Tēnā koutou katoa

My name is Darryl Alexander and I am a teacher. At our most recent hui, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education NZ made an exciting announcement regarding the establishment of an NZSL Bilingual Provision in Wellington. The provision in Wellington is part of a network of 14 provisions in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Our approach in Ko Taku Reo is to respond to local student and whanau needs, so we will be consulting with families in developing the Wellington provision.

I have been appointed the role of Provision Lead and am excited about what this new opportunity will mean for DHH students, their whanau and the wider community. Providing education primarily through the medium of NZSL has been a passion of mine for many years and Ko Taku Reo have a passion for providing NZSL learning opportunities for Wellington Deaf students. This is something that parents and the Wellington Deaf community have been wanting for a long time.

We, at Ko Taku Reo, acknowledge that, like any child, Deaf children deserve the opportunity to be educated alongside their peers, in an environment where they can communicate and establish meaningful relationships with others. The value in coming together as members of a cultural and linguistic minority is huge and the journey of acquiring a strong sense of belonging begins at a young age. Our aim for Wellington is to provide an authentic education pathway for children, starting with a playgroup for the young ones and carrying on through primary school and beyond. Ko Taku Reo is looking to build strong partnerships with the wider community who also want to see Deaf children thrive.

Below you will find a basic overview of the provision model, outlining the intended options available. One of the ways the community can get involved is through our playgroup commencing in term 4, which you can read about in this newsletter.

Students and adults attending the NZSL Hub over the last three years have had a taste of what it looks like to learn through NZSL alongside their signing peers. The primary school-aged opportunities will expand upon our current NZSL Hub by providing a range of additional opportunities for students. Our NZSL Lab students will also see more opportunities to connect with one another.

We envisage that this provision will go a long way towards achieving our vision of providing students with an environment where they can Belong, Grow, Choose and Excel. There is a lot to get on with as we proceed with planning over the coming term, in collaboration with the MoE. We will continue to communicate with you as details are ironed out, and will announce details of an enrollment evening early in term 4. To ensure you are kept informed, please subscribe to this newsletter and please feel free to forward this newsletter link within your networks.

As always, feel free to get in touch with me at darryl.alexander@kotakureo.school.nz any time. We look forward to working with you and welcome your input as we journey together.

He waka eke noa.

Handwaves,

Darryl Alexander