In 2020 the school had hoped to celebrate its 150th jubilee, but the Covid pandemic meant it had to be delayed.
It was not the first time that the school has had to postpone a jubilee due to worldwide issues, as the 75th jubilee was delayed for two years because of World War 2.
The school first opened in October 1870 as Waihi Crossing School, but not on the school’s current site.
In 1887 it caught fire, and the following year a new school was built on Rise Rd, where it has remained since.
It did not become Winchester School until 1891, and a merger with Milford School led to a final name change, the school becoming Winchester Rural School in 2005.
Deputy principal Jacquie Coombs, who has worked at the school since 1995, said the celebration would be held during Labour Weekend.
"On the Friday we will have an open school where anyone can come in and take a look.
"The kids will be dressing up, playing some old-fashioned games, folk dancing and doing various activities.
"We’ll also have some drinks, nibbles and registrations on the Friday night.
"At 1pm on Saturday there will be a formal assembly where we will take photos, do a cake cutting, plant a tree and hopefully plant a time capsule that adds to the one we put down 30 years ago, but we’ve lost where we put it.
"We need someone to to find where it is but either we will start again or find that one that was put down 30 years ago."
She said the school had changed a lot even since the last jubilee was held.
"We have a lot of good things happening here at the moment and there are a few works going on at the school, as well.
"It has got a bit bigger since our last jubilee 30 years ago. We’ve only got one original space left.
"There were three classes when I started, and now there are six and sometimes seven.
"We have had a zone put on us now, so we’ve had a bigger roll in the past but we are still sitting at 120 at the moment."
She said ex-pupils had show a lot of interest in the jubilee.
"A lot of people that were here 50 to 60 years ago were very interested — hopefully some that were here 30 or 40 years ago might come along, too, because we have changed a lot over the years.
"We’re hoping one of our famous ex-pupils, Dick Tayler, might come along and speak at it as well."
Early literacy support teacher Sarah McCully said the whole focus for the year both in and outside the classroom was centred around the jubilee.
"We are calling it ‘Now and Then’, and that’s looking at farming around the district both now and then, looking at the A&P show which is also in its 150th year and what school was like over time.
"I think at times it is a bit hard sometimes for little people to wrap their heads around 150 years ago but we’ve been using a whole lot of photos.
"One of the cool things about our school is we have generations of people that come here.
"We have a wee girl starting in July who’s a fourth generation [pupil]. So a lot of them have a very long-running connection to the school."
She said it was important as a school to honour your past.
"The past is what forms your future. We’re all about that, we have our Anzac Day stuff every year and we have a lot people coming back to visit the school because they like to come back and honour that past.
"I’m sure that spirit will continue to go on for many more years to come."
