Aituaki Staff Tour 2025:

There is no way I can do justice to this annual event in just one newsletter page - but I will try, nevertheless.

This year, my wife and I led our third Pay It Forward venture to Aitutaki. Jacqualene Maindonald is the principal of Mangere Central School, and she initiated these ventures three years ago. This year, we had a team of 16, consisting of 12 from Western Heights and four from MCS.

We took with us 80 kilos of teaching resources, art supplies and sports equipment to donate to the two main primary schools on the Island - Apii Araura and Apii Vaitau.

We also provided two days of free Professional Development for the staff of these two schools, as well as PD for the Island's Oranga Tamariki officer and the assistant to the Mayor.

These trips are always fully self-funded. We benefit from cheaper airfares and accommodation due to the size of our group. Sometimes we receive outside donations and support, and at other times, it's just down to us and our wider staff teams.

Our hosts were incredibly warm, generous, kind and appreciative. They were hungry to learn, and their children were delighted to see us.

Some of our staff had to step out of their comfort zones at times, facing island animals, riding a motorbike for the first time, paddling a waka ama, and performing in front of big crowds. Others had been on this trip previously and took it all in their stride.

The opportunity for us to perform during the Island's 60th anniversary of Independence was really special. The chance to see the energy, passion, skill and enthusiasm of the student performances was even better. Best of all, though, was witnessing the drumming skills of Areri - he is a master drummer at just six years of age!

We will be welcoming the staff from Apii Vaitau school on Monday, 28 July. 

We will host a welcome for Apii Vaitau staff at 10 am, featuring a performance or two, and invite them to participate as well. We'll also connect this to Kuki Airani Language Week. At 10:30 am, we will provide a special morning tea for our guests, and from 11 am until 2 pm, we will cover:

• Our Sensory Room and Space
• Our garden area and our Bush School
• The ECE at Sturges Road Kindy
• Google Docs and Google Drive systems and processes
• Engaging learning  - keeping children motivated, understanding the why behind behaviours
• Visual Art - keeping in mind they have limited resources.
• Walking through the classes so that they can see the different setups of each class.