DOUBTLESS BAY KINDERGARTEN

Nau mai haere mai ,welcome to Doubtless Bay Kindergarten,  positioned in the heart of Doubtless Bay, next door to Taipa Area School and a stone’s throw from Taipa beach.

Our teaching team is Karen Frear (Head teacher), Sandra Wilson, Sonia Peat, Josie Smith and Erika Urlich who are all qualified and registered teachers. Our part time Administrator is Annette Dansey.

As a team we recognise the dual partnership, and heritage of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and have a commitment to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We acknowledge Te Whāriki, the New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, as the context for everything we do as teachers. It guides and influences our work with children and whānau.

As teachers we embrace the concept of whakawhanaungatanga; We emphasise the significance of building strong relationships, which foster children and their whānau’s sense of belonging to the Doubtless Bay Kindergarten community and this underpins our programme by building collaborative relationships with whānau, local Schools, Early Childhood settings, and the wider community.

Tamariki learn best when they are able to learn through experiences that are genuine, authentic and meaningful to them. By creating an atmosphere of manaakitanga, we believe that every child is empowered to become a confident, creative, intentional learner secure in self-esteem, independence, social competence, and cultural identity. We see our role as nurturing each child’s uniqueness by weaving together whānau aspirations with educational outcomes.

We value the concept of Akonga, being teachers and learners together and view our role, as teachers, as fostering responsive, respectful and reciprocal relationships with people and places. 

Risk and challenge is something that our team is passionate about. Encouraging children to step into the space outside their comfort zone, whilst developing their resilience and self-care skills ~ knowing their boundaries and learning to manage these. 

We value the concept of lifelong learning for both children and adults. Therefore, we aim to continually enhance our practice as educators through reflective practice, team discussion, collaborative research, mentoring student teachers, and participating in wide ranging professional learning opportunities.

We are mindful of our unique setting here in Doubtless Bay and make a commitment to giving children opportunities to connect with the whenua and moana. We value our unique location and make a commitment to embracing the principles of Kaitiakitanga to develop a sense of respect and responsibility for the finite resources of the earth through practices that engender thoughtful use of time and resources.

Ko te ahurei o te tamaiti arahia ō tātou māhi

Let the uniqueness of each child guide our work