Ao Tawhiti Newsletter April 2024

Upcoming Events

Contents

IEMs – Friday 12th April – School Closed for Instruction
School Holidays – 13th April – 28th April
IEMs – Monday 29th April – School Closed for Instruction
First day of timetabled classes term 2 – Tuesday 30th April
PPTA Paid Union Meeting – Thursday 16th May – School will be closed for students in years 7 – 13 in the morning. Normal classes resume at 1pm
Reading Co-requisites – Monday 20th May 9am – 12pm
Numeracy Co-requisites – Tuesday 21st May 9am – 12pm
Writing Co-requisites – Friday 24th May 9am – 12pm
Staff only day – Friday 31st May – School Closed for Instruction
King’s Birthday – Monday 3rd June – School Closed
Matariki – Friday 28th June – School Closed
Last day of timetabled classes term 2 – Thursday 4th July
IEMs – Friday 5th July
School Holidays – Saturday 6th July – Sunday 21st July
IEMs – Monday 22nd July
First day of timetabled classes term 3 – Tuesday 23rd July

Message From Niki

Kia ora e te whānau o Ao Tawhiti

Many, many thanks for your support while I have been Acting Director this term. It has been a fast, busy term, and I have learnt a lot. I understand Anita’s role so much better now, and am looking forward to supporting her when she returns next term. I am also looking forward to spending more time with the Y1-6’s, I have missed them! A massive thanks to Brent Ingram, Megan Taylor, Ian Hayes, Community Leaders and all staff for the support I have received this term. I could not have done the job without you all.

Ki te kotahi te kākaho ka whati, ki te kāpuia e kore e whati – when we stand alone we are vulnerable; together we are unbreakable.

Phones away for the day One of the tasks I have been in charge of this term is developing a policy for the government’s new legislation. This policy has been signed off by the board. HBLAs and subject LAs have been talking to students about how we will be managing phones next term. Please talk about this change in phone use to your child/young person in order to prepare them to use their phones in a different way next term, and support us if a letter comes home explaining that your child has not followed policy.

Balcony works in term 2 On or around 20 May, work will begin to place wire mesh on the balconies. While in the long term this will make the balconies safer and more flexible in their use, in the short term there is going to be some disruption. Scaffolding at the front of the building is going to impact the entrance, and we have started looking at alternative exits, particularly at the end of the day. The scaffolding will also impact where the Y1-6 students currently play. Again, staff are looking at alternatives for the duration of the disruption (an estimated 7 weeks, until the end of term 2). Please be mindful of the changes we will communicate nearer the time, and if you have any amazing ideas please get in touch and let me know.

Chain letters There are some chain letters doing the rounds on kids messenger, and possibly other apps. Please, especially if your student is in the Y7-9 part of Ao Tawhiti, keep an eye on their devices, on what they are seeing, and doing. Netsafe has some great ideas about safe device use and resources for parents.

Tāima kōrero On 20 March, Brett Harvey from the organisation Tāima kōrero came to talk to At Tawhiti whānau about how to talk to your children and young people about p*rnography. It was quite a sombre talk; statistics of children and young people seeing p*rn are alarming. Here is an excerpt from Te Mana Whakaatu The Classificatioins Office, NZ Youth and Porn ‘Porn isn’t just an issue for teens, it’s an issue for kids. Here are the facts: One in four young people in New Zealand first saw porn by the age of 12. Three out of four have seen it by 17. Most young people were not seeking out pornography when they first saw it, but they came across it anyway – it found them.’
Yes, these statistics are scary (and don’t reflect the actuality which is worse!) and while the fact that p*rn is not only easily available, it actively seeks out new users is terrifying, it isn’t all bad. There is hope. Brett says the best thing you can do in your whānau to de-mystify this phenomenon is to talk about it. The resources page on the website has links to information for parents and caregivers, courses and much more. Navigating this is not easy, but there is help.

