Kimi Ora Satellite School

Tēnā tātou ngā whānau o Te Kura o Wilford

“Kei tēnā, kei tēnā, kei tēnā anō. Tōna ake āhua, Tōna ake mauri, Tōna ake mana”

Each and everyone of us has our own uniqueness, life essence and presence.

The Board is excited to share an opportunity to strengthen community education in our rohe.

Kimi Ora is a specialist school that caters for 5-21 year olds with high and very high needs. There are Kimi Ora satellite units at several schools around the Wellington region, and the Ministry of Education wants to build the next one at Te Kura o Wilford. You can read more about Kimi Ora schools here.

The Ministry proposes to demolish the library and STEM room to make way for a purpose built Kimi Ora satellite for up to 20 students, accessed from the Tennyson Street entrance. The work will start in August 2025 so the satellite unit can open in Term One 2026. As part of this, we will look at options for moving the library and STEM learning elsewhere in the kura.

There are several reasons why the Board has agreed to this proposal.

• The library and STEM room are in poor condition and cost the kura a lot of money to maintain. Taking these maintenance costs off our books means more money for teaching and learning. 
  

• Kura staff will also benefit from having specialist expertise about special educational needs on our doorstep.
  

• Most of all, this proposal will help us realise our vision for a kura and hāpori that celebrates diversity and inclusion. We are very excited about the next step in creating a learning hub that caters for everyone in our rohe.
  

• We know you will have lots of questions about what this means for the kura and for your tamaiti, so we will be hosting an information evening alongside the Ministry and Kimi Ora staff later in Term One. Keep an eye out for details in the school newsletter.

In the meantime, you can get in touch with us at

tinarenata@wilford.school.nz and bradensloper@wilford.school.nz if you would like any further information.

In other Board news, Stew Irwin is transitioning into the role of Co-Chair. Braden Sloper will remain a member of the Board until elections take place later this year.

Nāku iti noa, nā

Tina Renata māua ko Braden Sloper

Co-Chairs, Wilford School Board