“Ko te Manu e kai ana I te miro

Nönä te Ngahere,

Ko te Manu e kai ana i te mätauranga,

Nönä te ao”.

“The bird that eats of the forest will learn from the forest,

The bird that eats of knowledge will learn the ways of the world.

Tënä koutou kätoa e ngä mätua rätou ko te whänau whänui, ko ngä kaiawhina o ngä tamariki i te whänau o Kereru mai te ruma 25. 

Ko Pureora te maunga,

Ko Waimiha te awa,

Ko Te Whetu ao o Hinau te whare ripeka,

Ko Te Miringa te kakara töku marae,

Ko Ngäti Maniapoto töku hapü,

Ko Rereahu töku iwi,

I te taha o töku mämä,

Ko Tongariro te maunga,

Ko Taupo-nui-ä-tia te moana,

Ko Ngäti Tüwharetoa te iwi,

Ko Te Heuheu te tangata,

Ko Kauriki töku marae,

Ko Ngäti Hinemihi töku hapü

Ko Jack Mita Taupopoki Pai töku päpä,

Ko Bessie Teuranga Pai töku mämä,

Ko Cynthia Belk taku ingoa,

Ko Cyril Belk töku hoa tane, nö Ngä Puhi nui tonu ia,

Ko Sheryl-lee rätou ko Byron, ko Logan, ko Kara a mäua tamariki. 

Nö reira e ngä rau rangatira mä, tënä koutou, tënä koutou, tënä tätou kätoa. 

Warm greetings to you all our parents, caregivers and whänau of our tamariki in Room 25.  My name is Cynthia Belk and we hail from the ancestral links above.  My husband Cyril hails from the sacred mountains of Motatau and the river Taumarere in the ancestral lands of Ngä Puhi nui tonu. Together with our tamariki Sheryl-lee, Byron, Logan and Kara we carry our ancestral links with them into the future. 

My career as a teacher in Te Whänau Äwhina began at Clendon Park back in 2007 as a beginning teacher and has continued to grow and thrive with immense opportunities for all our tamariki and teachers within the unit each year. 

It has been an immense privilege to be a member of Te Whänau Äwhina as one of the most top -leading Mäori bi-lingual units in the country and dually delighted to teach, learn, model and grow together with you and your tamariki. 

  

Our classroom has been named after the New Zealand native bird Kereru.  It is with deep consideration that we as the occupants in this room take on the nature and skills of the Kereru to assist us all in our learning under the guidance and help from you the parents and whänau alongside Tane Mähuta the great god of the forest.  Together with our teachers, Principal and board of Trustees we will be able to achieve the dreams and aspirations for your tamariki into the future generations.

We have a busy year ahead of us so we will need all your help and support to make sure the dreams and aspirations of our tamariki are met for them.  Please feel free to come in and visit us at any time and if you would like to help us in class with buddy Pänui/Reading in Te Reo Mäori, Pängarau/Mathematics or Tuhituhi/Writing nau mai haere mai.

Our class will be taught in Te Reo Mäori for up to 75% of the day to ensure our students are learning Te Reo me öna tïkanga as a second language confidently in all the core subjects Pänui/Reading, Tuhituhi/Writing, Pängarau/Mathematics and Te reo a waha/Oral Language and other curricular areas that include Te reo Mäori, Mahi a Te Rehia/Arts, Pütaiao/Science, Tikanga a Iwi/Social Sciences, Hauora/Physical Education and Hängarau/Technology.  If you have any concerns about your child’s learning please do not hesitate to come and talk to us as our doors are always open. 

My goal as a Mäori bi-lingual teacher is to ensure that all the tamariki in our class are able to learn in an environment that is encompassing of all things that pertain to Te Ao Mäori and that these skills can be transferred into learning Mäori and English with confidence to achieve National Standards in all curriculum areas.

 

Nö reira ngä mihi nui ki a koutou kätoa,

Naku iti noa,

Cynthia Belk.