KAIPAKI SCHOOL - Bringing Learning to Life - 687 Kaipaki Road, RD 1, Ohaupo 3881 - Phone 07 823 6653 - Email office@kaipaki.school.nz

About our School

School History
 
Kaipaki School was established in 1876 as Pukerimu School further along Kaipaki Road.  In 1920 the school building was moved to its present position some five kilometres west of the original site.  Since then various alterations have occurred to the building and eventually, two classrooms, a library and an administration block were added, as well as a number of resource buildings.  We are very excited to be celebrating our 150 years in 2026!


School Assemblies and Newsletters

Join us every second Friday morning at 9.15am for our school assembly, where we celebrate learning. Parents are warmly invited to join us as we recognise achievements with certificates and showcase the incredible work of our learners.  Each assembly, a different classroom takes the spotlight, sharing their learning through waiata and presentations.  It's a fantastic opportunity to see the creativity and hard work of our students while connecting with our school community!


Whanau Groups

At Kaipaki, we foster a strong sense of community through our Whanau Groups, where students of all ages come together to work and learn as one. These groups are led by our Year 7 and 8 students, who take on leadership roles, guiding and looking after the younger students.  The mix of ages creates a real family atmosphere, where everyone supports one another.  These Whanau Groups are involved in school activities like camp and term competitions, earning tokens/points throughout the day - whether it's during lunch breaks or events.  It's all about building relationships, teamwork, and school spirit in a fun, supportive environment!


Reporting to Parents

Reporting on student progress is achieved through ongoing, informal contact between teachers and parents.  Mid year we hold Parent/Discussions which are followed by written reports.  End of year written reports are sent home in early December. We also have a Meet the Teacher picnic at the beginning of each school year. 


Sports


Kaipaki School currently has many school sports teams and a dedicated sports co-ordinator (Mr Julian Coutts), who manages our in-school sports programme, coaches teams and co-ordinates our involvement in multiple sports codes. We have school teams in: rugby, netball, hockey, cricket, miniball, equestrian, cycling to name a few.


Swimming


The Board has made a commitment to providing our pupils with a swimming programme.  During Terms 1& Term 4, all classes are included in professionally provided swimming coaching at the Cambridge Pools.

Whole School Productions


Every second year, our school comes together for an exciting and memorable production, centered around the themes of learning and education. All students are involved, offering a chance for everyone to shine in areas they are passionate about—whether it's acting, set design, or helping backstage. Held at the Raleigh St Christian Centre in Cambridge, these productions are a highlight of the year for many students, showcasing their creativity and teamwork. It's an opportunity for students to express themselves, work together, and create something truly special that the whole community can enjoy. Our next production will be held in 2026.


Digital Technologies 
 
We use 1-1 chromebooks in our Year 4-8 classrooms. Learners use Google Classroom to access learning for the week/term provided by their teachers.  We consider guidelines regarding technology use within a classroom.  Find out more about this here: https://www.paediatrics.org.nz/files/1717454572533.pdf
 
Education Outside the Classroom

Kaipaki School places a strong emphasis on providing a variety of educational experiences out of the classroom. A feature of the calendar is the whole school camp, usually held in the first term of the year. This is traditionally known as a family oriented event with many parents joining us. Older students also have the opportunity to embark on another camp experience designed to specifically cater for the needs of senior students later in the year. All classes incorporate trips to support classroom learning.

Agriculture Day

Ag. Day is held at Kaipaki School each year in Term Four. This day consists of the showing and judging of students’ animals and a Flower and Craft Show to which all students contribute their work. It is a highlight of the school year!

Inter-school fixtures

Kaipaki School has a close and supportive association with other schools in the Cambridge area, which ensures students have opportunities to participate in a variety of inter-school activities. These include regular sports or physical education activities, learning programmes, social events and competitions. We are also affiliated with the Waikato Full Primary Association, which provides opportunities for our Year 7 and 8 learners to have competition within the greater Waikato area.

Tech-Arts Programme

Our Yr 7/8 students attend a tech-arts programme at Peachgrove Intermediate School each week. This programme includes Drama; Visual Art; Music; Dance; Food Technology; Materials Technology and Computational Thinking.


Environmental Education

While we are not an official Enviro School, we have embarked on a programme of developing ecologically friendly and sustainable practices in our school. We are thankful to the hard work from Mrs Bracken in driving this initiative within our kura and the hard work she has put into growing our knowledge.

Home learning

We want Home Learning to be a positive experience for students. Whanau are asked to support their children with their home learning and to encourage them to take responsibility for returning their home learning to school e.g readers sent home, spelling words to learn. Each classroom operates their own home learning system tailored to the specific needs of ākonga.


School Lunch

In conjunction with Project Energise, we encourage healthy lunches . Items not eaten from lunchboxes are returned home so that parents have a clear idea about what their child has had to eat that day. At Kaipaki School lunch is eaten at the end of the lunch break after playing. This ensures children have plenty of time to eat and go back into classes ready to learn.

Dental Treatment

Appointments are made through the Cambridge Community Dental Clinic Tel: 0800 825 583. Referral notices are usually received directly from the Dental Therapists once a year.

Stationery and other school costs

Stationery is available from the school throughout the year.  We operate an account system where families are billed once a term for stationery and other school activities. Options are also available for automatic payments.

Sun Smart

We are a SunSmart School.  The wearing of Kaipaki School sunhats when children are exposed to the sun is compulsory at our school (Terms 1 & 4).  Sunhats with the school name can be purchased at the office for $21.50 each. We also encourage children to apply sun block before going out in the sun.