Upcoming Events
- Staff Only Day – Friday 14th March – School Closed
- RAMs Training – Friday 21st March 8:30am
- Playground Fundraiser Market – Friday 21st March 1pm-4pm
- Cycle Safe – Thursday 3rd – Friday 4th April
- Ao Tawhiti Music Showcase – Friday 4th April
- PINs – Thursday 10th April
- IEMs – Friday 11th April – School Closed for Instruction
- School Holidays – Saturday 12th April – 27th April
- IEMs – Monday 28th April – School Closed for Instruction
- First Day of Timetabled Classes Term 2 – Tuesday 29th April
- RAMs Training – Wednesday 14th May 2:30pm
- Kings Birthday – Monday 2nd June – School Closed
- RAMs Training – Friday 13th June 8:30am
- Ao Tawhiti Matariki Celebration – Thursday 19th June
- Matariki – Friday 20th June – School Closed
- IEMs – Friday 27th June – School Closed for Instruction
- School Holidays – Saturday 28th June – Sunday 13th July
- IEMs – Monday 14th July – School Closed for Instruction
- First Day of Timetabled Classes Term 3 – Tuesday 15th July
Message From Anita
We are halfway through Term One and hopefully everyone has found their feet and settled
into life at Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery and are now ready to take full advantage of what
our school has to offer.
Arotahi is an opportunity that our school can offer students. The translation of Arotahi is to
look in one direction, look steadily, focus on, zero in on, concentrate on or take aim. For our
students, Arotahi is an opportunity to focus in on, and concentrate on, a passion or interest.
The beauty of Arotahi is that it can be any or all of the following:
– a project that students undertake,
– developing capabilities or dispositions,
– contextualising subject learning within interests,
– teaching other students or staff in workshops
– taking time to go off-site with their learning,
– focusing on achieving a goal, including academic, cultural, sporting etc
Every student will have their own Arotahi plan developed between the student, the Home
Base Learning Advisor and the caregiver. This three-way partnership is vital for success in
Arotahi. This plan is developed every term at the IEM hui.
These IEMs, or Individual Education Meetings are where you work with the Home Base
Learning Advisor to develop an IEP, or an Individual Education Plan with your child. There
plans are updated every term at the IEMs. You are welcome to acccess these IEPs whenever
you need. This three-way partnership is vital for success in Arotahi. We value the input of
our caregivers and the support you provide for our students and the school.
Melva Gill has created a website with resources for students and caregivers, to support
Arotahi. Arotahi at Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery
If you are struggling to support your child with Arotahi then this website is a great resource.
You are also welcome to contact your child’s Home Base Learning Advisor.
PINs is another opportunity for students and caregivers to engage in different learning
opportunities. PINs stands for Passions, Interests and Needs. This is run on the last Thursday
of the term, and it is an open invitation for students, staff and caregivers to run workshops
based on their own passions, interests and needs. We don’t run our normal classes during
PINs, instead students (and anyone else in our community who is interested) can opt into
joining a workshop. Niki Stephenson oversees PINs and she will be emailing out invitations
for people to run a workshop. We encourage everyone to consider sharing their knowledge
and enthusiasm for a topic, at our PINs days throughout the year.
Reach out to your child’s Home Base Learning Advisor if you would like to be involved with
the school, but are unsure how to be involved.
Enjoy the rest of the term.
Anita
Messages from Senior Leaders
Playground Fundraising
Ao Tawhiti Playground Fundraising Mākete
Huge thanks to everyone for your support of this venture. We have heaps of people selling made and second hand items.
We could do with more food, and we would love people to advertise this event. We would love it if you could pick up a flyer (or a few) from reception and hand them out / stick them up/ display them in your car…
It is going to be such a cool event, I am looking forward to seeing you all there!
Background
When our new building was designed, it was felt there was no need to include a playground because “we go out”. While this is true, and we do try to get the students out as often as we can, we have noticed that it is more tricky for parents to be available to support trips, particularly spontaneous ones. We also have a growing number of children who would benefit from regular breaks in a purpose-built playground as well as the usual planned trips out to green spaces.
We have identified a potential space in the deck at the front of our building. We are looking at removing the decking from outside the front of school and making that into a playground that potentially includes a sandpit, different height poles to which different slack lines etc can be attached, and a ‘small world’ play space with natural resources that students can use for imaginative play.
We asked Emma Woods, ex-parent and owner of Woodland Escapes, and Jared Gallagher, ex-LA and owner of Nature Flow to be involved, as they know us, our community and are experts in their field. They have created a plan which includes 2 phases.
Emma carried out consultation with our students in 2023 and they came up with some lovely ideas.
