Our Learning
Our motto 'E tipu e ako' - 'Where learning grows' drives all that we do.
We want to challenge children to achieve socially, emotionally and academically by fostering students creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. We believe that by understanding 'how' they learn and taking increasing ownership of their own learning through identifying goals and next steps students will be the most successful. Our teachers have a broad range of skills and work collaboratively with one another so that every student has an opportunity to unlock their passions.
We take an innovative approach to all things and are constantly seeking to build on our teaching and learning practices or adapt the way we work to cater for all students.
To achieve this at Bellevue School, we work as a collaborative team - staff, whānau and community – many individuals where the whole community is greater than the sum of its parts.
Our Mission & Vision
E tipu e ako – where learning grows.
Igniting learning, empowering learners.
Our Values
PB4L Mission: Together we will create a safe, settled and supportive environment at Bellevue school. This will encourage positive and successful relationships with our school wide hapori (community) that engage and empower our ākonga (learners) emotionally and academically.
At Bellevue School we enact Aroha through:
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Integrity
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Empathy
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Resilience
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Creativity
The Curriculum
Our vision and values underpin all aspects of learning at our school.
We are committed to keeping children engaged through rich curriculum learning programmes which add to their knowledge, and skills.
Curriculum integration enables a coherent education, allowing connections to be made within and across subjects and developing the key competencies:
Thinking, Using language, symbols and texts, Managing elf, Relating to others, and Participating and contributing.
More information about Our Curriculum can be found here.
More information about the New Zealand Curriculum can be found here: https://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/
Learning Through Play
At Bellevue School our pedagogy is underpinned by a Learning Through Play lens which is based on current national and international research about how children learn and is in line
with both The New Zealand Curriculum and our Local Curriculum. This means we can dive deeper into all curriculum areas and build student agency in our learners to prepare them
for our future world. Students have a sense of agency when they feel in control of things that happen around them, when they feel that they can influence events. This is an important sense for learners to develop. They need to be active participants in their learning (The New Zealand Curriculum).
Learning through play gives our students a strong focus on building and sustaining creativity, resilience, problem solving skills and perseverance. It is a developmental and culturally
centered approach. Learning Through Play also gives our students more opportunities to develop the Key Competencies which are part of The New Zealand Curriculum. Through play,
the excitement and enthusiasm that children bring to their learning is inspiring to see. Our teachers support, scaffold and gift knowledge using intentional teaching methods while
honouring the knowledge and skills students bring to their play.
Self directed learning
Our senior area of the school carry out exploratory projects into an area of personal passion every year.
The focus is on student led learning and on ‘process’ rather than ‘outcome’. The students are supported to plan their learning, time manage, research, organise their findings and connect with experts along the way to the completion of a finished project.
Students are developing the skills and dispositions required for independent research, collaborative learning and reflection on their learning process.
According to the World Economic Forum the most desirable skills for the modern workforce are:
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Complex Problem Solving
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Critical Thinking
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Creativity
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Collaboration & communication
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Emotional Intelligence
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Judgement And Decision Making
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Negotiation
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Cognitive Flexibility
The project based learning approach allows for the development of all of these skills. Students develop a deeper awareness of themselves as learners, the learning process and the rewards and challenges of being a citizen of the 21st Century.
Students who continue their learning pathway at Newlands Intermediate School will have further opportunities to learn through the Project-Based approach.
Home Learning
At Bellevue School Home learning activities are provided by the school to consolidate and enhance school learning.
The school encourages students to share their learning with their parents/caregivers to gain support and encouragement for their learning.
Home learning activities are designed to support learning, and to help keep parents in touch with what their children are learning at school.
High Notes Choir
The Bellevue High Notes choir are a group of Year 4 - 6 students who meet for an hour every Friday to enjoy singing and improve our singing skills. They work hard all year to perform in the Artsplash Choir event each year.
Kapa Haka
Māori used chants, song, and dance to record their history, to convey feelings, to express ideas, to tell stories, to celebrate important events, and to protest and persuade. There is a strong relationship between actions and waiata in Kapa Haka, which combines movement, song, and chant. Haka, poi, rakau and waiata ā-ringa, (hand actions to accompany the songs) express the thoughts and feelings of iwi.
Year 4- 6 students interested in Tikanga Maori meet regularly to learn and practise waiata and haka in order to share with the school wide community. Students have the opportunity to present at a pōwhiri (the welcoming of visitors) for new students and their families each term, with the boys leading the haka and delivering the whaiikorero, while the girls karanga the manuhiri into the school marae.
The culmination of regular practices ends in students performing to parents and whanau at a local festival for schools in the area.
Sport
At Bellevue School we provided all students with the Movewell program, which was created by Physical Education New Zealand (PENZ). It includes practical ideas, advice and support to help develop children’s confidence, knowledge, skills and attitudes so that they can enjoy participating in physical activity. The school is also involved with Jump Jam to get our tamariki moving.
We also participate in Northern Zone school sports, where students in years 4-6 represent our school at a variety of different sports.
Within school, students have the opportunity to participate in an athletics day and a whole school fun run.
Student Council
Student Council is a group of students elected by their peers to make decisions on how to implement change for students.
The Student Council meets fortnightly to discuss ideas, organise events and make changes around the school. Student Council is responsible for the Bellevue Disco, Pack the Bus and Pink Shirt Day. The Council also supports the FUNdraisers in handing out pizzas and juices around the school.
Librarians
Year 5 and 6 students are eligible to apply for librarian positions. We have a team of approximately 22 librarians who meet weekly and are rostered onto a timetable to help manage the library before school, during morning tea, lunch breaks and their class visits.
We have a strong emphasis on working as a team, understanding the workings of the library and making it an enjoyable place for all students to be.
Students also have the option to work towards completing Bronze, Silver and Gold librarian awards.
Peer Mediators
To gain more takohanga/responsibility in their final two years at Bellevue School, Year 5 and 6 students can become Peer Mediators. Peer Mediators undergo a period of training prior to being on duty. They are on duty in the playground for half an hour of each lunch time, and wear a yellow hat and jacket so they can be easily spotted. Peer Mediators are available to help children resolve any issues that arise in the playground. They do this using the coaching model of identifying the problem, thinking of possible solutions, and then deciding on a way forward. Duty teachers will be available to support Peer Mediators and handle serious or difficult situations.
Positive Behaviour for Learning
We are a PB4L School. Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) is a research based framework which supports school wide initiatives. These initiatives develop personal, social and academic success for students and staff.
Our values - integrity, resilience, empathy and creativity, underpin our approach to modeling, teaching and acknowledging positive behaviours.
As a school community it is important that there is a shared
understanding of positive behaviour management.
Behaviour Management strategies have been designed to:
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focus on noticing and affirming positive behaviours
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develop self-discipline while maintaining students' self esteem
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support children in taking responsibility for their own behaviour
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recognise every opportunity for learning
Staff Mantra
Our Staff Mantra is Believe, Excite, Ignite.
We believe in all children's strengths and abilities to succeed.
We aim to create experiences that foster excitement for our learners.
We ignite a passion for lifelong learning in both our students and one another.
