Curriculum
Curriculum
At School we take great pride in creating a learning environment where all children are valued and given the opportunity to develop academically, socially and physically in a safe and caring manner.
All school programmes and activities are aimed at meeting the needs of all children, giving them the opportunity to extend their learning and to provide them with a wide range of educational experiences both at school and in the wider community.
Physical Education/Sport
Riverlands School offers a variety of sports. They include:
Netball
Touch Rugby
Tennis
Flippaball
Hockey (Summer / Winter)
Basketball
Volleyball
Summer Soccer
Other Sports are available through Community based Clubs. Children are encouraged to play a sport. School sports fees are required to be paid before participating in the first game of any school sporting code. Parent support for these events is always welcome. Parents are often needed as team coaches and managers.
Swimming
Swimming is part of the schools curriculum programme and children are expected to participate. Swimming instruction may be taken any time during the year. All Year 2 and over will receive instruction at the Marlborough Aquatic Centre during the year.
Education Outside the Classroom At Riverlands
School we have categorised education outside the classroom (EOTC) at five levels, these are:
Level 1 On-site using the school environment
Level 2 Off-site occurring entirely in school time or finishing approximately by 3.00pm (includes teams involved in sports)
Level 3 Off-site events finishing well after 3.00pm
Level 4 Off-site events occurring in one day involving risk assessed to be greater than that associated with the average family activity.
Level 5 Events occurring overnight.
Even though it is not a legal requirement for the school to obtain parental consent for EOTC events, it is Riverlands School policy that consent is required for Level 1 & 2 events at the time of enrolment, and separate, informed consent be obtained for all Level 3 to 5 events.
A blanket consent at the start of a series of events is acceptable for Level 3 to 5 events, that is, all events that take place over the duration of a camp are consented to at one go rather than events being consented individually.
The school will require you to give consent for your child to participate in all Level 1 and 2 EOTC events that occur over the duration of an enrolment at Riverlands School, at the time of enrolment.
Environmental - The Enviro Team
The Enviro team encourages both staff, students & parents to treat the planet, the school, each other & themselves with respect & thoughtfulness.
Simonsen Reserve – classes take part in native rehabilitation in partnership with MDC every September.
Worm Farm, Composting and Bokashi compost systems for food waste & garden waste.
“Kidney Kids” – saving wine bottle lids & aluminium can tabs.
We reuse or recycle all our paper to lessen the amount going to the town rubbish dump. We recycle cardboard to the Resource Recovery Centre also. At springtime we get donations of native plants for taking part in this.
Vegetable Gardens – Enviro Team & classes are involved in learning about vege gardening. Activities (eg pickle making) are undertaken to use or sell produce.
Orchard – Learning about fruit & the care & maintenance of fruit trees. Produce used or sold. Enviro meetings are held regularly to work on projects which will enhance school or community & encourage responsible citizenship.
School is a rubbish free school. No rubbish bins are provided for the children’s lunches, only compost buckets. Children are asked to bring morning tea/lunch items in reusable containers.
“There are enough resources in the world for people’s needs but not for peoples greed” (M.Gandhi)
Technology
Education for Y7 & 8 pupils Technology learning is part of the compulsory School Curriculum and all Year 7 and 8 students will attend the Marl-borough Technology Centre weekly. Students are transported to and from the Centre for one session each week by bus.
It is very important that pupils wear appropriate clothing – especially shoes for Technology classes. An information sheet will be sent home with your child for your information.
An amount may be requested from parents to cover the take home component from technology. This is not covered in the Ministry of Educations ‘School Donation Scheme’.
Health
The school has a strong emphasis on health and healthy living. This includes:
Sunsmart Accreditation (see details under Sunsmart)
Smoke Free, Rubbish Free, Healthy Eating emphasis, Anti-bullying Asthma & Diabetes awareness etc.
Road sense programme
Library
Each class has an allotted weekly Library time for the issue and return of books, and also for the development of Library and Literacy information skills.
The Library is open to all students during the lunch hour from Monday to Friday for children to have books issued and returned and for quiet work. Student Librarians are on duty along with our Librarian at these opening times. The issue of books is limited to the senior school at this time.
A reminder notice will be sent to parents if a book is two weeks overdue. If the book is still not returned an invoice will be sent for a replacement.
Choir
The Riverlands School Choir participates in the Marlborough Primary Schools Music Festival each year and in the World Vision “Kids for Kids” concerts whenever they are scheduled to perform in Blenheim.
