Our Tamariki
"Ngā Tamariki o te Ngahere" The children of the Forest
Whakatauki: Te Tupu o te Rākau ; The growth and development of the tree.
Whakatauki: Te piko o te māhuri, tērā te tupu o te rākau; As the sapling bends, so the tree grows.
Ngā Tamariki O Tāne Mahuta.
The Nīkau palm takes centre stage in the foreground of our mural with its sturdy, straight trunk and broad sheltering leaves with the seeds of the future The Nikau is the only New Zealand native Palm tree and is the Southern most in the World. It belongs to the Coconut tree family which in a way is our connection to our Pacific Island Whanau.
Wana; Seedlings. vulnerable, new growth at the mercy of the elements and slowly taking a grasp of the earth but given life, shelter, protection and nourishment by the trees around them as well as Ranginui and Papatuānuku.
Māhuri: Sapling / Intermediate. A young tree who is in the intermediate (middle) stage of growth and development. It is more able to bend, adjust and absorb whatever is thrown at it, but still needs encourage, guidance and protection of the more mature and knowledgeable trees around them so they grow straight, tall and true.
Nīkau: The more mature (Tuākana) tree able to stand firm on its own but still needing support and guidance from its peers and elders. This tree has a firm grip on the Papatuānuku but always reaches for higher honours toward Ranginui, so as to stand out from the rest of the forest dwellers and is now able to provide shelter, protection and nourishment to its Teina.
We offer small classes to give our young tamariki a great start at school. Our juniors students are our young seeds and are known as Te rōpū Wana. You can email Kate to keep updated with your child's learning.
Te rōpū Māhuri tamariki learn in a whānau class with Nīkau Monday to Wednesday and then join Emily for close explicit teaching on Thursday and Friday.
emily@linkwater.school.nz - Monday, Thursday & Friday
Te rōpū Nīkau has THREE teachers who work alongside our students to support them with learning. These students range from Year 5-8. This year Emily and Sue will work consecutive Mondays to share their strengths of Science and Art. Sue teaches in Nīkau on Thursdays and Fridays. We encourage student agency and there is a lovely whānau feel to this class.
You can email Sue or Liz to keep in touch!
emily@linkwater.school.nz - Monday
principal@linkwater.school.nz - Tuesday & Wednesday
sue@linkwater.school.nz - Thursday & Friday
