It's been another positive year for students and staff in the Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education Hillmorton Provision. We appreciate all the support and opportunities that have come with being based at Hillmorton High School.

Some of the highlights this year

Students and staff thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Hillmorton High School Athletics Day in term 1. Students competed in many events such as sprints, long jumps, discus and javelin. All competed positively and enjoyed the day at Ngā Puna Wai.

Our students have been taking the lead in running our weekly NZSL Club. Staff and students are invited to participate every Wednesday to learn our beautiful language through games and activities!

In term 1, our Year 9 students attended the Hillmorton High School Camp and enjoyed the opportunities available to them. These included sleeping in a tent, mountain biking, bush walking, cooking on a camp stove and kayaking. This is a positive way to start the year and connect with students and staff as they begin their journey at Hillmorton High School.

This year was the first time Ko Taku Reo Provision students performed in the Hillmorton Drama Production. It was wonderful to see our students perform, and they worked hard to learn their lines. Two wonderful interpreters interpreted one of the shows, and many staff made the most of this opportunity to attend the show and support the students.

In term 2, a group of students visited a rest home in the local area. The Events Coordinator had reached out to Ko Taku Reo to ask if we could visit the residents and teach them some NZSL. Our students practiced and performed two signed songs, taught the alphabet in NZSL and some signs which the residents had requested. We all thoroughly enjoyed visiting and hope to return soon.

In term 3, a group of students attended an outstanding play at The Isaac Theatre Royal, 'Where Our Shadows Meet'. It was performed by Deaf and hearing actors and combined New Zealand Sign Language with spoken English. We also had the opportunity to be involved in a Theatre Workshop with two of the people from the Theatre Company. We learned many valuable skills, and it was an excellent experience for the students to explore their Deaf identity.

We also had all staff and students from the Provision participate in creating a work of art for our Arts Showcase. Everyone had some time to reflect on their own identity from different perspectives. We discovered what patterns or icons were important to those cultures. Then we made it into a cardboard print, which we printed onto fabric. The prints were sewn together into a beautiful Korowai to resemble all our identities coming together in our place to stand – Tūrangawaewae.

During the end of term, our talented dance students, Jannah, Aquila and Lily, were involved in the Hillmorton High School Fearless Dance Show. There were various different performances and dance genres, including Ka Hura (Māori Poi Dance), Hip-hop, Fosse Jazz & Contemporary. This was an incredible show, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the hard work that the students had completed throughout the year!

We are all looking forward to 2025 and the opportunities that we can enjoy!