I'm an ex-pat NZer living in Seattle, USA and our eldest is about to start school. I was wondering about NZ options for educating gifted children so I went browsing and found this site.
My question is this: if you could send your gifted children to any schools in New Zealand, what would you pick?
I can figure out which state schools are popular with parents from an real estate site (e.g. "located in the grammar zones"), but that doesn't mean they have special programs for gifted kids. Any feedback I can get would be appreciated.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Sue
Date: 12-09-07 17:12
Hi, Brent.
Some questions for you - boy or girl? State school or private? Preference for city (ie Auck, Wgtn, Chch etc) - answers to these would make it easier for people to respond.
If I was in Auckland and could pick any suburb, I would probably go for Gladstone School in Mt Albert for my gifted kids if I was looking at State schools - they have excellent gifted ed provisions. Glendowie School would also be a possible - they have a whole variety of great things happening in their school and also allow their gifted kids the option of attending the Gifted Kids Programme one day a week. If I was able to consider private schools, I might look at Parnell College, which is co-ed, small classes, and although new seems to be following in the footsteps of the school it grew from, Junior College. (Despite the name "College," it does cater for new entrants up.)
Hi Brent, my son went to Whangarei Primary (until we moved back to Akl) and they had a wonderful programme he went to a few afternoons a week and the principal was very helpful:) That is of course, if you don't want to live in a main centre. Whangarei was lovely, like a beach holiday yearround!
Also, can you give me a quick brief about life in Seattle please? We MAY have the option of moving there.
Thank you! I hope you find the right school for your child:)
Thank you for your response! I guessed I wouldn't get a reply for days. :-)
Let me answer your questions:
- Girl (5) and there's a younger brother (2) and sister (5 months).
- No real preference for state or private - whichever provides the best education for gifted kids. We could move to any school district.
- No real city preference - better schools would make a city more desirable. Rural is fine too. My family is from Cambridge/Hamilton so there is some advantage to being there, but I also have family in Auckland. Plus I really liked every other NZ city I visited.
Thanks for the answer on Auckland. I can use that info to look up more about the schools and neighbourhoods. It is hard to figure out where the good schools are by just looking up websites.
I'd never thought of Whangarei before but I will look it up now. Thank you for the answer.
Seattle life:
I love it here. Very strong literary, cinema, theater culture. Lots of outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding (mountians are an hour's drive). It is the coffee capital of america so espresso is great here. The city is very hilly, so if you ride a bicycle (like me) you feel it.
Big industries are high tech (microsoft, amazon, sme google, adobe etc.), biotech and aerospace (boeing). The high income of these workers has driven up house prices dramatically over the last ten years and it is still climbing even though the rest of the USA has falling house prices.
Summer is warmer and drier than NZ and winter is colder and darker. It drizzles a lot in winter. I can still commute to work on my bicycle year round, snow that sticks only happens every couple of years and only for a day or two. In short, winter sucks and summer is totally perfect.
Traffic can be bad if you drive to work. There's a long lake that splits the city into two parts - 'Seattle' and 'The Eastside'. Seattle is the cool old city and the Eastside is suburbia but has Microsoft. Commuting across the lake is a pain because there are only two bridges and is too long to drive around.
Since this is a school site I should talk about schooling. Seattle has the highest incidence of private schools enrollment of any city in the USA. State schools are good depending on where you live, although high schools have HUGE enrollments. People by houses based on what schools they want to send their children to, but I guess that is the same in NZ.
Private schools are amazing here and also have amazing prices. The little school near my house for 5-12yo kids costs US$18k or so year. There's a top 3% test requirement and even with that they turn away 2/3 of the applicants. The school lets kids learn at their own pace in small mixed classrooms and it is possible for children can go on to university study after they finish (i.e. years early).
I hope that helps. I can send more data or links or answer any more questions if you want to mail the account on the posting.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Sue
Date: 13-09-07 20:04
Hi, Brent.
If you want to look at Hamilton, Southwell School is a private school catering for primary ages and is co-ed. Fantastic resources and from what I have heard on the grapevine a good staff. Very keen on looking after their gifted kids.
Private schools for girls in Auckland - St Cuthbert's is a Yr 1-13 school with superb facilities and a provision for their gifted children. If I had the money, my girls would go there.
Don't know much about state schools in Hamilton. There is a One Day School in Hamilton, based at Rhodes Street School - ODS is a one day a week programme where kids come out of their regular schools and attend with a small number of other gifted kids. The Gifted Kids Programme is similar, but only operates in Auckland, Rotorua and Wellington. If you want to look at these, their websites are:
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Annette
Date: 14-09-07 16:22
Brent
I have had contact with another family recently settled here from Seattle. The decision depends very much on the type of children that they are. Do they have any learning difficulties, are they slightly quirky or non conformists. Are they gifted in many areas or have peaks and troughs.
The family that recently moved from Seattle came to our area but didn't go to our local school Kohi which while has a very "good" reputation is very poor for gifted children it seems, they settled for St Thomas's in Kohimarama which is where we shifted our son to and overall has a much better understanding of gifted children especially if they tend to be a little non conformist.
I live in Auckland and if I have my time again and money wasn't an issue. I would in the Primary years send my children to Appletree in Devonport a small specialist school that caters for gifted children, but if you wanted something more conventional I would try the Primary school at ACG Parnell College already mentioned before. They generally do well for gifted children as they have high academic standards but not necessarily a lot of specilised programmes. The teaching staff are usually excellent and it is Coed which is good too. Not good for very physical/sporting kids and the play areas are limited by NZ standards.
It's a hard question and maybe you need to narrow it down to a city first, as it may depend on work etc.
Hi Brent
I see another post about gifted kids at Kohi School and I have to add my 5 cents worth. My son is at Kohi in year 1 and has been really well managed by the school. His Y1 teacher approached me and asked if I had thought to have him assessed- which I then went on to do. Long story short he came out as particularly gifted in some areas, but also socially and emotionally a bit immature. Kohi have been outstanding in their support of him and as a result, going into Term 4 he is a much happier and more confident child and achieving excellent results. He is set to move into a composite Y2/3 class next year after recommnedation from the school and his teacher.
My point is, it is the teachers themselves that make the difference and if you find a school with excellent teachers who understand, and have an interest in gifted education- then go with it. I don't think it is a state vs private thing as there are good and bad in both.
Thank you all for your replies. I now have a lot of schools to look up!
