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My name is David Grant and I have the very real privilege of being the Principal of Big Rock Primary School. A role where I get to work with amazing teaching and support staff, supportive whanau and most importantly incredible, hard-working, engaged, friendly, resilient, happy children.
Our aim at Big Rock Primary School is to ensure that we provide the very best educational and developmental experiences we can for all of our students.
We do this by having Rock solid foundations in Numeracy and Literacy and by working hard to provide an environment that is stimulating and safe for your children to learn and grow. Our success levels in the core areas of Reading, Writing and Mathematics are excellent. Our programmes are based on a topic based integrated approach where children’s interests and key learning areas such as Science, Social Sciences, Art and Technology are integrated into Reading and Writing and Mathematics programmes to add meaning and depth as well as creating engaging and relevant learning experiences.
This is supported by modern teaching methods, plentiful modern teaching resources, sensible class sizes and highly skilled positive teachers.
To further support our Reading, Writing and Mathematics programmes we utilise a teaching model that we developed at Big Rock, that is based on the three concepts of Investigation, Explanation and Presentation. This allows and encourages the children’s inquiring minds to explore, share their thoughts and ideas, while developing their presentation skills and strategies.
Further to this, we understand that for a curriculum to be meaningful we utilise E.O.T.C. so that there are class trips to support all topic based learning. Learning experiences have to be real and meaningful.
We also have an in-depth adventure based Education Outside the Classroom programme that includes surfing, kayaking, mountain bike adventures and road safety, deep sea fishing and scuba diving. The benefits of these programmes is much more than just biking, kayaking etc, but they support self-esteem and mental health, which has led to improved outcomes for many children in core curriculum areas.
We also have a full biking programme as part of our curriculum, that involves all children, from early riders in the younger years, to Advanced Mountain Bike extension groups.
Our goal is to have happy, resilient, lifelong learners with Rock solid foundations in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Our curriculum and curriculum delivery is achieving this, with excellent achievement levels, high levels of engagement and attendance and happy resilient children. Of course this would not be possible without the support of our amazing whanau and the incredible children.
Big Rock is a great place to learn, play, grow and develop. It’s a pretty cool place to come and work as well.
1 Jul 2026
Kia ora, Just over 24 hours to our annual Matariki celebration. Doors open at 545, please don't forget to bring cutlery, plates and cups as well as something tasty to share of cultural or family significance to you. It doesn't have to be fancy, the important thing is sharing food and chat with each other.
Thanks
David
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Re: Class Changes Due to Roll Growth
As our school roll continues to grow, we are committed to ensuring that all students learn in classrooms that provide the best possible environment for their learning and wellbeing.
To accommodate our increasing number of students, we will be making some changes to the Room 1 and 2 classrooms, effective 20/07/2026. This means that a small number of students will move into a new class.
We understand that any change can bring mixed emotions for both children and families. Please be assured that these decisions have been made very carefully, taking into account a range of factors, including students' learning needs, friendships, social dynamics, and creating balanced class sizes.
Our teachers will work closely with all students during the transition to help them settle into their new classroom and establish positive relationships with their teacher and classmates. We are confident that this change will provide a positive learning environment where every child can continue to thrive.
If your child is one of the students moving classes, you will receive a letter confirming their new teacher and classroom.
We appreciate your understanding and support as we make these adjustments to meet the needs of our growing school community. Roll growth is a positive reflection of the confidence families have in our school, and we are excited about the opportunities this brings.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kind regards,
David Grant
The Big Rock Hoopsters are playing Tainui Tornados at 4.55pm on court 3 this week.
Good afternoon.
We enter the last week of the term and it promises to be a busy and successful one.
Firstly, a reminder that we have our Matariki Celebration on Wednesday evening. Doors open at the Brighton Hall at 5;45. We hope to see and celebrate with as many of our wonderful school community as possible.
All of the school World Cup entries need to be at school tomorrow morning please.
As we approach the end of the term, can we please respectfully ask that school accounts are paid and up to date. It will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
This notice is to inform our school community that a casual vacancy has occurred on our school board for an elected parent representative.
A current BOT member has stepped down before the end of their term, and the board has formally resolved to fill this vacancy by selection. However, if 10% or more of eligible voters on the school roll request that a by-election be held to fill the vacancy, a by-election will be conducted instead.
Any request for a by-election must be made in writing and received by the Board within 28 days of this notice being published.
Requests should be sent to:
Presiding Member
Big Rock Primary School, 2 Bath Street, Brighton, Dunedin 9035
Emails should be sent to the Board Secretary at: office@bigrock.school.nz
Requests must be received by: 25 July 2026
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