The Principles of our School Curriculum decision making have formed our acronym:  

Hauora  Excellence  Active  Respect  Thinking 

(which is described below)

The information below shows how

St Mary's  Catholic Gospel Values are linked to the Values in the New Zealand Curriculum.

The principles by which St Mary's Catholic School are run forms the foundation of curriculum decision making. They link with the principles of the New Zealand Curriculum and they underpin all learning interactions at St Mary's Catholic School.

1. The special Catholic Character is at the centre of all we do in our school.  This is our pou.  We prioritise faith development, Gospel Values, that link with the community, our pastoral care and the nurturing of encountering Christ.

2. Through a holistic curriculum, and assisted by quality teachers, each child will be empowered to become a lifelong learner, experiencing accelerated progress and achievement for all.

3. We acknowledge the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi as the foundation for the rights of all children to be educated and to achieve success in their life journey.  We strive for cultural inclusivity and “manaakitanga”.

4. We show inclusion by valuing the gift of cultural responsiveness, diversity and by addressing any learning needs that these differences may bring to a child’s education.  We work collaboratively to improve student achievement.

5. Children’s learning is authentic and meaningful and connected to the world in which they live. As such, it involves the engagement of the community (“whanaungatanga”) in supporting their learning journey.

6. Children, their teachers and all staff, as a community of learners are empowered to grow in autonomy and interdependence.  We recognise that relationships are fundamental to the process of teaching and learning.

7. Children act responsibly by making decisions and taking actions that will make a positive difference in the world with an attitude that comes from the Gospel..

We have summarised this into the HEART from our motto.  This motto, “Treasure in Your Heart All Things”,  from the Bible, is what drives our spirituality and is our lens of Christ: 

 Hauora  Excellence  Active  Respect  Thinking

HEART incorporates our School Evaluation Indicators, our Catholic Evaluation Indicators and our Key competencies.  Hauora represents the student’s holistic wellbeing (spiritually, physically, socially, academically, mentally, culturally)where our students work alongside our community, whanau, Parish/Diocese, iwi, Clusters and CoL’s. In working closely with the community, whanau, Parish/Diocese, iwi, Clusters and CoL’s, we aim to support the learner pathway and especially the self-esteem and accelerated learning of the students, in a modern school environment.  Excellence is for assisting and nurturing the progress for all students to achieve at the highest potential possible.  Active is for the active, engaged learning involvement, whereby all students participate within the connections of the community, whanau, Iwi, Parish/Diocese, Iwi, Clusters and CoL’s/Kahui Ako.  Students are encouraged to self-manage and to make a difference with their learning, locally, nationally and globally.  Respect encompasses the entire attitude of the students, staff and whanau with all appropriate connections and relationships.  It begins with the daily living of Gospel Values and Beatitudes and the encountering of Christ in all people.  It is a reminder of our Social Justice Values (such as Integrity, Equity, Dignity, Concern for the Poor and Vulnerable and our Stewardship for the common good) and our Cultural Inclusivity.  Thinking constitutes our thinking skills with our Inquiry Learning.  Only through analysing, critiquing, designing, being innovative, creative and exploring questions for owning their own learning, will students show motivation for success as lifelong, authentic learners.