Last week teachers embraced Maori Language Week which is a wonderful celebration of te reo o te tangata whenua (the language of NZ's native people) and a fabulous literacy strategy.

Week 9 Literacy Tip of the week: Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Last week teachers embraced Maori Language Week which is a wonderful celebration of te reo o te tangata whenua (the language of NZ's native people) and a fabulous literacy strategy. Anyone who speaks more than one language understands the power of language. Encouraging our learners to pick up a little more reo helps develop language pathways in the brain that support learning in many areas.

Week 10 Literacy Tip of the week: This week students have been using a note taking Tic-Tac-Toe grid. It’s a way of organising ideas from a text in a visual way and encouraging them to process, recall and summarise the main ideas in what they're reading.

What we’re reading: Mr Swallow has been reading Always Italicise: How to write while colonised by Alice Te Punga Somerville. It is a book of poetry he has been picking up and reading bits and pieces, the perfect way to enjoy a book of poetry. 

It has been described as ‘Biting, cheeky, defiant, sage – Alice’s words speak out against injustice, speak up for the overlooked and sidelined, and speak softly for the tamariki. Always Italicise is a collection to carry closely.’ by Aroha Harris

Screen-Free activity of the week: Play the “devil’s advocate” from time to time. It is great for children to practise seeing things from different perspectives and to understand that respectful debate is healthy. In an election year there are plenty of hot topics around - this week when you see or hear one why not ask their child what they think about it and see if you can offer them a different perspective on the topic to consider how someone else might see it and why that might be.

And going into the holidays, a thought to ponder to get them off their devices: Encourage your child to take part in things they haven’t tried before. This challenges them and gets them involved in new activities and groups.  Talk to them about the new skills and knowledge they gain. This is a great one to take into the holidays. Maybe there is something they, or you, have been wanting to try for ages but haven’t got around to it - this is your push to give it a go! And TALK about it!

Ms Beaumont - HOD English

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