Atarangi received a Principal's award at Assembly last week for leadership because she's been helping out with the little kids at Breakfast Club. It's a new award for the school, and Atarangi was the second student picked to receive it. 

Her teacher commented on how much more confident she's been suddenly (since the teacher started using NZSL). Atarangi now puts her hand up in class to answer questions. Atarangi even helps her teacher if she gets the sign wrong. 

Atarangi suddenly started signing sentences to her Resource Teacher of the Deaf (RTD) and even stood up in her Te Reo class and said her Pepeha! She also got a certificate for that. It took her a term to decide she was ready to do that. 

These are giant steps, as Atarangi has been very shy about anything new. Very proud of her!

Next steps: Her RTD is teaching her a Karakia Timatanga in NZSL and Te reo Māori, and she has agreed to help the RTD teach it to her syndicate! As Turi Māori, this is a big step for her, and her Māori teacher is excited to learn the sign for the karakia, which he says they'll use as a school now.