Here is the image for Emma’s design of phase 1. [Inclusion of the sandpit currently in debate]
Fundraising
There is no money for this project! We need to raise at least $60,000 for phase one, and a further $100,000 – $150,000 for phase 2, which involves building up on the poles to create huts/ forts etc. The MOE won’t give us any money for this project, so we have to raise the funds ourselves.
Thanks to the efforts of two amazing parents who have applied for grants, we are at around ⅓ of our target for raising funds for phase one. We need to do a big push now, to make sure it happens this year ~ the grants have deadlines attached to them and we do not want to lose them!
Next steps
We are focussing our efforts in 2025 on getting the rest of the money we need to make this project a reality. We have several fundraising opportunities happening this year:
Term 1
Rachael Griffiths is making a Givealittle page
Hot Cross Bun ~ a parent is organising this
April 2025, apply for Rātā foundation grant
Apply for COGS
Apply for Lottery grant
Apply to Christchurch Casino early April
If anyone can start any of these, school can complete and submit
Term 2
Bento box ~a parent is organising this
Frozen cookie dough ~ need help with this
Term 3
Pasta Vera ~ a parent has offered to run this
Hot choc and marshmallows ~ need help with this
Maybe Naked Baker pies ~ need help with this
Bunnings sausage sizzle – to be organised | need help with this
Term 4
Whittakers and Juicies? A parent has all of the info on this fundraiser.
QE2 or Parakiore hydroslides
The New Brighton hot pools run a fundraising event, does anyone have a contact there we can ask about this?
I am aware that this is a lot and I do not want to put too much pressure on whānau or Jonelle. Happy to take advice on priorities | best bang-for-buck (for everyone) fundraisers.
If you are keen to be involved with either the fundraising or any other aspect of the playground, please get in touch with niki.stephenson@aotawhiti.school.nz
Niki Stephenson
EOTC and RAMs training
We are strong believers that education doesn’t just happen in classrooms. Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a key part of the Ao Tawhiti experience and already this year students have been engaging in a whole range of academic, cultural and sporting activities beyond the walls of the school building. In addition to out-and-abouts within the Four Aves, students have been to locations as diverse as Canterbury University, QEII, Rapaki, Adrenalin Forest, Willowbank, Wairewa Marae 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 over the next two terms are as follows:
- 8:30am, Friday March 21
- 2:30pm, Wednesday May 14
- 8:30am, Friday June 13
- 2:30pm, Wednesday July 30
More dates will be added later in the year. 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
Do feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Megan Taylor
2025 term 1 PINs
PINs is coming!
For new whānau, PINs stands for Passions, Interests and Needs and is an opportunity for our whānau | community to contribute to our kura. We are hosting PINs on the morning of Thursday 10 April (there is an option for a full day if anyone would like to run an offsite PINs).
Watch out for a form coming soon requesting workshop offers, and a date for a ‘How to Run a PINs Workshop’ workshop.
Niki Stephenson
News/Notices
Ao Tawhiti Nut Policy
Ao Tawhiti has developed it’s policy for serious allergies using guidelines from Allergy New Zealand and the Ministry of Education – it is up for review early next year. Currently floors 2 & 4 are peanut free.
Business Mentors – Can you help?
We are looking for about 3 or 4 mentors who would be available (via email and maybe one or two meetings) to help guide students with their business start-ups.
The mentors essentially are there to be an outside adviser to give some specialist advice. They would help and guide students to
- plan and present a business pitch
- carry out their business activity
- and evaluate the performance of the business
Successfully consulting with experts and collaborating with others are important aspects of their assessment.
Please contact emily.marck@aotawhiti.school.nz if you can help.
Emily Marck
News from floor 4
Kia ora koutou
We have a few notices and updates for whanau of students on floor 4 ( Year 6-9)
Crafters Wanted
On Floor 4 we have been creating a Maker Space / Crafters Space. We have sewing machines and some basic crafting materials. If you could come in and offer a workshop for a small number of students and share any of your skills in crafting we would love to have you.
I am soooo excited that we have just purchased a Cricut Maker 3!. Those of you who know about these machines know how excited I am. Having said that I am totally a beginner and so are the other LA’s on the floor. If you have CriCut experience WE NEED YOU!!
We would love you to come in and work with students on their own projects to do with making brands, creating their own images and cutting out their own designs. I emphasize the design part as we are not really thinking about just cutting preexisting designs.
We especially have students keen on making their own merchandise and heat transfers stickers.
If you can help even just for an hour PLEASE can you email me so we can work out how we can support students. kay.hayes@aotawhiti.school.nz is the best email to reach me on.
Parents and Whanau Coaches Wanted.
