Ohaupo - The School on the Hilltop.

Ohaupo School is the picturesque school you see on the hillside as you approach the Ohaupo settlement 10km south of Hamilton and 10km north of Te Awamutu.

It has a proud history, but today it is as modern and well equipped as any city school - some would say better. 

The first school in Ohaupo was started by Emily Kusabs in 1869 in the parlour of her own home. Her first pupils, apart from her son Arthur, were the children of the militia settlers. Emily laboured under very difficult conditions for the princely sum of six pence per week to run the school.

In 1870 a proper school, unlined and humble though it was, was opened on the present site.* It was the first* school building in the Waikato.In 1915 the school was destroyed by fire, but much agitation by locals resulted in a new school being built in 1916 on the same spot and in the same traditional shape.

Some students at school today are descendants of early settlers. They take special pride in inviting their grandparents along to Grandparents Day so that they can share their memories of Ohaupo School in the "olden days".

Today the school is thriving and enjoying a reputation for being progressive, at the same time retaining its sense of history, family feeling and rural atmosphere. 

If you want to find out more about our history, you can read about it in "Winds of Change - A history of the European settlement of Ohaupo" by Valerie Millington.

FACILITIES

The new administration building has a defined front entrance where there is a welcoming reception area. There are two rooms for small group teaching, interviews, and one to one conversations with visiting personnel. A functional staffroom and a teacher’s work space area compliment the block. A bright vibrant student foyer especially for the students to enter and call their own provides a unique ownership of this facility as well.

Ohaupo has a separate library and media suite consisting of 15 computers. Ohaupo School is part of a pilot scheme commissioned by the ministry which ensures that the school maintains a very modern, ultra-fast Intranet. This is operated throughout the school and is housed in the new Admin Block. This ensures that the students are given the ultimate opportunity to maintain pace with today’s ever increasing ICT environment.

We are connected to the Internet via a high speed wireless link to the University of Waikato and implement on-line procedures to safeguard our children.  We have built up a base of software and search engines that are user-friendly and Kid Safe. 

The community and school cooperatively constructed a hall which provides the school with a haven of opportunities. For example, after-school activities (such as karate and music lessons), fundraising opportunities, assemblies, wet weather sports, cultural celebrations to name but a few.

It is also available for hire. This is an all-purpose venue, with catering facilities and an extra room that can be closed off. Contact the Chairperson of the BOT for further details.

The grounds are spacious and kept in very good condition with care and maintenance from both staff and community volunteers. There are many beautiful, established trees that provide shade for students in the summertime. The large playing area enables students to participate in a wide range of sports both during school time and in the weekends.

Ohaupo School has a Smoke-Free, No Dogs, No Cycling policy and we ask visitors to respect this.

The dental service at Ohaupo operates from a mobile clinic for a short period of the year. However, parents can contact the dental therapist for emergency treatment. Please contact the school office for details.

School Vision

We offer our students a range of learning opportunities through:

Speech Competitions

Each year our students enter the school competition and the winners go on to competitions at Lower Waipa. Our top Year 7 and 8 students go on to compete at the Waikato Full Primary speech competition.

Sports

Our students enjoy playing sports and mixing with their friends on the flat open grounds which make up the vast proportion of this school. The students enjoy sitting under the magnificent old trees of our school, or contemplating the serenity of the native bush, planted many years ago by the local community.

There is always keen competition for the Year 3-8s between the local schools at Lower Waipa Swimming, Athletics, and Winter Sports (soccer/rugby/netball). Our top Year 7 and 8 athletes go on to compete at the Waikato Full Primary Association events, swimming, cross country and athletics. 

Music

We are one of only two primary schools in New Zealand who have a brass band. Our band is taught weekly by volunteers who are members of the Hamilton Brass Band. Many students are able to use the instruments free of charge.  They compete in the Waikato / Bay of Plenty brass band competitions.

We also offer after school lessons in guitar, drums, clarinet and saxophone.

We also have an extensive range of instruments in our dedicated music room including several marimbas.

Board of Trustees / P.T.A

The B.O.T. and the staff support each other to achieve the vision of the school.

The P.T.A. supports the school by hosting educational and social functions. The community seeks funding to improve outcomes for student learning. Our major fundraiser, the Fireworks Fiesta, will be held again next year on Saturday 3rd November 2012. Attractions will include a live band, food stalls, roast pig on a spit, medieval display, bouncy castle, rides, quick-fire raffles, and a giant fireworks display.

The event is held at the Ohaupo Rugby grounds on Forkert Road, Ohaupo and is open to the public.

House System

We operate a House System where House Leaders are fostered to take responsibility through whole school sporting and cultural experiences by organising functions and nurturing younger pupils in House Competitions. Peer mediators are trained to communicate effectively with their peers.

Cultural Diversity

We encourage Cultural Diversity and have hosted many International students in the past three years. We pride ourselves on excellence in ESOL teaching. Our children are inclusive and accept children who have different needs and are from different cultural backgrounds.

School Productions

Every 2 years we hold a school production or extravaganza. 

A production is planned for later this year.

The First Choice School

We are a busy rural school with the facilities to rival city schools and we take pride in the knowledge that our children are well prepared to achieve well at secondary school in the future.