Malo e lelei, mālō ni, talofa, kia orāna kōtou, kia ora koutou,
Pasifika greetings to start this newsletter. Why? Next week is Tongan Language Week. Whilst it feels like there is a language week most weeks, what’s important is the realisation of the importance of maintaining and developing language. Language intertwines with culture. It is so important. The theme of Tongan Language Week is ‘E tu’uloa ‘a e Lea faka-Tongá ‘o ka lea’aki ‘i ‘api, siasí (lotú), mo e nofo-‘a-kāingá.’ Speak Tongan at home, the Church and the community and it will be sustainable. We hope you speak to and around your children in home languages if you have them. It is also great for them to hear them around the community.
Where are all the teachers?
Mr Isherwood, Mrs Smart, Miss Tiatia and Miss Garbes were at Finlayson Park School on Thursday in Manurewa. This school has strong bilingual units with Samoan, Tongan, Kiribati, and Māori (immersion and bilingual). Their sign reads ‘Blessed to be Bilingual’ when you walk in the school. They are visiting, Otahuhu School and Sutton Park School today to finish their journey. We hope they have a great time tomorrow, get lots of ideas and we will see them on Monday!
Finlayson Park School pictures:
Youth Group Years 7-8 (4.30pm-6pm)
This is Friday in the hall for students in years 7-8. Remember to sign them in and leave a contact name in case of emergency. Super fun!!!
Filipino Languages and Culture Week
What a day on Friday (last week)! So much fun. Thanks Chef Astig for the great food and to all the parents who helped out. So proud of the performers and students.
Kātahi te rā i te Paraire (i tērā wiki)! He nui te pārekareka. E rere atu ana te mihi ki Chef Astig i te kai reka, ki kā mātua i te āwhina hoki. Kai te tino whakahī au nā kā kaikanikani, kā kaiwaiata, kā tauira hoki.
It was great to show the links via the map of the Philippines in the entrance. Families brought in photos and let us know their whakapapa links, we webbed it up. It was awesome that the Filipino community within our school designed the entrance for us, organised and taught the dances, and made food for our children. The value and all helping out really makes things happen in a small(ish) school. He mihi ka tika to Susan Oh Pimentel who led the charge and also Jobelle from Euphoria Dance Studio for teaching one of the dances. Please come along to the cultural festival and see it complete! Well done to our students who went around teaching some language and culture each day and Mr Ish for organising. A picture of a Filipino student teaching below.
Here is my speech for those that were not here and are interested:
Kumusta,
Where do you come from?
In NZ, often people get asked this. Some people are sad when they are asked it because although they are New Zealanders, with accents and different appearance to the majority, they don’t feel like New Zealanders.
I think we all need to take a different approach and have a different reaction to this question.
When Māori are asked where they are from, they answer the iwi or iwis they belong to. This is to help connections and iwi move, Māori didn’t start here, they traveled here like every single one of our ancestors. After this, Māori might say where they were born and then where they now live. This is normal. It is a story of how you came to be right where you stand (or sit).
When I am asked ‘Nō hea koe?’ which is, where are you from? My reply is, my ancestors were mainly from Ireland, England, the Cook Islands and Scotland. I was born in Dunedin but Christchurch is my home now.
I request of all of you, children and adults to see the positive in this question, not the negative. Our history is our strength. To know it is important. To remember those that came before us.
Our map in the entrance links all of our students of Filipino descent to the Philippines, but they are also linked through faith, and they are all St Anne’s students.
I encourage all families to hold onto their cultures and the language of their culture, teach it to your children, love it. Language and culture are weaved together. Don’t think, let’s speak to our children in English so they are better at it for the future. Research shows bilingual and multilingual children achieve better, have more opportunities in life and the work force. I have also spoken with professors in language acquisition and three is not too many for a child! Imagine, leaving St Annes, fluent in their home language, and in the two main languages of NZ. The future is theirs.
There is a saying in the Cook Islands that goes:
Toku reo, toku aka’ara’anga ki te ao mārama
Toku reo, toku rakei ora
Toku reo, toku manava
E āmama toku va’a, kia topa mai te reo manavanui, te reo tupuna, te reo Māori
My language is the path to understanding,
My language is my adornment,
My language is my heart.
When I open my mouth, let the words of my heart, the words of my ancestors come out.
To finish, I am so proud to the Filipino children and community here. We are lucky enough to have two board members of Filipino descent who bring different gifts to the running of the school. Our Filipino students always show respect, care and a strength in faith. We have a lot to learn of the way those of Filipino descent conduct themselves.
