Havelock school

WELCOME TO HAVELOCK SCHOOL

Nau mai, hāere mai e te manuhiri tūārangi ki te Whare Kura o te Hoiere

Welcome visitors from afar to Havelock School. The students, parents, trustees and staff hope your association with Havelock School will be a rewarding and pleasant experience.

The campus upon which Havelock School is sited today was once the grounds of Brownlee Park - across the street from the building where Lord Ernest Rutherford and Dr William Pickering were taught. Extensive grounds remain a feature of the school and create an attractive learning environment for our tamariki.

Murals on the exterior of the classrooms represent significant aspects of Havelock's history. One is of two dolphins leaping exuberantly from the water. The double dolphin has been adopted as the school's logo and apart from its association with the local legend of Kaikai-a-waro, it also represents a spirit of co-operation. It not only symbolises the familial care dolphins are recognised as having for each other, but palso the tuakana-teina relationships we cherish. If a student has a problem then a bigger 'dolphin' can be expected to help them with it, and vice-versa if need be. "That spirit of whanau and belonging is really important to us."

Havelock School has enjoyed significant gains from the efforts of parents and the community in general over the years. The ideal environment and facilities available today reflect the great commitment and stewardship dating from 1861.

BEYOND HAVELOCK SCHOOL

Our school enjoys strong support from the local community, and pupils regularly take part in outings both within the region and further afield. At the start of each year, our middle and senior classes attend team-building camps across the top of the South—at places such as Bridge Valley, Pine Valley, Teapot Valley, Mistletoe Bay, Pelorus Bridge, and Kaikōura. These camps focus on building strong relationships outside the classroom and helping students get to know one another in new environments. Highlights of the year also include a special city experience for our Year 8 students as they near the end of their primary school journey. Together, these opportunities—along with the wider connections made possible through the internet—reflect one of our core philosophies: to give children a glimpse of the world beyond Havelock.

We also place great value on giving back to the community. Our senior students volunteer at the local charity shop, spend time with elderly residents through reading, games, and conversation, and help keep Havelock tidy with gardening projects at the medical centre. They also contribute to the Te Hoiere Project, taking part in native planting, estuary restoration, marine clean-ups, and learning about the importance of protecting our ecosystems. More recently, students have supported the RSA by helping to maintain local headstones—fostering both service and respect for history.

We believe it is important that children growing up in smaller areas are not overawed by the thought of leaving to pursue educational opportunities and careers in larger centres. If the stories of our two pioneering scientists are anything to go by, there is nothing stopping Havelock students from reaching for the cosmos—both within and beyond.