Week 10 Term 1: Totara House: Totara House Values 2025 (March 31 - April 04)

Totara House @ Athletics Day Term 1 2025

At the beginning of every year in Term 1, the Totara House leaders meet with their peers in the House to discuss our House Values. This has become an annual meeting that the House Leaders lead with their House in the first couple weeks of Term 1. This kaupapa first started in 2021 when I became the Dean of Totara House. The question that the House Leaders discuss with their whanau group is "What do you want Totara House to represent?" The House Leaders meet with the Year 9, Year 10, Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13 mentor classes in Totara House and ask them the question and they get their feedback. This is an opportunity for the House Leaders to get to know their students and to see what their peers want their House to represent. 

Totara House Mentor Class Feedback 2025

Every year since 2021, the House Leaders collect the feedback and then we discuss what the students have shared. We go through each class and see what they have shared and I ask the House Leaders to write down the feedback that they like from each class. We then discuss it and then decide on which ideas we collectively like and that we feel best represents our House Values for the year. This year I asked the leaders to decide on ONE value from the mentor classes that they liked, ONE value that they want to implement as leaders and I as the Dean provide a value that I want the House to represent. 

Totara House Leaders going through feedback Week 8 Term 1

This year the House Leaders spent time in Week 8 going through each mentor class's feedback and after much discussion, decided on three values that they felt best represent the voice of their peers. 

Totara House Leaders discussing Mentor class feedback

Totara House Leaders going through the House Values for 2025

The Totara House Values for 2025 are: 

Manaakitanga - Showing respect, generosity, and care for individuals, whānau (family), and communities, as well as their information and stories.

Kotahitanga - Kotahitanga is a Māori concept that refers to unity, togetherness and solidarity

Aroha - To love, feel pity, feel concern for, feel compassion, empathize.

Totara House @ Athletics Day Term 1 2025

The Totara House Leaders shared the process of feedback, how they decided on the values and then revealed the House Values for 2025 at our most recent House Assembly at the end of Week 8 Term 1. One way that we to exercise our House Values this term is teach our House the school haka and a waiata. Celebrating and learning Te Reo Maori is our way of honoring Te Tiriti. At the end of our House Assembly we spent time learning waiata "Toku Reo". When we meet in Week 10/11, we will spend time on learning the school haka. We believe that best embodies manaakitanga, kotahitanga and aroha as we coming together, celebrating language and culture. We look forward to exploring and finding our way through our new set of House values for 2025.