Nau mai ki tenei wiki Kōrero. We know and appreciate this past term has been like no other. While next week is the start of PLD for all of our teachers we do hope you can take some time to rest, spend time with your whānau and team to reflect on the amazing strength and resilience you have all shown along the way. Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain Jane 
Thanks From The Board Tēnā tatou katoa, teachers, educators and staff of He Whānau Manaaki This is a note of appreciation and thanks, on behalf of the Board. We are so impressed by all you have done over the last few months - for tamariki, whānau and for one another. Working alongside children and families, up the alert levels (with all the worry and drastic change) and then back down again.... and THEN keeping on sharing manaakitanga and quality education all through term two... what an extraordinary achievement. Ngā mihi ki a koutou, he roopu pukumahi. Mīharo! Like everyone around the country, you are no doubt exhausted. A lot may have changed for you at home recently as well. We hope you can take some time soon to rest, and care for yourselves and your loved ones. You are taonga in your communities, and in our Association. Thank you, thank you!
Relievers Work We will using the StaffSync app for booking all relievers from Term 3. We need all relievers to have the app and know how to use it. If you have already downloaded the app, and been to training, that’s great. Please check on the app that you are showing as active. If you haven’t downloaded the app or been to training, you need to! There will be two more days to attend training. One will be held here at our Whānau Manaaki office, in Te Puna (the big room downstairs) and the other will be held up in Levin at Te Takare.
As the training is for a mobile based app, please make sure you bring your cellphone and/or device eg, ipad etc.
Please RSVP which time and venue you are attending, and any dietary requirements, to leigh.comeskey@wmkindergartens.org.nz . The schedule for the remaining training sessions is as follows, there are 3 sessions per day: Venue | Date | Times | Whānau Manaaki (Head Office) – Te Puna | 9 July 20 | 10.00am | 1.00pm | 3.30pm | Te Takare Education Suite 10 Bath Street, Levin | 16 July 20 | 10.00am | 1.00pm | 3.30pm |
Update For PCTs And Mentors Changes to Induction and Mentoring Seminar: 1 October 2020 As we had to cancel our July Seminar for PCTs and Mentors, we have decided to include the required sessions from the July Seminar programme in our October Induction and Mentoring Seminar, on 1 October. This seminar will now run from 9.30am – 2.30pm (please note change in times). It is expected that all provisionally certificated teachers (PCT’s) attend this final Induction and Mentoring Seminar for 2020 as it is a required part of our WMK Induction and Mentoring programme, therefore we are looking forward to seeing all Provisionally Certificated Teachers and Mentors at this seminar. Teachers who hold a Subject to Confirmation Practising Certificate (STC) are very welcome to attend too. Our programme for the October Seminar includes sessions on : - Reflective practice
- Working in a team
- Recognising and Supporting Multiple Ways of Being and
- Fostering Educative Mentoring through engaging with evidence: (for Mentors)
Please contact Lynette, at lynette.wray@wmkindergartens.org.nz or your Senior Teacher if you have any questions or queries. Induction and Mentoring Seminar (for all PCTS and Mentors) Thursday Oct 1 2020, 9.30am – 2.30pm Venue: He Whānau Manaaki Office in Porirua
He Whānau Manaaki Kindergarten Association Men’s Group Get Together The next get together for the He Whānau Manaaki Kindergarten Association Men’s Group will be held tomorrow, Friday 3rd of July at Leeroy's bar, 2 Plimmer Steps, Wellington at 7pm. All welcome.
Pay Parity As you will have seen, as part of Kindergartens Aotearoa, we wrote an open letter supporting funding parity for all ECE services, as well as a national collective agreement for all early childhood teachers. The open letter was sent to all teachers last Friday and has since been sent to the media and other early childhood organisations. Here’s a link to a copy of that letter. This has been well received by others in the sector, including teachers who are currently on the minimum allowable rates of pay. Please continue to explain our position of quality for children and families, professional pay and conditions for teachers, and fairness and accountability for government funding.
