Our School Values
Our Values guide how we act and behave.
Values are the guiding principles that underpin what people believe to be important when making decisions in all areas of private and public life. They determine what people will prioritise in making a judgement, and what they will strive for in seeking improvement (Haste, 2018[1]).
Rooted in the richness of Te Ao Māori, our values reflect deep cultural meaning and are embraced by our community. They are woven into daily life at Otonga School – brought to life in the way we speak, act, and feel. Together, we explore what these values look like, sound like, and feel like in our unique school environment.
Otonga School Values and Zones of Regulation
Our values are taught daily in context as a shared language as staff are required to intentionally teach social skills and emotion language supporting students to self-regulate. Students are also provided with rule reminders, when required and provided with logical consequences for student’s mismanagement of resources and/or students not following learning environment rules.
Students who demonstrate school values (and learning dispositions) are acknowledged through receiving values (and disposition) slips. These are collected in house letterboxes and tallied, with the winning house celebrated at our School Assembly, Hui-a-Kura.
Throughout the year, points are accumulated, and at the end of the year, the top house is honoured with a special celebration. Additionally, every fortnight, a draw is held where a student and a friend are invited to enjoy an ‘Ice-Cream Friday’ treat with the Principal. The selected student is also awarded a floating trophy in recognition of their efforts.
Our world is undergoing considerable change, and we must provide our students with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes to enable them to cope with the challenges ahead.
Please click on the button to view the OECD Future of Education and Skills 2030/2040
