Week 9 Term 2 - Totara House: Journey | Destination - Looking back on Term 2 (June 19 - June 23)

The journey is all the little and big things that happened on your way to the destination. (Karthikk Pandit)  

Totara House Leadership Team @ Anzac Day - Term 2

Making time to reflect on your journey is important. The act of reflection can help you understand and appreciate what you have achieved whilst working towards your goal. Term 2 has been a very busy time for Totara House. At our last House Assembly, we spent time reflecting on the last 8 weeks and what we have achieved this term 2. It is very easy to get caught up in business of school, that you can often over look or miss the opportunities and blessings that you have gained along the way. The student leadership team and I felt that it was necessary that we used the time at our assembly to acknowledge what we have done, what has been done and show our gratitude especially to the students who contributed to the success. I also used this time to highlight the learning journey (something that I have always done in during our whanau time) in particular looking at the learning journey for our NCEA students. It is important to check in and look at the learning data with our students so that they are aware of where they are at so that they know what they need to do going forward. 

Celebrating our Identity, Language + Culture

'Knowing and understanding that the shared and ethnic-specific identities, languages and cultures of Pacific learners underpins the way they think and learn, which is fundamental to their well-being and success' (Tapasa 2019). Celebrating and acknowledging the different cultures, has become a highlight in the school calendar for Tamaki College. We celebrate this through different events throughout the year. In Term 1, we have Polyfest and in Term 2 we have two language weeks where all the students are encouraged to get involved and participate (Samoan Language Week and International Language Week). In Term 2, both the Samoan and International Language Weeks were placed together (Week 6 and Week 7). As the dean, I know that Term 2 is an exciting time for our house as we have opportunities to come together for the language weeks and work together as a team with the different events that each language week presents. 

For Samoan Language Week, we had two groups participate in the two main events (Siva Samoa House Dance Competition and the Volleyball Competition) both of which Totara won. For the International Language Week we had a number of students present their cultural story to the staff, play in the Soccer Competition, present a speech at a whole school assembly and perform a cultural dance at the assembly. We are really proud of the effort, time and commitment that each of the students from Totara House put into both language weeks. 

Totara House SLW Volleyball Team - Term 2

Totara House SLW Siva Samoan Group - Term 2

Totara House ILW Presentation - Term 2

Totara House ILW Soccer Team - Term 2

At our most recent House Assembly, the House leaders wanted to celebrate the journey and what was achieved in the journey this term. Specifically focusing on the language weeks as it was a important event in our house calendar. Totara House Prefect - Alo-Ki Hakau Hingano - acknowledged all of the students who participated in the Samoan Language Week competition. He said "Thank you to all of our Year 9, Year 10, Year 11, 12 and 13 students who all took part in Samoan Language Week. Learning about a new culture was fun because it made me appreciate my own culture as a Tongan." Fellow Totara House Prefect - Anika Crichton Ward - acknowledged the students who represented their culture for International Language Week. "thank you to all of our international students who represented not just our house but their culture for international language. Speaking in front of the whole school and performing a special cultural dance is a big thing, we are so grateful for what you did and for representing us well." Finally our Head Boy - Christian Kava - closed with a word of encouragement - "Thank you to Totara House for embracing new cultures and for respecting all of the new learnings that we have learnt this term. We have done things together as a House and we have represented our house and cultures well. Thank you on behalf of the leadership team for doing this with us." 

Reviewing our learning journey

Totara House NCEA Data Overview - Term 2

I went through the NCEA data overview at the House Assembly. This is an opportunity for the students to see their progress as a collective - to understand where they all sit as a cohort. I use this part of the presentation as springboard to talk to the students one-on-one about their individual NCEA learning journey. Term 2 is all about the numbers, making sure that the students meet credit protocol and so I know that it is vital that the data, the numbers, is shared with the students (both as a group and individually) so that they know where they are at. The focus was spent on what has been achieved and what the next steps and goals are. 

Gratitude is one of our House values for 2023. I believe that a spirit of thanksgiving, practicing gratitude and acknowledging it helps to shift our focus as a house. It is important to do this in your journey as it helps to give you perspective on what you have done, what you have been able to accomplish and not necessarily focus on what has not worked out. It allows you appreciate the journey whilst making your way to your destination. This was needed at this time of the term for my House. I wanted them to reflect and appreciate their story, in the hope that it will motivate them when they come back in Term 3.