A Keep in Touch (KIT) Day was the perfect way to come together and celebrate Matariki this year.

Twelve students from Years 4 to 7 came together at the Hawke's Bay Deaf Resource Centre to celebrate Matariki. As students arrived, they played games and got to know each other. Everyone learnt the signs related to Matariki, including the nine stars.

We played NZSL Whispers in teams and then chose from a range of Matariki-themed craft activities, including making a marae facade, weaving stars, making lanterns, and even planting some little plants to take home.

The positive impact of our KIT Days are best summed up by our learners - here's what Micah (Year 6) had to say...

This year I have been on two KIT days where I met some other Deaf people who were great fun and friendly to hang out with. On the first KIT day, we learned about the stars of Matariki. We talked about and learned the signs of the Matariki stars. We looked at some of the stories about Matariki.
We had fun together and did some activities. We had snacks and also made some things to do with Matariki. Some of the activities included string weaving to make a Matariki star and a night scene with stars and a Marae. We did some planting too. A Deaf person there called Amy (an NZSL teacher), taught us some of the signs of Matariki stars. My favourite part was meeting everybody, and making new friends was nice. Also, my favourite activity was string weaving because I liked my stars and was proud of it.