Pōhutukawa Update, Term 1, Week 5

Ngā mihi e te whānau, warm greetings to you all,

Huge congratulations to all of the Swimming Sports competitors who represented themselves so admirably yesterday. Such a fantastic way to show 'We Love Challenge'! Keep an eye out for some photos of the event from our Media Team. Thank you also to the parents and whānau who supported the tamariki at the pool, and in the preparing them for the afternoon. A special mention to those who have qualified for Zones. Nau mai te wero! And so, on we swim into the second half of the term. Please read on for some important information about what we are learning in Pōhutukawa.

Pepeha

As part of our 2024 schoolwide focus on the concept of 'Identity', we are currently learning about our pepeha in Pōhutukawa. The tamariki have been learning about how and when people came to Aotearoa, New Zealand, and making a differentiation between 'tangata whenua' (people of the land', or people with Māori whakapapa/ancestry), and 'tangata Tiriti' ('People of the Treaty of Waitangi, or people with no Māori ancestry). You can read more about the differentiation here.

 

We will be leading all of the students through the process of writing and learning their pepeha using a template that reflects their ancestry, and respects our local mana whenua. We believe it's important to acknowledge the personal nature of pepeha and that it should reflect each individual, their whānau, and the story of their ancestry. We encourage you to discuss and look through your child's pepeha, and include whatever you think supports your child's identity.

 

If you have any questions or you would like to discuss anything, please get in touch. Mā tātou kātoa te waka e hoe, we're all rowing the waka together.

Maths and Reading Groups

Maths and Reading groups have now started and everyone has been allocated a teacher for these core subjects - the final stage of our regular daily timetable. We encourage you to take some time to ask your tamariki to show you what they are now able to access through their  Maths and Reading Google Classrooms and Sites. These are a great way to keep the learning going at home, too. The treasure is learning, he taonga te ako!

Kia tino pai ngā rā whakata. Have a great weekend, everybody.

The Pōhutukawa Team