Miller Avenue is a Year 0 – 8 school situated in park like grounds in the middle of the rural town of Paeroa. Paeroa is a well established town with a strong historical context and supportive community. It features a strong Māori community presence with several Marae that host regional and national events, as well as those for local iwi.
The school was opened on the 3rd February 1958 with a staff of five teachers and a commencing roll of 184. Since then it has continued to reflect the growth of Paeroa itself with the roll fluctuating over the years and of late being on an increase.
It is well resourced with many facilities being added over the years including our jubilee hall, STEAM space, swimming pool, spacious library, extensive playgrounds and access to fiber networks across our campus.
The school provides a variety of stimulating learning environments which cater for all learners' needs. Teachers, students and the School Board hold high expectations for the ākonga (students) in particular their well being and capabilities in regards to learning. In the past year there has been a tremendous growth in regards to the culture of the school, attendance and engagement. This is what a learning facilitator said after working in Miller Ave School for a week:
To the staff and students of Miller Ave School.
As a person who regularly works in a range of schools in our region, I am in a unique position to make a few observations regarding your kura.
Schools tend to be cyclic in terms of their culture. Miller Ave has had it's fair share of ups and downs over the last couple of years.
Based on my most recent visit however, I think Miller Ave has turned a corner. The general school culture was very positive. While the odd student will always rear their head from time to time, the general attitude towards learning and relationships with peers was positive. All staff showed a genuine aroha for students and their well-being. It is really nice to see a school that is turning a corner and making positive moves to change a culture that is a reflection of our community. Change like this doesn't happen accidentally - it is planned and needs buy-in from staff.
Well done and thank you for hosting me. I love working with your students and watching them grow and learn over time.
Mike (July 2023)
Miller Avenue School is proud to have a blend of Māori and Pakeha (non-Māori) ākonga which offers unique experiences for everyone. The school takes every opportunity to provide extra curricular activities to enhance learning opportunities for ākonga. Students are encouraged to participate in their community and join some of the many community groups, in fact it is wonderful when whānau share their child's successes out of school, please let the school know.
The school is inclusive of difference. We are fortunate to have a strong and dedicated set of support teachers who are allocated to students with learning and behaviour needs. Extension programmes are provided to provide different learning pathways for those high achievers as well as those who require support. We are a Health Promoting School and provide nutritious and healthy lunches for our ākonga. We are now an Enviroschool and have just received our Bronze status (November 2023) ākonga and Kaiako(teachers) and kaiāwhina (support staff) have worked tirelessly to create a better school environment and make use of the resources we have. This is an ongoing process and we are getting a lot more ideas from our ākonga about other ways to improve our school environment and make it more beautiful.
This year we began our Kick Start Breakfast Club, every morning from 8.15 - 8.45am in Mara Kakariki (Green Room) everyone is welcome to join in and grab some healthy breakfast before starting their day. We also provide plenty of fruit daily and snacks to help tamariki with their learning (brain food). This is a popular place for our ākonga to meet each morning and fill their puku (stomach) with kai (food) to set them up for each day.
On site we have a number of services which cater for a cluster of schools. These are: RTLB (Resource Teacher of Learning & Behaviour), RTLit (Resource Teacher of Literacy), and a Counsellor through CAPSHauraki. Adult learning is also encouraged with many organisations using the school’s hall and other facilities. The school campus is therefore a busy, stimulating, learning community. Our campus and beautiful facilities are in and for our community, this is a genuine strength of being a rurally minded, community based organisation.
The school has a full sport and Education Outside the Classroom programme with opportunities for students who have a variety of skills and interests. As a PB4L (Positive Behaviour 4 Learning) school we have developed and are continuing to review and develop many processes and structures to support our ākonga to get the most out of their learning opportunities. We have a hui (assembly) each Monday morning that is designed to set our ākonga up for success, parents/whānau are very welcome to come along, this is the time to celebrate successes with certificates, house points and more. At the end of each term we have a 'Sharing' Assembly to celebrate the wonderful learning that has taken place during the term.
The school provides a stimulating, safe learning environment for ākonga. The contribution of parents and community is vital and always appreciated . An enthusiastic and hardworking School Board fund and support school events and generally engage with the school, informing school policy and practice. At Miller Avenue School, the well being of our students and families are always integral to success. We invite to enroll your precious cargo at MAS - the school of choice in Hauraki.