Whānau Support Hui
Sarah Corkill & Olivia Newdick — November 12, 2020
Last night, we had our second Whānau Support Meeting for 2020. This was a lovely get-together and many positive updates and ideas were shared! Thank you to those who were able to come along!
Below is an outline of what was discussed:
Walking School Bus: We have made good progress with the beginnings of a Walking School Bus at Te Ao Mārama (click the link to find out more about this). We would look at using this in Terms One and Four. If this is something you may be interested in, please fill in the form attached here. We have had a wonderful map created by Hamilton City Council and we will be in touch with more information soon to those who have signalled an interest.
Whānau Picnic: In Term One, we held an informal Whānau Picnic one afternoon/evening. This was a lovely way for families to meet, mingle and enjoy some time together. Simply bring a picnic blanket and dinner and join us. We will be holding our next get-together at 5pm on Friday 11th December.
New Families Evening: As our kura continues to grow, we would like to ensure we continue to connect as much as we can with all the new families that join us. We also would like to provide an opportunity for new families to meet one another when starting at our school. We will be holding a ‘New Families Evening’ once a term for all new families who have joined us. Once again, this will be a relaxed way to meet new families and make friends over nibbles and a drink. Our first date will be 5pm, Thursday 26th November. All welcome!
Aroha Nui: Our Aroha Nui initiative has been a lovely way to show community-mindedness and support people through difficult times. This can be accessed by a private form or nomination box at reception. More information can be found here on our website.
Helping Hands: If you would like to join our whānau group to help out at events (making coffee, helping with food etc) we would love for you to join us! We are passionate about making our kura a welcoming and community-minded space for all. Feel free to get in touch to let us know or keep an eye out on Facebook for when help is required. Coming up we have Athletics Day 18th Nov, New Parent Evening 5pm 26th Nov, Nearest and Dearest Day 27th Nov - feel free to see us if you are interested in supporting any of these events.
Celebrations/Ideas: The aim of our Whānau Support Group is to ensure our school whānau and community feel connected and included in our place. If you have any suggestions about cultural celebrations that we can help share and recognise or similar ideas, please get in touch with us olivia@teaomarama.school.nz and sarah@teaomarama.school.nz
Finally, thank you to our Board of Trustees for whole-heartedly supporting this group and our initiatives.
If you have any other suggestions, or you would like to join us you can email melissa@teaomarama.school.nz to show your interest.
Thank you!
Whaea Sarah and Miss Olivia
