Nīkau Syndicate

Kia ora!

We are so proud of Nīkau.  We have 5 amazing classrooms that run in unison. We work very closely as a team of teachers and students, aiming to create a friendly, supportive and active learning environment.  

In Nīkau we closely follow the Adventure Way; building  our student’s natural curiosity and creativity, and developing self-awareness and self-direction within collaborative and supportive environments. 

As a team we work together to refine and reflect on the achievements each year, and challenge ourselves with new initiatives.

How do we work?

  • Teachers plan and work collaboratively.
  • We focus on delivering quality learning programmes in a safe and collaborative environment.
  • We have a unified vision about how the syndicate will work together in terms of expectations of  behaviour and learning.
  • We build on the  Adventure Way attributes that have been developed in Kōwhai through their Play Based  Learning and we continue to provide learning through play during Discovery Time on a Friday.  
  • Our programmes are a balance of explicit teaching and choice as students grow in independence and self-awareness

What do we value?

We believe children learn best when:

  • there is an authentic learning context
  • learning is current, relevant and purposeful
  • they feel valued

We believe we have the happiest classrooms when children and teachers:

  • work together but have the chance to be individuals
  • have a voice
  • reflect on their learning and teaching

The Nīkau Team: Tania Bourke (Part-time), Richard McQueen, Alesha Wilson, Toni-Marie Bennett (Team Leader), Amy Churchill,
Solé du Plessis