ACG Penguins School ELS

OUR APPROACH

ACG Penguins Philosophy

“Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi”
“With your basket and my basket the people will live”

Through sharing our baskets (of knowledge, values, traditions, and beliefs) we will all thrive and grow to be respectful of one another.

We believe in the following for our children, their families/whānau and our team:

ENVIRONMENT

The inviting spaces in our environment promote relationships, communication, collaboration and exploration through play and recognises the importance of the environment as the third teacher.

RESPECT & RELATIONSHIPS

Our centre ensures children are seen and heard as capable and confident learners who can pursue their own interests and build upon their ideas. 
The image of the child is recognised, and we hold value and respect for each child.
Our relationships with each other keep us connected, and they underpin our guiding principles. We show appreciation for what we all contribute.

FAMILY & COMMUNITY

We value our families/whānau and the contributions that they bring into our environment. As well as the value of our local community, embracing, exploring and building connections with the whenua (land) we hold as an important part of our curriculum. 

CULTURE & CONTRIBUTION

We believe in the concept of Ako where, as teachers we learn alongside our children. 
Family values, aspirations, culture and contributions are embraced and celebrated.

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FEELING OF VALUE

We acknowledge and value that everyone that is part of our centre community is important and we understand that everyone brings their own “baskets of knowledge”.
 Everyone’s mana manaaki is valued and upheld within our space.
We believe in the importance of everyone having a place and being valued for who they are.
We believe in being an inclusive environment where everyone has equitable opportunities to thrive.

RESPONSIVE

We are responsive to the cues from our children, the needs within our team and the teachable moments we can use to enrich learning further.

‘HUNDRED LANGUAGES’

We are open and mindful to what children have to say and we hear, see, listen and respond through a variety of ways.

We acknowledge the contributions of our teachers, parents/whānau, their children and our wider ACG team in developing this philosophy.