Te Anau School has a strong vision of ‘Climbing Our Way to the Top’. Students use this vision to strive to be the best that they can be, whether it is in the classroom, out in the bush or in the playground with their friends. This vision comes from our location next to the mountainous region of Fiordland National Park which we are located on the edge of.
We are a school that loves to get out there and do it. We regularly utilise the National Park and our lake. We are part of Kids Restore the Kepler which is a programme to help restore birdsong to an area just across the lake from Te Anau Township.
We are a contributing (Year 0 – Year 6) school (U4) with a roll of between 280 and 300 students. We have a decile ranking of 9. The school site is on Milford Road and occupies a tree lined site of 2.2 hectares in the centre of Te Anau township.
The community has a town/country population of about 2500 – we are a holiday destination for some people who have holiday homes here. Overseas tourists also visit us in large numbers, especially in the summer months.
Te Anau School runs many different activities aimed at getting our children out and about. These include activities such as: utilising Fiordland National Park, utilising our lake, kapa haka, mountain biking, swimming, stoat trapping and our new clubs programme. Our clubs programme encompasses many learner centred activities such farming, biking, art, gymnastics, CO2 cars, baking, computer coding and bush skills. We are constantly changing and adjusting these activities to suit the needs of our learners.
We have excellent teaching resources including:
well-stocked library, resource rooms, sports shed, school Hall, heated/covered swimming pool, double tennis courts, playground, rugby, soccer, hockey fields, verandahs outside main classroom blocks, all situated on landscaped grounds. There are of course plenty of trees on site, and yes, the children are allowed to climb them!
Community input is a big part of Te Anau School. We are very lucky with the support that we receive from community members, community groups and local businesses. We are next to the town centre which allows us easy access to the lake, public library, pump track/skate park, events centre and shops.
We have great technology resources, each class has Chrome Books, Flat Screen TV and an Ipad. Our Senior Team is BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). We run a sponsorship programme with Fiordland Lobster Company Ltd who fund half of a Chrome Book for each student in Year 4 and up.
We are an Enviro-School and have been awarded a Green Gold Award from Environment Southland. We have designed and made a new Garden Area with the help of many parents and members of the community. We are a Kids Restore the Kepler School helping to bring birdsong back to the Kepler Track
Orbell represents the five core learning dispositions we believe are important for a Te Anau School Learner
Orbell is wearing a greenstone necklace (pounamu) representing Fiordland/Milford Sound, the Te Anau School uniform to show our uniqueness and pride and a friendly and welcoming smile just like a Te Anau learner.