Kia ora koutou, 

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2023. For the majority of our learners, term one started well. However, students in Auckland and some other parts of the North Island once again had their learning influenced by events outside of our control, with floods and cyclones having an impact. I am incredibly proud of how staff and students coped with the disruption and prioritised keeping in touch and caring for each other. Being cared for is one way that we can foster feelings of belonging. If we feel valued and important, we can also feel as though we ‘belong’. In our school, it is important that everyone feels they belong. There are many ways this can happen. Whether it be through belonging within their classroom, taking part in Keeping in Touch (KIT) days, being involved in NZSL day schools or language days, taking part in kapa haka as I know some of our students did as part of Te Matatini, or attending the enrolled school whānau picnics around the country. All these activities create a sense of belonging; you will see some of these included in this newsletter.

I would also like to draw your attention to a fabulous new piece of work which is part of the new Aotearoa Histories Curriculum and resources available on Deaf People’s History in Aotearoa! Tangata Turi – I Konei Mātou! Last year Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education New Zealand worked with the Ministry of Education to produce some fantastic new resources for Year 7-10 students which look at the place of Deaf People in Aotearoa’s history. Knowing who we are and where we come from is important to belonging. I encourage you to look at historical aspects of belonging freely available to everyone. These resources can be found here: https://aotearoahistories.education.govt.nz/teaching-resource/tangata-turi-i-konei-matou-hoki-deaf-people-we-were-here-too

That’s it for Term one, take time to explore the newsletter, check out the exciting things happening at our school, and I look forward to seeing you all back here in term two.
Ka kite ano, 

Dr Denise Powell
Acting Executive Principal