Tākaka Primary School

Kia Kotahi Tātou, Tū Tonu Mai!

We all Stand Tall!

Nau Mai, Haere Mai ki te Kura Tuatahi ō Tākaka

Welcome to Tākaka Primary School

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Welcome to our vibrant place of learning, where we place children and their learning front and centre.

We place high value on developing strong foundations in Literacy and Mathematics and our teaching team pride themselves on striving to grow their own teaching capability to enhance learning outcomes for our tamariki. We collectively live our school value of 'Open to Learning / Kia Mataara' for the benefits of our learners everyday.

Our School

Tākaka Primary is situated on 4 hectares of land with the local Kindergarten and High School just steps away. Our beautiful grounds back onto a forest and the community gardens, and we are a short walk from Tākaka town. We get the best of both worlds; being able to access town, the library and other amenities, while still being close to nature.

We have fantastic facilities that enhance the learning opportunities we provide our tamariki. These include: a heated swimming pool, a pump track and an asphalt bike track with access to school bikes daily, a school forest for outdoor learning, school gardens, as well as an orchard onsite. We are fortunate to have a heated swimming pool for your child to enjoy water safety and swimming lessons during Term 1 and 4. We have a modern school library that allows access to new books weekly for your child to enjoy at home. Our hall is a wonderful asset and is well utilised for assemblies and sharing learning with whānau.

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Check out our School Prospectus for more information about what TPS has to offer!

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Our school prides itself on being able to provide opportunities for students to discover themselves, one another, and their environment. We actively teach our students how to manage risks and be safe. Your children will climb trees, build huts and explore nature. They will ride bikes and scooters, zoom around, and play bull rush and rugby. They will be kids and have a great time exploring and learning!

Our committed staff work in partnership with students, whānau and one another to create learning opportunities that engage, excite and encourage our learners to lengthen their stride and reach the potential they deserve. Our school is a great place to be, supported by our strong focus on values, relationships, and creating a family-like context. Tuakana teina relationships are at the heart of living our vision in providing an environment for tamariki to thrive. Tuakana teina is a concept from te ao Māori and refers to the relationship between an older (tuakana) person and a younger (teina) person. Tuakana teina relationships are visible in many different forms throughout our kura.

Learning at TPS

We teach Literacy through a Structured Literacy approach at which point they develop Learning to Read Strategies aligned to the NZ curriculum. Structured Literacy is an umbrella term used to describe an explicit and sequential literacy approach that teaches ALL children to read, write and spell with confidence. This means all teachers are teaching in a way that ALL brains learn to read and spell. In Year 2-6 we also teach 'The Code', a whole school spelling programme that takes students' understanding of spelling patterns, rules, and morphology to the next level, developing independent readers and writers.

Children are learning from 5 years old to be automatic in sound-letter correspondence (just a few at a time to start - both in reading and writing), word level and sentence level reading and spelling and then into written text.

A Structured Literacy approach is much more than just reading. It includes the following that is aligned to the stage each child is working at:

decoding or reading words, sentences and text aligned to the stage
encoding or writing the sounds, words and sentences with the sounds for that stage
learning letter formation for each of the sounds
learning spelling rules for different sounds eg: when to use c versus k.

This approach is a personalised approach tailored to the individual needs of every child, to ensure we develop them as confident readers, writers and spellers.

Tākaka Primary School also has an explicit approach to teaching writing. At TPS, we use The Writing Revolution model. This starts orally with our New Entrants learning about what makes a complete sentence. Once students have enough of an understanding of the alphabetic code to spell basic words, they will start writing their sentences. Children develop ‘building blocks’ of writing through explicit teaching of handwriting, spelling, grammer and syntax as well as sentence and – later - paragraph construction.

At Tākaka Primary School, we use the Maths No Problem approach to teaching mathematics. This method is based on research and best practices from Singapore Math, which is known for developing deep mathematical understanding and problem-solving skills in students.

What is Maths No Problem?

Maths No Problem is a structured, step-by-step approach to teaching mathematics. It focuses on developing strong foundational skills, building confidence, and encouraging students to think mathematically. The approach ensures that children fully understand concepts before moving on to new learning.

Key Elements of Maths No Problem:

Concrete – Pictorial – Abstract (CPA) Approach

Students begin by using physical objects (concrete) to explore concepts.
They then move to visual representations (pictorial), such as diagrams and drawings.
Finally, they progress to working with numbers and symbols (abstract).
This progression helps deepen understanding and supports all learners.
Problem-Solving at the Heart
- Students develop the ability to think critically and apply strategies to solve problems.
- Real-life scenarios are used to make learning relevant and meaningful.
Mastery Learning
- Concepts are explored in depth before moving on, ensuring strong understanding.
- Students who grasp concepts quickly are challenged with deeper reasoning tasks, while those who need more time receive support to master the material.
Mathematical Talk & Collaboration
- Students are encouraged to explain their thinking, discuss strategies, and learn from each other.
- This builds confidence and helps develop reasoning skills.
Journaling & Reflection
- Students record their learning and thinking, allowing them to reflect on their understanding.
- Writing about math deepens comprehension and helps teachers assess student progress.

Why is Maths No Problem Important?

It develops a deep and lasting understanding of mathematical concepts.
It builds confidence by ensuring all students can succeed at their level.
It encourages students to become independent thinkers and problem solvers.
It supports a growth mindset by teaching students to approach challenges with persistence.
It aligns with global best practices, ensuring students are well-prepared for future learning.

What makes us special and unique?

We have some things that make us unique.

We have two hubs in our school and around 150 students.

Tākaka Primary School places great emphasis and pride on the provision of Te Reo Māori me ona tikanga throughout our kura.

