School Pōwhiri
Last week our community joined together to welcome our newest families to te kura. This formal welcome ceremony is an opportunity for all of our whānau to experience first-hand, the very special Māori tikanga that helps us know what is so special about living in Aotearoa and about the tangata whenua.
It was also a very timely reminder as to how very multicultural our school community is. With 67% of our 144 students representing 19 different countries from around the world, it is important that we not only upskill families in local protocols, but that we also learn what is special about your homeland.
To support those in our kura with Te Reo/tikanga practices we are:
- Providing an English translation of Māori words used in each of our newsletters
- Our school website has the capability to translate newsletters & notices into other languages
- Introducing Māori practices and protocols into all of our curriculum and practices
- Inviting our community to participate in events that are culturally significant, such as a pōwhiri
Extra-Curriculular Activities
We offer a wide range of opportunities outside the classroom including Garden Club, Ukulele Club, EPro8 technology challenge, Mathswell, Otago Maths, CAM competition, free EasySwim lessons, sports experiences such as gymnastics and cricket, as well as Artsplash. Where possible, we have teams competing at local events such as cross country running and athletics. Ian Svela (DP Seniors), is busy undertaking soccer trials so that we can enter a team in the Northern Suburbs competition. Recently we have had someone from Special Olympics working with students in our school, teaching team skills and developing eye/hand/foot co-ordination skills.
Communication Between Home and School
Our private Facebook group is a great way to keep up with reminders about school events, photos of what is happening at school and important updates, such as school closures and emergency messages. Please request to join on FB, if you would like to.
NZ Ballet Dance Workshop
Our classes were recently able to participate in a workshop with a dancer from the NZBC. Thank you to Mrs Pine for organising this wonderful learning experience for our tamariki.
Fire Performance
Mrs Pine has also organised an amazing free “Fire Performance” event for our community to attend on Friday 24 March. Details will be sent home soon, families are invited to bring a picnic tea. Please note, if bad weather causes cancellation of this event, there is no postponement date. This group will be working with each of our classes during the day to teach them fire safety protocols.