6 – Four days and three nights at Camp Adair, this is a YMCA camp and involves a range of land and water-based activities.

Waterwise is an important component of EOTC and teaches valuable water safety and confidence skills in the practical context of kayaking and sailing on the ocean.

Year 5  – Water confidence and safety skills at the Millennium Institute of Sport

Year 6 – Kayaking and sailing at Narrowneck Beach

For more information about Devonport Waterwise click here.

Class trips and excursions are organised to enhance the delivery of the curriculum.

Parents are notified well in advance and are encouraged to participate.

Stanley Bay School

Arts

During their time at Stanley Bay students have many opportunities to transform their creative ideas into expressive works that communicate meaning. The arts are integrated into our curriculum in a way that explores, challenges, and celebrates the unique artistic expression of each student, their community, and culture.

Students learn through and about performing and visual art; this enables them to interpret ideas within creative, aesthetic, and technological frameworks. We believe that encouraging creativity develops self-confidence and increases the student’s ability to take risks. Through the arts, students learn to work independently and collaboratively to create meaning and respond to and value the contribution of others.

Every second year we hold a school production to present to the community. Students are involved in all aspects of the show; acting, singing, dancing, sound, and lighting, advertising, etc. This is a great opportunity for students to experience the performing arts and we encourage everyone to have a go!

Students regularly participate in school singing, we aim to create a love of music and provide a fun and safe environment for students to learn new songs and express themselves through the arts.

The Music Education Centre (MEC) provides comprehensive music education across Auckland. Students at Stanley Bay are able to participate in small groups or one on one lessons during the school day. For more information please go to the Music Education Centre website.