Annette asked about the personality of the children. They are very loud and socially competent. [Too competent - I blame my wife. :-) ]
I feel if they went to a regular school they'd fit in fine but there is a risk they would become bored and their abilities would regress towards the mean or they would get into trouble. I just want them to be able to explore without being held back.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Mel
Date: 21-09-07 20:22
Miss 5 goes to Takapuna Primary school on the North Shore in Auckland. It is a school that takes g&t kids seriously. It was 2 weeks after starting school that we had a meeting with her New Entrant teacher and the principal where they had measured her reading/spelling/maths ability and decided that they could cater to her reading/spelling age in class (her Reading age when she started school was 8.5) but her maths was to far ahead of the class so they wanted to put her into a yr 3/4 class for maths...we were a little concerned about the big gap and what the "big kids" would think of this little girl coming into their class, but they move kids around all the time so noone bats an eyelid when she goes into her maths class.
After being at school since the end of Feb her story writing has come along hugely (and her handwriting is surprisingly tidy considering how fast her mind works...), she has a reading and a spelling age of 10 and is enjoying maths.
The local intermediate also seem to be interested in providing for g&t kids as they have had a student from primary go there for maths a couple of times a week. There are also lots of good colleges in the area
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Annie
Date: 22-09-07 23:50
We have had first hand experience with both St. Cuthberts and Parnell College Primary School and I am also involved at the coal face in education. From my experience, St. Cuthberts are leaders in education in NZ in both gifted & talented and mainstream education and provide the best possible education. As I said, they are leaders and often provide training in GATE for other schools. They are real innovators. In comparison, although Parnell College Primary School may suit non-conformist children and are at present a small school, they are growing to over 1200 pupils in the next couple of years and currently include an ever-increasing group of International students who are fee paying and have very little English. These students are integrated into the mainstream secondary classes so that they can learn English to a level where they can be accepted into University - like a foundation course. The primary school has a VERY limited play area. The primary school play area is indoors, underneath the old building and the children do not have the opportunity to run around in the fresh air in their playtimes as do other schools. Yes, the teachers are wonderful however they have lost many fantastic teachers over the last few years because the relationship between the teachers and senior management is not a happy one and this does filter down through to the students and many parents are not happy with the direction the school is taking.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Jean
Date: 23-09-07 18:35
I have to say a few years ago I was horrified to hear that St Cuthberts were totally rigid about not accepting girls who have already been accelerated. A girl who was currently in Year 8 and looking to go to St Cuths in Year 9 was not allowed to sit the entrance test as she was too young by a couple of years despite her being in Year 8 at a highly academic school.
Again it depends on the children I know a number of very able girls where St Cuths has not suited them.
I think what you are saying about ACG primary sounds sensible I know that by the end of the year all the Foundation/older students will have moved out but yes the atmosphere is certainly changing there and while the primary will remain small overall it will end up a largish school.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Tiz Me
Date: 26-09-07 11:55
You might want to check out Nelson and Hampden Street School.
I cannot vouch for what the school is like now but, when I went, it was pretty affluent, lots of opportunities both academic and sporting and they strongly supported extra-curricular activities even when it meant a bit of time off school.
Arts and sports are strongly supported in Nelson and sounds quite similar to how you described Seattle (or an NZ sized version without the snow).
They also have some good secondary schools there and prep.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Helen
Date: 29-09-07 17:57
Hi
We have two gifted girls at Samuel Marsden Collegiate in Wellington. After a couple of 'false starts' (one absolute heart wrenching experience) at state schools, Marsden has been a safe haven for our girls.
Marsden is similar (private/fee paying, girls only, uniform, high expectations, strong academic results, supportive of excellence in extracurricular activies) to St Cuth's but is not a leader or innovator for Gifted Ed. That said, there is excellent teaching practice, a good understanding of giftedness and some staff who are excelling at individualising learning for these girls.
In our eldest daughter's class there are 6 Explorers girls so no shortage of like-minds to bounce ideas off.
Marsden has a wonderful range of extracurricular activities and high expectations which has been a wonderful start for our girls.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Montessori fan
Date: 03-11-07 20:13
Our children have been Montessori preschool and school educated and I have to say it's been very sucessful for our gifted children. We've tried other systems but our "loud & social" gifted children were bored and fit much better in the Montessori system. Good luck.
if you don't mind what stste school did you try first for your daughters in wellington? i am at the moment having some issues with my son's school acknowledgement of his talent
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Ruth
Date: 27-11-07 18:04
Hi phirum
Our son was Montessori preschooled then state school for 18 months then back to Montessori! State school just didn't suit him - he didn't need to do anything. Unfortunately it took me 18 months to realise how bad it was for him and when he cried because he didn't want to go to school I knew I had to do something (he was really happy going to GP ODS and wanted to go there every day) He now loves school and the only part he hates are the holidays ;) Life is much less stressful now :) Hope you get things sorted soon
Check out the Education Review Office website - www.ero.govt.nz You can read the lastest school reviews and they have been evaluating school's provisions for gifted and talented students in terms 3 and 4 in 2007. Its not every school, but there will be some in the Auckland and Hamilton areas that have been reviewed. good luck
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: paula
Date: 13-12-07 20:45
Interesting about them reviewing g and t in the late part of the year. I had some correspondence with the Ministry on this early in the year at the end of which I suggested that their ero reports were a bit of a waste of time if the school got to decide what they reviewed and that if they really took g and t seriously they would include a review of that as compulsory in the way they do for remedial services. I'm sure a lot of people have been on them about this - so maybe they do listen sometimes!
Hi there
I have to recommend Parnell District School. It is small and it goes through to Year 8. We moved there two years ago after being bullied at our previous school and have nothing but positive things to say for them!
They happily accepted my son into Year 3 and immediately organised a speech therapist, something the previous school refused to do. Then this year they put him in their own in school GATE program (before he was tested and with no requests or anything from me) which he absolutely LOVES! More recently they applied for and won a scholarship for him (we have no money) to attend a GATE course with Jean Hendy-Harris - which he absolutely LOVED! Then in the last week of school, I approached them to see if it would be possible for an OT to visit him in school to help him next year. I was warned by the OT that schools can be quite precious about such things but Parnell's resonse was "Of course! Would you like to set up a meeting in the first week with his new teacher and the OT?"
Both his teachers have been fantastic, the principal is approachable, even the receptionist is lovely and goes out of her way to be helpful. The only day our son felt bullied (he wasn't really but remembered his old school experiences and freaked out) the school took immediate action. This instantly restored my son's faith as he saw they would listen to him and help him.
All I wanted for him was to be "safe" and "happy" and "want" to go to school when we started there, but they have gone above and beyond the call of duty in providing that and a whole lot more. He now tells all his friends at other schools they should come to Parnell too because it is "such a good school", and "we do science in a Science Lab" and there are "no bullies"! I am forever greatful for what they have done!
