Samoan Language week 2021

 Samoan Language Week - Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa is the celebration of Samoan culture and language and aims to encourage New Zealanders to learn and experience some of it.

Samoan make up the largest group of Pacific Islanders living in New Zealand so it's very important to recognise and commemorate their heritage. There are around 150,000 people residing in NZ who identify as Samoan. Samoan Language Week gives students of all backgrounds the chance to learn some basic Samoan and gives students who speak Samoan the opportunity to share their knowledge in the classroom. There are also community events that take place across New Zealand to celebrate it. 

In Tamaki college, Samoan language week is celebrated from 31 May to 2 June. All students were invited to dress "Cultural wear with a Samoan Flair". Girls were invited to wear puletasi and for the boys wear a tidy aloha shirt with an 'ie faitaga. This week we had a Samoan language house competitions. Students performed Samoan cultural dance in assembly. It was great to watch our mentoring students perform the Samoan language week celebration. Happy to see Pasifika students all around New Zealand embrace culture and pride. This week we had a very delicious kai from Samoan cultural teachers. very pleased to see and share their culture with them.

Pacific languages, cultures and identity are essential to the health, wellbeing and lifetime success of Pacific peoples and their communities in Aotearoa.

Samoan language week celebration at Staffroom

Supporting Pacific Learners(Reflection)

 Culturally responsive strategies to meet the needs of Pacific learners who require additional support.

                     What is Pasifika or Pasifika peoples?

They are umbrella terms to categorise trans-culturally diverse peoples from the Pacific region who now live in New Zealand but continue to have family and cultural connections to Pacific Island nations.  Pasifika identifies themselves with the islands and cultures of Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tokelau, Tuvalu and other Pasifika heritages. (Tapasā).

Who are our Pasifika learners? They are trans-culturally diverse individuals. They live or try to live in two different cultures. They are Tongans or Samoans and Kiwis at the same time consequently, learners live their traditional cultures at home and their Kiwis culture at school.

They are ethnic-specific individuals. Samoan, Tongan, Cook Islands, Fijian, Niuean, Tokelauan, Tuvaluan learners are all Pasifika but they are very different because of their different ethnicities and cultural capital. They have multiple identities

“I’m Tongan, yep, but I’m also Kiwi”

 TAMAKI  College PASIFIKA LANGA  Ako Initiative:  Understand the background of our Pasifika learners and their learning. Revisit the Langa Ako initiative by sharing our work so far and the seeing pathway moving forward. Unpack the Teaching Standards for Professional Teaching through the Tapasā lense. Key areas Langa Ako will focus on to develop and enhance Pasifika culture, languages and identity in the school.

 Key Objectives: Infuse culture in the school by providing dedicated learning sessions that embrace Pasifika culture, language and identity. Provide opportunities to engage with our community. Provide staff and students focused PLD and lessons that contextualise learning content and teaching pedagogies to support Pasifika learners. Engage parents by providing ethnic parent groups that pro-actively walk alongside their child’s learning journey.

Diwali Celebration in Tamaki College(Reflection)

 Diwali is a special time of celebration for New Zealand’s Indian community and this year, like so many before, will be celebrated in the homes of families everywhere as they share food, give gifts and light candles or diyas to commemorate the return of Lord Rama, his wife and brother from their 14-year exile (after the defeat of the 10-headed demon-king Ravana).

Diwali signifies the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and the renewal of life; it is a beautiful time to celebrate with your nearest and dearest.

After an extraordinary year of disruption and uncertainty that has been so challenging, the region-wide celebrations of Diwali - The Festival of Lights lit up Auckland’s vibrant communities on 14 November 2020. As the Diya (candle) is passed on, the light is shared,  bringing our communities together. 

Diwali is a great opportunity to engage with your local Indian Hindu community, especially those members who are families at school. Extend your school Diwali celebrations into the community, by encouraging family input into all aspects of teaching, and learning. It is from families that you will get insights into valuable stories, artefacts, language, and customs.

This year, we celebrated Diwali at Tamaki college, and I was celebrating this festival first time with Tamaki college Whanau. I was very excited and curious about these festivals. All Indian community teachers want to represent their culture with their best. So they started making arrangement one week before. We planned how we will do this festival and involve Tamaki whanau at this festival. One day before we decorated the staff room with traditional decorations and with diyas. And we encouraged whanau to get ready with traditional Indian attires on the day of the festivals. We prepared yummy Indian food for our whanau. They really liked it. 