Special character I love our special character. It means students can follow their passions and engage in learning that is relevant to them. Some recent examples of students living our special character from this term:

2 HBs from Y1-6 created a video about playtimes to inform all students what they can do during break times

Communities hold regular community hui for students to share their arotahi learning

Craig and Rob’s project class in Yellow is turning out some very cool student-led learning including making a bike ramp, a ping-pong launcher, board games; creating a clothing brand, a dance, mocktails and learning about animation, coding and running a podcast

A Y12 student has won $10,000 to create a card game that teaches older dyslexic students to read
Jenny’s HB voted on Ruru for their HB name. They designed and made cushions with custom owls, so lovely.

Louie in HB kererū had a goal this term to learn about planting native trees and propagation. Bonnie put his mum in touch with Susannah (a parent) who works at Trees for Canterbury. Sarah then took her son and Louie to Trees for Canterbury one morning at kura where Susannah taught them about trees and propagation. Then Sarah connected with Sandi and Rachel at the CAC and last week they planted some trees that Susannah had gifted them. Cool to see the triangle in action with multiple parents and staff and a parent fully supporting their child’s goal!
A TA was in a reliever-run hospo class with a student making Rēwena bread. She did an incredible job of taking the lead, helping everyone, giving advice, guiding people without being overbearing, setting timers for people, correcting issues and so on. She displayed some fantastic “living our core values” type stuff.

Parent group A group of dedicated parents are getting together to talk about some fundraising for things we need at school, not least for the playground which has been on hold this term. If you are interested in being involved in activities across Y1-13, there will be a meeting early in term two. Please email arwinsley@gmail.com

Counselling team I felt it was timely to remind everyone that our Counselling team are bound by the same code of ethics as set by the NZAC. They must have informed consent to work with students; in Y1-6 this involves permission from parents/caregivers. They are not allowed to discuss any student they are working with unless the child or young person is in imminent risk of serious harm; outside of this, they can only speak about them with the explicit consent of the child/young person.

Fundraising Many thanks to you all for your patience while we worked through our fundraising policy. This has now been signed off by the board and is ready to implement. Please see the policy here.

I hope you all have a wonderful two weeks with whānau, we look forward to seeing you all again in term 2.

Niki

Messages from Senior Leaders

Code Club – volunteers needed

Code Club is run by 4 dedicated parents who come to Y1-6 every Tuesday afternoon to work with tamariki who are interested in coding and robotics.

The team have grand plans to extend Code Club to Y7/8, possibly 2-3 on Wednesdays, as well as continuing to keep the junior Code Club going but they need YOU!

They are looking for a group of volunteers to help run Code Club. The only requirement is that people are able to read and have a current police vet. No experience or expertise is needed in coding because here at Ao Tawhiti, Everyone is a Teacher and Everyone is a Learner! If you’d like to have a look at the programme we use in Code Club, this website is a fantastic introduction: https://projects.raspberrypi.org/en/pathways/scratch-intro

If you are interested in helping, please contact leon@leonmartiz.com

Niki Stephenson

RAMs training sessions, Terms 2 and 3 dates

Many thanks for the continued support with Education Outside the Classroom.

This term, in addition to out-and-abouts within the Four Aves, students have been involved in trips to Willowbank, Canterbury University, Riccarton Bush, The Airforce Museum, New Brighton and Sumner beaches, and more.

We really value whānau support to make these trips possible, and offer RAMs training sessions for caregivers to help facilitate this. The sessions last half an hour and times and dates for the next two terms are as follows:

– 8:30am, Thursday May 23

– 2:30pm, Wednesday June 19

– 8:30am, Thursday August 8

– 2:30pm, Wednesday September 11

Please RSVP using the form below, so that I know how many people to expect for each session. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdov2Zlz0ztJsGzBynQe5KYOuaChvHnhNxXcU0MvyWBxlENSQ/viewform

Feel free to email me if you have any questions: megan.taylor@aotawhiti.school.nz

Megan Taylor

News/Notices

Musical Theatre & Drama Classes at Ao Tawhiti

Ao Tawhiti has the honour of beginning some drama classes for almost all ages! We have a variety of classes, starting up right here in the building after school from Term 2.

