Whānau Time Message:

Each fortnight we come together as a school to enjoy time together as a school family, celebrate learning and build and celebrate the special culture that makes us who we are.

Our overarching theme for this year has been to revisit, review, refine and celebrate the individual components that comprise our school culture, philosophy and way of learning, growing and being.

We have been focusing on one aspect per fortnight, every Monday Morning as a staff, and every second Friday as a full school at Whānau Time.

The Sequence We Are Following Is:

Our Vision - Ā Tātou Tamariki, Ō Tātou Whenua, Ka Ora Te Apōpō

- Our Children, Our Land, For Our Future

Our Mission - Love to Learn to Lead

which we expand to - We Love to Learn,

So We Can Learn to Lead,

So We Can Lead With Love

Our Whakatauki - Toitū te Marae a Tane-Mahuta

Toitū te Marae a Tangaroa

Toitū te Tangata

Flowing through these is the message of HOPE

We focused on three meanings for HOPE that connect to the elements above:

HOPE - Help One Person Everyday

- Help Our Planet Everyday

- Help Our Pacific Everyday

We began by sharing the thoughts of some children on the importance of Red Nose Day.

Last whānau time, we celebrated Matariki and shared the connection between Matariki and caring for the people and the land - the sea and the sky.

We met the Guardians of the Galaxy - their job is to care for and protect our Galaxy.

We met three Kaitiaki of Papatuanuku. Their job was to protect and care for Papatuanuku - mother earth.

The first Guardian we met was Tane-Mahuta - guardian of the forest and all that lives in it.

His job is to care for the native bush, the trees, the plants and all the forest creatures.

The second Guardian we met was Tangaroa - his job was to look after the ocean and all the plants and creatures that live in it.

And one last Guardian we met was Tawhirimatea - Guardian of the wind, sky and air.

His job was to protect the sky and air and all who lived there.

The stories of these Kaitiaki teach us to be guardians too - to be superheroes of our own galaxy - protectors of mother earth.

We shared a short clip about our earth recovering - Papatuanuku Breathes.

We know our WHO is Two - The People and The Land.

We know our HOW is HOPE - Help One Person Everyday

Help Our Planet Everyday. Help Our Pacific Everyday.

And we know our WHAT is What we do - the actions we take every day to show our love for each person, our planet and our Pacific.

Give - what you can, like give your time. Comfort someone - be empathetic, caring.

Do A Chore - help without being asked. Teach someone something you know.

Just Be Nice.

Our HOW is also by living our Pōhatu Tumu values every day and in all that we do -

Whānaungatanga. Whakapono. Whakamana. Manaakitanga. Turangawaewae

Over the next few weeks we will focus on Our Pōhatu Tūmu - our Foundation Stones representing the values our school is built upon. Last Friday we looked at Whānaungatanga.

So Why is Family Important? Three reasons.