Our Mission is to create a learning space of excellence where tamariki, their whanau and kaiako can belong, believe, discover and grow.
Our Philosophy at Olive Shoots we welcome tamariki and their whanau into our centre where we aim to create a safe, inviting, inclusive and sustainable environment.
We believe that whanau, the centre and the wider community are all vital for a child’s growth and development.
We acknowledge that the intellectual, emotional, social, physical and spiritual aspects of our lives
are interrelated and influenced by each other.
We believe in God, that tamariki are created in His image and likeness and that their identity can be found in Him.
We are committed to weaving our Christian values and principles with Te Whariki (2017): New Zealand’s Early Childhood Curriculum.
We are committed to honouring the Treaty of Waitangi and upholding its principles of participation, partnership & protection.
Kaiako will work together in respectful partnership with family and whanau. We will encourage participation to ensure positive outcomes for their tamariki. We acknowledge the aspirations of our Maori, Pasifika and all families.
From this foundation we provide a curriculum which is primarily child initiated, culturally inclusive, developmentally appropriate and based on play.
We provide a well-resourced, creative, stimulating and challenging learning environment which develops the tamariki’s interests, strengths and abilities and supports their needs.
We plan for tamariki’s individual learning pathways and interests by providing a variety of experiences and focusing on building dispositions such as perseverance, confidence and risk taking using a range of teaching strategies.
We see tamariki as confident and competent lifelong learners, who are empowered to make choices, build resilience, and develop strong reciprocal relationships.
Through their relationships with kaiako and as they explore their environment, tamariki gain an understanding of God’s love, the Bible and His awesome creation.
We embrace the concept of ako. In the teaching and learning relationship the kaiako and tamariki are seen as co-learners. Therefore kaiako regularly engage in professional development
in order to be informed by ongoing inquiry and current research.
Olive Shoots values the reciprocal relationship it gains from being an integral part of Laidlaw College Community.
July 2020.