Week 2 Term 2 - Totara House: Set the tone (May 9 - 13)

SET THE TONE (of/for something): create or establish a general feeling or atmosphere among a group of people

The beginning of this year has been a little anti climatic. In terms of getting things off the ground at school, Term 1 saw many of our students and staff affected by COVID 19 so kick starting anything from house events to sport teams was put on pause. This term, things are a different and we finally have the opportunity to get back to some sense of 'normality'. As a Whanau Dean it is important to connect with your team - the staff and more importantly the students, the akonga. For the later part of 2021 and beginning of 2022, this connection was predominantly online and whilst we have, I have, become accustomed to it I also understand how effective and impactful a physical connection and presence has with akonga. 

The student leadership team for Totara House is made up of 7 students. I know that I cannot lead Whanau House on my own and that there is a group of capable and enthusiastic leaders who want to help and who want to lead. In setting the tone, I know that is imperative that the leadership team are on board and understand their place and my expectations of them. I met with the student leadership in Week 1 to talk about leadership (what does it look like and what type of leader they think are) and what they want Totara House to represent. I posed the same questions to the 2021 Totara House leadership team and it helped them to reflect on themselves and understand what they can bring to the team and to also get them to understand what is it that they want for their Whanau House. 

Totara House Student Leadership Team 2022

I met with the student leadership team to discuss the three focus questions, so that I could get an understanding of what they think leadership is and what their hope is for the house. This information would help me in how I work with them as a team. Ultimately this exercise is something that I want the leaders to do with the students in our House when they start working with them this term. I figured that I would get their buy in by getting them to do it first. Here is the feedback from the leadership team below:

What does leadership look like?

• Falakika: Planning, team work, communication, leading assembly
• Maletina: Leadership is setting good examples and being a role model to people. Leading a group of people who want to learn something new in any aspect of life. Help, support and reach out to someone who needs help.
• Miracle: Leadership looks like guiding people the right way. To help build them till they're steady and stable enough to ground themselves.
• Lakai: Taking charge, lead either from the back or front.
• Lisia: Being able to work with others towards a common goal. Enforcing the rules and motivating others, being open minded.
• Siale: Leadership is a person who shows confidence and presents themselves well.
• David: Leadership looks like helping the students + helping them to build their confidence

What type of leadership style do you think you have?

• Falakika: Supporting + plan
• Maletina: The type of leadership I have is that I make sure the roles and responsibilities given to me should be done.
• Miracle: I think I have cooperative leadership because I like to work with people and use their ideas and not just my own.
• Lakai: Supportive leadership - I would share my opinions but I wouldn’t like to be the speaker. Academic leadership - I can help with their studies.
• Lisia: Being in the background and planning. Quiet but have a lot of ideas.
• Siale: Take charge + confidence
• David: I can lead. I just need to build more confidence in order for me to do that. If I need help I will ask, but only if I need it.

What do you want Totara House to represent?

• Falakika: Resilience
• Maletina: Unity
• Miracle: Team/family unit
• Lakai: Unity - a house that gets along with everyone in it. A house where being comfortable is the main focus. Comfortable coming to see sir and us leaders.
• Lisia: I want our house to represent family, where we can all put our BEST into our education and life.
• Siale: I want our house to be represented well with whatever they do. 
• David: Family - I want everyone to come together as a family, as one.

The hope from discussion is that the team can start to reflect on what leadership means to them. Often they are given these roles and responsibilities but have little knowledge or understanding on where they stand in it. I am hopeful that this reflection will be the catalyst for the student leaders to know their strength and use that well in how they lead the house. I am also planning on getting the leaders to meet with the Totara House students and talk to them about what they want the House to represent. Like last year, we will collate the feedback and then choose the key concepts for Totara House 2022. We will then work around the concepts and see how we can make this happen for the students (whether it is through lunch time activities with sports or study classes after school). Setting the tone with the leadership team has been good for us this term as it has given us something to think about and work on. 

This term we have been able to meet in person and in week 1 saw the beginning of the in person, face-to-face Whanau Assemblies. I am not the type of person wants to 'wing it' and I typically like to prepare a message for my students when it comes to our Whanau time. I use the same structure for each assembly which traditionally follows as: 

Opening Prayer

Introductions

Message

Student Reflection

Updates/Notices

Acknowledgements

Closing Prayer

The message that I prepared for the Totara House assembly last week was 'Set the tone'. I am a firm believer that the success of an organization, company and team is grounded in the leadership. I believe that it 'all starts from the top' and that how the leadership functions will influence the outcome for the team. I chose the message 'Set the tone' in an attempt to get everyone in Totara House on the same page and to understand the expectations - from the start. I hesitated doing this in Term 1 because I felt this type of message would only be effective if and when we were able to meet in person. So I saw this new term as the perfect opportunity to 'set the tone' and get everyone on the same page from the onset. 

Sharing my expectations with the students - for when we meet as a whanau, for when they are in class - was my way of solidifying my goal to them. This was something that I made sure to take my time with during our meeting. I enjoyed the first Whanau assembly as it was the first time that we were able to come together (in person) and connect. I am looking forward to this term where we can continue to connect and work with each other!