As a community on Floor 4 we are looking for parents to help support our students with their varied learning pathways. In Homebase time LA’s are supporting literacy as well as many different projects and learning pathways. In previous years we have had some really nice success with parents popping in and acting as learning coaches during this time. The role of a coach is to support students to think about what they are trying to do, to discuss problems and solutions, to make suggestions, to ask questions and to generally work one on one or in small groups to help students focus on their learning. You do not need to be an expert or to know how to teach the subject area this is a supportive, mentoring role.
We know that having extra adult support can really increase the success students have in their individual pathways and we really value this. We would love as many parents as possible to pop in during our HB sessions so that we can increase the learning support our students have.
If you can help for 30 mins every now and then or 2 hrs every week we would love to have you. Below is a link to a Google Doc where you can sign up. If I know parents will be coming then I can think through how best to use their help but also feel free to just pop in and see me (Kay Hayes 4.3) any time you are free in HB times and I can find you some students.
Kay Kayes
19th Feb 2025 – Margaret Mahy & Pump Track
HB Maui & HB Pekapeka had a fantastic day out, bringing their scooters and bikes to the pump track and enjoying time at Margaret Mahy.
At first, there was some uncertainty about how a group of 5–7-year-olds would manage the walk with their bikes and scooters, but they absolutely nailed it! We were so proud of every single child for walking so beautifully and showing great responsibility—it was a wonderful day out!
A huge thank you to all the parent helpers who made this trip possible. Your support truly reflects our core values, and we couldn’t have done it without you!
Mary Lee
WOODS’ WONDERFUL WONDERLAND SEQUEL
This school holidays former Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery student and current teacher aide, Michael Woods, has a new play opening this school holidays. It is ‘Alice and the Jabberwocky’ based on Lewis Carroll’s sequel to ‘Alice in Wonderland’ called ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’. The play itself is also a sequel to his 2023 production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Written by Woods, this is the first written play by Woods to be performed by a major theatre company. It opens Saturday April 12th 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. The show also stars former Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery alumni Emily McGee as Tweedledee. Woods looks forward to directing more show’s with Canterbury Children’s Theatre. Show is suitable for all ages.
Michael Woods
Christchurch Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon
Congratulations to the following students who participated in the Christchurch WeetBix Tryathlon on Sunday, March 23, as members of the Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery School team.
– Henry Thompson Year 2
– Arthur Thompson Year 5
– Ella Buckley Year 5
– Max Pedley Year 6
– Finn Haycox Year 7
– Knox Hikuroa Year 8
– Finn Haycox Year 9
– Cobra Clarke Year 9
Megan Gould
NZ Festival of Squash
On 5th March Students had the opportunity to go to the Isaac Royal Theatre’s New Zealand Squash Open. Some of the top players in the world competed in this tournament, along with Paul Coll from New Zealand, who currently ranks fourth in the world.
Megan Gould
Career Wise
Ao Tawhiti are excited to have our Career Wise website up and running. This website is a one-stop shop for students and whanau to learn about upcoming events, news and information related to tertiary study and transitioning to the workforce. The website will be continually updated so we encourage you to check in regularly or sign up to receive newsletters about upcoming events and stay up to date with any new information.
What is included in the website?
- Helpful articles on career planning as well recommendations from tertiary providers on required and recommended subjects for a variety of university degrees.
- Information about getting ready to join the workforce, including helpful tools on writing your CV and cover letter, and preparing for interviews.
- Opportunities while still studying at school (Gateway/Dual Enrolments/Seminars)
- Information on volunteering and job opportunities
Parents and whanau can also sign up to become a ‘Connection’ and be added to our database of people who are keen to share information and experiences about their career. This information is not public on the website but will be helpful for our career advisors in connecting students with people working in a career they are considering joining,
Head over to Ao Tawhiti – Career Wise and keep up to date with the latest careers information
Kelly Odering
Reader/Writers
Kia ora, We do our best to ensure that every student who needs a reader/writer has access to one for NCEA assessments. We have a very high percentage of students who need support. If you are able to offer your time to be a reader/writer that would be greatly appreciated. You would basically act as the eyes and ears of the student and write down their responses. It is their work and you are writing down what they tell you. It would involve one hour at a time. If you are able to help please email Paula on paula.green@aotawhiti.school.nz
Paula Green
Syft Technology
The 8CHEM class are currently learning about three different methods of analysing organic molecules via spectroscopy.
As part of this we are going into the community to see how this is applied in a real world context.
Our first trip was to Syft Technology who are a local company that create machines to measure organic compounds found in the air for a range of businesses who rely on certain levels of air quality.
