Pūmanawa Gifted Education

St Mark’s School welcomes pūmanawa giftedness as a neurodivergence of exceptional aptitude and asynchronous development. We affirm that pūmanawa giftedness occurs in all societal groups, including all cultures, ethnicities, genders, socio-economic strata, and disabilities. We partner with whānau to encourage God given gifts and talents, as seen through our St Mark’s School values:

Huatau | Grace	Ethical Awareness and Compassionate Service	Manaakitanga, Kaitiakitanga
Hiranga | Excellence	Aptitude in any Curriculum Area/s	Mātauranga, Te Mahi Rēhia
Māiatanga | Courage	Leadership and Creativity	Rangatiratanga
Piriponotanga | Faithfulness	Spiritual or Cultural Commitment	Whanaungatanga, Tikanga

 

🧠 Neurodiversity Kanorau Ā-Roro 

Neurodiversity is the idea that all brains and minds are different. Pūmanawa gifted minds thrive on advanced challenges and crave depth and complexity beyond the regular curriculum. We are a neurodiversity affirming school, where difference does not mean deficit. 

 

📈 Exceptional Aptitude

Exceptional aptitude is the core trait of pūmanawa giftedness. Pūmanawa gifted learners have the potential to significantly exceed age-level expectations in their area/s of strength. Exceptional aptitude does not require and is not limited to academic achievement.     

 

🎂 Asynchronous Development

Pūmanawa gifted learners tend to be out-of-sync with their age peers. Development is advanced in their area/s of strength. Development may be delayed in other areas.

 

🔥 Intensity

Pūmanawa gifted learners tend to be intense. One or more of these intensities (intellectual, imaginational, emotional, sensory, and psychomotor) create a unique lived experience, bringing different opportunities and challenges: 

Intensity	Personal Opportunities	Personal Challenges
Intellectual	insatiable curiosity, rage to learn	overthinking, impatience with peers
Imaginational	rich inner world, creativity	worries, distractibility
Emotional	depth of feeling,  empathy, compassion	difficulty self-regulating, social isolation
Sensory	heightened appreciation of sensory experiences	sensory overload, being ‘picky’
Psychomotor	extra energy	impulsivity

Our provisional definition of pūmanawa giftedness is based on community consultation, research, and evidence from our pilot programmes. We welcome your feedback on our provisional definition and nomination process.

 

If you are interested in learning more,

Please check out our Pūmanawa Gifted Education FAQ and Tukuna Kia Rere Gifted Learners Hui.