It was just a way to represent cultural diversity and respect for all culture, traditions and rituals in Tamaki college.

Kahoot-Learning Game

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Tamaki College encourages teachers and students to use technology in the classroom, but finding ways to integrate technology into class plans seamlessly can be difficult. Aside from Google Drive and online learning management systems, Kahoot! is the latest addition to many classrooms and it’s here to make learning fun. Here are some ways for teachers to effectively use Kahoot! In the classroom to facilitate learning.

What is “Kahoot!”?

Kahoot! is a game-based learning and trivia platform. What makes Kahoot! So great is that it has uses beyond the classroom; it can be used in offices and social settings, making it a hit for all ages. Kahoot! Can be used from any device (through the website or the app), making learning fun and inclusive in all contexts for all ages. Teachers can create multiple-choice games related to class content that students can play as a class by entering the game code on their app or device. Kahoot! Offers a multitude of other forms of games related to class content that can make learning fun.

Uses for “Kahoot!” in the Classroom

Instead of using a worksheet at the end of a lesson for assessment, consider using Kahoot! It’s a fun and effective way to measure which concepts your students understand fully — and which might need reinforcement if you’re looking to end class on an exciting note, Kahoot! Is a great way to have fun while also utilizing class concepts and looking for a way to energize your students? Use Kahoot! As a bellringer or class starter to get students engaged at the beginning of class.

"Gather, analyse and use appropriate assessment information, identifying progress and needs of learners to design clear next steps in learning and to identify additional supports or adaptations that may be required".

Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

Last day of Term 2 with Year 10

            School Can Be Fun, Easy, and Entertaining

Today(3 July), was the last day of term 2 in the school. I tried to make this day entertaining, creative and fun-loving for my students. So, I prepared an interesting Kahoot for my classes based on NEw Zealand. Students loved it. I announced the prize for the first three winners. But, the end, of course, I shared a cupcake with every student for their participation in-game. We talked about different exciting places in New Zealand and shared activities which they will do during the holidays. Some students have a plan for holidays, and they were very excited. It was a very fun-loving class. Everyone enjoyed it and happy.

A Happy Bid Goodbye

When you arrive with your class at your predetermined goodbye spot, make it a point to bump fists or shake hands with each student, in modest celebration of another great day.

Big smiles, happy students, a final reminder that your classroom is a special place.

A place both teacher and students, love being a part of.

Bones and Skeleton(Reflection)

This week's topic was Bones and Skeleton. I tried a few activities with my STEAM classes. I start class with the introduction of bones and skeleton, and we discuss functions of bones and frame in the human body and in animals. The first activity was dissected fish head and count bones of a fish head. Students really enjoyed this activity and helped me in examining fish and counting bones.

Skeletal System: All the bones in the human body together are called the skeletal system. The skeletal system provides strength and rigidity to our agency, so we don't just flop around like jellyfish. We have 206 bones in our body. Each one has a function. Some bones offer protection to softer more fragile parts of the body. For example, the skull protects the brain, and the rib cage protects our heart and lungs. 

Other bones, like bones in our legs and arms, help us to move around by providing support for our muscles. The skeletal system includes more than just bones. It also includes tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Tendons attach our bones to muscles so we can move around. Ligaments connect bones to other bones.

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In the first half of the class, students learned about different types of bones in the human body. Students did dissection and complete worksheets and read handouts about bones and skeleton. The second half, students draw different bones skeleton in their science project books—Skeleton of dog, fish, bird and many more.

In the end, I played a video for students.

It was a perfect topic, and students participated very well.

"Provide opportunities and support for learners to engage with, practise and apply learning to different contexts and make connections with prior learning".

Samoa Language Week

Tālofa lava! Afio mai!

Samoa Language Week / Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa is being held in 2020 from Sunday 24 May to Saturday 30 May. The theme for this year is 'Tapena sou ōso mo lau malaga' which in English means 'Prepare yourself a gift for your travels'.

Samoa Language Week / Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa is organised by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples to maintain and promote the language and culture of Samoa. Gagana Samoa is the second most spoken language in some cities like Auckland and Porirua, and the third most spoken language across New Zealand. 

