Leo

Leo is in Year 3 at Manakau School. He is talented at running and playing squash and enjoys tramping. Leo represented his school and region for cross country running this year. In class, Leo works hard in all areas, including enthusiastic participation in various activities to keep growing his spoken language. This has included guessing and describing to the class the objects he feels within a Countdown bricks surprise pack and using voice-to-text as a tool during his story writing.

Rory

Rory is in Year 2 at Levin East School. He enjoys socialising, dancing, and his weekly Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) visits to the farm. At school, Rory has been working on descriptive language, positional language, and nouns. Also, Rory's letter formation in both his signing and handwriting is developing. Rory engages very well in NZSL learning songs, and especially enjoys "hands-on" learning activities like baking and measuring with a builder's measuring tape.

Braxton

Braxton is in Year 6 at Roslyn School. Braxton's knowledge and confidence in maths have grown, and he has also worked hard in reading, developing good accuracy and fluency. Braxton also shows a flair for adding expression to his voice in reading-out-loud activities. Braxton has been writing a weekly dialogue journal between himself and fellow student Maddox, competing for grammar points, asking and answering questions, and tidiness.

Maddox

Maddox is in Year 11 at Feilding High School.  He is keen on a career with big engines and has secured an afterschool job at a local farm-vehicle business through his own door-knocking initiative.  Maddox has shown leadership skills and inclusion of others through sharing weekly dialogue journal activities with a younger student, Braxton, and as one of the senior students that supports our local termly Keep in Touch (KIT) Day.  Maddox's exemplary work ethic has been evident in school, with his attempts at all the online assessment tasks of the national Level 1 Literacy and Numeracy assessments.  We wish Maddox all the best in getting his results for those assessments.

Emerald

Emerald is in Year 12 at Feilding High School. She is always polite and friendly.  Unpacking Achievement Standard vocabulary has been Emerald's focus this year. She has attained the credit amount required to gain NCEA Level 2.  Emerald tells me she is in line for recognition at the school prizegiving for both her work in vocational studies and her sporting achievements. This talented young sportswoman's accomplishments this year (with national team announcements for sevens rugby and touch rugby to come soon) include:

• NZ Māori Under 18s in rugby union

• NZ touch rugby camp program, Under 16s

• Manawatū Under 18s for touch rugby

• RKR Māori league national team, Under 19s

• Captain of Mid-Central Under 16s league team.