Kia ora koutou,
Happy new year everyone and welcome back. We hope you all had a wonderful holiday break.
We are excited to welcome our new kaiako Sanja Mandinic who has joined our teaching team. We also would like to welcome our new tamariki: Maya Bustamante, Alexis Audit, Miguel, Eli Pennavayre and Lucas Quezada to our Karori Kids whānau. We look forward to getting to know you all.
Additionally, we would like to say a heartfelt farewell to Debbie. We wish her the very best as she continues her teaching journey.
As we move into these months, we also bid farewell to the following tamariki: Gaspar, Elizabeth, Matina, Aurora and Harper majority of them are now off to school. We wish them all the best in their next learning journey.
BUSY TAMARIKI KARORI KIDS
1.Chinese/Vietnamese New Year We had a wonderful celebration of Chinese/Vietnamese New Year at the Centre, which was filled with meaningful activities and learning opportunities for everyone. To kick off our festivities, we had a special mat time with Feifei’s mum, Angela. Angela kindly joined us to share a traditional Chinese story with the tamariki. The story was rich in cultural elements, introducing the children to the customs, values, and traditions associated with Chinese New Year.
Tuang, (Elizabeth and Artur’s mum) also sent pictures featuring her children with their Vietnamese costume.
In addition to the storytelling, we decorated the Centre with beautiful Chinese ornaments, lanterns, and other symbols of the celebration, creating a vibrant and festive atmosphere throughout the space.
On the 29th, the children enjoyed a lively parade, proudly holding dragon props as they marched through the Centre.
The day was a memorable and enriching experience for both the tamariki and staff, providing an opportunity to deepen cultural appreciation and foster a sense of connection with the traditions of Chinese New Year. | Learning Outcomes (Te Ara Whānui Whāriki and NELP) 1a. Making connections between people, places and things in their world | te waihanga hononga
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2. Transition to school program This month, we focused on reinforcing key school expectations, such as demonstrating independence, showing manaakitanga, and developing essential skills to support a smooth transition to school.
To celebrate the last days of our tamariki who are going to school, we organised a series of fun activities based on their requests. These included Splash Day, Dress-Up Day, and Wheels Day, creating joyful and memorable experiences for all. | te mārama ki te āhua o ngā whakahaere me te mōhio ki te panoni
2b. Reduce barriers to education for all, including for Māori and Pacific learners/ākonga, disabled learners/ākonga and those with learning support needs.
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3.Water Play As we are in summer seasons our tamariki have been enthusiastically engaging in a variety of stimulating activities that have fostered creativity sensory exploration and social interaction. Water play has been a highlight activity throughout the month, providing endless opportunities for fun and learning. Pouring, scooping and splashing, experimenting, creating imaginative scenarios such as water tea and cooking. These activities have helped develop fine motor skills, problem solving activities or basic scientific concepts. | 3a. Making sense of their worlds by generating and refining working theories/ Te rangahau me te mātauranga
3b. Playing, imagining, inventing and experimenting | te whakaaro me te tūhurahura i te pūtaiao |
4. Art and Craft: Painting, collage, Our tamariki are continuously engaged in a variety of art and craft activities. Mornings have been particularly vibrant, with many children eagerly enjoying painting as their form of self-expression and creativity.
Collage has also been a popular activity, especially as our kaiako have guided the children in creating snake-themed artwork to represent the Chinese Zodiac in celebration of the Lunar New Year. This has been a wonderful way to explore cultural traditions while developing fine motor skills and artistic expression. | 4a He kōrero tuhituhi | Recognising print symbols and concepts and using them with enjoyment, meaning and purpose
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5. Going for walks We continue with our regular walks, as they offer endless opportunities for learning. These outings provide our tamariki with real-life experiences related to health and safety, as well as a chance to become familiar with their surroundings—an important part of connecting to the community. Some of the places we regularly visit include the library, Ben Burn Park, and the nearby streets such as Campbell Street and Donald Street. | 6a. Keep themselves healthy | te oranga nui 6b. Keeping themselves and others safe from harm/ te noho haumaru 6c. Make connections between people, places and things in their world| te waihanga hononga 6c. Move confidently and challenge themselves physically/te wero-ā-tinana
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6. Building and Construction Our tamariki continue to express their creativity through building and construction activities. Magnetic tiles and LEGO are among the most popular resources, providing opportunities for imaginative play and problem-solving.
