School purpose, values, vision, mission, goals and general information
Core Purpose
In partnership with parents, within an educational environment, encourage lifelong discipleship of Jesus Christ by providing opportunities to:
Gain knowledge and understanding of all things based on the truth of His word. (Prov 1:7)
Gain faith that transforms into the likeness of God (Rom 12:2)
Gain hope in an eternal relationship with God through Jesus Christ that is firmly rooted in a deep reverence of Him (Eph 3: 17-20)
Gain confidence to achieve all things through Christ who strengthens (Phil 4:13)
Core Values
A caring, praying community united in Jesus Christ
Enthusiastic and actively involved families
A heart obedient to the Lord
A spirit of perseverance, resilience and self discipline
Respect for self, others and those in authority
Quality, Christ centered, Bible based education
A well maintained physical environment and resources.
School Vision and Mission
Our Vision:
Equip for life, prepare for eternity
Our Mission:
Matamata Christian School, together with the parents, work to provide a Christ-centred education based on Biblical foundations. We strive for personal excellence in the academic, spiritual, physical and emotional realms.
Matamata Christian School Goals
Goal 1: To Provide a Christ centred education that is based on the seven national curriculum statements while recognising the special character of the school
Devotions and prayer will be a daily part of school life.
The revised school curriculum will be used as a basis to teach the revised New Zealand Curriculum from a Biblical worldview.
All staff will actively support the above and provide an attractive active Christian role model.
Students will be encouraged to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Goal 2: To be a worthy choice for families of the Christian community
By operating a Biblically based curriculum.
By providing and promoting a stable caring environment where students are encouraged to honour God and to excel in all areas of their lives.
By helping students to be accountable for their actions and to develop a sense of responsibility.
By developing in students eight core foundational values; respect, service, compassion, truthfulness, self control, initiative, perseverance and diligence.
By actively promoting the positive aspects of Christian schooling in general and of Matamata Christian School in particular.
Goal 3: To actively form and maintain a close home and school partnership
By working together for the educational benefit of the children.
By encouraging parents in the school / home partnership of training children in the ways of the Lord.
By recognising the important role that parents have in the education of their children.
By encouraging parental involvement and interest in the school.
By involving parental participation in their child's learning through their Learning Journal.
To ensure parents have access to school staff as required.
To promote regular consultation opportunities with the school community.
To promote regular consultation opportunities with the Maori community.
Goal 4: To provide a quality education that maximises student achievement
To ensure curriculum delivery is focused on promoting high student achievement and outcomes.
To staff the school with highly motivated effective teachers.
To help students learn about God, themselves and the world around them.
To promote the development of student's character.
To develop literacy and numeracy skills.
To promote critical thinking strategies.
To develop the principles, values and key competencies of the school and revised New Zealand curriculum.
To promote academic excellence and maximise student achievement opportunities.
To develop a love of learning in students and staff.
To develop student ownership of their learning.
To develop students knowledge, understanding and skills to help equip them toward becoming productive members of society.
Goal 5: To reflect in our practices the diverse cultures in our school
To recognise the Treaty of Waitangi and integrate basic Maori language and culture into the curriculum delivery.
To recognise the uniqueness of each individual student.
To be sensitive to the differing national backgrounds of students.
To be sensitive to the differing Christian backgrounds of students.
To promote tolerance and respectfulness regarding differences amongst students and families in those areas which do not compromise the goals and values of the school.
Goal 6: To develop and maintain the property and environment in order to maximise opportunities for student learning and development
To provide an attractive and functional environment.
To present the school in a manner that shows God's creation effectively managed and displayed.
To develop, provide and maintain attractive and functional playground activities.
To maintain a safe and pleasant learning environment for all staff and students.
To encourage and display quality work.
General Information
School Hours:
8.50 am ~ School commences
9.50 - 10.00 ~ Food Break (in class)
10.50 - 11.10 ~ Morning Tea
12.50 - 1.30 ~ Lunch
3.00 p.m ~ School finishes
Pupils not travelling to school by bus are requested not to arrive at school before 8.20am
Contact and interviews
We have a Secretary who is employed at the school Monday to Friday from 8.30am - 3.30pm. Unless absolutely urgent, please contact the school within these hours so as not to disrupt teachers unnecessarily.
