Hero photograph
 
Photo by Aramoana Mohi Maxwell

Across the Deputy Principal's Desk

Aramoana Mohi-Maxwell —

Tēnā kōutou katoa, Keeping our young women at the heart of all that we do and helping them achieve the goals they set at the beginning of the year remains our key focus.

Our world continues to be shaped by the impacts of the Co-vid virus and it has brought about a level of connection that has seen a growth in the way we use technology, design our learning programmes and build relationships with our young women and their whānau. 

Professional Learning opportunities have offered a chance to build staff capability in the way we use our systems in the school, the way we work with our learners and how we can work with each other to co-ordinate greater shifts in academic achievement. Poutama Pounamu continues to help us.

Image by: Aramoana Mohi-Maxwell

We have the types of teaching and learning conversations that change the way we see ourselves as teachers and learners and it can cause monumental shifts in the way we learn and who we learn from.

Image by: Aramoana Mohi Maxwell


Image by: Aramoana Mohi-Maxwell

Further Professional Learning in workshops has helped build our knowledge of a tool that we use to help us reflect on the way we teach.

Image by: Aramoana Mohi Maxwell


Image by: Aramoana Mohi-Maxwell

Students of the Reo Strategy arm of Kāhui Rangatahi continue to work with staff to build their understanding and confidence in the use of Te Reo Māori me ōna tikanga. 

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori provided an excellent pathway and we were able to learn and put our learning into practice. Maria Tini, our Kōhine Whakarae provided traditional yet innovative ways of practising our Reo and applying it to everyday situations. Her activities included; daily Reo sessions with staff, staff and student quizzes (lunchtime), Māori Assembly and Staff Professional Learning.

We certainly took on our whakatauki theme ‘Kua takoto te manuka. Werohia!’ and shared what we learned and also learnt from those who shared.

Cliff Curtis was our guest speaker at our Assembly and his message was as simple as it was powerful. I laughed and I cried and through his message, I learned that I do not have to be stopped my own limits or the limits placed on me by others and that there are people around me who will help me and guide me.

‘E te tungane, e kore aku mihi aroha e mutu – aē, ko au ko koe, ko koe, ko au! Kaare e kore, ka noho poho kereru a Māmā rāua ko Pāpā i āu nei kupu.’’

Marautanga lay their wero (challenge) at our feet and it was a catalyst for change. Each area of the school was asked to use as much te Reo Māori as they could and the students would provide the feedback on where they were heqaring it the most. The winner on the day was our Reo. Feedback was far-reaching and spread across the school. We celebrated our week with mihi (acknowledgements) and manaakitanga (Morning Tea from Marautanga).

Image by: Aramoana Mohi-Maxwell


Image by: Aramoana Mohi-Maxwell

Student voice shapes our next steps. The final portion of this article belongs to our Kōhine Whakarae who said ‘Ngā mihi manahau to all our staff who gave everything they had to what we wanted to share. We could see and hear you learning and then speaking Te Reo Māori where ever you went and it gave us confidence to keep going!

Rest well everyone! We are here if you need anything. NCEA is the key focus at Years 11-13 and we will do all that we can to help our young women succeed. To our whānau, thank you for your willingness to work with us and as the Deputy Principal of Year 12, please contact myself or Miss Janaye Biddle-Kite if you have any queries.

Nāku noa nei, nā

Whāea Aramoana

Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning

Year 12 Pastoral