Pukeko  Class Term 1

Kia ora e te whānau what a great start to the school hear we are having. It has been lovely to begin building relationships with your tamaiti and getting to know their learning styles.   This week we are settling into our learning routines.  

Term 1

Inquiry - We have two threads to our topic this year which weave together ~ Pepeha and Gratitude.

The focus will be around the individual child, exploring their identity as part of our school whānau , as they develop an understanding of our school and the local area.  We will learn about our connection to the land and water through local legends while growing our understanding of our school pepeha.

Gratitude is a positive emotion and attitude characterised by a deep appreciation for the kindness, help, or positive experiences. Gratitude and manaakitanga are deeply connected; manaakitanga (Māori concept of hospitality, care, and generosity) involves actively showing respect, kindness, and support, while gratitude is a core expression of manaakitanga, fostering strong bonds by acknowledging and appreciating the care received, creating a cycle of mutual upliftment and positive community building. Essentially, being thankful for what others do is part of the act of caring for them, which is manaakitanga in action. 

Literacy- We are delving into some of our favourite story books.

We are teaching the Better Start structured literacy program, as we settle into our routines one of our top priorities is ensuring every child develops a strong foundation of reading, writing and oral language. The explicit teaching method helps children crack the code of reading.  The programme is very strong on the importance of sounding out letters especially for our beginning readers.  

There are plenty of ways you can support your tamariki at home with their reading while listening to them read the book they bring home, encouraging them to discuss the story & relate it to their own experiences to create a love of reading. On the inside cover are letters which it is good to practice sounding out with them e.g a is “a” as in apple.

Maths - We are Number Ninjas! 

Maths is hands on, and we are learning to explore different concepts using the approach that  maths is all around us and we are building on key foundational knowledge and skills.

We will  also introduce PRIME Maths resources. 

Important Dates:

Please keep an eye out for notices if there are any date changes. 

Feb 6th - Waitangi day (School closed)

Feb 12 - Whole school beach day.

Week 3 - Swim safe.

Week 5 - Seniors on camp.

Week 6 - Pukeko & Nga Ringa Day Trip (to be confirmed).

Week 9 - Celebration Assembly.

Week 10 - Whanau Interviews.

Pukeko has an open door policy so if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out. By popping in before or after class.  or alternatively you can contact me via email 

Īmēra  ~ Email: carolm@mangonui.school.nz