What a beautiful, fun, and heart-warming celebration we had at BestStart Jones Crescent Kindy today!
Our tamariki absolutely shone, and the whole day was filled with smiles, laughter, and lots of proud little moments.
For the past three weeks, our kaiako have been weaving Chinese New Year learning into our programme through stories, videos, and mat time discussions about culture, mythology, and traditional foods.
Tamariki have loved practising Chinese New Year songs and dancing together, and we were so impressed by how quickly many of them picked up the new tunes and moves, which were really a superstar effort!
Our creative tamariki also worked hard on beautiful art and craft experiences, including making Chinese lanterns and colouring the Chinese Zodiac. And of course… the yummy part! After their performance, children enjoyed traditional Chinese snacks and food, and we can confirm the dumplings were a BIG hit (lots of happy little dumpling fans today!).
The absolute highlight of the day was our Dragon Dance, WOW! Our dragon was created with love by tamariki and kaiako together, and it was truly magical to see the children working as one team, following instructions, moving together, and making the dragon shine under the sun. A proud Jones Crescent Kindy moment for sure!
Today was also a little bittersweet, as it was Kaiako Kristy’s last day with us before she and her family move to Napier to reunite with their whānau. We are so grateful she got to celebrate one last Chinese New Year with our kindy community. Kristy, you will always be part of our Jones family. Thank you for your kindness, warmth, and caring heart.
To all our BestStart whānau near and far: Wishing you all a joyful and healthy Year of the Horse 2026, may it bring happiness, good fortune, and dreams coming true.