Hi there!
Just looking for advice. We will be moving back to NZ from England during 2005 and I am wondering which school to choose for my 10-year-old son. he is gifted, and also slightly dyslexic and dyspraxic. He will be 11 in March, which will put him into Yr 7 in 2005?
We can live anywhere in Auckland, so I am looking for an intermediate school which is sympathetic to gifted children, leading on to a secondary school in the same area.
I would be very grateful for any suggestions.
Thanks!
This is always a tough one to answer as while gifted children have many similarities, they are all different as well. So take my comments and explore them in relation to your child.
If you can afford private I have personally found Junior College very good and there are a lot of gifted children there. Ponsonby Intermediate has a good reputation, Remuera Intermediate is huge but can be Ok however depends very much on the teacher you get. Many of the schools in the eastern suburbs are combined Primary Schol including Year 7 & 8. My personal feeling is that of these St Thomas's is probably the best bet in the Bays area. I can't comment on those of the shore, West, South or Central Auckland but hopefully someothers will make a comment.
The other private options are Mind Alive, take a look at their website, a small specialist school. Appletree in Devonport is also excellent but only goes up to Year 8.
You are absolutely right to sort out which will be a suitable school before committing on where to live as with zoning it can be very inflexible even if a school appears closeby it may not be in zone.
Just a few thoghts but with people in this forum from all over Auckland and elsewhere you should get plenty of other suggestions.
I have a son who is gifted with dyspraxia. We looked at a bunch of options recently and our son now goes to Mindalive. He is really happy there. If you want to talk offline, feel free to send me email.
My husband's firm want him to relocate to Albany in March. So I'd also love to know of some good schools in the northern parts of Auckland.. I'll have an 8 year old and 6 year old by then. Both gifted and one ASD as well.
Terry
I highly reccommend Mt Hobson Middle School if you can afford it. My daughter is gifted/dyslexic and has been seriously messed up but her previous schooling experience - messed up to the point where "academic progress" was a trivial concern in light of her emotional state.
Thank god for a school that is able to see the whole person rather than blindly pushing their own agenda and aspirations on all and sundry .... and is part of the healing process - too few around sadly.
Terry, If you are interested in a Private School near Albany you might like to look at Pinehurst School which I have heard is a great school but haven't experienced it myself - you could look it up on the web no doubt. E.
many thanks for your advice. i had more or less settled in my mind of st thomas's, followed by selwyn college. but i have now been recommended to consider northcote college. does anyone have any views on this? if it is good, then what is the appropriate intermediate school on the north shore?
best wishes,
diana
Hi
regarding Pinehurst. The discipline structures are traditional, so be aware if your child is active!
My son is 5 and gifted with delayed motor skills etc. We are having huge problems with his school here on the shore. It seems we may have to look at private schools. The local school is struggling to teach him to read and write by using deeper content eg not the cow goes moo-moo! what a frustration!
melanie
Hi
regarding Pinehurst. The discipline structures are traditional, so be aware if your child is active!
My son is 5 and gifted with delayed motor skills etc. We are having huge problems with his school here on the shore. It seems we may have to look at private schools. The local school is struggling to teach him to read and write by using deeper content eg not the cow goes moo-moo! what a frustration!
melanie
Hi,
If you still in search of a school for your son I have heard that Kowhai Intermediate in Kingsland, has a extention programme of gifted children, I'm currently on the hunt for a intermediate school for my extremely shy gifted child.
Good luck.
As well as interviewing the person in charge of GATE and the teachers who are responsible for the Extension programme, be sure to try and ask parents of children who are and have attended Kowhai (with the hope that the needs of their gifted child will/have be/en met) before you make any final decisions. I have heard the Remuera Intermediate is well able to meet the needs of gifted students.Good luck.
It is worth checking out Murrays Bay Intermediate (which goes on to Rangitoto College.)
They have many gifted options within the school and a Principal who is happy to talk. Phone and ask for Colin Dale (It helps to have a principal who is gifted)
We have just moved one of our sons from Takapuna Intermediate to Murray's Bay Intermediate. I would have to agree that Colin Dale was very understanding about my son going to ODS.(he has only started at ODS this term).
I am now in the process of trying to find a secondary school for my son for next year. We are new to Auckland, having moved from Upper Hutt in December 04.
Does anyone know anything about Rangitoto College and if it caters for the "gifted?" I have heard and can see that it is very big. I have also read that a number of the people from Explorers go to the Junior College. We have put in an application to Junior College, but there is no guarantee that my son will be accepted. Kristin and Pinehurst are full for next year, and I am not really sure about what they are like anyway.
I am trying to keep my options open. My son is not a traditionist, and doesn't suit all boys environments. (having been in one last year-which was a disaster for him!).
I look forward to hearing your replies. Thank you.
Rose.
Hi Rose,
On another slightly different topic, did your son go to Takapuna primary before Takapuna intermediate?
My 3yr old is gifted and we have met the principal of Takapuna primary who said all the right things but we don't know anyone that has had any real experience.
No, my son did not go to Takapuna Primary. We only moved from Upper Hutt to the Shore in December 04. So, sorry I do not know anything about that school.
I'm considering alternatives for schooling my highly gifted 7 year old daughter. Her needs are not being met in the classroom. I was helping out in there yesterday when the teacher asked a question and my dd put up her hand. The teacher said "I can see that N has some ideas, does anyone else?" She then gave the children the answer and ignored N. What will this do her level of engagement in the classroom? I have my concerns. Are there any schools for gifted children?
Mind Alive in Newmarket may be the alternative school that would suit your daughter. It is a private school, so does have fees. They are happy for parents to go along, with an appointment, and spend time there looking around and talking with the tutors and founder, Claire Aumonier.
