Learning Community Hub - Filipino community

Last year 20 Filipino families from the RHS Filipino community were fortunate to receive the first ever school based workshop funded by MoE for the ethnic communities. 

They received the workshops throughout term three and four. 

This year the LC Hub - Filipino is reaching out to more people from the wider community; along with the RHS Filipino community, the Filipino parents of our Kāhui Ako schools (Wharenui and Riccarton Primary), are also invited. 

This time, the Hub is aiming to provide workshops to 25 Filipino families for 10 weeks. 

Here the parents will receive the workshops on a number of topics including NZ education system, NCEA, career goals and pathways, social and emotional development of children, biculturalism and multiculturalism, and their children will receive academic mentoring (both primary and secondary) and ECE supports. 

Just like the last time, all of these beautiful facilities will be provided for free of cost. Their regular attendance will ensure the chance to receive a certificate at the end of the project.

Similar to last year, we organised a Filipino parents’ meeting on 25th of February to welcome our Filipino community in 2021, and to inform them about the programme. 

More than 35 families attended the meeting and many of them showed interest in attending the workshop. 

We have also organised an all Filipino students’ meeting to inform everyone about the workshop and circulate the registration forms. 

Following the meeting, the project team started to advertise it to the Kāhui Ako schools and some potential participants showed interest. 

After doing all the groundwork the team launched the programme on 27th of March and aiming to organise the graduation ceremony on the Filipino Independence day - 12th of June. 

On the launching session, Mr Neil Haywood, Principal RHS, and Ms Margie Askin-Jarden, Deputy Principal RPS, warmly welcomed the 25 families and thanked the MoE for funding RHS again to conduct the workshops. It is a great initiative, and we look forward to continuing our engagements with similar activities in future.

A big shout out to the project team for 2021; Delia Talili (Project coordinator), Gisel Ong ( Education Facilitator), Seth Tio (Community Liaison - RHS and RPS), Marilou Molines (Community Liaison - Wharenui school), Nenette Balatbat (Academic mentor - Primary School), Vanessa Jamito (High School), Marichu Bautista (ECE support). 

We also thank the principals of the three schools, Mastura Abd Rahman from MoE, Vera Martinez from Wharenui school, all the staff and students of RHS who were involved to organise the workshop. 

We thank the fabulous RHS Filipino band for starting the parents’ meetings with their beautiful Filipino music.