Samoa Language Week celebrates the identity, language, and culture of students from Samoa and students whose families are from Samoa; supporting this group of learners to engage and achieve success.  

This special week helps all New Zealanders journey towards shared cultural understandings. This year’s theme is Tapena sou ōso mo lau malaga/Prepare yourself a gift for your travels. The theme provides an opportunity to reflect on preparations for different journeys. Covid-19 has brought about a new way of journeying online and that’s what we are celebrating this year. The ōso/gift of not only resources but ongoing relationships, collaborations and wellbeing are important, especially so during these challenging times.  Enjoy these gifts below as you celebrate Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa.

When greeting people in gagana Sāmoa, talofa is used at any time. The response is Talofa lava or malo lava. Or, you could say talofa or malo. Practice your language skills using the list below:

Talofa lava: Hello (formal)
Talofa: Hello (informal)
Malo: Hello
Tofa soifua: Goodbye (formal)
Tofa: Goodbye (informal)
Fa’amolemole: Please
Fa ‘afetai: Thank you

There will be online presentations from staff and students and will end with celebrating Samoan Language week the Tamaki Way – with free food!!(Social distancing will be in place)

Fa’afetai tele lava

Earthworms-Reflection

This week's topic was Earthworms. It was good to know, the student knows about earthworms, their advantages in our garden and why worms help in nutrition and growth of plants. The topic starts with a discussion of earthworms, it' behaviour and functions. After that, I showed them a video related to worms. Students took notes and discuss the video in the class.

After that, we read handout in the class and highlight the critical thing on handouts. In the end, I gave them real worms and students notice them and their behaviour, length, width etc.

A national programme of experiential learning about marine conservation (Reflection) Yr10 PDv

This year is my first year of teaching, and this is my first EMR trip in Tamaki college with year 10 PDv and TBSM1. I was very excited and curious to learn about EMR, and what's it's used for the community and for the country. This EMR trip divided into 2 sections. The first session was to go to the local beach(Point England) and find out crabs and marine animals. Whole year 10 was divided into different groups and with varying teachers of science. The second session was going to Goat Island and do scuba diving and learn about NZ natural diversity.

When students visited a local beach, they collect some marine animals like crabs and count them and find out their behaviour on the beach. Then they play a Maori game and learn about that game. After that, they learn about New Zealand diversity. The last session was to do swimming and learn how to use the equipment for Scuba diving for Goat Island.

What is EMR?

EMR is a national programme of experiential learning about marine conservation. EMR's independence, professional delivery, marine reserves focus and provision of a range of learning styles make it unique within New Zealand. 

EMR empowers schools and communities by providing the equipment and expertise for a hands-on learning experience in the ocean. The programme involves investigating marine biodiversity and local marine environments before venturing to a fully-protected marine reserve. After this experience, students can compare unprotected, and protected areas and are supported to put their knowledge into action within the community.

Sea Creatures

Crabs and Marine creatures

New Zealand is surrounded by ocean - our oceans are a national treasure for many reasons, but we have begun to see a widespread decline in many of our fish species. It is only recently that we have started to understand the impacts this has on the rest of our marine environment. 

After experiencing their local marine environment and the fully protected marine reserve, participants often lead action projects and become kaitiaki of their marine environment. 

"Design and plan culturally responsive, evidence-based approaches which reflect the local community and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in New Zealand."

"Harness the rich capital that learners bring by providing culturally responsive and engaging contexts for learners."

Plastic- Save Environment(Reflection)

This week was a fabulous week for STEAM. This week we discussed different types of plastics, and it's uses and dangerous effect on the environment. Class starts with a simple discussion of plastics. Like, Plastic is a kind of material that is made by people and can be formed into almost any shape. Most plastics are strong, long-lasting, and lightweight. They resist damage by water, heat, chemicals, and electricity. Also, plastics can be made in many colours. After discussion, we read handouts of plastics and then students did cut and paste activity of uses of plastics. It was the positive, negative and neutral effect of plastics.

Last activity on Plastic was sorting out different plastics according to their codes from 1 to 7.

Students brought their own Plastic from their homes and then in groups, they sorted out their plastics and gave them codes.

"Design and plan culturally responsive, evidence-based approaches which reflect the local community and Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership in New Zealand."

"Gather, analyse and use appropriate assessment information, identifying progress and needs of learners to design clear next steps in learning and to identify additional supports or adaptations that may be required."