Tuku mana, tuku ora, tuku iho – Matariki Webinar Series Tena Koutou katoa Tuku mana, tuku ora, tuku iho – Matariki Webinar Series on the weekend 18 - 19 July. For Maori and Pacific teachers who are members of NZEI Te Riu Roa – If you are interested in taking part in any of the Webinar sessions please email Caroline Mareko at caroline.mareko@wmkindergartens.org.nz with your name and email address by Monday 6 July. Caroline will forward it onto the organisers of the Matariki Webinars. A series of nine webinars led by the ECE Voice campaign, a series of PLD opportunities around Matariki and kaupapa Māori. The purpose of this series is to create PLD opportunities to grow the capability and capacity of the ECE Voice campaign and the wider organisation with Kaupapa Māori. This is a series of nine webinars over the weekend of the 18-19 July, each webinar focusing on the different meanings each star in the cluster represents. These webinars will be presented with a wide range of speakers, including academics and education professionals from the sector. The plan started by talking to Māori members, and first asking what matariki or puanga means to them. These members have been part of conversations since the beginning ensuring that their unique perspectives provide us a solid foundation to work from, and to also invite tauiwi into this space. Meaning behind the name: We intend to centre the concepts of tuku mana, tuku ora, tuku iho. This statement has been gifted to this event by Tiraroa Toki, a kōhanga reo teacher from Dunedin. It translates to mean that the inherent responsibility of receiving to then pass on ensures continuity. Rough idea of each webinar, the star’s meaning and the theme for the episode: Session | Star | Meaning | Theme | 1 | Matariki | Signifies reflection, hope, our connection to the environment and the gathering of people. Matariki is also connected to the health and wellbeing of people | Introducing Matariki and what it means in Te Ao Māori. Living by maramataka and how we can use maramataka in our work and lives. | 2 | Pōhutukawa | Pōhutukawa is the star connected to those that have passed on. | Ancestral parenting approaches and moving away from modern clichés of Māori families. | 3 | Waitī | Waitī is connected with all fresh water bodies and the food sources that are sustained by those waters. | The learning value of ecology and how we interact with the environment. | 4 | Waitā | Waitā is associated with the ocean, and food sources within it | Looking at traditional wayfaring and how we can use these methods to inform our teaching. | 5 | Waipuna-ā-Rangi | Waipuna-ā-Rangi is connected with the rain | Hauora e.g. post-COVID recovery. | 6 | Tupuānuku | Tupuānuku is the star connected with everything that grows within the soil to be harvested or gathered for food | Te Whariki and its creation. Talking about the fact that children are taonga. | 7 | Tupuārangi | Tupuārangi is connected with everything that grows up in the trees: fruits, berries and birds | Language revitalisation – this will be in te reo | 8 | Ururangi | Ururangi is the star connected with the winds | Forward planning and responding to change. Climate change and te ao māori approaches we should be taking to tackle this | 9 | Hiwa-i-te-Rangi | Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is the star connected with granting our wishes, and realising our aspirations for the coming year | What’s next for ECE? Taking all that we has been covered, how can we move forward to make ECE better? |
He Pātaka Reo Te reo Māori has seen a resurgence in ECE and schools across New Zealand | Aotearoa. This is the result of the good work of leaders in those workplaces who have chosen to restore te reo Māori and tikanga in their environment. Kaiako are always looking for ways to gain confidence in their own te reo Māori, and Te Rito Maioha has developed He Pātaka Reo for them. He Pātaka Reo is an online professional learning and development course designed to encourage and help ECE teachers build confidence in speaking te reo Māori in a natural and spontaneous way each day. Stage 1 starts with the basics including the Māori alphabet and correct pronunciation, how to greet someone and introduce yourself in a traditional way, and how to praise someone in te reo Māori. Stage 2 gets into more activity-based language to use with outdoor play, physical activity, shapes, painting and more . Stage 3, which will be available from 9 July continues to grow kaiako’s te reo Māori with puzzles, reading, locating objects, and different words and phrases used in outdoor activities, animals and buildings . As a membership organisation, Te Rito Maioha have made this resource free for all members. Members can access this resource here by clicking on the 'Go to my Learning Centre' button. Membership is pro rata to 31 December. This means that Individual Membership for the remainder of 2020 can be purchased for around $65! Non-members can purchase it here. It is $75 per stage or all three stages as a package for $180. Contact the Membership team for more information, their contact details are below.
One Year On Yesterday there were celebrations a plenty as we reminisced over the last 12 months since Whanganui Kindergarten Association joined us at He Whānau Manaaki. Gift baskets were delivered to all of the Whanganui and Central Plateau and a lunch was held at the WM offices and the Whanganui office to celebrate this 1 year "birthday".  
 
Murals Unveiled Irmgard Ritchie kindergarten were feeling very privileged this week as the finishing touches were made to their new murals. These murals certainly brighten up their outdoor environment. Special thanks go to the artists. 
Tane Mahuta (Forest mural) done by Kate (Axel's grandma) 
Matariki stars done by Karla Marie (Art student from Learning Connection)
Whāea Sue's Farewell Celebration Sue Barrett is retiring! She has been teaching at Ōtaki Kindergarten for 28 years, 25 years as Head Teacher. She has made a huge contribution to the Ōtaki Community. She is a well respected kaiako within Whānau Manaaki and the wider early childhood education community. Come and join us for Matariki and Whāea Sue’s Farewell Celebrations on Thursday 30 July from 5.30pm until 7.30pm at Ōtaki Kindergarten. Please RSVP by 24 July for catering purposes to otaki@wmkindergartens.org.nz
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