Musical Theatre with Jess! Learn dance choreography, singing, acting, and how to put them all together to create some magical scenes. Jess is a specialist drama and musical theatre tutor, dance teacher, and NASDA trained.

Junior Musical Theatre Classes, Ages 7-12: Tuesdays 5pm to 6pm

Senior Musical Theatre Classes, Ages 13-18: Tuesdays 6pm to 7pm

Musical Theatre not your forté, but still interested in drama? Then the drama classes on Thursdays are calling for you! Coming from The Court Theatre to Ao Tawhiti, your drama tutor; Harmony!

Learn how to read, analyse, and perform scripts, improvisation, devising, creating characters, and having fun to open up your skills and push your abilities on stage while performing. Harmony is a specialist drama tutor and a Court Theatre Jester!

Junior Drama Classes, Ages 7-12: Thursdays 5pm to 6pm

Senior Drama Classes, Ages 13-18: Thursdays 6pm to 7pm

Only $100 for our Term 2 Introductory 5-week course.

To book, please apply through the website:

www.singingstarsnz.com

See more on: https://www.facebook.com/Rollestonsinging?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Harmony Beaven

Ao Tawhiti Cultural Calendar

Term 2 Ao Tawhiti Matariki Choir Fridays 2.15pm to 3.00pm – this is an inclusive choir run by Jenny and Greg. All are welcome. This is a term commitment therefore regular attendance is necessary to perform at the Matariki celebration.

Performing Arts Concert 22nd May at Ao Tawhiti – organised by Flynn Bailey-Walters

Ao Tawhiti Matariki Celebration 28th June

Ao Tawhiti Student Music Performance 3rd July – co-ordinated by Matt Davis

Visions Unveiled: A Fusion of Wearable Art, Fashion and Cosplay 1st August 6pm-7.30pm @ Tūranga – Three categories to enter Wearable Art, Fashion and Cosplay. Must mostly be crafted or handmade. Students must submit a design brief.

Timeline:

Term 2 Week 5 27th May: Submissions due

Term 2 Week 9 27th June: All outfits required

Term 2 Week 10 1st July: Successful works are notified and rehearsals begin

Term 3 Week 1: Rehearsals

Term 3 1st August: Showtime!

“The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde – Ao Tawhiti Student Led Production September 19th & 20th

Ao Tawhiti Film Festival 4th November at Lumiere – 5 minute maximum, best submissions will be selected only. Deadline for submissions is October 14th

Mahi Tai The Ao Tawhiti Art Exhibition 18th October

Message from Bonnie

Dear Ao Tawhiti Parent Community,

My partner and I have recently decided that we will be moving over to the UK in the July school holidays after Term 2. This has been a long held ambition of ours due to the opportunities for work and travel it offers us.

I have loved being a part of the special community at our kura for the past four years. You, your children, and my amazing colleagues are what I love about this job. I also always appreciate how privileged I am to work at such a wonderful kura that allows for so much freedom for our tamariki. I’ve truly had the best years of my career at our school and I have learned an incredible amount, which I look forward to taking with me when I go teaching overseas.

Thank you all for your constant support, kindness, trust, and humour.

Ngā mihi nui,

Bonnie Dalton

CAC In the Holidays

Ceramics Class

In our Ceramics Class we have been making posts, dishes and figures using different techniques we have been learning. These photos show some of the work that has been created and the kiln being loaded with other work.

Libby Boyd

Senior Academic Philosophy Class

Some of our year 12 and 13 philosophy students are taking a university level course in philosophy, which is largely taught right here at school. Last week, a few students thought it would be nice to go to the UC campus and join one of the lectures there. The topic was skepticism and rational thinking. The lecture was great, and was inspiring to our students.

Our philosophy class has, for many years, had a good working relationship with the university philosophy department. We’ve had many students take stage one courses while at school, and some students have even progressed to stage two while in year 13. Former Ao Tawhiti philosophy students have gone on to gain Masters and PhD degrees in philosophy.

Our flexible approach allows highly academic students to push forward and achieve their goals both at Ao Tawhiti and university.

Brent Silby

Car Pooling from Governors Bay

Our names are Lea and Riley, and we are new to the Ao Tawhiti school community.

