Welcome from the Principal
Welcome to Bell Block School. We are very proud of our school and the achievements of it’s students both past and present. Bell Block School has a rich history and for over 150 years it has served the families of Bell Block.
Our dedicated teachers provide a caring and supportive learning environment for all our students and focus on ensuring that each student’s academic and social needs are catered for. While our teaching programmes have a strong focus on academic achievement, we also provide a wide variety of other opportunities for students to experience success both inside and outside of the classroom. The students enjoy taking on lead roles in the biannual school production and our amazing kapa haka group. Students enjoy success and camaraderie in a range of sporting opportunities including our school triathlon and athletics sports. Academically, our students perform very well in international competitions as well as national achievement testing.
All students benefit from working in small groups with teachers, teacher aides, other adults and other students with similar skills and interests. Students who need extra help in reading, mathematics or with learning english also receive support to improve achievement. Each of our four teams (Junior, Middle, Senior and Intermediate) have teacher aide provision providing additional learning support.
Our school vision is an important part of building our positive culture with a termly focus taught across the school. We present awards at assembly to students in each class modelling the value we are focusing on for that term. We also work hard to develop positive citizenship and are a restorative school. This means we not only support those students with challenges but also reward the students who consistently show the school values. Each class has a circle time each week where the staff actively teach positive behaviour and work through positive responses to challenging situations.
The Year 7/8 students take part in a week-long out of town camp every two years. The Year 5/6 students also have a local camp every second year. Parents are always keen participants in camps, many taking annual leave to be a part of this experience.
Over recent years, a wide variety of digital technologies have been purchased which are enhancing the learning for our students, allowing them to become effective, independent learners.
We enjoy having our families in the school and provide a number of opportunities to see the students in action from sports days and arts performances to our fortnightly celebration assemblies.
We value the input of parents, grandparents and other community members who work closely with the school to support the learning of our students. We have an open-door policy and encourage families to come in and ask any questions they may have.
Sport has always been a keen interest for students at Bell Block School and we encourage this by fielding a large number of sports teams, including touch, basketball, hockey, netball, football, rugby, inline hockey, canoe polo and cricket. Swimming sports and the triathlon are eagerly awaited annual events. We are fortunate to have daily use of the Bell Block Methanex Aquatic Centre in Term 1 and the end of Term 4. Bell Block School students swim several times a week during these times. The teachers and teacher aides follow the Swim Safe Programme to enable them to help our students become competent swimmers who enjoy the water.
Due to an increasing roll over the past years, the Ministry of Education introduced an enrolment scheme to ensure there is sufficient space for children at school. All students who live in the Home Zone are able to enrol automatically. Usually there are a number of spaces for Out of Zone students. Please come and talk to me if you are interested in enrolling your child.
I enjoy talking with parents of our students and encourage you to call in and share your ideas with me and if I can be of any assistance to you please email or phone me.
Conrad Hailes
Principal
