Welcome to our Website

Kia Ora!  Welcome to Woodlands Park School! This school truly is a special place.  We work hard to ensure that children have a strong sense of belonging, they feel safe and respected and they love to be here. We see this as a great opportunity to share our wonderful school with the world.  I hope you enjoy sharing the children's activities and keeping up-to-date with school events.  Woodlands Park School has a strong community spirit and enjoys high levels of parental involvement. 

We pride ourselves on being a small school with a big heart.  Extensive consultation by the Board of Trustees has indicated that the way in which we uphold each person as an individual, but work together genuinely as a team, is important to parents, children and staff.  This was commended by the Education Review Office in our last report.  The size of our school means that we know all our children well:

“Teaching is highly effective. Teachers are well prepared and have a very good knowledge of their students. They are responsive to their diverse needs and use student achievement information to plan effective programmes to meet specific needs...Students and teachers learn and relate in respectful, collaborative partnerships.  People are valued and teachers are committed to developing a high level of social and environmental awareness in students. Students are encouraged to be thinkers who are confident, competent initiators of learning."

                                                                                    ERO (2011)

Part of our vision for the near future is to be recognised as a centre for excellence in education and we are well on the way to being just that.  In 2008 we were awarded the City of Waitakere Crest by Mayor Bob Harvey in recognition of the excellent job being done at the school and in 2011 no less than 12 of our teachers have been nominated for National Excellence in Teaching Awards and I have been nominated for a National Excellence in Leadership Award.  We are a Green Gold Enviroschool, with a proud tradition of sustainability.  Our curriculum design was described by ERO as "innovative and inclusive; most students achieve at or above national expectations for their age in reading, writing and mathematics.

I was appointed principal in 2007, but I worked here as a teacher and as deputy principal for nearly seven years prior to that.  My own three daughters attended Woodlands Park School too, before I came to the school to teach, so my commitment stretches back over many years, on several different levels.  I am passionate about education.  I have masters and PhD degrees in science and a degree in Journalism.  I completed early childhood education training. I also held a paramedic’s certificate for many years and I am a currently patrolling member of Piha Surf Life Saving Club.  I love to swim, run, read – I’ll read anything from literature to cereal boxes – and be with young people.  We live not very far from the school and my husband also works relatively locally – we’re “Westies” and proud of it. 

By enrolling your child at Woodlands Park School, you are assured of an excellent education for him or her, but you also have the opportunity to become part of a vibrant community.  We welcome you most warmly and look forward to a long and happy partnership in the education of your child.

Children enjoy a variety of out-of-class programmes including native tree-planting with ARC rangers, working in the school shade-house and gardens and helping with our composting programme and worm farm. We also have an Art Club and a Choir and our annual Chess Tournament draws a large number of entries.

Sporting opportunities include weekend competitions in Netball, T-ball and Flippaball. Children also enjoy our annual inter-school sports events including swimming, athletics, cross country, soccer, hockey and athletics. We have an experienced and dedicated staff with a great variety of special talents - especially in Art, Science, Music, Sport, and Mathematics.

Please contact me at principal@woodlandspark.school.nz if you would like any further information about our school.

Thank you for visiting our website
Dr Liz Manley
PRINCIPAL