Huntley School prepares your child
Physically Socially Spiritually Culturally Academically
For further information contact the school office: Huntley School P.O. Box 95 Marton Telephone: (06) 327 8049 Facsimile: (06) 327 8047 Email: office@huntley.school.nz Visit us: www.huntley.school.nz
Preparing your child for the adventure of life
Preparing your child for the adventure of life
Huntley Adventure At Huntley we believe that life is an adventure and our main aim is to prepare students for the adventure of life. The following vision statement reflects this guiding philosophy.
Vision: Huntley School is a leader in independent education and produces students who excel. We prepare your child for the adventure of life. Huntley is a world class independent boarding preparatory school catering for Year Three to Year Eight (8 - 13 years old.) The school is sited on thirteen hectares of beautifully landscaped grounds situated on the outskirts of Marton, within half an hours drive of the cities of Palmerston North and Wanganui. The Board of Trustees has, since its inception, sought to provide a boarding preparatory school second to none. The school is endowed with a beautiful setting, is strong in tradition and has been supported over the years by loyal and dedicated people. It is a place where the Huntley student does not restrict their interest to the narrow confines of academic work, to their cultural activities, to their sports or to their play: they confidently try everything. Bradden J. Gay Headmaster
“The Huntley s tudent is at the centr e of our vision for th e school. When y our child joins us a t Huntley they to o will become part of our fo cus. As a pa rent you also pro vid e a vital link betwee n home and scho ol. When you visit you will alwa ys be m a de most welcome , an d we will alwa ys listen to your views a nd to those of your child – for you are bo th very important to us .”
The Huntley Student Huntley aims at producing holistic students who have developed independence in many facets during their time at Huntley. The Huntley student is respectful, yet willing to take risks, self confident but without arrogance. They have the ability to set and achieve goals by focusing on tasks and applying skills of time management. The Huntley student celebrates the achievements of his peers whether academic, sporting or in a cultural setting. They learn the social skills of living in a tight-knit community. They recognise the benefits of working as a group whilst celebrating individual differences. The students realise that each individual brings his own unique strengths and that acknowledging these talents is mandatory. Being a “Tall Poppy” is something to aspire to. Pastoral Care for each student is the highest priority at Huntley. The Form Teachers are at the heart of the pastoral care arrangements of Huntley. Day Boys/Girls are fully involved in this system. We provide a safe and stable environment where students grow into young adolescents free from pressures that other schools and modern society can impose. We provide students with guidance and support, “to develop independent attitudes and to stand on their own two feet”. Huntley surrounds the students in opportunities that will enable every boy and girl to succeed. These opportunities help develop personal interests and friendships which last way beyond their time at Huntley.
“S tudents learn the so cial skills of living in a tigh tknit community. They recognise the ben efits of wo rking as a group whil st celebrating indiv idual differen ces.”
There is an extremely healthy and positive atmosphere about the school. Good manners are encouraged at all times. The emphasis is on setting high expectations and standards. Huntley students are incredibly proud of their school, whilst at Huntley and as old boys / girls.
self confident individual respectful
A Day In The Life I wake to the sound of the Duty Master ringing the bell; it’s 6:50 am. I hop out of bed waiting for the Duty Master to tell us to carry on. After making my bed our dorm heads down for showers. Once the beds are made and we are dressed we are passed by the Duty Master. He checks our hair is combed, mine is invariably unruly and I generally have to give it another comb. Then it’s off to Reading Prep, I enjoy my compulsory reading time, we have heaps of cool books in the school library. 7:40 am and it’s time for breakfast. After breakfast we go to Chapel for a short service. I’m in the choir and I really enjoy singing the descant. Mr Gay often scores our singing out of ten. Then it’s off to class. We have Spanish with Mrs Stewart followed by Maths with Mr Gay. At morning break every student gets a cake from Mrs Williams. Then it’s back into class for Social Studies and then Science. We have a different teacher for these specialised subjects. Being a Thursday, we have a sports event with another Prep School. (We practice three times a week after school). I’m in the 1st XI Football team and love these fixtures. The game goes well and I even manage to score a goal! Something of a rarity for me so I’m rapt. Our professional football coach has been teaching me how to strike the ball.
“The game goes well and I even man ag e to score a goal! Something of a rarity for me s o I’m ra pt.”
After our afternoon tea the visiting team departs and we have an hour before tea at 5:30pm. Our tea is the main meal of the day and I love the fact that I get pudding every day. After tea we have showers and get into our pyjamas and dressing gowns. The bell then goes for Prep and we do an hour’s homework. After that I carry out my Year 8 job which is making sure the library is tidied. Then it’s off to the dorm where we brush our teeth, get inspected, and then read for twenty minutes before lights out.
fun involvement routine
Academically For over a 100 years Huntley has had a proven track record as a school that caters for whole child learning. Huntley is currently a leader in independent education and we continue to make this a key focus of our Curriculum direction. The Huntley of the future will prove to be an equally rich learning environment where academic success is celebrated. A flexible curriculum in a friendly environment reflects the changing society and the special needs of individual students, maintaining the school’s strength in giving attention to basic skills coupled with the integration of action learning styles. • A culture of strong academic achievement. It is “cool” to be smart. •
Students receive specialist teaching in all subjects, where a school timetable guarantees subject balance.