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Montessori fan
Date: 12-02-08 20:22
Brent - I think there's always going to be gifted kids happy at one school and others for whom it didn't suit. I've heard of gifted kids happy at Parnell/Kohi/St Thomas'/traditional private school and others not. It depends on the personality of the child, where their gifts lie and so many other factors. Perhaps you should research different school systems (private, public, Montessori, specialist schools) and work out what your child is going to fit and what are they going to gain by being in that particular environment. Also what factors are most important for you and what are you willing to compromise on. Visiting each school type that you're considering gives a good indication also. We ruled out some that way. Good luck with your relocation.
Phirim - Ruth's story is so much like ours that I could copy and paste her post and call it my own. If you're having doubts, then I'd explore your options. I just wish we'd moved in term 1 when we had doubts instead of thinking it'll eventually get better. Good luck.
We arrive in Auckland 14th June and have two weeks to find a suitable school for our gifted 7 year old.
she is pretty 'normal' and has been in a private school in South africa. However she has had issues as she is left-handed and way ahead emotionally than the other children.. not mature for her age but her existential thinking can cause frowns on even teacher's faces.
After assessments etc.. they recommended Montessori..and a small no of students per class situation... however.. my husband popped in to one of the Montessori 'schools' in Auckland a week ago and was shocked by the condition of the facilities!
Please could someone recommend a school that has even some Montessori styled education that would map to a 'normal' certification in order that in time she could attend university.
I would appreciate any feedback. It is irrelevant where we live.. we are prepared to travel and cost is not really a factor.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Anon
Date: 30-05-08 10:08
Hi there
My son is in a Montessori unit within a state primary school on the North shore - Long Bay. I am don't know where your husband went but my son loves it there and is very happy. They do Montessori work but also integrate with the rest of the school for sports, production, swimming etc and it seems to work well. Perhaps you could try there? Good luck.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: birgit
Date: 30-05-08 10:22
Hi Nadine
We have quite a few children arriving from SA at my daughter's school. One of the things you have to remember that children do start school a lot earlier than in SA, so although your daughter may be gifted, there may be things she may not have encountered before. She would most certainly be put into a class in the same age group, rather than the grade she was in in SA. Also schooling is a lot more relaxed here than in SA (I know, I am from there myself). Some state schools here like to keep the classes in the junior level quite small, so that may be something to look out for. Just realised that at 7, most kids will be in Middle school rather than Junior. My daughter is 7 this year and is catered for quite well in all academic aspects of school, struggling a bit with the social aspects (friends at her age).
I find state schools (at primary level - secondary is a different story) very adequate here, some look after gifted kids better than others. No real need to go private. A good place to find out information about schools look at their ERO report (www.ero.govt.nz), that should also give you an idea how they cater for the gifted (although some of this is only on paper :-( )
There is always one day school to extend your child if normal school does not and if money is not an issue, then this is a good route to take.
There are some state schools that have Montesorri classes within their school, but I have not heard whether these cater well for the gifted.
Hope that helps.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Annie
Date: 30-05-08 13:03
Nadine
If you read this thread there are a lot of suggestions. There are a few Montessori schools around usually attached to a main primary school. I wouldn't judge it by the condition of the facilities but look at the education received.
If you can do private a number have been mentioned above:
Acg Parnell College has a Primary side which is quite new and fairly small. It wouldn't suit a very sporty child probably. There are St Cuthberts, Dio and Kristin on the North Shore. But at Primary school age you may not need to go Private. And yes Colin Dale's school is worth looking at for Intermediate level in Mairangi Bay on the North Shore. You have to be in zone I would think. There are Primary schools in that area too that should be Ok but I don;t know of these personally. Sherwood Primary did have IT focussed learning classrooms.
So I would try reading a lot of the forum to see.
St Thomas's in Meadowbank is a bsic primary school but with a good understanding principal.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Sue
Date: 30-05-08 16:18
Hi, Nadine.
Glendowie School in Auckland has a Montessori unit as part of the school. Very good school, which seems to be catering well for its gifted students. They send some students each year to the Gifted Kids Programme, a one-day-a-week programme, as well. Glendowie is a lovely part of Auckland, but house prices reflect this - pretty expensive to buy in this area.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Private Mum
Date: 04-06-08 11:18
Hi Nadine,
Our personal experience was that public school offered nothing for gifted children and hence after a failed public school experience, we chose to go private.
You mentioned that your daughter is currently at a private school and also that Montessori was recommended.
There is one private Montessori school in Auckland located in Parnell. It is called Auckland Montessori Primary School and caters to children aged 6-12. It differs from many other Montessori schools in Auckland in that it is an independent school ie it is not affiliated with any public school and hence has more freedom to follow Montessori practices.
We found there to be a huge variation amongst schools so I would recommend having a look.
I am unfamiliar at which age children enter the junior, primary and intermediate levels.. over here my daughter's school caters from age 4 to 19.. pre-primary to matric.
I would hope to place her in a school where she would begin and complete her education in order to assist her socially as well as to instil a sense of stability. As a result of our relocating and the adjustments she would need to make because of this i am hoping (and hopefully not unrealistically) that we could find a school, settle her in and leave her there until she completes school.
In SA the private schools are the only schools with small classes, excellent facilities and generally have the more qualified teachers. Maybe not the most loving...
I would hope for a very loving environment which would instil a good work ethic without encouraging ritalin and hundreds of hours of homework in order to maintain an A average.
My daughter is very good at sport as well as academics, so we need to find a school who will love her and encourage her to enjoy her life while achieving good results.. Any recommendations?
Does anyone have any advice of which primary schools are good for gifter children in the Tauranga area? I have read about all auckland options and note that I do have the Montessori or public choice.
Mr 4 is due to start school in February 09. He is well ahead in maths, reading, writing and has a photographic memory. He falls under the Aspergers part of the Autistic Spectrum, which for him means he doesnt always read social queues and can come across as shy or disinterested. However he is soon interested if someone wants to count or do timestables!
I would value any advice on Montessori versus public?
He is currently thriving at a public kindy.
Which primary schools in the Tauranga aread parents have sent gifted children too and what their experience was like?
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Lyn
Date: 05-06-08 20:19
Private Mum - I would just say that it is a little misleading to generalise that "botany, geography, history and science" are "absent from public school" in NZ. Clearly you have had a bad state school experience but at my kids' state primary they have, just in the past fortnight, in addition to the literacy/numeracy "basics":
had a field trip to a nearby urban stream, accompanied by an invited water scientist, to examine what is living in the stream (this is part of a wider, cross-class study of the water environment, pollution issues etc in this waterway, including talks, hands on experiments and visits) (dd7);
begun basic Spanish with a visiting native speaker (both children);
studied the Irish potato famine, leprecauns, Finn McCoull as part of an Irish study, and begun preparing an Irish dance performance for a school-wide "United Nations " day (dd7);
had a field trip to the Waitakeres which incorporated role play, botanical and zoological surveying and observation, and eco-politics in preparing and presenting "submissions" for an environment hearing (ds9);
studied geography, history and customs of Thailand, and begun preparing a cultural performance (ds9);
worked on designing and building a wooden birdhouse (ds9, one afternoon a week)); participated in "Future Problem Solving" team (this is one afternoon a week) and tried out for the "Incredible Science Day" quiz team (ds9);
as well as working on individual research projects on Spain (dd7) and The Odyssey and Iliad (ds9), attending Student Council meetings (dd7) and spending the first part of each morning helping to produce the internal TV news with which notices are given in the school (ds9).
