Students in the senior school experience language learning weekly with a specialist Spanish teacher. These lessons provide a wonderful opportunity for students to learn the beginner Spanish and gain an understanding for Spanish and South American culture. The senior school language learning experiences sets up our year 8 students well to take up languages in the High School setting.
Te Reo Maori is used in every classroom for instructions and the language is taught progressively throughout the years at school. The goal is for Year 8 students to move into high school with a strong grasp on the basics of Te Reo and tikanga.
Leadership is a key feature of our school. Great leadership flourishes in all areas from students to teachers. We have a wide range of leadership opportunities for students such as House Captains to Student Council, Librarians, and Sports and Wet Day monitors.
Tuakana / Teina:
It is important for us at Taupaki to allow students to learn from one another. Tuakana-teina is a concept from te ao Māori and refers to the relationship between an older (tuakana) person and a younger (teina) person. Many opportunities exist throughout the year for the older students to guide our younger students - reading, sports, events.
Our garden is cared for by our students as part of our Kaitiakitanga programme.
Our Chess Club has grown so much and we have students from all areas of our school interested in playing chess. The club meets together weekly during lunchtimes.
All ages, all levels, all welcome.
Trees for Survival is a charitable trust that works alongside schools to grow and plant native trees within the community. Some of our students partake in the process of growing and caring for native plants and then work together to plant them within our community.
Together with Bees Up Top, Taupaki School has our very own functioning beehive. When the Bees Up Top team comes to manage and care for our beehive, classes to take turns to be part of the process and share in discussions about the importance of bees.