About Our School
Kapiti Primary School is situated in the heart of the Kapiti Coast community which allows us to experience a range of learning opportunities. Our primary school caters for New Entrants up to
Year 8.
We hold high expectations for student achievement and promote developing and extending their talents through a variety of experiences. Alongside this, we aim to ensure that each child leaves
our school as a well-rounded person with a strong sense of self-belief - as a Confident Connected Explorer.
Kapiti Primary School values the diverse ethnicities of our students which allows us to provide a rich and dynamic background for learning. All of our students are valued and supported to make
positive choices and to take responsibility for their decisions.
Our Guiding Beliefs
Through building personal relationships with each of our children, we understand what they need to make them into well-rounded learners for life. With our special connections to the wider community and the involvement of our school staff, parents and children, our school family is laying down the foundations for a generation of high achievers. Kapiti Primary is a community of teachers and students learning from each other to collaboratively nurture and grow as people on their lifelong journey.
Our Vision
At Kapiti Primary school we are growing Confident Connected Explorers who are positive contributors to the community.
The three key words in our vision are CONFIDENT, CONNECTED, EXPLORERS. These attributes are fundamental to human beings developing the skills they require to navigate life, thrive in society and make positive contributions to their community.
CONFIDENT
Students with confidence have pride in their unique identity, hold a sense of belonging, value diversity and are aware of and accept the differences of others. Confident students are ready to take risks and learn from their mistakes; they know their own and others’ strengths and utilise them to develop their skills and knowledge.
CONNECTED
Students who feel connected develop positive relationships within our community, understand our history and have a strong sense of the past, present and future. They experience success when new learning is connected to prior knowledge and delivered in authentic contexts. They make connections between curriculum areas and recognise opportunities to apply new learning in a variety of ways.
EXPLORERS
Students who are enabled to explore, seek answers to their questions through hands-on learning and problem solving. They are curious and highly motivated, show initiative and take agency in their learning journey. Deeper understanding is developed through active participation in inquiry learning.
BRAIN DEVELOPMENT and LEARNING
We understand the importance of healthy brain development and successful outcomes for all. Healthy brain development from birth impacts on learning and the ability of tamariki to thrive in a school environment. Kapiti Primary School puts a strong emphasis on healthy brain development by supporting tamariki to develop self-regulation strategies and proactively teach students the skills to have positive, trusting relationships with a range of people. More information on how we do this can be accessed in our Student Support Approach Behaviour Management Plan at KPS.
At Kapiti Primary School we believe that taking a proactive approach to behaviour management increases our students’ capacity for self-regulation and successful socio-emotional development. Explicit teaching of behavioural expectations and problem-solving strategies, alongside opportunities to explore and practise these, are an integral part of teaching and learning at KPS. This guidance and modification of behaviour is best supported in an environment where effective relationships of trust and respect are built and maintained between students, teachers and whānau.
We understand that students are learners and not yet fully developed in their abilities to self-regulate and solve problems that are impacting on their learning community. We expect mistakes to be made during the learning process and that students will require support to address these in a reflective and restorative manner. We see our school as a community and use restorative practices to recognise that the wellbeing of that community is central to our collective and individual progress and success.
OUR UNIQUE LOCAL CURRICULUM
The content of the KPS curriculum is drawn from the New Zealand Curriculum. Our Curriculum Drivers and School Values are closely connected to the Principles, Values and Key Competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum. Our community, its people and the environment where we live are unique. Our students need learning experiences that are related to their unique experience and also meet their specific learning needs. Our learners need to develop an appreciation of the history of our community, and the people that have come before them. This includes learning the stories of people who lived here prior to colonialism, about the events and key individuals that surrounded the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our region and the events that have happened since the Treaty was signed. The stories of Te Ati Awa, Ngati Raukawa and Ngati Toa are passed down to the next generation of Kapiti as part of the curriculum experience at KPS.
The young people of our area also inherit a rich environment and a legacy of Kaitiakitanga to uphold, with the protection of the Wharemauku stream, Kapiti Island, the mainland shoreline and Kaitawa Reserve. Along with this unique heritage are a range of environmental challenges that our young people will face. The curriculum at KPS seeks to connect students to the richness of
this environment, develop a sense of physical and spiritual belonging to the environment as well as develop a sense of responsibility for its future.
Shared Responsibilities
We welcome and encourage whānau involvement in all areas of school life from sharing our children's educational successes and challenges, to ensuring a true partnership between home and school. Research shows that when parents and caregivers take an active and supportive interest in the school, children develop positive attitudes to learning.