I don't think I could handle them doing much more, myself! :-)
I read your post and noticed that Auckland Montessori Primary School (AMPS) was being recommended. We have also attended this school with a gifted child and felt we should share our experience.
Our Son is highly gifted and somewhat quirky, visual-spatial and probably not socially mature as well. Absolutely crazy about maths, science and art. We feel that he was also badly hurt at this school.
He started as a five year old, this was his first school . On the second morning of school his Teacher approached me and told me he was “negative”, I couldn’t understand this negative has never been a way my Son has been described. Usually its bright, happy, full-on, mischievous type descriptions. She told us he would need drops (like bach flowers) but Australian Bush Flowers, that the Teacher Aid would make it up and we could buy it. I have to admit, this was quite overwhelming, but we did it. We wanted school to work out so we thought we would try everything.
After two weeks, we were called in for a meeting about our 5 year old Son, the Teacher (there is only one teacher for the 5 – 9 year olds) thought we should go to see a Healer, because my Son was born by emergency Caesarian and that he might have a past life attached to him. She felt he was using phrases an adult might use such as “thank you for reminding me” and “you can go now”. Again we went along with her advice with an open mind. The healer she personally recommended told us he was “perfect”and there was no problem with him (the healer was also South African).
I took in some books for the Teacher to try and give her an understanding of gifted children “Guiding the Gifted Child” and “Dreamers, Discoverers and Dynamos”. Things stabilised for a while.
After the Easter break, we found that a family had left suddenly, two students from my Son’s class. My Son had really attached to the older child, like he idolised him almost he was much older and finally someone to look up to I guess. Things went downhill, the Bush Flower drops which we paid for had no effect. He felt the loss of the children very deeply. Behaviour became erratic and he acted out more. The Teachers did not seem to help the situation, far from it. They seemed to become more reactive, our Son felt they didn’t like him. He was labelled more and more as disruptive. Teachers frequently used this word in front of him and other children. We felt we had tried hard to make things work, we had done everything they had asked.
After 7 weeks we had our final meeting, they asked for strategies, we gave them. But the Teacher found it hard, her feelings in my opinion towards my Son were evident. It is hard for a Mother to keep handing her Son up to a person who does seem to understand or care to that there are special needs often associated with gifted children. If you have a gifted child who is successful in school, does not have any O.E.’s, impulsivity, intensity or such quirks this school may work for you, as it appears to for Private Mum. For my Family it did more harm than good.
We chose Montessori because we had read widely that it was good for Special Needs, for example Giftedness, Asperger’s, ADHD and the like. When we got an info. pack from the school, there were even a few magazine articles, one of which was how great this type of education is for ADHD. I even mentioned it in our last meeting. They left me with the impression that they had no idea about what to do regarding ADHD. (I’m not saying our Son has ADHD by the way, just that it is an example of Montessori and Special Needs). I personally do not think if you are choosing Montessori Method for its individualised philosophy and how this is great for Gifted children that this school is not a good choice.
The problem we feel is that the 5 – 9 year old class is there is only one Teacher “the Teacher makes the school”. The school is very small one class is 5 - 9 the older children are 9 – 12. This is the entire school, with two Teachers and one Teacher Aid. Basically I feel a child absolutely has to get along with the Teacher. In this case however I have found the Teacher a very tense person. I have observed in a very unMontessori fashion her physically move my Son out of her way, with no previous verbal prompts.
In the end we feel they took the easy way out, as they could not meet his needs.
Nadine: “I would hope for a very loving environment which would instil a good work ethic without encouraging ritalin”
We did not find the enviroment apparently loving or caring as far as our Son goes. He was and is only 5, a new entrant, and we feel treated unfairly. He is now in Alpha www.alphaed.co.nz he has just started these last four weeks and is much happier.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: mum
Date: 09-06-08 15:43
Hi there, has anyone read the Metro magazine article on the best schools in Auckland?? Would like to hear other's opinions on this. I was surprised to see how badly Macleans college featured. Anybody else?
Some lovely person replied to my question regarding schooling options in Tauranga which was greatly appreciated as our heads are very confused.
However my computer did something, I lost all our emails so only read the first two lines and we cant retrieve them, please reply again!!!!
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Private Mum
Date: 12-06-08 11:07
Lyn - We attended a decile 10, affluent, popular, public school which gets rave reviews. As I said, those subjects (botany, geography, history, science) were "absent from public school" ie our school. What I meant by my comment was that those subjects were, on the whole, not given much attention to, they were generally absent in day to day study. Maybe I was remiss in not saying "generally" absent but they certainly weren't listed as a subject.
They might have touched on them once in a while but the majority of the time was taken up with reading, writing and maths. They taught how different countries around the world say hello and I guess you could call that geography, however, it was a small drop in the bucket.
Those extra subjects were not studied on a daily or even weekly basis and certainly did not get a mention in the school reports. The school reports only mentioned reading, writing and mathematics which goes to show that botany, geography, history, science, cooking, 2nd language, etc weren't considered a regular part of the curriculum, or rather a regular part of our public school curriculum.
Of the other 5 supposed "good" public schools in our area where friends have their gifted children, they talk of a similar curriculum to the one we experienced. If your school is different, that's fantastic, but unless you've experienced what alternative school systems are doing, I don't think you can intimate that the public school curriculum is the same as the curriculum of independent schools. In my experience they're quite different.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Lyn
Date: 13-06-08 12:27
I looked at many independent school options, and most of them would have had my kids stuck at desks all day in the interests of "high academic achievement". We opted for "full-on experience" instead, and have found it in the public system. I guess we're just lucky then! Good luck to all of you - if there is one thing i have learnt about "school hunting" it is that it is 'hourses for courses' - one kid's heaven is another's hell.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Independent School Dad
Date: 13-06-08 19:23
On the other hand, there are a lot of independent school options out there whose students are not "stuck at desks all day".
I would also say, that for some students, being "stuck at desks all day" means that they are being academically stimulated, rather than it being for the pursuit of the school's goal of "high academic achievement".