We live at Governors Bay and drive to Lyttleton to meet the Metro bus each morning.

We are curious to find out if there are any other families in the Governors Bay, Rapaki, Lyttelton Area that we could car pool with.

Please feel free to email me leaevergreen@mailbox.org to discuss options.

Thanks,

Lea and Riley

SailGP – Student Achievement

I was selected to take part in the SailGP Inspire programme. This meant I was sailing in the RS Fevas regatta, that was happening at the same time (mornings) as the SailGP event on Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour on 23 and 24 March. I competed in this same event (and same class of boats) last year at SailGP, so I was super excited to be selected again.

This time around I was sailing with a different crew: Caleb. He’s only 12 and has just started sailing the Optimist in Open Fleet (the most advanced fleet). So it was more like me needing to coach him a lot, but that was chill. He was good at following instructions!

We had a training session with all the other sailors (50 of us all together) on Thursday 21 March and then the races started on Friday 22 March. During the training day we had a lot of equipment breakages, so that was really disappointing, but better that it happened then, than during the actual races.

Friday was a windy day and because Caleb is quite light, our boat had a hard time keeping upright! We finished the first day of racing in 8^th position.

Saturday was a light wind day which suited us much better. We only sailed two races that day, but we won both of them! That brought us up to 5^th position. And then on the Sunday we won one race, and came 3^rd and 11^th in the others.

Overall, that was enough to get us third place overall. I think we could have done better if we had done more training, but we only just got the boat two weeks before the regatta, and so I only had four sessions on the water with Caleb before we started racing!

It was really cool going onto the podium and receiving our prize from Jesse Tuke (Blair Tuke’s brother). Best of all for me was connecting with all my sailing friends from around the country. We’re all good mates and have a laugh together when we’re not racing each other. Sailing can be full on sometimes, depending on the conditions, and it’s really good for our confidence in general to know that we can survive out there and get around a course.

We’ve now been invited to compete in the RS Feva Nationals in April in Auckland, but I’m not sure we’ll have the funds to go.

Ben Catton

Last day of Climate Class for the term

Making pizzas with our homemade tomato pizza sauce
Painting signs for the campus
Riding bikes
Harvesting from our garden and getting to take produce home
Creating masterpieces in the sewing room
Senior NCEA – solar power: cooking eggs with our self-designed solar panels

Anne-Marie Hampton

Geocaching- Parent & Student Led Friday workshop

Zeke has been really getting into Geocaching lately!

He decided to share his passion with some of the younger Tamariki and so he ran a Friday morning workshop with my support.

We headed out to hunt around the nearby streets and we got some sunshine, fresh air and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, we found a magnetic nano cache!

I only had to commit 1 hour of my time, and it was great for him to figure out the in’s and out’s of planning and running a workshop.

It was a learning curve for him because he wanted to just go where he wanted, and tell everyone what to do, but he needed to collaborate with the group, show them how to use the GPs, and help them navigate their way as a group, to find the caches.

There was a fair bit of problem solving involved and definitely some things he would do differently next time!

A great example of the Ao Tawhiti Guiding Principles in action!

“Learning is a Partnership” and “Everyone is a learner and everyone is a teacher”

It was lovely seeing a new passion unlocked for some of the younger Tamariki too.

Rachael Holmes-Graham

Mega Air Trip

A wonderful parent alerted HB Kererū to an opportunity for a free two hour session at Mega Air in Hornby this Term! We of course headed along with the help of some amazing parents who drove us there and supervised. We showed heaps of whanaungatanga, kaha, aroha, and had so much fun!

Bonnie Dalton

Touch-Type Read and Spell Scholarship – thank you to LA Mary for your work on this!

We’re thrilled to announce that our school has been awarded a generous 90% scholarship for ten TTRS subscriptions! This invaluable partnership with Touch-Type Read and Spell (TTRS) is set to empower our students to excel in both their academic pursuits and personal growth.

With TTRS, our children will gain essential touch typing skills, spelling, breaking down barriers to written communication and boosting their confidence. This innovative program equips them with the tools they need to thrive in today’s fast-paced world.

