Ka Mahuta a Matariki i te pae, Ka mahuta o tatou tumanako ki te tau.
When Matariki rises above the horizon, our aspirations rise to the year ahead.
There is a lot of magic that happens behind the scenes when we plan a get-together. We all come together to put in the work and the preparation. We had been reading stories relating to the celebration of Matariki and what this means for all of us.
We made stars from Salt Dough, we collected cardboard rolls and made telescopes so we could see many Nga Whetu, the stars. We sorted a playlist for our Disco and brought glow sticks for the tamariki to dance with outside in the night.
Our learning environment was been transformed into an evening of fun. We planned a Menu, tamariki were involved in the sharing of what they were bringing with their family to share. As our families arrived for the evening, they too got to see what our place looks like.
We had a lot of fun and with 86 people arriving, we saw how our families were instantly connecting, meeting and chatting whilst sharing a kai together. This was such a meaningful celebration for all of us as we have new kaiako in our team.
The next day, we had so many comments from our whanau on a wonderful night. This has inspired what our Christmas planning will look like.