Metro Magazine - we are studying colleges furiously, trying to decide what would be best for our children in the future, and read the magazine with great interest. I found the article very disappointing - it focused on NCEA results, which many , particularly private, colleges do not focus on, if they follow that curriculum at all, so this skewed the results. I was also interested to see that they recommended choosing a school according to the student-run website rate my teacher.com - in my opinion this would mainly be used by disgruntled teenagers - not always the best indicator of a schools academic ability. Basically, I felt that it was a piece of unbalanced journalism, which didn't answer any of my questions (or maybe it didn't say what I wanted it to!?!) So we are back to trawling the web and going to school's open days!! Anyone got any fab recommendations as to colleges in Auckland for G&T??
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Montessori fan
Date: 18-06-08 11:35
Hi Brent, are you still around? Was reading back over this thread wondering what you ended up doing for your children's education. Has it all worked out? So often I read beginning stories which never have an ending. Love an update.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: mum
Date: 19-06-08 22:23
Hi Helen,
Re Metro mag:
yes I agree it was totally skewed report and basically worthless! I just hope the general public realises it and no sch0ol suffers as a result. As for Macleans, they didn't participate in the NCEA results so their's was skewed.
I don't have a clue what college to recommend to you! I've looked at quite a lot and am still confused myself! I think in the end we'll just have to make a decision and hope it's for the best. iIdon't believe you can really tell until you're "in there" anyway!
I have a 9 yr old son (10 next month)in yr5 who has just started at ODS and loves it.He's bored and frustrated at his regular school so we're seriously considering moving him. I've heard good things about Mt Hobson but that doesn't seem to start until yr7 .
Also heard and read good things about junior college.
Is there anywhere else people would recommend? He has mild Aspergers and dyspraxia with a very slow processing speed but a great thinker and of course gifted.
Thanks
Hi
I have a daughter now 14 who went thro ODS until year 6 while at a small country school and then I sent her to St Kentigern College at year 7 (form 1) in Pakuranga, Auckland - I am very happy with their Scholar programme - top 20 kids and also they have a GATS programme - Gifted and Talented Scholars - She seems to enjoy these classes and is doing very well in a environment that encourages excellence. Until now they have NCEA and are introducing IB next year. They did very well in last years scholarship results - web site is www.saintkentigern.com
We recently moved from the UK to Wellington. Our daughter was 6 when she started at Samuel Marsden Collegiate school. We highly recommend their G&T programme - her teacher picked up on her ability on day one and put her straight on the programme, assessing her reading age, pointing us in the right direction etc....Most importantly it was like a switch had been turned on and her creative and artistic expressions have simply been unleashed due to the careful implementation of the programme at the school....we now have incredible stories, poems and pictures..The grounds are simply beautiful too!
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: M
Date: 04-09-08 21:51
Does anyone know anything about two "special character" state schools in either Dunedin or Christchurch (can't for the life of me remember which one) which specialise in catering for gt/bright kids and use individual learning plans for all? I'd be very interested to hear.
HA WE LEAVE IN RODNEY AREA .My son has got ADHD WITH MILD ASPERGES.I have already changed his school .Over here children like him in state school are not supported.ThEY make you sound as if your child is little criminal.From minister of education did observation on him and they thought that other children were hiting him and not playing with him.
When they hit him obviously teachers are not looking and they are smart kids who do this not in front of anybody.
But he does not think of those things .He gets lot of anxiety .He has been on mediction for long time.
School made a big fuss for increasing his dose.Which after great difficulty we did.To cut short they are fighting all the time with gse to increase his teacher aid hrs and I don't think they are using that time with him.
So we are really very tired of whole thing.I wish there was a special school where they support special needs children Because he his a very bright little boy .He his very good at his study .He needs small school where teachers are more understanding of special needs children .
thank you.
I have 3 sons - 2 of them highly gifted in different areas but both with various learning issues. My middle son is special needs. It has been a nightmare trying to get any of them through their education in Rodney and this has been equally frustrating for me as I am a trained secondary school teacher! I know the system and have always felt that it caters so well for girls (who generally tend to be less ambitious when they leave school) and kills the artistic genius, the natural entrepenuer, the natural scientist, the natural explorer....etc. by boring them to death and forcing them to conform on a daily basis. Red Beach School (primary) is totally FANTASTIC, but otherwise there is very little support in Schools around the HBC.
I have always wanted to create a whole new schooling system where boys can be boys (and girls who prefer this method of learning can also participate)and can learn the way they ought to be taught: through inspiring them to explore and question life together for 1/2 hr a day on topics that interest then and then spend the rest of the time running around outside, playing sport, digging veggie gardens and doing field trips!!!! Most boys should NEVER be forced to sit at desks in classrooms day after day.... It saddens me that there is no school with a learning system designed specifically for boys, especially as so many have learning issues, Aspergers, ADHD, etc/....
Hi Rodney Mum
I have to agree with you regarding boys and "the system". I have four boys, the eldest two were Y1 & Y2 this year. Eldest is definitely gifted, number two most likely so as well. Number two started Y1 at the end of Term 1 . He has always been a total nature fan and wants to be Ruud Kleinpaste when he grows up! When he was at morning kindy, he had the freedom to look for wetas, caterpillars, cicadas, slaters (!!??!) etc and do little learning pieces on these. I have just realised as the school year has ended that since he has been in the classroom, that passion has become less and less evident. He has had a fabulous year and eclipsed many of the older kids, but his quirkiness seems to have gradually faded as he worked out what he had to do to get the results. He has struggled at times to sit still and focus in the class and his report had comments about him often looking out the window at what was happening outside ( I had to laugh!) Its almost like we teach them to be obedient, at the expense of being creative or innovative.
Thankfully they are both happy at school, but it just struck me that it's a real shame that we have to force them down that path of compliance and conformity.
Ruth said: "... but it just struck me that it's a real shame that we have to force them down that path of compliance and conformity."
And therein lies the 'societal' norm - that parents feel forced to force their children! It doesn't have to be that way and an increasing number of families are not allowing themselves to be forced.
Rodney Mums, you might like to have a look at homeschooling (particularly in the natural learning style). That's the only 'schooling system' I know of to fulfil the thought of "... inspiring them to explore and question life together for 1/2 hr a day on topics that interest then and then spend the rest of the time running around outside, playing sport, digging veggie gardens and doing field trips!!!! ..."
Sometimes taking the bull by the horns and entering something outside the norm can lead to the most places along the journey!
I'm aware that Rodney/Hibiscus Coast Homeschoolers have a Yahoo run contact group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RodneyHE/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=5
I have to say I have looked at homeschooling them too as I like the idea of them learning that way. However, at this point there are still a number of good reasons to have them "in the system". One of the biggest reasons is that, to be quite honest, I need a break from them each day! It is exhausting having these guys around 24/7. Much as I really love the school holidays and we do lots of cool stuff together, I also enjoy term time when I can do some things without them!