Students were able to test out one of the machines to see the presence of flavour compounds released when chewing fruit bursts and also a behind the scenes of the manufacturing process of these machines.
Jess Dewhurst
Special Assessment Conditions
We are currently applying for Special Assessment Conditions for students sitting NCEA assessments. Note – NCEA Level 1-3 assessments, not Co-reqs as this is a different process. If you think your child is eligible and may need a reader/writer and you have not heard from me by March 14th then please email Paula on paula.green@aotawhiti.school.nz
Paula Green
Athletics Day
We had our school’s annual athletics day on Friday, February 28. The students all had a terrific time on this fantastic day. The fundraiser at the tuck store was a huge success. We are grateful to all of the families who provided assistance.
Floor 4 at Climate Action Campus
This year Floor 4 students have been working off site at the Climate Action Campus every Monday morning. We have many different projects underway and we are really excited to see them grow. Students are able to work with some of the different organisations and staff based at CAC which is a really fabulous opportunity for us.
Here is a lsit of just some of the projects that we are working on at the moment:
- Supporting Delta Food Bank with mahi they need doing
- Rat trapping
- Building a GaGa pit
- Sewing
- Designing and building a portable food cart
- Building paper recycling boxes for school
- Working with our artist in residence decorating CAC with Art pieces
- Clearing, planting and maintaining our garden
- Recycling pallets and building
- Film making about CAC and its messages
- Taskforce: doing any mahi that is needed
Some students are also starting to record any volunteering that they do and logging this towards obtaining the Student Volunteer Army Service Awards.
We have lots more ideas and a number of students are also working on their own projects. We are hoping to build a recycling centre at Ao Tawhiti on Level 4 next.
Kay Hayes
Debating 2025
We have managed to put together one senior and one junior team this year, and have been meeting on Wednesdays after school to practise and play debating games. The senior debating team had their first debate last week. Benjamin, Xavier and Alex had to support “Tiger Parenting” as a good method of bringing up children. They did well and managed a win.
Kate Armour
Canterbury Softball
We have been lucky to have Stella from Canterbury Softball come into school for 3 weeks the beginning of this term. She has been working on basic skills with the students and learning how to play the game.
Megan Gould
Maths Enrichment
Maths Enrichment got underway last week. We started with the problem of making an 11 by 11 square using 5 rectangles, where none of them share a side length with any of the others. Initially we thought this could be impossible, but Rosie managed it over the weekend!
Sam Buchanan
Ao Tawhiti Robotics Team – Second Place in National Competition – Auckland.
This term our Robotics team (Maverick 88883K) participated in the NZ V5 National robotics competition in Auckland. This was a two day event consisting of 73 teams from across Aotearoa NZ.
Our team did remarkably well, consistently winning matches, moving through the rankings to quarter finals, semi finals, and then to THE FINAL itself! A stunning achievement.
The final was very exciting, and we are proud to say that our team was runner up (second place) for the competition. Well done to the team, Rhys Lewis, Alex Griffin, and Will Silby. We can’t wait to see what comes next.
Thanks heaps to Justine for your organisation and accompanying the team to Auckland.
Brent Silby
Paint Pots for 4th Floor
Kia ora whānau,
We’re reaching out to see if anyone has any leftover tester pots or paint lying around in the garage. You may have painted a sample on a wall and then stored it away—we’d love to put them to good use! All colours welcome.
We are working on several art projects at the CAC, and any donations of tester pots or leftover paint would be greatly appreciated. I will be setting up a collection box near reception from next week, so if you’re able to contribute, that would be amazing.
Ngā mihi nui for your support!
Kay Hayes
5th March 2025 – Teece Museum (HB Maui)
Some of our children had big wonderings about where money came from, who invented it, and what it looked like in the olden days. To explore these questions, we took a trip to the Teece Museum at the Arts Centre, and it turned out to be a fantastic learning experience for our tamariki!
We had the incredible opportunity to feel a coin that was over 2,000 years old and learn about what people used before money even existed. We also discovered that “BCE” stands for “Before Common Era.”
Teri, the museum curator, was impressed with the thoughtful and curious questions our children asked, such as: When is the Common Era? Which artifact needs to be handled with the most care? What is the heaviest coin in the museum?
It was a full and enriching learning experience for everyone!
Mary Lee
Football Institute Update
We have been enjoying a range of Adventure Based Learning activities designed to give us
opportunities to develop or team work skills and concepts of Kotahitanga.
To further develop our team building skills within our PE unit we enjoyed a visit to Adrenalin
Forest on Thursday. It was great to see our students stretch themselves, often well outside
their comfort zones to take on these challenges. These kinds of experiences really help us to
build a sense of community together.
Steve Hunt
Other Notices