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Small classes (1:20).
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Vast support network for the classroom teacher.
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Academic support for those students requiring extra help with their studies and extension work for the very able students.
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Professional development of staff a priority.
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Supervised “prep” (homework) each week night.
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An emphasis on literacy and numeracy. Over 50% of lessons are in these two core subjects.
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From year six onwards a second language is introduced.
extension education support
“Academically th e students thrive in this balan ced en vironment wh ich pro vides structu re and routin e, yet en courages the expressing of talents.”
Cultur ally The cultural richness at Huntley is apparent from the outset. Music, Drama and The Arts are celebrated by students and staff alike. A staggering statistic is the fact that over 75% of the boys and girls learn musical instruments and the school employs five music teachers. The Chapel Choir is highly regarded for its expertise in choral singing and is often requested to perform at concerts and in churches around the region. The school has a Jazz Band that over the years has won wide acclaim. There are also a number of school Music Concerts throughout the year. Grandparents Day coincides with our major Music Concert and is a chance for the budding rock stars to strut their stuff. All year groups perform in class dramas and the Year 8 students put on a quality production. The school has specialist art teachers who have created a rich and varied programme.
“The abundan ce of talent is testam en t to the fo cus o n students achie ving at all levels of the spectrum. To be surrounded by such talent is rare and students an d staff alike emb race and celebrate th ese talented individu als.�
Orally the school is very strong with Year 8 debating, Public Speaking and the New Zealand Speech Board examinations which every child sits. For children with a talent in this area we also offer specialist teaching from an outside agency.
achievement richness talent
Physically Huntley has an enviable reputation on the sports field and has above average success in all sporting codes. Participation is the key and all students are expected to partake in some form of summer and winter sport. During the year the students take part in both Swimming and Athletic Sports. Sports on offer are varied. In Summer students choose one of three options: • Cricket • Tennis • Softball In Winter the options are: • Rugby • Hockey • Football • Netball At other times students are also exposed to sports such as: • Athletics • Squash • Golf • Shooting • Tennis coaching • Cross country running • Mountain biking • Triathlon • Fishing • Swimming • Tramping • Badminton • Table tennis • Basketball • Ballet If your child is involved in a sport we don’t offer we allow them time to train and compete outside of school hours.
pride teamwork confidence
“Ph ysical exerc ise is a vital part of the school’s philos oph y. Con fiden ce and learning a lo ve o f ph ysical exercis e n eeds to be nu rtured if the students of toda y are to be come the athletes or team members of tomorrow.”
Socially It is the friendships one makes in a boarding school that last a life time. Huntley is recognised for the pastoral care it provides for students. Our godparents/godchild programme ensures your son or daughter will have a senior boy or girl as a guide who will help make the transition into Huntley as enjoyable as possible. The presence of onsite staff enables the students to connect closely with staff in a pastoral sense. Our mentoring and coaching techniques offer one to one guidance for your son or daughter with an adult they respect and relate to. We aim to develop a partnership of care between students, parents and staff. Teachers maintain close contact with parents and are committed to keeping communication channels open.
“The so cial skil ls students learn at Huntley prepare them for the adventu re of secondary scho ol and beyond.�
There are five separate dormitories that also act as the houses for the students throughout the year. The team spirit of these houses is reflected in the race to win the J H Allan Shield.
friendship kindness service
Spiritually Huntley is affiliated to the Anglican Diocese of Wellington. However, all our Chapel services are inter-denominational and values based. Boys and girls will experience what it is to live in a community that celebrates the Christian faith. The students are often involved in the services and twice a year each class conducts a service. We recognise the importance of religion as a specific way of students being able to exercise their spirituality. Spirituality is an attitude or a way of life that recognises something we might call spirit. Your child will have the opportunity to be confirmed by the Bishop of Wellington. We strongly believe that values education, religious education and discussing moral issues in the safe environment Huntley provides, is an important aspect in the development of individuals. Huntley Values reinforce the beliefs espoused in the philosophy of Huntley, which seek to help the students to develop and clarify their own principles, and to respect and be sensitive to the rights of individuals, families, or groups who hold differing view points to their own. These values include service, honesty, tolerance, enthusiasm, kindness, respect, G.D.P (guts, determination and pride) and responsibility.
“Spirituality is an attitude or wa y of life that recogn ises something we m ight call spirit.�
values based way of life spirit
Why Huntley? •
Outstanding academics. Each year a high percentage of students make the accelerated classes at Feilding High School, PNBHS and Wanganui Collegiate.
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Excellent coaching and tuition in a wide variety of sports and musical instruments.
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Small class sizes. Only 20 or less in a class.
• The highest standard of classroom programmes and teaching. •
A wonderful breadth of opportunities to develop existing strengths and discover new ones.
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Celebrating high achievements.
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A variety of educational programmes to help the individual needs of each student. (Such as dyslexia and gifted and talented.)
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Huntley does not conform to the National Standards, we have our own Huntley Standards.