I have homeschooled this whole year (and believe me, at times it's felt like 10!) and it certainly hasn't been all easy. I have felt the need for me time and have had to take the opportunities when presented to me. I certainly don't waste that time! One good idea that I have utilised is to send my 2 children to a couple of days at the local school holiday programme every hols. This gives me a couple of days away from them, and allows them time to catch up with their old school friends (not that they had many!!).
I thought a great deal about what we're going to do next year and there was a time a few weeks back where I seriously considered re-enroling them. However the reasons for my wanting to homeschool them initially haven't changed and overall it has been a great year from which we have all benefitted. Just last week at a family members house for dinner, my hubby spoke out loud for homeschooling and all the wonderful positives and benefits. That is a huge turn around from the beginning of 2008! Our family are closer than ever - our children get on so well and play together most of the time. They have learnt constantly and so much more variety than at school. We still need to work on how we go about it - I am constantly revising how we go about it, I've just bought some new books and borrowing one, to get more ideas. However I doubt it'll take another year to get to a really great place where we are all happy with just how we go about homeschooling.
Another great thing for us, is that even though we live in a small beachside community in Auckland, we have a HSing family over the road, another round the corner and in total about 7 families in our area that homeschool with children ranging in age from 2-14! We have tried throughout the year to get together regularly and we intend to try to do even more together next year. This has been such great companionship for the kids and I that we've decided against moving away as we were originally going to.
Certainly it's not the easy path, however for our family anyway, homeschooling is working and on the whole we are enjoying the challenge!
Hi Rebecca
Wow it sounds like it has really worked out for you with homeschooling and good on you for doing it. I still haven't totally ruled it out. yet
Another big reason for me to persist with the state school they are in is that in Term 4 this year we gained a GaTe programme for the junior school in Y 2 & 3 after much discussion with the principal how they could better meet the kids' needs. It was no small feat to get this programme as it is run on site, at school during school hours for a half day every week. It is not the perfect solution, but it is a huge leap forwards in the right direction. My eldest has loved attending that class this term and looked forward to it all week. As well, we have raised the profile of the gifted kids to all the teaching staff by highlighting that they do have special needs in learning and in fact they would do well to be able to identify who these kids are without us having to constantly lobby them to take notice! From discussion with other parents, it sounds like we are lucky to have what we have here in the Eastern Suburbs in Auckland.
Anyway, overall I guess we are pretty happy with our school , and live in hope that we get more teachers who are switched on to gifted kids. If we have to accept some stuff along the way like conformity to the system then so be it. It's my job during the holidays to open their eyes again and get them thinking more laterally and creatively again.
Hi everyone,
My friend is a solo parent whose 9-yr-old boy has just completed yr 4 at Kristin. Because of financial circs she has had to take him from what has been an ideal situation for her very bright son. He topped his class this last year, and in NSW tests received distiction for maths and high distinction for English. His talents in the performing arts are also very strong. He sings beautifully. He has fine leadership skills. He has not been tested for giftedness, but as the mum of a 13-yr-old who has, I am absolutely sure he fits the criteria. At present they live in Takapuna, but would be prepred to move were it the right choice. The choice now is probably a public school. Has anyone any comments on Browns Bay, Campbells Bay, Devonport or Murrays Bay schools? Or any strongly felt recommendations on the North Shore? Dilworth is a possible option too.
Probably outside your friend's area of interest, but avoid Greenhithe Primary.
My gifted son had a miserable, educationally pointless time there. He arrived already having been assessed as highly gifted, yet a series of meeting with senior staff over the years led to endless promises of "extension programmes", but nothing was ever delivered.
He went from being a happy, compliant 6 year old, to an unhappy 10 year old who blatantly flouted rules and took enormous pleasure in winding up his teacher - for whom he had absolutely no respect. Year 6 in particular was a total nightmare.
We have friends who have had very similar experiences with the school and have taken their kids out - which I wish we'd done, but didn't because my son enjoyed the social aspects of a neighbourhood school.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Anon
Date: 11-01-09 11:51
Strongly felt recommendation would be Sunnybrae - great school (& very close to Takapana!) - our kids went from Sunnybrae to Kristin, & although we are very happy with Kristin, we missed Sunnybrae enormously - it is a fantastic State School and many aspects of it's approach to individual children & their families far exceeds Kristin Junior School. Great principal & senior management, & they had an excellent Gifted Ed program when we were there.
Hi. I have looked at a number of primary schools in regards to the needs of my children who are all gifted. Have only looked at schools above Mairangi Bay area, upto Albany and Long Bay and west of. (Mairangi Bay School is a good school - I haven't checked it out regarding gifted students). In the areas that I have looked at, the only primary school I would recommend for gifted children is Torbay School. My son is currently with a wonderful pair of teachers and the school in general has a good understanding of their needs and accomodateds them as much as they can. Prior to this school my kids went to Sherwood Primary which is a good school for most kids and the teachers and staff genuinely work very hard for their students. They have a digital class for their 'brighter' students altho' their teaching is essentially the same. When my kids were there in 2007 they had very little understanding of what giftedness is, in general, let alone how to teach them. Their understanding was that a truly gifted child is the very exceptionally and obviously gifted (a commonly held view). That may have improved since.
A teacher can only teach what they know - no matter how diligent, experienced and wonderful the teacher is. Like the rest of us they don't know what they don't know. I had to learn to be direct, but polite and to learn to ask the relevant questions to get past the retoric to find out what they actually know and understand.
Schools have very limited budgets and will only allocate funding according to their priorities. This usually means teacher training in this area is neglected.
We have had similar issues when looking at intermediate schools. Most have limited understanding and token facilities for gifted students. For the same area mentioned above I would recommend Murrays Bay Intermediate, head and shoulders above the rest. In my experience, Northcross Int. (which is a good school in many ways) seemed to have an understanding (right questions? ) but we were disappointed.
Above all else, be sure within yourself of your childs SPECIFIC and individual needs, construct your questions to get the answers you need, and learn how to decode their answers to find the truth. Don't let them treat you as tho' you don't really know what your child needs.
Hi. Any feedback and experience for Carmel College in Milford please. Would be mostly appreciated. We had huge difficulties when we moved to Auckland, our daughter was bulllied at the local school and at some point she refused to go there. we moved her to St Joseph's in Takapuna where she settled nicely and loved it. She is doing really well there (included in an extension writing classes now) but I am not impressed by their G & T programme throut the years - they only have such classes in year 6 and it is only for couple of hours a week in writing. Next year she is off to Carmel as most of her firends are going there. We went to an Intruduction meeting - that basically did not explain anything. If anyone here could share their experience from that school would be great.
