Tongan Language Week(5 Sept-11 Sept)

 This year’s theme is which means enriching Aotearoa with holistic education. The theme serves as a conversation starter on the importance of holistic education, diverse forms of learning and how Aotearoa can benefit from it.  Due to COVID-19 Alert Levels across Aotearoa Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga - Tonga Language Week will be celebrated online. 

This year we are celebrating Tongan language week between different houses and it will be Inter house-Competitions. The purpose of this is, Staff are provided with opportunities to experience and enjoy some aspects of our Tongan language and culture. These are also alternative platforms to have a fun enjoyable time together during this challenging time. Teachers can also grab points for their houses. 

On Monday it was a singing competition. Teachers can sing Tongan alphabets with or without instruments. Teachers have to sing with their house teams and Tongan teachers can't sing solo they just have to guide us and accompanied us in our singing. But this was going to be fun.

On Monday during the mentoring time, our team(Puriri) sang a Tongan alphabet song, I learned it by heart, So first I sing then all of the teachers follow me. We really enjoyed it. It was great fun and the best thing to learn about different cultures. I really want to appreciate Mrs latu efforts in Tongan language week.

Tongan Language Week(Reflection)

 Tonga Language Week is on from Sunday 6 September to Saturday 12 September 2020. The theme for Tonga Language Week is: "Fakakoloa 'o Aotearoa 'aki 'a e Lotu Mo'oni". "Enriching Aotearoa New Zealand through Prayer and Faith". The Ministry for Pacific Peoples works closely with Pacific communities’ to maintain and promote heritage languages. Languages magnify the value of a community, providing a vital link between our place in Aotearoa and our heritage as peoples of the vast blue Pacific continent.

At the time of the 2013 census, there were over 60 000 New Zealanders who identified as Tongan. Currently, there are more Tongan people born in New Zealand than there are in Tonga, giving lea faka-Tonga (the Tonga language) and anga faka-Tonga (Tonga culture) a special place here in Aotearoa.

Auckland was at level 2.5 this week. But still, teachers and SLT team worked hard to celebrate the week and introduce Tonagn activities and introduce the importance of Tongan language to the students.

Tongan language week was celebrated in school by performing various activities with students and teachers in school. The whole week was amazing and celebration and participation of students and teachers in Tongan cultural activities were amazing. Every day it was a new phrase in Tongan and students and teachers learn new phrases whole week. Tongan language games, Classroom discussions, InvestigateTongan art, hold a community event. 

Last day of the week was Mufti day and cultural day. Every teacher and the student dressed up in their cultural dresses and represents there cultural. It was amazing.