At Amesbury School we believe in exploring and celebrating the arts and culture in a range of ways. There is a wide range of opportunities for students.  

Co-Curricular Lessons 

All students participate in singing and music through the year as part of our regular learning programmes. There are also additional opportunities for students to participate in small group or individual music and drama lessons with specialist teachers. These lessons are at a cost to the parents and run through the day on Wednesdays and Fridays. There are a range of options available for students. In 2017, we have the following classes available:

• Guitar
• Ukulele
• Keyboard
• Drums
• Singing
• Speech and Drama
• Mime & Improvisation
• Communication Skills
• Rhythmic Gymnastics

See full details on the 2017 drama classes here, and click here to find out more information about our current specialist teachers. Please contact [email protected] if your child is interested in music lessons.

Te Reo Maori 

At Amesbury School we enjoy celebrating and learning about our bi-cultural heritage as people who live in New Zealand. All students take part in Te Reo and Tikanga Maori sessions weekly throughout the school. Within these sessions students learn about Maori culture (tikanga Maori), protocol (kawa), songs (waiata) and Te Reo Maori (the Maori language - one of the official languages of New Zealand), including knowing our own personal mihimihi (introduction). 

Every term we hold a school pōwhiri to welcome all students who have joined our school within the past term. This is our way of welcoming students and whānau into our school community. At a powhiri you are welcomed to the school as visitors (manuhiri) and you leave as tangata whenua (people of the land or people who belong at Amesbury School). Pōwhiri are generally held on Friday in Week 4 each term in our school hall. They begin at 2:30pm and usually run for approximately 20 minutes, ending with everybody sharing some kai (food). Everyone is warmly welcome to our pōwhiri. 

Asia Awareness 

Along with English and Te Reo Maori, the third language our students learn at Amesbury is Mandarin. We believe that an understanding of Asian culture and language is very important for our students; as such all students across the school learn about Mandarin and Asian culture every week. 

We are very lucky to have a Mandarin learning assistant with us for three days a week. The MLA spends time with all students across the school, helping with the acquisition and enjoyment of Mandarin. She also spends time in our hubs learning about New Zealand culture. 

Here is the link to our Mandarin page on our Tizmos site. This takes you to sites and videos helping us learn Mandarin, including our personal Mandarin introduction.

Art Splash 

Every year we take part in the regional Art Splash school choir. This is an opportunity for all Year 3-6 students to participate in this inter-school choir, culminating in an evening performance at the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington - always a great evening!

Here is the link to our Art Splash page on our Tizmos site, where students can access the songs for the current performance to help them practice.