Niue Language Week(Reflection)

 Niue is one of the world's largest coral islands. Niue peoples are the fourth largest Pacific community living in Aotearoa New Zealand with over 30,000 people, 75% of whom live in Auckland. 

Niue Language Week provides an opportunity for students to learn, speak, and celebrate the indigenous language of Niue, through language, song, dance, cultural displays, and community events.

Niue Language Week helps all New Zealander's journey towards shared cultural understandings. Learning a new language gives us insight into new ways of thinking and to different beliefs and cultural practices. Through this learning, we acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes that help us live in our culturally diverse world.

There is a chance that you will have some Niuean speakers in your school community. Encourage those students and their families to be experts during Niue Language Week and validate their expertise in front of other students. Support them to teach Niuean and prepare the Niue Language Week celebrations for the school, placing an emphasis on shared language experiences.

The 2020 Niuean Language Week theme is ‘Faliki e tau momoui he tau atuhau ke he Vagahau Niue ’ which in English translates to, “Lay the foundations - give rise to Vagahau Niue for generations".

This years theme reminds us of the need to not only respect and treasure our languages and cultures but to work daily to ensure the foundation remains strong for generations to come. Niue Language week is in its ninth year, the 2020 Niue Language Week is focused on laying the foundations to give rise to Vagahau Niue for future generations.

Mental Health awareness week(Reflection)

 This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is September 21 to 27, and the theme is Reimagine Wellbeing Together: He Tirohanga Anamata. It is more timely than ever as we reflect on the uncertainties and stresses caused by COVID-19. MHAW 2020 is an opportunity for everyone to redefine and rediscover what wellbeing looks like, during COVID-19 and beyond. 

 Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) is a reminder that we all have mental health – it's a taonga/treasure and something to look after! MHAW is an opportunity for a school or Kura community to reimagine wellbeing and nurture a culture of wellbeing where everyone feels safe, supported and valued.

This year hasn't been easy, and MHAW 2020 is a chance to build on the simple things we’ve been doing to look after ourselves and to reimagine what wellbeing looks like – together. MHAW is a timely reminder of the simple, everyday actions tauira/students and kaiako/teachers can take to look after their wellbeing. It is an opportunity for tamariki/children, tauira, kaiako and more comprehensive staff and whānau to reimagine what experiences, actions, relationships and surroundings make them feel good. 

Last day of Term 3(Mufti day)

 Our time is important. The kids that we teach are precious to us, and they need to know that our time together was worth it. So don’t just let the year-end: Celebrate learning, celebrate the moments you’ve had, and savour the time you have left together. 

At the end of the race, we like to hear cheers, and when kids graduate, it’s a climactic event. Really, the end of every school year should be climactic. It should be exciting. So, as teachers, we have to be very careful not to let the bell ring and have kids wondering what just happened. The end of the school year should be a time of review, reflection, and celebration.

I celebrated the last day of week three by performing various science activities and fun activities in the class with students. For STEAM, we saw earthworms, note down their behaviour. For yr 9 &10 we discuss the structure of the eye, label parts and quiz on Kahoot. In yr 10, we did the periodic table and found out different properties of Metals and non-metals.

 

Te Reo Maori Language week (Reflection)

 Te Wiki o te Reo Māori takes place this year between 14 and 20 September. 'Kia Kaha te reo Māori' is the theme for this year's Māori Language Week. Kia Kaha is a well-known phrase in New Zealand, meaning be strong. So when we say 'Kia Kaha te Reo Māori' we're saying 'Let's make the Māori language strong'.

Māori Language Week has been celebrated in Aotearoa since 1975. This particular week is an opportunity for the concentrated celebration and promotion of te reo Māori, helping to secure its future as a living, dynamic, and rich language. 

There was Celebration of Te reo Maori language in school by growing connections with Maori communities, Learn a Māori kupu or phrase each day, Support teachers and students to create and share their pepeha, Sing waiata, Explore Māori place names, Read Māori myths and legends, Organise a school or community event.

This week was Mori language celebration week, and different activities and games were organised in the school for teachers and students to participate and learn about Maori language and its history and importance. At the end of the week, it was Mufti day and best hair decoration competition for students and teachers.

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.

Thoughts of Back in School(Reflection)

                     Returning to school after the second wave of Lockdown.

Pupils’ experiences of the lockdown period will have been very varied. For some, it will mostly have been a safe and enjoyable time. For others, it will have been challenging or traumatic. Schools and teachers are used to supporting their pupils through challenges that they face in life – the current situation will amplify those situations many times over.  

As a teacher, I am already aware of the experiences that my pupils are having, and as schools reopen, the specific challenges that the school community is facing will become more apparent. Supporting your pupils through this transition will draw on many of the skills you use day-to-day to provide personal and academic advice and guidance. 

Different pupils within the same class will have had very different experiences of the lockdown period. They will also have varying levels of coping skills and resilience in dealing with those experiences. Having an open mind about what pupils may be going through and how they will be dealing with it will be necessary.  

Pupils may not feel able to jump straight back into learning immediately when they return to school. Disrupted ability to focus is a common experience for children and young people who have experienced bereavement or trauma. Immediately returning to scheduled lessons might lead to disruptive behaviour as pupils get used to seeing each other again. Finding time to allow them to work through these conversations and get ready to learn could be helpful if you can schedule them in. 

The return to school may be the first contact that pupils have had with each other in many weeks. Launching straight back into the usual timetable is likely to be challenging, as pupils have had a long period away from the regular daily routine. They may also have lots of thoughts and questions about the time away from school.  Of course, there is also a need to make sure pupils begin catching up on work they have missed.

On the very first day in school, I will talk about rules in Level 2 at school. What are the expectations of the teachers and how students can be safe at school?

Teacher Well-being during Lock down

   

         Teacher Wellbeing During COVID-19 Lockdown

Schooling during lockdown constitutes some unique challenges for teacher wellbeing. Teachers are now working in a way in which they have never had to before—at the same time, facing anxiety about the current situation and uncertainty about the future.

Teaching is inherently social and communication is fundamental to everyone working in schools. Stay in close touch and share your fears and concerns openly and honestly with friends, partners, colleagues and managers to get some perspective.

At the same time, think about others you might be able to help in some way – in your school community, at home or in your other networks. A phone call, text, Zoom get-together – whatever the medium, it can make a difference to how you and others feel.

If working and delivering lessons remotely, make sure you keep in close touch with your teams who can be a great source of support in themselves. If you have worries, problems or anxieties in or out of work that will not go away, then talking to someone outside your situation can make a huge difference and can help you to find a way through.

“SMART teachers (Self, Motivation, Activity, Relationships, and use of Time) appreciate the tight connections between physical and mental wellbeing and the benefits of being active in this regard. 

"Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply this learning in practice."