Should you wish to discuss any matter that will take some time with a staff member please make an appointment to do so through the Secretary or the teacher concerned.
Interviews with teachers can be arranged through the Secretary. Parents are very welcome to contact teachers before or after school for a very short impromptu chat about their child, but need to be flexible as teachers will not always be available without time being prearranged.
Absentees:
If a child is going to be absent from school on any school day, parents must inform the School, by phoning the office before 9.00 a.m. As school is compulsory, all absences are recorded. A note must be handed into the office on the child's return back to school.
Assemblies: Fridays 9.30AM.
This is a whole school assembly that focuses upon recognising students achievement with certificates given out weekly to a few members of each class. We sometimes have input from students, a group or a guest speaker.
Parents are welcome to attend the school assemblies.
Uniforms:
All students are required to wear our school uniform which are available from the school. Please inquire at the school office.
Winter footwear. Terms 2 and 3:
Shoes should be black leather or leather look lace up. For younger students, black leather slip on shoes and velcro shoes instead of lace ups are acceptable. Shoes must not be sports or fashion shoes please.
Boys wear long navy socks with jade stripes which are available from the uniform room. Girls can wear either navy or black socks that are knee high or ankle length, or navy or black tights. These are available from shops such as Postie +, The Warehouse and Farmers.
Please note track pants are not part of our school uniform.
Uniform polar fleece tops are available from the school uniform shop and also help keep everyone warm.
Bus Runs
There is an extensive School bus run network around Matamata, running from Tirau to the South to 5 minutes south of Morrinsville. Bus run information is available from Go Bus on 07 888 8236
Kid on the Rock Foundation - Founders Fund
In the spirit of the founders of Matamata Christian School, the Kid on the Rock Foundation has established the Founders Fund. It's purpose is to further the vision of the founders through supporting the funding of the needs of the School.
The fund will mainly be used to assist families to send their children to the school, provide resources, train staff and continue development of the property.
Donations are voluntary and tax deductable, and can be made to Kiwibank account number 38-9022-0105816-00. For a tax receipt please include your mobile or phone number and your name as a reference. For more information click here.
School Stationery Lists
Stationary can be ordered online from Qizzle and Office Max. Be sure to order by room number.
Stationery lists are also available at the counter from The Warehouse Stationary and Paper Plus. Alternatively you can download the stationery list below.
School Fees
School Activity Fees
Matamata Christian School has opted into the MOE donations scheme and does not ask parents and caregivers for donations, however anyone can make tax deductible voluntary donations anytime they wish to.
Fees for some camps, some sports and uniforms, are paid to the Matamata Christian School Board. These can be paid by internet banking to the ASB account number 12 3438 0004608 00 or by eftpos at the school office.
Attendance Dues - (Charged by the Proprietor Board)
Attendance Dues are charged quarterly and are payable to Peria Christian Education Inc.
These payments help provide the wonderful classrooms, library, playgrounds, fields, offices and other school facilities that our school community enjoys, supporting the BOT in delivering the high quality, Biblically based education that you would expect for your child. These can be paid by internet banking to BNZ account number 02 0360 0021075 02 or by eftpos or cash at the school office.
The amounts payable for 2023 are as follows:
First Child $720.00 per year - $180.00 per term - $14.00 per week (52 weeks)
Additional children $480.00 per year - $120.00 per term - $9.50 per week (52 weeks)
Family total per week (52 weeks)
1 child $14.00
2 children $23.50
3 children $33.00
4 children $42.50
A 5% discount is offered if annual Attendance Dues are paid in full in advance during January/February each year. Please inquire at the school office.
Please note that school activity fees are additional as noted above.
Enrolment policy and priority
Matamata Christian School has a maximum roll entitlement of 120 students, 9 of whom may be non preference. As a State Integrated school it is required to have a fair and transparent student enrolment policy which includes priority of enrolment for student applicants.
Complaints Procedure
Matamata Christian School values feedback and believes this is an important way for it to improve its performance. It believes complaints are a part of this and wishes to be able to resolve these in order to avoid anything standing in the way of it achieving its goals. Therefore anyone who may have a complaint about any part of the school life is encouraged to bring those complaints forward in a biblical manner. Click/tap here to view the complaints procedures.
Board functions and operations
If you have a heart for Christian education, want to see children drawn to God, want to support a place where Christian faith and values are taught and prayer is openly practiced, then you may find fulfilment in serving on one of the three boards associated with Matamata Christian School. Find out more here.