Regarding Intermediate schools on the Shore - I also heard that Murrays bay Intermediate is the best - the only problem is where to after that - as Intermediate is only for 2 years. Rangitoto College is huge - friend of mine has 2 daughters dropped out as they mixed with the wrong croud, not sure about Long Bay?
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Anon
Date: 09-07-10 09:40
My child attends a mainstream school in Belmont on the shore which is not recommended for gifted children unless you know the teacher or principal personally-socialise with them etc. Favouritism is rife. Even the humble certificate is given to teachers children for the most pathetic things, eg, "keeping desk tidy at all times", whereas my child has not recieved one certificate for the number of years at the school.(Not that it really bothers me its just that it is for the childs sense of self confidence and self esteem to have such recognition; for that I am concerned.)
Although involved in a Gate program for maths is constantly overlooked for any type of recognition for progress made or achievement on other subjects. The teachers are not approachable because on many occasions I have tried to confront the teacher - adult to adult to find out the cause to my childs unhappiness or lack of recognition, only to be looked down on and deliberately wound up even more or my child blamed for what ever problem I am trying to tackle at the time. For example, when my child came home very confused and upset told me that the relief teacher (related to senior management member) yelled and used humiliation in front of everyone in the class on many occasions and to try to make my child do the same picture and writing as everyone else. (which my child refused, being a creative, more advanced in general knowledge wanted to add more then teacher wanted).
Or the time when I approached the relief teacher (class teacher was on maternity leave) to say that my child has made much progress on comprehension which is evident in the progress report and in class tests etc my child knew she reached her goal set out in class on the first day of term. My child was naturally very disappointed that the certificate went to someone else, the class teacher tells me that the other child deserves it because she has made "even" more progress and is a "bright" girl. (This girl in question has parents who are best friends with the principal). Go figure! I of course felt uncomfortable and even more confused and angry at this whole encounter because what I felt and said was neither acknowledged or accepted with sensitivity. Last year was the unhappiest so far.
The school promotes no bullying yet bully the children themselves and treat me the parent as if I am stupid and don't know my own child. My gifted child is always made to suffer comparisons and put downs and made to be shown that bright is not what you think you are. (despite giving an educational report the first time I enrolled my child- top 3%). It does not surprise me that alot of families with a gifted child have left or plan to leave because BPS does not on the whole cater or care about its gifted minority unless known by principal or teacher staff. ( It also seems that at least one or two teachers leave every year).
The principal is more interested in marketing the school and making a profit on the side. He promotes drinking with "Beers and Barbecue" for the dads where he gets close and personal and with information gathered goes around the school through the means of "gossip" which is rife. "Upmanship" and whose little darling is the "brightest, sportiest;whose did what etc etc is a sad distraction for why the children go to school in the first place.
I feel very disappointed in the teaching staff and senior management of BPS because of attitude and behaviour that has caused my child and myself to feel unhappy on many occasions whether for not recieving recognition or over bullying through gossip and mean spirited teachers and other parents. Who "rage" against me because I so much as try to confront the "bullying" and protect my child from increasing underachieving and low self esteem. My child has only made few friends due to lack of common interests, maturity-wisdom and intensity.
Needlesstosay I am seriously planning on leaving but unsure how to go about finding a suitable school for my child. My child turned 10. Top 3%, visual spatial, loves science, reading, maths. Sensitive and wise- needs a caring, sensitive evironment to blossom to full potential. Like minded children to form friendships with and teachers who are genuin in there concern of the children in their charge, not to forget their ever-loving parents.
Ah Anon,
I must say your post brought me to tears. I can feel the hurt you have over the treatment your child has received through the words you have written. Please know you are not alone in this - even though it sometimes feels that way. Our local school was not quite that bad, although there were teachers there who's lack of understanding about my daughter's twice exceptional status was quite unbelievable.
We have homeschooled now for 2 1/2 years and love it. It is very hard - I'm having a rare day today to myself which is total bliss and I intend to make the most of it (even though I need to do housework....ugh). My children are loved, happy, secure, social, and outwardly confident. Obviously they are also gifted and therefore sensitive, perfectionistic and can feel lonely at times even in a group of ppl. These things I'm sure will dog them throughout their lives as it has with myself and my husband - and probably most gifted ppl who tend to overthink things. However it's hard enough without others making it even harder.
I would suggest if you can, pull out your daughter as soon as you can to stop any more damage being done to her self-esteem. Even if you homeschool for a little while as you're canvassing potential new schools.
As we said when we went into home education, the most important thing is that the children come through childhood with their self-esteem and confidence intact. You and your child's father are the only ppl who will stand up for her and at times that is the most important role you can take on.
Good luck, I hope others on here can suggest a far more suitable school.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Another Anon
Date: 09-07-10 10:40
Anon.
Wow. I could have written this post myself, except for the fact that my child is at a school that *is* recommended for gifted kids. As long as you are the 'right' gifted kid (i.e. a principal who seems to favour those whose parents can help the school's 'profile'). Best of luck in your quest to find a different school. What year is your child (is a move to intermediate soon a natural progression)? FWIW our child has experienced many of the same issues over the years but stays strong and resilient with the help of a loving family. Your child has that, and it is invaluable. We too have had dreadful years, but, we have encountered those teachers who do care and act with the child's best interests. They are out there. Go and see the schools and meet the teachers and look for those who respond excitedly and with warmth when hearing about your child. All the best.
I really feel for you. This is how we felt when we moved to Auckland at my daughter's first school - mainstream school in Browns Bay. I couldn't see her becoming glummier and glummier day by day so after 2 terms we moved to St Jo's - totally different approach, she felt welcomed the first day. That why I left her there despite lack of well developed G & T programme. I think at this age it is far more important for them to be happy and have friends, to have no fear to ask a question and feel valued. I have heard very good feedback for Takapuna primary and Takapuna Normal Intermediate (if you want to go for main stream school) - not sure if they are zoned. If your daughter hasn't made friends at her old school it will not be difficult for her to move to the new one - it is worth making the moves now when she is still building her self esteem.
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Jess
Date: 15-07-10 19:20
Hi - I am another Montessori fan although my boy has not yet started at Eastern Suburbs M Unit attached to Glendowie.
Regarding the Auckland Montessori Primary - this is all secondhand info but still worth considering (as we did when figuring out what direction we wanted to take with Alex when we weren't so happy with the situation at Kohi).
It is a private school and perhaps this might normally provide a more genuine M experience, but in fact the numbers in this school are extraordinarily low, and perhaps therefore, they seem to be accepting almost anybody.
Montessori philosophy indicates primary should not start until 6 (or close to it). The Glendowie unit has extremely stringent requirements for Montessori preschool attendance before acceptance. The AMP does not, which again leads me to believe they are not able to conform as well to M teachings since many of the children have not had years of early guidance.
