Matariki celebrations

Kia ora e te whānau,

On Wednesday we celebrated Matariki with a Maungaraki School HEART day. This was an incredible day filled with connections right across the school. Matariki is a traditional time to reflect, gather together, celebrate the present and plan for the future. It is signified when the star cluster rises in the mid winter sky and marks Te Mātahi o te Tau, Māori new year.

The day began with our tamarki being grouped with buddies from across the school. This grouping encouraged tuakana teina and allowed connections to grow across the teams. Each group took part in four activities related to Matariki around the school. The activities included storytelling, art, traditional games/challenges and much more. Check out the photos attached to see just a glimpse of the action.

Following this classrooms met with their buddy class to share some kai and stories. This was followed by a wonderful Kapa Haka performance and assembly out in the chilly but welcoming sunshine. 

A huge thank you to the staff for making this happen for our tamariki. They planned and delivered an incredibly fun and meaningful day. Our hope is that at the end of the day your children will have been able to come home and share a little more knowledge about this special time of the year in New Zealand. If they have not yet, please ask them about it.

Our focus on Te Ao Māori has included our Reo athon this term. This event is winding up with only a week to go. There have been so many new kupu discovered over the last weeks, and so much being used in the playground and classrooms. Thank you for all of the effort that you have put in at home, your mahi can really be seen. Please collect up your sponsorship money and get it into the office as soon as you can.

No reira, kia kaha ra.

Shane Robinson