We’re immensely grateful for this opportunity, which will undoubtedly make a lasting impact on our school community.

Student Achievement – Dragons Ben Winner!

Congratulations to Ruby Grace who has just won the Dragons Ben competition for her business idea. A huge achievement.

“This month, a radio campaign called Dragons Ben was released. It was for young entrepreneurs to submit their business ideas for a chance to pitch and win $10,000 prizes. Wednesday last week, I was contacted as I was going to pitch my business on the radio, which I did on Friday morning at 7:00 am. Monday morning, I got a call saying I had won the competition.

I recently started developing a business plan based on my own needs as a younger dyslexic child. The company is called FIX, and it’s a multi-sensorial phonic Suffix and prefix program. The idea is to create a card game for children in years five to eight to help continue that sound-based education.

So, the idea is a card game, and the cards will be different suffixes, prefixes and consonants. Now, the idea is that there will be two cards for every word. The first card will be the consonants, and the second card will be either the suffix or the prefix.

Let’s look at the suffix T I O N. The letters to make the sound /shƏn/. The vowel is a weak schwa sound. Let’s look at tion for the word Fiction. One card would have the letters f i c; on the back would be the word Fiction, the definition, and syllables; on the second card, there would be the suffix T I O N.

More FM Radio Visit

“On the 2nd of march, we went down to Lincoln road to visit the MoreFM studios.

Bondy, who is one of the hosts of MoreFM, showed us around and gave us an idea of how it works there.

Whilst we were there we recorded some breaks which is a technical term for slots in between music. We also each had a go at pretending to read and recording the weather.

This opportunity was created by a parent at the school named Jess. We are very thankful for that.

We think it is very cool to see how what we are doing at school with The Huddle Podcast relates to the real world.” – Archie

“We are More FM Radio Fans – we listen to them every trip in the car to school and back and my girls really wanted to see inside the building we drive past everyday.

I had organised the tour with Bondy for Aniwa when she was on school camp as she missed out on meeting Lana, Paul and Adam at the end of Term 4.

I then invited The Huddle boys to join us for the experience.

Bondy taught us all some great tips and tricks of how they work in Mainstream Radio. He let us all have a go at reading a weather report.

We left with some life long memories and lessons of “on air live” radio broadcasting.” – Jess

Cushion Covers in HB Ruru

HB Ruru recently spent a couple of weeks designing and making their own cushion covers.

They began with concept designs, then drew their favourite onto a large sheet of paper. They traced their picture with vivid so that they could then trace it onto fabric.

They painted their pictures with fabric paint and some wonderful whānau sewed up the covers!

They are making regular use of their cushions in class on the mat and on their chairs.

Jennifer Ward

Cinderella Production

This school holidays former Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery student and current teacher aide, Michael Woods, is acting in a play opening this school holidays. It is the classic fairytale ‘Cinderella’. It opens Saturday April 13th at the Malthouse, home of Canterbury Children’s Theatre. Who have been making children’s shows since 1952, notably being the first theatre company in the world to adapt ‘Mary Poppins’ onto stage in 1978. With tickets still on sale. Woods plays the role of Lewis the Lizard Footman, who is the comedic relief in the show. Woods looks forward to doing more shows with Canterbury Children’s Theatre.

Senior NCEA Level 3 Chemistry

In Senior NCEA Level 3 Chemistry, the students have been learning about three different Spectroscopy machines: Mass, IR, and NMR. Students learnt how these machines work and how to read the spectra output to work out the mystery compounds.

We were very fortunate to then be able to visit the Centre for Redox Biology and Medicine at the University of Otago Campus in the Christchurch Hospital. Here a collection of Researchers talked to the students about how they look for signs of inflammation and the production of bleach in diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis. Then the students got to have a go at using some of the lab equipment to run spectroscopy experiments to look for markers of inflammation and Bleach production in given samples.

Overall was a great experience that was enjoyed by both the researchers and students!

Jess Dewhurst

Ronald McDonald House Fundraiser

Thank you all for your generous donations of Easter Eggs for children in residence at Ronald McDonald House. They were so grateful.

