Special Features

Description of the School and Community

Silverdale School is a full primary school (Years 1 – 8) with a current roll of 312 (Feb 2012).  The school is approximately 30 kilometres north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.  While it still retains its country atmosphere, the district is influenced to some extent by its proximity to North Shore and Auckland cities.

Silverdale School was established in 1869 near the shopping centre.  Silverdale has a very small residential area, but this is in a process of change.  As the natural constraints (the coast line) of residential development on the peninsular were realised the Rodney District Council made the decision to plan for 9,000 new houses in the zone boarded by the motorway, Silverdale Township, Orewa estuary, and Totara Views. Our school is positioned in the centre of this developing urban community.

Our school has an enrolment zone so places outside the zone are very limited.

Learning Journeys  

Though Silverdale School places huge importance on ICT education, our students have come from predominantly rural backgrounds where “play” traditionally does not require electronic assistance and physical activity is the norm.  The vision of everyone being a successful learner undertaking a life-long journey,  is supported by the well planned and delivered classroom programmes, sporting and cultural activities. We have visiting experts to work with the children and artistic groups performing. 

The staff is also involved in their own  learning journey  through an active professional development programme.

Our roll is small enough to ensure that our students are team mates well before they step on to the sports field.  They learn together in the classroom, they play together in the playground, then they play sport together as a team. 

Our mission statement reflects the desire of working together in partnership - see below

The Buildings and Environment

Silverdale School has now been in their new premises in Longmore Lane, Silverdale since 2006.  This $9,000,000 complex is a state of the art facility with an infrastructure to service 600+ students. (10 classrooms initially, 4 were opened in Aug 2010 and 8 more anticipated as the roll increases). 

The infrastructure includes a large multi purpose hall with stage, IT/Library complex, administration, sports fields, junior & senior playgrounds plus three netball / basketball courts.  All this is set in fully landscaped park-like grounds. 

The Students and Features of the School

The students are predominantly European, with a small number with Maori, Polynesian or Asian heritage. They are pleasant, cheerful and willing students who engage in an integrated collaborative approach to learning. They are empowered to make decisions about their learning. A few full time international students are enrolled each year who engage in all aspects of our school programme and are supported by an ESOL programme.

Parent, teacher and child conferences are held twice a year and parents receive their child’s portfolio of accumulated samples of work mid year and at the end of each year.

Special Programmes

Selected students are involved in a Primary Enterprise Programme for part of the year, with market days to sell the products they have made.

In alternate years the whole school is involved in a drama, music, and arts production.  

Other students are involved with gifted and talented programmes and all children have access to our sports academy.  A small number of students are successfully catered for in our special needs programmes. 

A number of children and their families from out of our area have chosen to come to this school for a variety of reasons, in particular the size of the school, its family atmosphere and the variety and quality of programmes offered.