Puketaha School eNewsletter

Principal's Message

Ngaa mihi nui i teenei te wiki tuatahi o te waahanga hoou. Greetings to you all in the first week of the new term.

We hope you have all managed to have a bit of a break with your family over the holidays. It’s been a lovely start to Term 3 (despite the rain) and we have enjoyed reconnecting with the learners.

In the last week of Term 2 ,we held most of our Student Led Conferences. We were so proud of how students demonstrated their ability to confidently communicate their learning to their whaanau. At Puketaha School, one of our goals is to empower students and to help them know their learning and be able to talk about it. The teachers implement strategies that support the students to be “Assessment Capable Learners” and support the tamariki to talk about what they are learning, why they are learning it, how they are going and what their next step is.

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I had the privilege to experience the Student Led Conferences as a parent as well and for both of my children, they talked the full 40 mins, without breathing. I knew they were talkers, but I was impressed with how they were both able to speak confidently about their learning. This was a clear indication to us that learning had not been done to them, it had been done with them.

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Last week the staff met back at school to continue building our knowledge around the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum. One evening, a group of us went to the movies to watch ‘Whina’ which is the story of Dame Whina Cooper's life. We recommend the movie to all if you get a chance to see it.

We also invited some special guest speakers into school to talk with us. Renika Siciliano is one of our current board members and through her work as a lawyer, she has extensive experience and knowledge around Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Renika helped to further build our own knowledge around the Treaty and we started to think about what learning could look like for tamariki. We have also been keen to find out more of the history of ‘Our Place- Puketaha’. We welcomed historian Mike Taylor in to share with us his vast knowledge of the area and its local history. There is something special about knowing the story of the land and we all felt quite engrossed in the learning, as we made connections with road names and saw photos of people who used to attend Puketaha School. We are quite excited about the learning that can come from the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum.

Tuia i runga, tuia i raro, tuia i waho, tuia i roto, tuia te muka tāngata.

People can achieve a common goal when connected through relationships and knowledge.

We have a fun-filled term ahead of us with a couple of camps planned, a speech competition, a Puaawai Production, a Maahuri Arts showcase and of course… the Spring Fair!

Enjoy the rest of your week and your weekend,

Ngaa manaakitanga,

Nyree Olliver