Our vision compares our children to the Kauri tree. The Kauri is the largest, strongest tree in the forest, and that is what we would want our children to be like; stand tall and strong, and be leaders in their communities.
The branches represent the core skills we would like our āko to develop: be resilient risk-takers, who are inclusive and have mana, while the leaves break down these skills into qualities. At the heart of the tree, there is hauora, because our main aim is to ensure the holistic well-being of all our children: taha whānau (social well-being), taha wairua (spiritual well-being), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional well-being) and taha tinana (physical well-being).
The roots represent what we believe we need to be like to ensure we feed the tree, and support it to grow and thrive, always drawing our strength from the New Zealand Curriculum and Treaty of Waitangi.
Leandro Piantelli
Principal – Swanson School
