Nau mai, whakatau mai ra ki Te Kura o Konini. Welcome back to school.

A special welcome to all the new families who have joined Konini School at the start of the year. This Friday we will be hosting a mihi whakatau in the school hall for new pupils and whanau at 9.00 am.

Whanau Evening

Next week we are hosting a Whanau Evening on Wednesday 12 February from 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm. This is a great opportunity for you to meet your child's teacher and hear about the learning routines for 2020 in your child's class. Bring a picnic or grab something to eat from the food carts. There will be plenty to do. Try the orientation challenge, see if you can complete the new fitness trail or relax and talk with other whanau.

Parent Interviews

The first parent interviews of the year take place in week three. Please note that school will close at 1.00 pm on Wednesday the 19th of February to allow staff to meet with whanau. For more information about the evening, including how to book an appointment, click on the following link - interviews

2020 Learning Themes (Inquiry topics)

The overarching Inquiry theme for the year is Kaitiakitanga, which is the Māori term used to explain the concept of guardianship. 

Over the holidays the staff and I have been learning about the history and special significance of Te Pou (our Pou).

We are working hard to grow a strong, collective understanding of Te Pou so that we deliver an engaging Term 1 Inquiry. 

Class trips to Arataki have already been planned, where links will be made to local history, the Pou at Arataki, as well as the local flora and fauna.

As the Term 1 Inquiry will be full of many engaging learning opportunities, the Kaitiakitanga theme will continue into Term 2, where the focus will move from Science and Social Sciences to the Arts. We can look forward to some exciting learning celebrations at the end of Term 2 during our Matariki community celebration.

Each term we will explore different learning contexts which are outlined below;

Term 1 Our Pou, Our Story - Social Science focus

Term 2 Taking Action - Being Guardians - Art focus

Term 3 Guardians of Water - Science focus

Term 4 Guardians of Ourselves - Hauora/Well Being focus

Time for Change

I see our journey into learning about Te Pou, Konini School’s Kaitiaki, as the perfect opportunity to revise the school’s values and motto. We have a wonderful logo that is instantly recognisable and reflective of our unique setting. The challenge now is to develop a motto that has the same impact that our logo has and align the school values to the story of Te Pou. We will keep you posted as we work our way through this process.

Nga manaakitanga

Andrew Ducat