About us

Welcome to Lawrence Area School

The Principal and Staff of Lawrence Area School are friendly and approachable. We are very proud of our school, its history and its achievements. As a staff we are committed to working with families in the best interests of their children.

Our school’s purpose is to provide all students with an education that challenges them to achieve personal standards of excellence and to reach their full potential within a safe environment.

What is an Area School?

Area Schools are composite schools, mainly rural and isolated, that provide a ‘seamless’ education for New Entrant to Year 13 students.

Area Schools do have special advantages, particularly in the flexibility of programmes and range of resources we are able to provide. Our smallness of size and mix of age groups encourages a sense of responsibility and “family”. Small class sizes enable more personal teaching and students do not become lost in the system.

Our Area School

Our Area School caters for 140 students aged 5 to 18. Our school site is spacious and park-like, with generous sports grounds, gardens, adventure playground and tennis/netball courts. The school’s buildings are brand-new, modern, well-equipped and include laboratory, gymnasium, and library.

Four other important on-site features are the Educare, Tuapeka Aquatic Centre., Lawrence Skatepark and Simpson Park complex, all of which enjoy considerable community support and use.

Lawrence Area School has links with Waitahuna School which contributes pupils at Year 7; our local preschools Waitahuna Playgroup and Goldfields Educare; the Area Schools network; local primary and secondary schools and Tertiary Institutions throughout Otago and Southland. The inclusive family atmosphere of the school is highly valued, as is the supportive relationship between school and community.

Key Competencies

I am a student at LAS

I am…

a motivated, confident, lifelong learner, who is willing to contribute.

Managing Self

I can…

    • Be a self starter

    • Reflect, set goals and work out how to reach my goals

    • Take risks and accept challenges

    • Keep trying when things get tough

    • Control my behaviour

    • Organise my materials and time

Relating Well to Others

I can…

    • get on with lots of different people in all sorts of situations.

Participating and Contributing

I can…

    • Be clear about my role and work actively, to the best of my ability, with others towards a common goal

    • Balance my rights within the group with others needs

    • Support and create opportunities for others

Language Symbols and Texts

I can…

    • Use words, numbers, images, movement, gestures and ICT to express my knowledge and ideas

    • Interpret words, numbers, images, movement, gestures and ICT used by others to express their knowledge and ideas.

    • Use and interpret these things in a wide range of settings and situations

Creative Thinking

I can…

    • improve and imagine and create things.

Critical Thinking

I can…

    • look carefully at information so that I can decide what to believe or think or do.

Metacognitive Thinking

I can…

    • think about what and why I am thinking and/or doing things.