Mā te tuakana te teina e tōtika. Mā te teina te tuakana e tōtika. Both tuakana and teina have valuable knowledge to share.

The whakatauki (Māori proverb) above illustrates some of the meaning around our BELONGING value at Breens. Our students have certainly demonstrated this during term one and I am so proud of our students for how they have stepped up to support each other this term. Our year eight students have been wonderful friends and mentors to the younger students and I have been so impressed by the dedication of our large student leadership team.

Of particular note also is the student response to the terrible events of 15 March. You will spot an article in this newsletter which highlights some of their responses, the contribution from these students has been particularly brave and compassionate.

BELONGING at Breens is also about uniting as a school community to work together. It was heartening to see the great turnout at our recent Parent Support Group meeting this term. It is not too late to join this group and contribute. The next meeting is on Wednesday 8 May at 7pm in the staffroom. It was also wonderful to see a full house at our recent whānau hui, so beautifully led by our Kaiārahi students and whānau class members. We have had some excellent recommendations from our whānau. These will be useful as we plan ahead to do new and different things with our Māori students.

A big thank you to the Bishopdale-Harewood Scout group who volunteered their time last week in our school. The work on the gardens made a real difference to tidying up the back of the school - we really appreciate the support of these young adventurers!

There is plenty of building activity going on in the school. The framing is up for our new spaces at the front of the school and by the time we return in late April it is likely that the roof will be on! There is also significant work going on at the back of the school. We are having two classrooms relocated here from the university. This work has started with removal of some trees and the site fence constructed. Next week the buildings will arrive and will be hoisted up for two weeks while the foundations are constructed underneath. While this will all be enclosed within a fenced building site, it is preferable that children stay away from school over the next few weeks so the construction team can do their work efficiently and without the added concern of managing neighbourhood children.

Mana Ake Parent Drop In Clinics

Mana Ake is a new service in Canterbury that provides early intervention for children in years 1-8 and their families/whānau, to support their wellbeing. The Mana Ake service is provided by people with a range of skills including social workers, whānau ora kaimahi, counsellors, youth workers, nurses and psychologists.

They are available to support children and their families/whānau at school and at home and they will be part of our school for the next 3 years. The service provides support for teachers, families and whānau when children are experiencing ongoing issues that are impacting their wellbeing or have mental health concerns.

The Mana Ake service can support individual children, groups of children and provide advice, information and workshops for parents. They are committed to providing some level of response as fast as possible.

Tania, our lead Mana Ake team member will be available next term on Wednesday mornings (from 8.15-9.45) to talk with parents / caregivers confidentially in our supported learning room at the front of the school. If you would like to meet with her or learn more about Mana Ake please pop into the office.

I would like to sincerely acknowledge the support from our parent community this term. So many parents have been in and out of the school connecting with teachers to discuss and hatch joint plans to help the children achieve to their best potential. We love being able to connect and collaborate with parents to support the children.

Please look out for the end of term Breens values progress reports in your child’s bag on Friday. Teachers and students have worked together to both write reflective comments against our school values.

I would also like to thank my team here for their unwavering dedication to the children and support of each other this term, particularly in such difficult times. It will be great to have a couple of weeks ahead to rest and recharge. We look forward to seeing your beautiful children on Monday 29 April. Best wishes for a really special Easter break.

Ngā mihi nui

Nikki