Hi, as the mother of one G&T ADHD daughter and a second who is G&T with learning difficulties.
I want to know what is available 2ndary state school-wise in SE Auckland. We live rurally so options for zoned schools are very limited.
Last time we moved schools my 7 yr old daughter didn't fit in and became depressed with suicidal thoughts. We had her assessed and so learned about G&T kids.
She is now loud quirky funny and well adjusted, thank heavens, but we do not want to jeapardise this with the wrong choice of school.
I have ideas about where I would like to send her but the zoning rules are pretty strict and I dont think the ballot takes into consideration any special needs that children may have. Any advice, esp on Howick McLeans and Botany Downs Secondary?
Would love to hear what it is really like out there, not just what the schools say they can do!
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: SJW
Date: 21-07-10 16:34
Of the three schools you list, I would not advise Macleans as a good option. They only identify kids as gifted who 'pass' their own testing (for which they charge $30) - even ed psych reports are ignored - and twice exceptional kids would almost certainly not meet their gifted criteria.
Our son is gifted in verbal reasoning and problem solving, has confidence issues, has a low working memory and visual spatial (to name a few!!!) anyway, we've been advised by his Ed Psych to look at the following:
Mission Heights Junior & Senior Schools (the latter will be opening next year) note, they do NOT take any out of zoners. Glendowie College was recommended as was Strathallan and Michael Park (Ellerslie). Was told NO to Macleans (too competitive for his nature) and Howick ... well that was just answered with a NO (we didn't bother going down the track of why not).
Hope that helps, we know how stressful it is making these decisions.
I also recommend Mission Heights Junior College - although they dont have a specific GATE programme they emphasise self-directed learning and there are many opportunities for enrichment every day. They have great COmmunity Problem Solving programmes as well. I'd love to teach there!
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: SJW
Date: 21-07-10 21:18
Howick is a bit of a mixed bag. I have three gifted kids - all have done well there, but two were not engaged most of the time and lacked intellectual stimulation. Got very good grades with almost no work but they wanted to be stimulated and missed that - meant they did heaps of learning on their own outside school hours. Older child got Schol but with next to no help from teachers and a couple actively discouraged entry in Schol because it was 'so much work'. I often think these two did well despite the school rather than because of it! Both kids very introverted and school didn't cater well for them in this regard either. Third child is very social and sporty and while she lacks stimulation in some subjects, she is the type of kid who will accept that it can't all be great and take it in her stride - the good things make up for the bad from her point of view.
However, Howick has a new principal - the guy who turned One Tree Hill College (Penrose High as it used to be) around. All the indicators are that things are changing for the better and if he can do for Howick what he did for OTHC, then it will be a great school for our GT kids with a strong focus on meeting the needs of diverse learners. With good leadership, it only takes a couple of years to see real change in a school.
Wow am I glad to hear that about Howick! We're currently homeschooling (as you prob all know by now), but both children want to go to college. We are zoned for Howick but I have had very mixed feelings about it. In fact I intend to make a time to visit someone there this year so that I have a better idea of when the children will go and what is expected of them. Because of my daughter's dyslexia, I also need to know how they will cater for her lessor academic ability while stimulating her bright, creative and very quick mind!!
Hi, does anyone know of a school in new plymouth, taranaki area for a gifted child, aged 9yrs now.
From the day he started school there has been nothing but problems, the school cannot meet his needs, they are holding him back.
He has been assessed, but it has all been with held from me and when i ask for information, i am told they cannot find the info, it has been misplaced or there is nothing.
They just moved him up a class, where he did extremely well in there, more so than the older children in that class. Then the following year, they put him back down with his age group.
I feel he is being held back, he spends so much time in the library reading many different genres and is computer literate.
It would be good if an effort was made to cater for his ability, but it is not.
Does any one know where or how i can get my child assessed and be told the results, so as to take it from there, and possibly get him the help he needs??
Re: Where in NZ would you send your gifted children to school?
Author: Maddi
Date: 24-07-11 12:39
Brent: We've had great success with our eldest at Pukekohe Christian School. They do Cambridge International. Ours did 2 terms at the local Intermediate (in Yr7), was totally bored. Was reluctant initially to try PCS, but after spending a half day in the school to get a feel for it couldn't wait to go. Has gone from totally bored, lacking in confidence in own abilities, to engaged in the learning and absolutely thriving in the environment. Said to me the other day "Mum, this is going to sound weird, but I LOVE school". Wouldn't have said that a year ago! Good luck.
Hi Destiny,
I have just read your post on the gifted forum and wanted to let you know that I am an educational consultant (also part-time teacher of the gifted at an Intermediate School in NP). I do the SPELD/dyslexia assessments in NP but have also been doing some gifted kids as well with the cognitive part of the Woodcock-Johnson III.
Please feel free to email me for further information about testing your son.
Can someone advise me please on a good school for my 7 year old boy in Wellington. We intend moving there next year and wonder if anyone has comments to make regarding Brooklyn School.
My husband and I were very interested to read your post about Pukekohe Christian School as we are considering sending our children there for exactly the reasons you described in your post which we have also heard from other parents. Can I ask you for your opinion about one thing that has been concerning us - we have been told that they don't have many resources such as a computer centre - is this true and does it really matter? So hard as a parent when trying to make decisions about schooling to prepare your children for the world they will enter when schooling is over!
Thanks!
B
I sent you an email, but unsure if you have received it.
Thank you for your response to my message.
I am keen to hear from you as soon as possible, as school has started again, and I am really keen to get things moving for my boy, I do not like how he is being held back at school.
During the holidays he has had the chance to excel into what he loves best and as the school does not cater for his expertese, I am afraid he is going to slip and possibly we will end up with a malfunctured child.
If you email me at my private email address then i will be able to send you my contact details.
Hi B: It's true, Pukekohe Christian School doesn't have a computer centre nor computers in classrooms. In our opinion it isn't a problem at all. What has been a huge relief to us is our child is engaged in the learning, is extremely happy at the school (looks forward to going vs always finding an excuse to stay home from school in the past), feels safe and the environment - as you would expect - is caring and respectful. Exams/testing is always an extremely stressful time for our child due to self-inflicted pressure to perform, but is finding this less of an issue as the exams come and go, we're amazed at how quickly and well our child has adapted and now doesn't get as stressed about them. The teachers have been extremely supportive. All up we believe sending ours to PCS has been the best decision we've made with regard to education/learning. Feel free to email me.
Samuel Marsden cannot be considered safe. They like to sweep bullying under the rug.
No school can be called safe, but a school full of kids to spoilt to know better and teachers that know the schools reputation would be at risk to admit a problem is worst than most.
Take it from someone who went there and tried very hard to survive.