Key Documents
Matamata Christian School
What do we stand for? How is our school fulfilling its goals and meeting the expectations of the Ministry of Education? What do we mean by ‘special character’ of our campus and curriculum?
Find out more about Matamata Christian School in these key documents:
SB 2023 Strategic Plan
SB Analysis of Variance
Kiwi Sport Funding Usage
SB Complaints Procedure
SB Financial Statements
PCE Proprietor Board Strategic Plan
PCE Proprietor Board Information Handbook
Peria Christian Education Inc Statement of Faith
Holy Scripture and Education
By faith we confess the books of the Old and New Testaments to be the divinely inspired, inerrant Word of God (2 Tim. 3: 16,17), the only absolute rule for all faith and conduct, and therefore also for the education of our children at home and at school.
Christian Parents and Education
As believing parents we have Christ's comforting assurance for our children that theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven and that He will bless them when we bring them to Him (Mark 10: 13-16). Expecting the fulfilment of His promise and obeying the command of His apostle, we endeavour to"bring our children up "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph.6:4) :
Since the responsibility for this task has been placed on our shoulders as parents, we gladly accept responsibility for that part of the education which takes place outside our homes in the school. We consider the establishment of Christian Schools, which are to assist us in the work of Christian nurture and education, to be our duty and God-given privilege.
Christian Schools
As Christ is the Saviour and Lord of the whole human life (Matt. 28:18_ Eph. 1:20-22 Co. 1: 16, 17), we understand by a Christian School such an educational institution as one in which not only is Christ honoured by prayer and study of the Bible, but in which all subjects are taught by the light of God's revelation in Jesus Christ contained in the Old and New Testaments.
For such a Christian School, we, as parents, claim all freedom in the field of education as long as this education takes place in obedience to the requirements of God's Word and in adherence to legitimate governmental standards and provisions.
God and Creation
All things were created by God so that "what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (Hebrews 11:3). God created them in, through and for Christ, (Col. 1:15-17), by His word and Spirit, (Gen. 1; Psa, 33:6), to the glorification of His Holy Name (psa. 8; Psa, 19:1-4; Rom. 11:36). It is also by God's hand, power and care that all created things are preserved and controlled (Psa; 99; Matt. 6:24f; Acts 17:24f). In order to understand world, man and history, we must see them in their relationship to God as the Bible speaks of them.
The Bible and Sciences
Creation as well as Scripture has been brought forth by the one God of Truth. Therefore, any seeming discrepancy between the Bible and Science can only be due to human error either in science or in the interpretation of Scripture. Science is truly scientific when both nature and Scripture are taken seriously.
Man
Man was created in the image of God to enjoy true communion with his Creator (Gen. 1 :26f; Acts 17:26f), Man was instructed to exercise dominion over the world in strict and loving obedience to God, to interpret all reality in accordance with His design and law and to reflect in his person and works the excellence of his Maker (Gen. 1:28f; Psa. 8:4f; Rom. 1:20).
Christ
Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, is God incarnate, the Word became flesh (John 1:1-14). Laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:10-15), He paid the penalty of sin for them, being a ransom for all who truly believe in Him (Matt. 20:28; Rom. 5:6f; 1 Tim. 2:5-6).
Risen from the dead in His physical body (Luke 24:36-43), and having ascended to the throne of Heaven, He is the King of the Universe (Matt. 28:28, 1 Pet. 3:22). By His Word and Spirit He rules in grace over all true believers. Redeeming their life in its entirety, renewing them after His image and restoring them to fellowship with God and their fellow men, He seeks to make them obedient to God's will in all spheres of life (Rom. 8: 1-17).
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity (2 COL 13: 13), the divine source of all created life (Gen. 1 :2; Psa. 104:30), is also the source of Faith in Christ, the true, spiritual knowledge and of a new sanctified life in grateful obedience to God's will (John 3:3f; 1 Cor. 2:9f; 12:3; Eph. 3:14t).
Since, therefore, the fruit of all Christian education depends on the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit, both parents and teachers are to perform their task with constant prayer that the Spirit may enable them to be good instruments in His hands for bringing the children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, and that He may so bless their work that the children come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord, whom to follow and serve in all spheres of life as their greatest privilege and joy.