We visited with my dd (12). I'd love to describe it to you, but I wouldn't know where to start... perhaps if I said think about everything you've ever known regular school to be, and then picture the complete opposite it will give you an idea of what it's like(?) - in a very positive way hopefully.
From what I saw, children were genuinely respected as individuals and were all more than happy to be there.
Thanks, Sandra, for your input,
I've checked the website and the fees at Mind Alive, Newmarket are $10,000 per year! We live in Mt Albert and would like a more convenient location, and a cheaper option as well.
Has anyone had any positive experiences with highly gifted children at public schools in the area? Do you know whether Owairaka Primary provides better for gifted kids as the George Parkyn ODS is based there. Is Owairaka happy to accelerate children at all?
I've also heard about the Acorn Academy and would appreciate any feedback about that option.
My dd starts at George Parkyn next term but I fear that this will satisfy her needs one day a week and she'll experience frustration the other four days at school.
Looking forward to your responses,
Sheryl
Sue who comes on this forum may be able to help on Owairaka Primary.
Acorn is another private option with an excellent reputation for gifted children, it it only part time can;t recall the exact hours so may be tricky if you were working full-time. I don't know what the fees are. If you are interested contact me off-line and I'll put you in touch with an Explorers member who has her child there. Or I'll encourage her to post.
Ha I am A mother who have look around for all options.My son is adhd .He is a very bright boy. We use to live on northshore .We moved all the way to orewa thinking that my little son would get admisson in kingsway school.But he did not get admission in kingsway.We tryed lot of semi-private schools.but as soon as they came to know that he had a problem nobody wanted to take any responisbility.My son attents a local school in orewa ,where in beganning they had lot of hard time with my little boy.This went on for 6 months.Finally we took him to specalist and we had to put him on tablet.Well as long as he on tablet all teachers are happy.But they don't realise that child is only 6 years old .He complianes of stomach problems .So I want to know if there are any good school on northshore for gifted children it willbe very good to here from a mother who have been in same situation.Where I can take him off the tablet for little while.Because whenever as a mother I see him on that tablet I cry and ask myself that if there is answer please send it to me.Thank you for reading my message.
You could approach Appletree Education Centre in Devonport. It is a very small private school that caters well for Gifted children although that is not it's only manadate. They do have some children that have ADHD and have an understanding of that, so worth asking.
Their education and the level they teach at is excellent.
Junior College is great for the 'quirky' kids that act/look a little different from the norm. There are a number of gifted/talented quirky kids at the school and their peers accept them. There is a very close relationship between teachers and parents and kids are picked up quickly if things are not quite right at school. There is a new principal (Term 2) and I hope that the special nature of the school continues as it has done where the quirky kids are nurtured.
Hi, I'm a mother with a 7 years old son with ADHD. I noticed that you posted this message more than 6 years ago. I'm wondering how has your son been these years? Have you found out any way to make your son's life easier and without medication? I'm experiencing similar difficulties now. My son is also very bright, but the school does not want to take this responsibility as his attention problem and hyperactivity.
Is there anyone here know if St Thomas can accomodated him well? We are in their zone. I just want to know if they can help and support him without medicaton.
I read your post about returning from England to Auckland. We may be on the verge of doing the opposite - returning to the UK from Auckland, and I would be interested to hear how you found provision for the gifted over there. It has been 7 years since we were there so I am a bit out of touch with the state of the education system there these days, although I am a teacher myself and taught there for about 8 years.
We live in Whangaparaoa - North of Auckland. Our 6 year old daughter is homeschooled currently, but attends One Day School at Whangaparaoa Primary in Manly where they have a fast developing gifted provision and committed staff. Orewa Primary has also just opened an ODS programme and I have a friend whose child attends the school who is gifted but has opted not to send her to ODS programme as she feels her daughter is very well catered for in the class with an individualised reading programme etc.
Other than these two schools, there is nothing available for children with asynychronous development on the Hibiscus Coast. We have been really disappointed.
Any one know the excellent school for catering the gifted children in centre Auckland?
I am just watching how my daughter is going at that moment. As a parents, I will happy if she's keep going forward. Otherwise, ....... At the moment, my daughter doesn't go forward. I feel the school is very important. Different school have different dicpline on caterng the gifted children. Some are excellent and some are not good.
Which school are excellent for gifted children in centre Auckland, whatever prive or public?
Hi Renee,
My son is now 21 y.o. and is enjoying work - but was awful at school. When he was 7 he was diagnosed with ADD. I refused to put him on ritalin. Instead the Dunedin doctor suggested Kip McGrath lessons after school and I was given a disability allowance to pay for this as I was solo parent at time. This was fantastic but when I moved to Auckland no-one had heard of this solution before and pressure was put on me by school and health nurse to put him on ritalin. School also wanted him off the outside help.
Unfortunately I stopped the outside tuition when he went to Glenfield College, at time of bad headmaster, he had bad time there.
My point is that too many kids are being prescribed ritalin and no-one seems to be thinking about the alternatives. My son was identified as gifted too, and did very well at school with the extra tuition, giving into the school was the worst decision I made but had a baby at time and was low on energy. The pills produce a nice behaved kid but so does valium, dope, and many other dangerous drugs!!!
Catherine, thank you for your wonderful post. I would like to know more from other people who are now adults with experience of being gifted when young.
How is life now as an adult? Did your schooling hinder or enhance your life today?
Hi, I know your post is from a while back.
My son starts school next year and we are struggling to make a decision about school!! We are currently in zone for St Thomas.
Did you son ended up going there? How was the experience?
My son is on the bright side but not been tested. Will be tested for ADHD soon.
Would be lovely if you could reply with your experience.
