School of the Week: Otumoetai Primary

It's not often the principal of a school hands over the reins to the students but that's what happened when I visited Otumoetai Primary School.
When I mentioned the School of the Week article to principal Geoff Opie, he was more than happy to take part - as long as I spoke to the children.
So I'm sitting cross-legged in the shade of a tree in the centre of the school courtyard listening to five Otumoetai Primary School students tell me the ins and outs of their school.
I hear about sports teams, extracurricular activities, classroom trips, school swimming, the walking school bus and the Enviro school programme. The children talk about the teachers, their favourite subjects and how the community supports the school.
It seems like there are a million things going on at Otumoetai Primary and I'm not sure where to start with my questions. So I begin with a relatively easy one - what do you like about this school?
"I like the fact the teachers make learning fun," 10-year-old Georgia Carmichael says. "They don't sit there and give info out. They get involved and help you learn, like last year we did a topic based on the wetlands so we went on some class trips and went down to the reserve."
Ten-year-old Faith Merrick enjoyed a camp to CastleRock Adventure, while sporting endeavours were the focus of school life for Georgia Ratray, 9.
"You can also do kapa haka or choir or you can go swimming at lunch," Emma Howard, 10, adds.
"I like that about [Otumoetai Primary], there's something for everyone."
While we're sitting talking, a tooth falls out into the hand of 10-year-old Faith Merrick. She politely excuses herself and returns a moment later.
That's one thing that certainly stands out in my short time at Otumoetai Primary School - the students and staff are polite and well spoken. And they all empower the school motto: Work together learn together - Mahi Tahi Ako Tahi.
Otumoetai Primary is a school of about 500 students and 40 staff. The school roll is expected to grow to about 580 by the end of the year, with the addition of new entrants.
Outside the school on the corner of Otumoetai Rd and Sherwood St, cars whiz along at speed. The hustle and bustle on the street is a world away from what's behind the school's white picket fence - lush green playing fields and white school buildings that remind me of a community of gingerbread houses.
To emphasise the importance of road safety and to reduce the level of traffic around the road at the beginning and end of the school day, the school has implemented a walking school bus programme and road-safety programme that hundreds of children regularly use.
Year 2 teacher Denise Carter is in charge of road safety at the school and says the initiative has been well received by the students and wider school community.
"It's about education and it's also about getting the kids out and exercising," she says.
Another of the school's focuses for 2011 is the Enviro school programme, which the school implemented last year as a way for students to increase their awareness of the environment around them.
Teacher in charge, Cherie Dean, says students are becoming aware of the importance of sustainability and are beginning to change their habits in the classroom.
But that could only be done if the whole school got on board and was done as a team effort.
Working together to achieve goals was something Mr Opie says is an important aspect of the school, and it began at the helm with him.
"I aim to lead by example and make schooling a really positive experience," he says.
Mr Opie has been at the helm of Otumoetai Primary School for more than eight years.
He's been a principal for 20 years and said the industry was a rewarding place that he loved coming back to day after day.
"Teaching is a great lifestyle. The rewards are intrinsic and it's a very passionate job," he said.
"You've got to have the desire to make a positive change in kids and help facilitate that.
"Teachers love it when they see the light go on inside a kid's head all of a sudden."
Mr Opie said the teachers and children embraced a can-do attitude, which could be seen in the wisdom of Dr Seuss.
At this point, Mr Opie pulls out an ancient copy of Oh, the Places You'll Go, and began reading me a few lines. "Congratulations, today is your day. You're off to Great Places, you're off and away. You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."
"There's a lot of wisdom in Dr Seuss.
"It's not just a bunch of funny rhymes," Mr Opie says.
"Kids have choices and we want them to choose the right way in life.
"They'll have hang-ups and bang-ups and situations where it's going to be tough.
"But if they've got a positive yes, can-do attitude, they can achieve anything, and that is the focus of this year.
"The sky is the limit for these kids and it is our job to facilitate that."
Otumoetai Primary
Where: 236 Otumoetai Rd.
Pupils: Currently about 500.
Staff: About 40.
Decile: 7.
Principal: Geoff Opie.
School motto: Work together learn together - Mahi Tahi Ako Tahi.
Website: www.ops.school.nz