He Manu Rere - Our Learner Profile
He Manu Rere - a Soaring Bird is our Learner Profile. This underpins all learning at our school. The Learner Profile identifies the key attributes a learner needs to develop so they can soar in their learning and in life. It provides a framework for everyone to understand how learners are developing in these attributes.
The attributes are grouped under 'Know Me, Know Others and Know How'. Goals are identified under three stages. Learners reflect on attributes, celebrate progress and set new goals.
He Manu Rere - Our Learner Profile
He Manu Rere - a Soaring Bird is our Learner Profile. This underpins all learning at our school. The Learner Profile identifies the key attributes a learner needs to develop so they can soar in their learning and in life. It provides a framework for everyone to understand how learners are developing in these attributes.
The attributes are grouped under 'Know Me, Know Others and Know How'. Goals are identified under three stages. Learners reflect on attributes, celebrate progress and set new goals.
Our Learning
Our Curriculum
New Zealand schools are currently transitioning from the 2007 New Zealand National Curriculum (NZC) to the NZ National Curriculum | Te Mātaiaho.
Te Mātaiaho comprises eight learning areas. The content of English and Mathematics is finalised and we are implementing these learning areas in all classes at our kura. Teachers spent 2025 implementing these learning areas and are well placed to strengthen delivery of these in 2026. The other six Learning areas have been released in draft and teachers will be exploring these and providing feedback before planning and preparing for implementation in 2027.
In 2026 the other six Learning Areas will be delivered using the 2007 New Zealand Curriculum. These will be presented to our learners through an inquiry based approach where curiosity and wonder starts a learning journey to enable learners to seek knowledge, ask questions, find out, understand, ask 'what now', reflect and change.
Components of ‘Our Learner Profile, He Manu Rere’ are explored through ‘Themes of Inquiry’ which are designed to support learning all the Learning Areas of the curriculum, English, Mathematics, Science, Technology, Social Science, the Arts, Languages, Physical Education and Health. Te reo Māori and Te ao Māori and strategies to support English Language Learners are woven through all curriculum design, reflecting our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
We aim to hook tamariki (children) into learning through authentic, engaging contexts which are learner-centred and teacher guided. Learning to read and write well and developing mathematical skills are at the heart of learning at our school and provide access to all other learning.
Partnering with Parents and Whānau - Hero
Hero - Our School App
Hero is an online tool we use to partner with parents and whānau. We regularly communicate information through posts about what is happening at school.
Accessed through your own personal log in, we also share learning posts including photos or videos to inform you of your child’s progress throughout the year. You will be able to view your child’s learning goals, learning posts and their half yearly report in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum expectations. Hero is currently working providing capability to meet these requirements.
Learners are also able to login and they post about their own learning and achievement. You can also post to share your child’s learning at home.
Learning Conferences
Conferences are opportunities to meet together with your child’s teacher to get to know each other and discuss learning. The first is prior to the first day of the school year at ‘Meet the Whānau’ and the second is usually at the end of Term 2 when we hold ‘Learning Conferences’.
If you want to meet with your child’s teacher at another time please email them to arrange a time.
Our Learning Pathways
Our Learning Pathways help everyone - learners, parents and whānau and teachers know where the child is up to in their learning in Mathematics - Number and Algebra, Writing and Reading. Goals are set, tracked and achieved and tamariki (children) receive digital badges on Hero, our app, as they move from level to level.
During 2025, our team rewrote our pathways to reflect the revised New Zealand Curriculum in English and Mathematics and Statistics which was released at the end of 2024. At the start of Term 4, 2025, the Ministry of Education unexpectedly released another updated curriculum. We are currently working to update our Learner Pathways to reflect this latest curriculum.
Click below to see our pathways:
Partnering with Parents and Whānau - Hero
Hero - Our School App
Hero is an online tool we use to partner with parents and whānau. We regularly communicate information through posts about what is happening at school.
Accessed through your own personal log in, we also share learning posts including photos or videos to inform you of your child’s progress throughout the year. You will be able to view your child’s learning goals, learning posts and their yearly report in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum expectations.
Learners are also able to login and they post about their own learning and achievement. You can also post to share your child’s learning at home.
Learning Conferences
Conferences are opportunities to meet together with your child’s teacher to get to know each other and discuss learning. The first is prior to the first day of the school year at ‘Meet the Whānau’ and the second is usually at the end of Term 2 when we hold ‘Learning Conferences’. Please note that these times may be adjusted due to the Covid response.
If you want to meet with your child’s teacher at another time please email them to arrange a time.
Enviroschool
At Blockhouse Bay Primary we care about the environment and subsequently we are a Bronze Enviroschool. This means we learn about sustainability issues we face globally but that we can take action with locally. We recycle at school and ask children to bring lunches with no litter in them.
As Kaitiaki (guardians), we have carried out Beach Clean Ups in our local community. We learnt about the effects of plastic pollution on our sealife.
Our tamariki (children) are passionate about protecting our sea creatures and reducing our plastic pollution.
Student Leadership
Our school believes that every student should have the opportunity to be a leader. Tamariki (children) of all ages may be School Ambassadors or lead Student-Initiated Clubs for others. Clubs run by tamariki previously include Lego, Nature, Dance, Handball, Football and Drawing Clubs.
We also deliberately foster tuakana/teina relationships throughout tamariki of all ages. The tuakana–teina relationship provides a model for buddy systems. An older or more expert tuakana (child) helps and guides a younger or less expert teina.
We want students to work together to make big decisions for the future of our school. Leaders are chosen to represent each class to form a School Leadership group. Leaders find out what children think is important and communicate this to the School Leadership group.
As tamariki move through the school they have the opportunity to contribute to the school to help things run smoothly. These include, for example Road Patrols, Peer Mediators and Cultural Group Leaders.
Bring Your Own Chromebook
Our goal is to make sure that our learners are prepared as thoroughly as possible for their future. To support learning both at school and when at home, we ask parents of Year 5 and 6 tamariki (children) to bring their own Chromebook to school for use across the curriculum. Year 3 and 4 children are also welcome to bring their own chromebook.
Bring Your Own Chromebook
Our goal is to make sure that our learners are prepared as thoroughly as possible for their future. To support learning both at school and when at home, we ask parents of Year 5 and 6 tamariki (children) to bring their own Chromebook to school for use across the curriculum. Year 3 and 4 children are also welcome to bring their own chromebook.
Swimming
Water Safety lessons for all children are a focus for all children in our kura. In addition to classroom based lessons, Year 3-6 children will have lessons in our large school pool, taught by Dean Greenwood Swim School. Classroom teachers provide pool supervision. Teachers will let you know when your child's class is swimming through 'Hero', our school app, including providing our comprehensive consent form which is required to be completed before children are able to join the lessons.
