Kia Ora Koutou, 

My name is Amy McCormick and I am one of the Year 7-8 teachers at Ongaonga School.

I believe in supporting our students to reach their full potential and give excellence to all that they do.

In our class we are the leaders for the school, we lead by example and strive to be role models for younger students. We rise to challenges and follow the Ongaonga Values of Teamwork, Respect, Effort and Empathy. We understand that if we work hard, we can play hard too. 

Ko te manu e kai ana I te mātauranga, nōna tea o.

The bird that partakes of the power of knowledge has access to the world.

We are so incredibly lucky to have an amazing bunch of Year 0-1 children, who love learning! 

A variety of hands on experiences, mixed with explicit teaching supports our akonga to become creative and energetic learners. We learn about what our Ongaonga School TREE values (Teamwork, Respect, Effort, Empathy) look like in everything we do, inside and outside the school environment. We have daily routines and offer a structured literacy focus by using the Better Start Literacy Approach as well as time to be creative and practice our social skills. We participate in all whole school events and enjoy the benefits of having a community park attached to our school grounds. This gives us huge outdoor areas to enjoy, including a swimming pool, tennis and netball courts, basketball hoops, swings, slides, a massive sandpit and fort!

Kia Ora, my name is Rose Illsley and I am the year 2-3 teacher at Ongaonga School for 2023. Our class thrives in a relaxed setting where every student has the opportunity to grow and learn at their own pace. The students enjoy learning through both formal and informal experiences. In our classroom, this means that our daily schedule includes learning rotations where the students collaborate in small groups with fun activities and teacher table time. We also support each other’s strengths, so we have quite a few ‘experts’ in our class who help us. We love utilising digital resources where we upskill our abilities to grow in a digital rich society. Check out the Takahe Blog to see what we have been up to.

Kia ora, and welcome to Ruma Kākāpō for Year 4-6 at Ongaonga school. I am Deb Roseingrave and I am the teacher for 2023. 

This is a poem I wrote to celebrate the classroom:

I walk in the forest at twilight

When the day is preparing to sleep

I join my fellow flightless bird, the kiwi

With my moss green feathers and yellow-green puku

I blend into the surround bush

People used to call me the owl parrot

My daily delights are fruits from the Rimu and Kahikatea trees 

I use my wings to balance like a circus person on a tight rope

While I walk the bush on the off shore islands of New Zealand

I try to survive against all my enemies

My name is Kākāpō

I come from a strong background in science and I bring that quest for knowledge and wisdom into the classroom for my students. I want them to question. I want them to learn. I want them to understand. I want them to see the wonder in the world and make it a better place for all.

We are a classroom that thrives on communication, where students listen to me, and just as importantly I listen to them so I can understand where they come from and where they want to go. I want my students to be strong and resilient like the Kākāpō. It’s my job to realise their potential and start them on that journey.

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change

— Stephen Hawking