Aria-Rose & Mama

Ao Tawhiti Parent Facebook Group

Feel free to join the AT Parent Facebook Group here

The Museum visits Ao Tawhiti

HB Piwakawaka enjoyed a visit from the Canterbury Museum a couple of weeks ago and learnt all about bugs!

Nicole Cunningham

EFS Field Trip

The senior sustainability class at New Brighton the other day learning about dune ecology and management.

Kate Armour

Kairos Food Rescue

Kairos Food Rescue rescues unsold and short-dated food from farmers, food retailers, restaurants and cafes, and redistributes it to local food banks, where it can be given to people who need it.

Every week, a group of students head long for an hour or two to lend a helping hand sorting food and ingredients for food donation.

Rob Miceli

Sea Week

For Sea Week this term, three of our junior classes spent a day out at our local beaches picking up rubbish to do their part.

Two classes went to New Brighton – they were supported by 9 parents and had resources like rubbish bags and gloves provided to them by an organisation that we were connected with through one of the parents. They collected a full black rubbish bag of trash from the beach!

The third class spent the day in Sumner. They and their parent helpers attended a Sea Week Storytime with author Rosalind Potter at Sumner library and then headed to the seafront to start picking up rubbish!

Bowls Tournament

Congratulations to Liam and Neith who came second in the Secondary Schools Regional Bowls Championships held earlier this term!

In Junior Forensic Science we have been learning about all things blood!!

We learnt the theory about what the different blood types are and why we have them. Students then came into the lab to run an experiment on some fake blood of three individuals to work out what blood type they each have. If the blood clumped with the anti- antigen then that meant a positive result = they were that particular blood type. For example, if the blood clumped when anti-A antigen was added but not when anti-B antigen was added then the blood is type A.

Jess Dewhurst

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra opportunites

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has an Ambassador programme for school students. My daughter is the Ambassador for Ao Tawhiti School this year.

What does this mean for you? It means students can get access to their concerts at the Town Hall free of charge and reduced price tickets for accompanying parents.

It is a fabulous opportunity to experience not only a symphony orchestra live but have the opportunity to listen to different genres of music – it’s not just classical music they perform!!

There usually isn’t much time between offered tickets and the deadline for the order so I usually put the info on the parent Ao Tawhiti Facebook page for ease so if you can, keep an eye out. for their season’s programme check out the link: https://cso.co.nz/

Claire Cameron

PROJECT JONAH in HB Takahe

There was a humongous whale in HB Takahe… it was just inflatable. Kelly came to Ao Tawhiti to tell us about Project Jonah. Project Jonah helps whales when they are stranded. Kelly said that if you see a stranded whale, you splash water over it on the tail side so it doesn’t get in the blowhole. Then you put a sheet on it but remember don’t put it on the dorsal fin or the tail because it could hurt it. Smooth out the sheet with your hand to get rid of the air bubbles or it will get too hot.

Written By Owen and Quinn

eSports 2024

A group of students are organising an eSports team to compete in this year’s Tech Week

competition at Tūranga this May.

Saturday 25th

· Flagship Event 1: Vex Robotics competition

· Have a go: Rocket League on the MSI’s groundbreaking new handheld gaming device: the MSI Claw

· Test your skills by playing casual Valorant matches

· Enjoy many of the other events showcased as part of TECHWEEK ’24 in Tūranga

Sunday 26th

· Flagship Event 2: Ōtautahi High School Valorant Competition

· Flagship Event 3: Ōtautahi Intermediate School Rocket League Competition

· Have a go: Vex Robotics – supported by the team at CBHS

· Have a go: Nintendo Switch

· Enjoy many of the other events showcased as part of TECHWEEK ’24

The Esports event is sponsored by MSI & PB Tech who will giving out spot prizes as well as running a competition to win your very own MSI Claw! To enter, simply take photos of the event using the #LuckytheMSIDragon hashtag.

The Valorant Esports event is open to all high schools in Ōtautahi. We can only enter one team, so schools have been encouraged to run their own Valorant competition internally to determine the team that will represent their school.

