Greetings to parents, caregivers and friends of the school.

Last week we celebrated "Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori" (Māori language week) where Kia Kaha te reo Māori was the theme for this year’s Māori Language Week. ‘Kia Kaha’ is a well-known phrase in New Zealand, meaning ‘be strong’. We often talk about language health, strength, and revitalisation. So when we say ‘Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’ we’re saying - ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong'. During the week we looked to encourage the reo (language) for both tauira (students) and kaiako (teachers). We celebrated this by awarding each other with "He Rawe Te Reo Māori" cards ( the Māori language is awesome).  It also gave us the opportunity to reflect on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi). These principles underpin the relationship between the Government and Māori which is reflected in the New Zealand Curriculum and in our schools.

• Partnership - representation, engagement, schools working with iwi, hapu and Māori communities
• Participation - school environments reflecting the bi-culturalism of Aotearoa, involvement in school planning and decisionmaking - with strong partnerships participation is more likely to happen
• Protection - valuing, validating and protecting local knowledge, normalising te reo Māori, learning and including tikanga (customs) school-wide

At Oxford Area School (Te Kura o Te Poho Rakahua) we are always inspired by the burst of strength from Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori but need to ensure we hold that strength throughout the year. Kia Kaha te Reo Māori!

Ngā mihi nui

Mike Hart
Principal/Tumuaki