Welcome
Nau mai, welcome to Balmacewen
Balmacewen is a school for everyone. It is a dynamic environment where children find friendship, challenge and academic success.
Principal's Message
Our Vision: Learning is forever.
Our mission: To empower each individual with the knowledge and skills to use their unique voice with integrity and purpose.
Welcome to the Balmacewen Whānau
A warm welcome to you all! We hope you have a great time at Balmacewen, and we think you are going to love it.
Intermediate school is a pivotal time in the journey between primary school and high school. It is a time for students to try new things, make new friends, and learn more about themselves. The young adolescent years are a unique phase in a child’s development. Your children are developing independence and seeking responsibility, yet they still need reassurance and praise. They want to be able to do more for themselves, but they still require the guidance and wisdom of their whānau and their teachers to support them.
At Balmacewen, our primary focus is your child's happiness. A happy child is a child who is ready to learn.
We encourage perseverance and provide plenty of opportunities for it. This could involve learning a new skill in technology, mastering the guitar for the first time, or simply tackling a complex maths problem. Our teachers are ready and prepared to support them through these challenges.
We want your child to achieve their personal best, which looks different for every student. Success for one child might be mastering their basic facts, while for another, it could be understanding trigonometry. We differentiate our learning, set individual goals, and support all our students to achieve them.
We Still Need You!
While your child might encourage you to drop them at the end of the street on their way to school, please know that we still need and welcome your help and support. We need volunteers for camp, coaches for sports teams, and general helpers. Schools work best when whānau and school collaborate for the good of all our students.
How You Can Help at Home:
- Sleep and Healthy Routines: This is the second largest time of growth for our young people. There is so much learning and growing! Our students are much more ready for learning when they have had good sleep.
- Helping with Homework: Reading with your child is excellent! Maths games, card games, and board games are also fantastic learning opportunities.
- Cell Phone and Screen Time: Set and enforce appropriate limitations for cell phones, social media, and general screen time.
- Uniform: Please ensure your child is wearing their uniform correctly, which includes no jewellery and having long hair tied back.
- Arrival Time: Students should not be arriving at school before 8:20 am
I’m proud to be part of this great school. I welcome you and your child to experience all that Balmacewen has to offer.
Corey Todd
Principal