With children coming back from the holiday and new children joining our Karori Kids whānau, we have thoughtfully set up activities to help them feel welcome and engaged. Through self-directed play, our tamariki have been constructing dwellings such as tents and houses, creating their own unique spaces for exploration and storytelling. Beyond creativity, these activities also foster important social skills, as children collaborate, share ideas, and work together to bring their imaginative structures to life. | 7a. Recognising mathematical symbols and concepts and using them with enjoyment, meaning and purpose | he kōrero pāngarau 7b. Playing, imagining, inventing and experimenting/Te whakaaro me te tūhurahura i te pūtaiao |
8. Waitangi Day
For Waitangi Day, our kaiako engaged the children in various activities. Aside from explaining why we celebrate Waitangi, we also revisited the treaty—making the rules at Karori Kids transparent to the children. Reena also involved them in creating pounamu—representing Māori symbols—followed by a ceremony where the children greeted each other according to Māori culture.
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8a. Make connections between people, places and things in their world| te waihanga hononga
8b. Reduce barriers to education for all, including for Māori and Pacific learners/ākonga, disabled learners/ākonga and those with learning support needs |
Professional Development
The team attended a workshop with Kirstin, a facilitator from the Ministry of Education. She provided a valuable tool for the transition-to-school program. This tool will help us enhance our transition-to-school programme.
Regan and Reena will also be attending series of workshop about leadership for this first term 2025.
New Internal Evaluation:Our new internal evaluation is focused on the question: “To what extent are we providing our tamariki with the necessary support to ensure a smooth transition to the school programme?”
We have now drafted the action plan.
The main objective is to enhance transition to school programs offered to the 4 years old children at Thunderbirds Time.
This includes promoting early literacy and numeracy; supporting independent skills and providing support to help children develop social and emotional readiness for successful school experience
Methods include:
-Continue to do school visits where children can explore, meeting teachers and interacted with classmates and teachers
-Family involvement of families with school visits
-Recognize individual needs by providing a checklist to all children to identify individual needs. This checklist will be categorized into three aspects: independence, academic and social
-Reflect the diverse background of tamariki and continue acknowledge each home language and culture.
-Use different methodologies such as visuals, routines and ways to link the program from the Centre to schools
-Collaborative partnerships with early childhood centres and nearby local schools
-Review the policy and make sure that the policy is aligned to the goals and transitional programme expected outcome
-Attend Professional development about transition to school program
Upcoming events
March
17th Monday- St. Patricks Day
21st Friday-World Syndrome Day
28th Friday -Cultural Night
April
4th Wednesday-Trip to Botanical Garden
7th-11th Monday-Friday-Teacher Parent Interview
17th Thursday- Teachers Only Day (The Centre is closed)
18th Friday- Good Friday (Public Holiday)
21st Monday-Easter Monday (Public Holiday)
22nd Tuesday- Earth Day
25th Monday, Anzac Day (Public Holiday)
Notes: We will have additional events to include as we move forward into 2025.
Reminders:
Reminders about providing us a copy of the 4 years old immunisation records.
Please ensure your children wear appropriate walking shoes for our regular walks.
As part of the enrolment agreement, please be reminded that your child is required to attend at least six (6) hours each day.
Please continue to discourage your children in bringing toys from home at Karori Kids
Please label your children’s belongings
We continue to encourage you to bring/share any cultural items representing your language, culture and identity.
Please be reminded that news time is for children to share items that are meaningful to them. This means toys are discouraged to bring/share at news time.
General
Another year has passed, and it feels like time is moving faster than ever.
As we step into 2025, we are excited for a year filled with new learning opportunities for both our tamariki and kaiako. Our focus remains on creating a productive, enriching, and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
This year, we look forward to:
Strengthening our bicultural and multicultural practices, ensuring that tamariki experience and embrace Te Ao Māori and cultural diversity in meaningful ways.
Providing equitable opportunities for all learners, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment.
Supporting a successful transition to school, equipping our tamariki with the skills and confidence they need for the next stage of their journey.
Enhancing our teaching and learning experiences, making every day a chance to grow, explore, and discover.
We are eager to embark on this journey together and look forward to an inspiring and fulfilling year ahead.
He waka eke noa
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