The board, students, and parents of Goldfields School in Paeroa were all thrilled to hear about the grant from NZCT of $14,303 for three interactive display panels.
Goldfields School opened in February 1971 at the Paeroa Army Drill Hall. The current roll sits at 83 students, 17 teachers, 28 teacher aides, and five part-time therapists. In 2016 a satellite class was opened at Te Aroha Primary, followed by another at Paeroa College in 2018.
School principal Cameron McKenzie says, “Goldfields is the only rural special needs school in New Zealand. It was founded approximately 35 years ago and has grown from a starting role of five students to almost 90. We have four separate satellite units in schools throughout the district in our catchment area.
”The school has three junior classes and one senior class that provide special needs education for students aged 5 to 21. Each class has one teacher and at least two teaching assistants. All the students have high or very high needs and require additional learning support. These interactive displays deliver leading learning environments in which teachers and students can collaborate with ease.
”We also operate six satellite classes hosted by other schools, including Te Aroha Primary, Miller Avenue School, Thames South Primary, and Paeroa College. These schools are highly inclusive and the communities they serve are fantastically supportive.
