On Tuesday 8th of September, Maria Hayward came to visit us at the homework centre.

Maria, who manages the Refugee Education Centre in Mangere, was able to catch up and reconnect with some of our former-refugee students, who had previously completed their induction programme at Mangere, before resettling here in Christchurch. We thoroughly enjoyed connecting with Maria and it was great to hear that we shared the same beliefs about the importance of implementing supportive structures in class, and a welcoming environment for our students. Later in the week, we attended Maria’s professional development session on ‘Therapeutic Learning Environments’. We look forward to continuing building strong relationships with the staff at Mangere’s Refugee Education Centre.