At Queenstown Primary School we aim to give our tamariki opportunities to develop skills and Literacy in Dance, Drama, Music and the Visual Arts. From Year 3 – 8 we provide a ‘Development of Talents’ programme were students opt into a variety of Visual Art, Music, Dance and Drama workshops. 

Year 5 – 8 students are also emersed within Specialist Rotations where both Visual Art is explored, within a wide range of traditional and contemporary arts forms, as well as Music through instrumental workshops. 

The QPS choir is open for students Year 3 – 8 and is run by our specialist music teacher trained in the Charanga Music Programme. 

Each year students can audition for the Senior and Intermediate School Rock Bands, which are run by our itinerant Music teacher. 

All students across the school celebrate waiata within their class and are provided further opportunities within our Pepi, Teina and Tuakana Kapa Haka groups. We aim to develop a lifelong interest in the Arts for our tamariki at QPS.

Queenstown Primary School has over 30 nationalities represented in the student and staff community. We like to celebrate our cultural diversity and promote global awareness.

A highlight on the Queenstown Primary School calendar is our International Day when students come dressed in their national costumes and our school community provides food from their countries and entertains the school at assembly.

We also celebrate Cultural Festivals throughout the year including; Japanese Girls Day, Diwali, Ramadan and Holi.

Each year senior students are selected as our International Ambassadors.  These student leaders are integral to ensuring all students feel safe and welcome at Queenstown Primary School. They help with translations and organise both the annual International Day and ESOL Luncheon.

Kapa Haka at Queenstown Primary School

At Te Kura Tuatahi o Tāhuna our students can experience and participate in Kapa Haka. Our pēpē group, Year 0-2, are tutored by Tania Neho a parent from our school whānau and whose contribution and awhi are greatly appreciated. The purpose of the pēpē group is for our tamariki to begin to learn our school waiata and karakia whilst enjoying all that Te Reo Māori and the learning of Tiikanga Māori offer.

Our Year 5-8 Tamariki are currently a stronghold of 100 students. They are a popular rõpū being asked to support Mihi Whakatau and Pōwhiri across the Wakatipu Basin. Te Kopa Kopa and Ata Maiava tutor this rōpū and their knowledge and skill are taonga. Currently, this rōpū is working hard towards annual events held within the Wakatipu and the wider Central Lakes Community.

Development of talents runs on a Friday and allows students in Yr 3-8 to choose areas of the curriculum that they would like further development in. Staff offer a range of activities across the curriculum, eg Sewing, coding, arts and crafts, Sport and many more. The programme is well supported by parents and outside providers who come into school to share areas of expertise. Students opt into 2 sessions that they are passionate about and wanting further development. DOTs sessions are multi level and allow students the freedom to develop the key compenacys, skills around self regulation and other 21st century skills. DOT Fridays at QPS are a fun and exciting way for students to end their week.

Queenstown Primary is a multicultural school with over 30 nationalities represented.. We provide for our English Language Learners (ELL) in class, as well as having specialists taking small group sessions. These sessions cater for the range of students with diverse cultural backgrounds and levels of English. The small groups are personalised to meet student’s needs and provide them with language and skills to help them succeed in class.

Funding is assessed using the ‘English Language Learning Progressions’ (MOE, NZ) for the following groups of students.

1. Migrants to New Zealand
2. Former refugees
3. New Zealand-born students, with at least one parent of migrant or refugee background.

New Zealand-born students are eligible if at least one of their parents is a migrant to New Zealand and a language other than English is usually spoken in the home.

At Queenstown Primary School we follow the NZ Mathematics Curriculum. Mathematics knowledge and strategies are explicitly taught through a variety of practical, authentic rich tasks covering Number, Algebra and Strand; Geometry, Measurement and Statistics.

Students are taught in a range of individual, peer and whole class settings. Through connecting to prior learning, a supportive environment and personal reflection, students enhance all new learning oppportunities. Materials are used to deliver new mathematical concepts and are readily available for students to use to help make connections to their learning.

An annual Open Day is held, so whanau can see ‘Mathematics in Action’ throughout the school and this is followed by a Family Mathematics Evening to provide parents with ideas of how to help at home.

Mathematics tips and games are included in school newsletters to encourage students to share their learning.

A Mathematics Lead Teacher is appointed each year and together, with a representative from each level of the school, they ensure best practice across all areas of Mathematics teaching and learning.

PBL provides an opportunity for students to develop their skills and knowledge via real-life  authentic learning opportunities. Students are taught (front-loaded) essential skills via deliberate acts of teaching before embarking on a learning journey that gives them choice and flexibility to meet project outcomes. 

Learning outcomes are consistently taught across year groups and support the development of a student learner profile. Conditions for Deep Learning are created where students’ knowledge and understanding, 21 Century skills and key competencies develop from limited understanding at the beginning of the PBL towards becoming experts, thus allowing students to complete the project requirements confidently. 

Students who have choices in their learning ensure that all needs are catered for and student engagement remains high. Throughout projects, students are provided with regular opportunities to give and receive feedback about the quality of their work. At the end of a project, students have filled their kite with more skills and competencies that can be applied to other projects in the future.

At Queenstown Primary School, students have the opportunity to experience a range of explicit teaching from Specialist Teachers.  All students will experience Hard Technologies, Information Communication Technologies, Science and Physical Education during the school year and will develop skills as they progress through the school. 

At QPS, our students will experience a fun, engaging and varied Physical Education curriculum. Students have opportunities to become physically confident in a way which supports their health and fitness. They are encouraged to compete in sports and other activities to build character and embed values such as fairness and respect. Students take part in a range of sports and activities that offer sufficient challenge and learn progressive skills to promote self-confidence.

Structured Literacy is an evidence – based approach to learning, grounded in the Science of Reading and our understanding about how the brain learns to read. In our classrooms, teachers are using systematic and explicit instruction that integrates listening, speaking, spelling, reading and writing.