The Creatives in Schools programme is an opportunity for teachers and creatives to work together to provide rich learning experiences for students.

This year Waitaki Girls' High School was successful in its application to take part in the programme and in terms 2 and 3 we are working with Mrs. Erin Brown on a literacy through art project celebrating the work of local writer and former old girl, Janet Frame.

The project is entitled "Telling Our Stories - If These Tables Could Talk!" and has its roots in the Aoteara Histories curriculum refresh which is about knowing our local histories so that we might better know ourselves. Exploring our local history, environment, and stories shows who we are, where we came from, what has shaped us and made us who we are, and our place in the world. Combining the literature of Janet Frame and the images she creates of our local environment - her "Kingdom by the Sea", the group will produce "Talking Tables" (painted and decorated lunch tables) for our school grounds. Our "Talking Tables" aim to both increase literacy and promote the joy of words and reading for pleasure whilst stimulating talking, story sharing, and thinking amongst our whole school community. 

Next year will be the centenary of Janet Frame's birth and the tables will form part of our tribute to Janet's place in both our local community and the world. One of our early steps in the project was visiting Janet's childhood home in Eden Street this week. Pupils were able to explore how life was back in the 1930s and 1940s when Janet was at school in Oamaru, view some of her writings, and learn more about Janet's life story. Many of Janet's experiences and feelings were highly relatable to our pupils who discovered that despite the years many things about being a teenager were still the same! 

Thank you very much to Chloe Searle, Director of the Forrester Gallery and Waitaki Museum & Archive who opened the house, especially for us for a private tour and gave us such an informative talk about Janet.