This year we are excited to be continuing our journey to combine the Social Sciences and English departments to a new Humanities faculty. Why? Throughout most of our courses in both the English and Social Sciences, topics and issues raised from our histories and current events are also reflected in our literature. Literacy skills used and developed in both courses again are similar, but sometimes taught within different contexts (eg. geography / map reading, poetry reading and writing). All junior Humanities courses will allow students to develop their literacy skills and their social science skills within new courses created from student feedback and input from 2024. Check out what we have on offer this year in Humanities 9 / 10.
All students have a compulsory or required course at year 9 and 10 levels and can choose 1 or 2 other Humanities courses (Full Te Reo Immersion Rumaki and the New Bilingual "Iwi Kiwi me te Ao" courses are 2 semesters long.)
In total a student in year 9 or 10 must have 3 semesters (each semester is 2 terms) of learning within the Humanities course range.
Of course, if you are a passionate Humanities student and want to take more, you can do that too!
Welcome Back Whaea Tash to ŌC and Welcome to Humanities
A few years ago, we lost our well - loved Health and PE teacher and Junior dean, Whaea Tash / Mrs. Natasha Simspon to studies at the Wānanga. We are pleased to announce her return to Ōtaki College part- time this year as she finishes her studies at the Wānanga. She will be teaching junior Health and PE classes as well as Junior Humanities classes this year. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead with Whaea Tash!
Unuhia te rito o te harakeke
Kei hea te komako e ko Whakatairangitia.
Rere ki uta, rere ki tai.
Nau e ki mai He aha te mea nui,
Maku e ki atu "He tangata He tangata He tangata"
If you remove the centre of the flax bush
there will be nowhere for the bellbird to reside.
They will go here, there and everywhere.
So if I was asked, "What is the most important thing?",
I would reply, "It is people, it is people, it is people".