Enjoy the afternoon and God bless
This week, ‘Lunch with the Principal’ was for the students who have been showing the most respect. Respect for others, equipment, the environment and the school. Well done team, enjoy your treats.
Mass this weekend, who is it for?
Well, all of our families at St Anne’s. Please come along and see our local high school and join the other schools in our parish. No uniform required!
Nā, mō kā whānau katoa ki Hato Ani. Tēnā, haramai, kitea tō mātou kura tuarua, honoa kā kura atu ki roto i tō mātou pāriha. Kauraka e mau tō kākahu kura.
Mr Halkett creates the coolest learning. Here is learning around voyaging, from trips to see Te Rā, learning about migration history, learning about floating and sinking, to designing their own waka to sail down our stream! This all done through te reo Māori.
Kia ora e te whānau,
This coming week…
– Friday is a special prayer day for Creation
– Litter free lunches are a big focus for our faith in action
World Day of Prayer for Creation is this Friday 1st of September and marks the start of the Season of Creation. This was initiated by Pope Francis as a way for Catholics to pay special attention to the state of our planet. Follow this link to learn more about 2023 Season of Creation
The importance of this subject to Pope Francis is shown through his name…Francis, like St Francis who cared for creation, and the Pope’s messages (Laudato Si’).Follow this link to learn more about Laudato Si’
To put our Faith into action this month we will be starting with a special prayer day on Friday and planting a tree at school. For the whole month of September we also encourage every student to try their best to bring a litter free lunch, we have always been a litter free school but it is always our faith which should motivate our actions in this regard. The Faith Team will be giving spot prizes to people who care for creation with litter free lunches during the Season of Creation.
Ina raru ana te taiao, kei te raru hoki tātou. When nature is in trouble, so are we. Ngā mihi o te Kaupeka mō Orokohanga
Josh Halkett
Acting DRS
Policies
A reminder, if you are interested and would like to take part in our termly reviews of policies, or are interested in any, they can be found here. Please follow the link and then have a look around!
Policy Update – School Term Absences
For any holiday during term time, you need to advise the office in writing of the dates.
Cultural Festival Organisation
Tickets, last day Friday 1 September!
Information for Kapahaka group: Come to school with hair tied up in a bun if you are a girl, boys with long hair, in a topknot if possible please. Please no other culture additions to kapahaka uniform, if in pasifika/Filipino and you have add ons, this is to be done between kapahaka and the next performance. Please bring a smile. Parents must have tickets, they cannot just come with us. We have enough help (except any hair and makeup legends! Let us know if you can come on Wednesday prior to 1pm and help sorting). You are welcome to bring a gift for your instructors should you choose to, to give AFTER the performance, or a thank you (in Māori would be best). hazel@stannes.co.nz
Information for Filipino group: Please wear the traditional clothing from Friday. Wear them to school but maybe bring a jersey so you don’t get food on them. Kapahaka children will change and put Filipino clothing in a specific bag and then change again after the kapahaka performance. Please also bring a smile. You are welcome to bring a gift for your instructors should you choose to, to give AFTER the performance, or a thank you.
Information for Pasifika group: You will need a black t-shirt, we have some but please try to source before Wednesday. Please bring a smile! You are welcome to bring a gift for your instructors should you choose to, to give AFTER the performance, or a thank you.
Upcoming Events
Put on your calendar. Email address for contact person should you need more information. If no contact email, it is yet to be fully finalised and contact will be added when contact is available. There will be more events to come but the focus in the upcoming four weeks.
Week 8 (Social Justice Week/Tongan Language Week)
Sunday 3 September – School Mass 10.30am held at CCC. For all families of the school josh@stannes.co.nz
Tuesday 5 September-Last Kapahaka group practice for Cultural Festival hazel@stannes.co.nz
Tuesday 5 September-Last Pasifika group practice for Cultural Festival ateliana@stannes.co.nz
Wednesday 6 September-Last Filipino group practice (morning) for Cultural Festival principal@stannes.co.nz
Wednesday 6 September – Cultural Festival Catholic Cathedral College – 1.30pm-3.30pm josh@stannes.co.nz
Week 9 (Māori Language Week)
Tuesday 12 September – Kapahaka Rōpū performance at Tūranga hazel@stannes.co.nz
Friday 15 September – Newsletter out
Week 10
Monday 18 September – Ski Trip Years 7 and 8 dean@stannes.co.nz
Tuesday 19 September-Thursday 21 September – Koru Games, Lincoln – dean@stannes.co.nz
Friday 22 September-Principal Secret Trip (selected students)
Friday 22 September-End of term 2.50pm
The end!!!
Te Atua te aro’a,
Kia manuia,
Dallas Wichman