We proudly offer two pathways to learning for our students; English-medium and Dual-medium. Research has shown that children who speak more than one language have definite academic advantages across all areas of the curriculum. He Puawaitanga is our dual-medium pathway throughout our kura. Our dual-medium classes are filled with Te Reo Māori, and enhanced with tikanga (culture), waiata (song), whakawhanaungatanga (connectedness), whānau (family) and awhi (support).

He Puāwaitanga Vision

Ākonga experience belonging to - and connection with - Te Ao Māori through Te Reo Māori, Tikanga Māori and Pūrākau-a-rohe.

Ākonga experience a curriculum that is developed through our Cultural Values:

He Tikanga: The kawa, tikanga, and cultural values of Manawhenua ki Mohua
Arohatia Te Reo Māori: A love of learning
Kaitiakitanga: A commitment to caring for each other, the whenua and the wider environment
Whanaungatanga: An understanding of the interconnected nature of people, places and our learning.

Our Curriculum

Connects our ākonga with the land through stories, history, rohe and Tangata Whenua in Mōhua
Embeds local tikanga and kawa of Mōhua manawhenua (Taranaki kawa) within all experiences
Provides a framework for rich learning experiences embedded in Te reo me ōna Tikanga Māori that is centred around our school values, qualities and vision
Gives prominence to Te Ao Māori across all relationships
Teaches reading and writing in both English and Te Reo.

Our School Values

Our school values and qualities guide the way we engage in learning and play at Tākaka Primary School.

They are infused into all aspects of our school learning community. Our values are future focused, ensuring we are providing our next generation with the skills and qualities they are going to need for THEIR future. These are explicitly taught and embedded throughout life at TPS.

We live our values and qualities everyday!

Our Values are the building blocks within which we grow;

Collaborative, Connected, Life Long Learners who thrive in Respectful Relationships.

Kia ora Kids thrive in Respectful Relationships

At Tākaka Primary School we focus on Relationship based Learning (RbL) and believe in the importance of creating 'family like' relationships across our school community. In short, we are a whānau and our relationships with students and between students are at the heart of all we do.

Our school culture is underpinned by restorative practice. The Restorative Practice model focuses on building and maintaining positive, respectful relationships across the school community and aims to maintain and restore relationships. The approach aims to improve learner well-being, and increase educational achievement.

Our mantra is

“Own it, fix it, learn from it and move on”.

When mistakes are made, we encourage ownership, accountability and responsibility, and support students to repair the harm and restore the peace.

Our Cultural Narrative

Over the last year we have been developing our own local curriculum, a curriculum full of rich learning linked to our area Golden Bay, Mohua. We have had the privilege of working alongside local artist and Manawhenua Kaumatua Robin Slow, who has created a visual artwork that encapsulates who we are at TPS and our connection to our local area. We have been exploring and unpacking our cultural map during staff hui and our tamariki have been unpacking it through their inquiry learning.

All future learning will link back to our cultural narrative, developing TPS Learners!

Our School Logo

After finalising our new kowhaiwhai pattern we felt our logo needed a more modern touch. This initiated the creation of a new logo that reflects our identity, inspired by the schools fresh kowhaiwhai design. Our logo centres around the student, supported by whānau and teachers, emphasising the importance of building close-knit relationships within our kura. The central navy koru system pays tribute to the Kahikatea tree in our current logo. The mongapare (centerpiece), symbolises strength, determination, and strong will. This also represents our connection to the land, embodying our local curriculum and the unique essence of Mohua. The koru's progression from the land signifies the transition from mountains to sea, encapsulating the environment where our classes and kāhui manu reside. The outside koru are in the shape of Mohua, Golden Bay with the golden koru completing the shape of Onetahua / Farewell Spit. This meticulous process ensured that our new logo authentically reflects our essence, evolving from its predecessor.

Our Kowhaiwhai Pattern

Kowhaiwahi patterns, as well as being decorative, tell many stories. The kowhaiwhai pattern designed for TPS, came from many conversations with Robin Slow sharing who we were, our values and aspirations for our tamariki as he developed our Cultural Narrative above. The TPS kowhaiwhai begins with the koru, which signifies growth, strength and peace. The Kahikatea tree from the original logo stands tall reflecting the learner at the centre, enveloped in awhi / support of whānau, teachers, peers and the wider community. The white single connector running through the centre of the design represents our value of whanaungatanga and the importance of connection; past, present and future. The colours represent Ki uta ki tai - mountains to the sea and everything in between. The gold in-between connecting to our beautiful rohe / area of Golden Bay, Mohua.

Our Classrooms

Tākaka Primary School has 8 classrooms and each of these classes is named after rākau (trees) found in the ngahere (forest). These are: Pikopiko, Kōwhai, Rimu,Rāta, Nikau, Tōtara, Kauri and Kahiaktea.

Our School Houses

School Sports events, see us dressing up in support of our manu and house to compete for the Kāhui Manu House Cup.

Kāhui Manu o Tākaka Primary

The flock birds from Tākaka Primary

Our four Manu represent local birds from the mountain to the sea: Ki uta ki tai, covering all of Mohua Golden Bay.

These birds can be found flittering amongst the Pikopiko, Kōwhai, Rātā, Kānuka, Nikau, Tōtara, Kauri and Kahikatea trees. These four birds represent our school houses with the associated colour.

Our school houses provide us with another opportunity to develop whanaungatanga / relationships with others across our school.

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Tākaka Primary School/Te Kura Tuatahi ō TākakaTākaka Primary School/Te Kura Tuatahi ō Tākaka. 615 likes · 26 talking about this · 52 were here. Kia Kotahi Tātou, Tū Tonu Mai We are Tākaka Primary, together we stand tall!

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