If you have any questions, please contact matt.parkes@aotawhiti.school.nz

Matt Parkes

HB Takahe and HB Kākāpō

This past Tuesday, HB Takahe and HB Kākāpō visited Sumner Beach to participate in the CCC Learning through Action program called “Saving the Sand Dunes”. Ākonga had the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to exploring the management and stabilization of sand dunes by building their own mini-dune system and discovering the natural and human forces that affect them.

They also investigated the differences between native and introduced sand binders (plants) and discovered a whole new world of creatures living in and around our sand dunes; we were also very lucky to find some Scarab Beetle larvae!

The best part was simply hanging out on the beach, playing, digging, building, and exploring beach life. We are very fortunate to have so many parents who make these trips happen, and it truly reflects who we are as a community.

Mary Lee

Counsellors Corner

The holidays are a time to relax and connect with family and friends. It can also be a stressful time for many of us. For young people it can mean they are away from their friends and the routines that bring structure and predictability to their lives. They also have less access to the support systems available to them during the school term. If you are worried about yourself or a young person over the holidays there are services and supports that you can reach out to.

This ‘traffic light’ resource is for young people in Christchurch to support their well-being and has been developed locally by Tessa Appo. The categories for this are Keeping Well, Extra Support and Immediate Crisis. Check it out! https://www.pegasus.health.nz/your-health/services-for-patients/children-young- people/wellbeing-support-that-meets-you-where-youre-at/
Well-being Resources – Pegasus Health Primary Health Services – Talk to your GP about being referred to see a counsellor for your mental health and wellbeing/ You may be able to access up to five free talk therapy sessions. http://www.pegasus.health.nz
Te Tahi Youth – Free support for 10-24 year olds. A one stop shop for medical, sexual and mental health services, as well as mentoring and employment support. Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Drop in Clinic Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-12pm. http://www.tetahiyouth.org.nz ph. 03 943 9298
Online or phone for After Hours Support – when you need someone to talk to:

Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 for support from a trained counsellor

Lifeline – 0800 543 354

Safe to Talk (if affected by sexual harm) 0800 044 334; txt 4334

Aviva (Family Violence Services) 0800 28482 669

Youthline – 0800 376 633 or free text 234

Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202

What’s Up – 0800 942 8787 (5-18 year olds) Phone counselling Monday to Friday, 12pm-11pm and weekends 3pm-11pm

Kidsline – 0800 54 37 54 for young people up to 18 years of age. Open 24/7

Anxiety New Zealand – 0800 269 4389

For Mental Health Crisis or Emergency Call:

Child, Adolescent & Family (CAF) Emergency Team (Business Hours) 0800 218 219 – press 2

Crisis Resolution – Freephone 0800 920 092 (After Hours) 7 days a week

If it is an emergency, or you, or someone you know is at immediate risk call 111

Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865

Listening to Families – this is a great resource for families and provides answers to everyday questions relating to health and wellbeing challenges facing children and adolescents. ADHD; Anxiety; Autism; CAF; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Eating Challenges; Emotional Regulation; Gender Diversity; General Practice; Information for Muslim Families; Information for Pasifika Families; Mental Health; Sensory Processing; Suicide. The questions the videos answer are real – they come directly from families. The answers are provided by trusted specialists. https://www.listeningtofamilies.co.nz/

Congratulations Setu!

My name is Setu Mosegi and I’m a member of a dance crew named iHow NZ (Imperial House of Waacking NZ Chapter). We are a crew based in Auckland, NZ. I’m based in Christchurch. We recently competed at the world of dance NZ national qualifier for worlds in L.A this year. We won the teams division and made history as the first ever waacking mega crew to win a national championship.

I’m the only member from Christchurch (south island) and the first one ever in the south island to have won the world of dance NZ championships. I’m a 28 year old pasifika male that is currently looking for ways to get some help towards my funds to get me there. Worlds are from July 28th – August 1st in L.A. The funds will cover flights, accommodation, transportation, food and any other means that need to be covered by this. This is a great opportunity to place New Zealand, the South Island and Christchurch on the map.