Welcome Note

I feel privileged to have been the Principal at Waikōwhai Intermediate since 2016. We have an awesome team of staff and serve a very supportive and diverse community close to central Auckland. Waikōwhai Intermediate, typically a school of about 400 students, is truly a pleasure to come to each day.

The daily life of students at Waikōwhai Intermediate is coordinated by several clear and independent beliefs:

• Our vision is: Developing Lifelong Learners through our values. When students leave Waikōwhai Intermediate we know they will have the knowledge, skills, values and dispositions for them to be successful at high school and beyond. 

• Our values are lived everyday and through our WaiProfile (our graduate profile) students set goals to demonstrate our values. Our values are; Ako - Teaching and learning, Manaakitanga - Respect and care for others and Māia - Courage and bravery.

• School needs to be a fun and safe place for all students, so they can thrive. Waikōwhai Intermediate is inclusive and celebrates the rich diversity within its community. 

• Relationships are critical for all students to thrive. Students have a homeroom teacher for their core subjects, going to specialist subjects for half a day a week. WaiFriday also takes place half a day a week (on a Friday!) for Terms Two and Three, when children choose co-curricular options that teachers have offered as they fall within an area of expertise and passion.

• Intermediate Schools work with emerging adolescent students, children at a particular age and stage of their personal development. At this time motivation must be nurtured so engagement remains high. Therefore, our programmes reflect this through a strong core curriculum, with a breadth of new opportunities, supported by outstanding teachers, teacher aides and resources. An example of the outstanding resourcing is the Board of Trustees decision to provide one-to-one Chromebooks for all students, recognising that these are a great tool for learning, but only when led by great teaching.

• Learning programmes are designed in response to accurate data collection. The learner is central to the learning process and Learning Maps share the people, places and tools that support the learner to be successful.  

• High expectations are present in all aspects of school life and primary caregivers are important partners to ensure all students are successful.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further information, or for a tour of our school at dking@wai-int.school.nz. For all staff and teachers, email is the best first point of contact and they can be found on this website. 

Ngā mihi nui,

David King 

MProf.Studs (First Class Hons), GDipTchg (Primary), BA, CELTA