Merit Honours Badge System

Click here for the 2024 recording sheet

Summerland Primary has a Merit Badge system which recognises the outstanding academic, social and sporting achievements of the students.

Your child may have received any of the following Summerland certificates for: classroom achievement, sports, cultural, school responsibility, school values or citizenship. These certificates need to be kept so that over time, they can collectively go towards earning a merit badge. Even the Summerland classroom achievement and citizenship certificates, the very young children receive will go towards the badge.

Certificates are given to children as they meet the set criteria. Copies of the criteria are kept by classroom teachers and copies are at the school office. Extra copies of the recording sheet will be available from the school office.

To earn a bronze merit badge each child will have to collect:

5 x Classroom achievements

2 x sports or cultural certificates

1x extra certificate of their own choice (this can not be a values certificate)

and either:

2 x school responsibility and 2 citizenship certificates

or

3 X responsibility and 1 X citizenship certificates

If your child earns five values certificates [fun, integrity, team, success and respect] they can use these to put towards earning a citizenship certificate (these values certificates are normally handed out at whanau and whole school assemblies).

After a child has earned a Bronze Merit Badge they have the opportunity to earn a Silver Merit Badge and then go on to earn the ultimate Gold Merit Badge. For each successive badge they need to receive a further 12 certificates in the combination above.

It is not expected that all children will receive a merit badge, but it is certainly within all children’s reach if they fully participate in school life and take the opportunities presented to them.

The recording form needs to be filled in, and along with the twelve certificates needs to be presented to the classroom teacher first then to Mrs Masterson for consideration for the child to receive the merit badge.

In rare cases (where a child’s behaviour or attitude has been a problem and a pattern has emerged) they may be asked to meet some negotiated criteria with one of the principals.

The merit badges are awarded at special school assemblies. Parents are invited to attend to help honour their child’s success.