Owhiro Bay Kindergarten
E tipu e rea – In our children lies our future.
Owhiro Bay Kindergarten, in partnership with Owhiro Bay School, forms a community of learners from birth onwards. Our Learning Community fosters a sense of belonging that encourages life long learning. Through collaborative relationships we celebrate diversity and honour family and whānau aspirations.
We are located in beautiful Owhiro Bay on the south coast of Wellington, and offer a 'full day' (7:30am-5:30pm) service providing education and care for up to 40 infants, toddlers and young children each day. We opened our doors to the tamariki and whanau of South Wellington on 1 December 2009. .
This is the first of its kind in the region, where a kindergarten and school are not only located together but are also committed to working together focused on a ‘community of learners’ from babies onwards. In a shared vision between the two groups, we want to create a hub for the community. The kindergarten will not only provide for its babies, toddlers, and young children, but also after school care for its older school children and a venue for other community groups in the evenings. The kindergarten and school teachers will collaborate on a regular basis to achieve their shared vision statement ‘E tipu e rea – In our children lies our future’.
Transition to school
The Owhiro Bay Learning Community enables the Kindergarten and School to facilitate a good start to school. This is achieved through reciprocal visits for developing familiarity with people and the environment. This includes kindergarten learners visiting the school on a regular basis so they can enjoy the library, playground and take part in the buddy reading programme with the school children. The Owhiro Bay Learning Community ensures that students start school with confidence and a sense of belonging.