Te Tiriti o Autahi: Nurturing our Mouri through a commitment to Teamwork, Kindness and Love

This term, Autahi is on a mission to 'dial up' our character strength of Teamwork. We’ve discovered that being a great teammate isn't just about working together—it’s also about leaning into our strengths of Kindness and Love.

Understanding Mouri

We started our journey by asking a simple question: "When a guest walks into Autahi, how do we want them to feel?" Through this, we explored the concept of Mauri (or Mouri) in te ao Māori—the essential life force or energy of a person or a place. We realized that when we show manaakitanga (kindness), aroha (love), and kotahitanga (unity/teamwork), we are actually nurturing the Mouri of our room and creating a positive space for everyone. 

Connecting to History

Coincidentally, we learned that on April 29th, 1840, Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed right here in Te Whanganui a Tara by local rangatira. This discovery sparked a deep dive into what a treaty is and how they help groups of people work together fairly.

Our Commitment to Each Other

Inspired by Te Tiriti, Autahi decided to establish our very own Class Treaty - Te Tiriti o Autahi. 

To show our Teamwork, Kindness, and Love, we’ve agreed to:

• Invite others in: Saying "come and play with me" to our classmates.

• Show empathy: Asking "are you okay?" when a classmate is sad.

• Be helpful: Asking "can I help you?" if someone has a problem.

• Respect space: Staying in our own 'bubbles' so that others can learn.

• Active listening: Truly hearing and valuing each other's ideas.

We’ve officially written these promises down on our Autahi Treaty and signed with our hand prints and our names to show our commitment to our classroom!

Kia mahi tahi tātou! 

Algebra and pattern

 
Our Maths curriculum is arranged in learning areas: Number, Measurement, Geometry, Statistics and Algebra. At first glance, the inclusion of Algebra in the year 1 curriculum sometimes raises a few eyebrows, especially if we're picturing the kind algebraic equations that we worked with at high school. It makes a little more sense when it becomes clear that, at this stage, Algebra is about two key concepts. First, symbols can be used to represent operations (like addition or subtraction) so we can write number sentences to help us explore maths ideas. Second, noticing and creating patterns is a vital maths skill. 

Here's what our students need to know about pattern:

• Patterns are made up of elements (including numeric or spatial elements) in a sequence governed by a rule, and they arise in a range of situations (e.g. cultural patterns, patterns in the local environment, patterns on everyday objects).

• Ordinal numbers (e.g. 1st, 2nd, 3rd) can be used to describe the elements in a sequence.

• Repeating patterns have a repeating group of elements called the unit of repeat.

• A missing element can be predicted from other elements in the pattern.

Categorising, making collections and building patterns is part of how our students play. 

 

Our students explore these ideas further by observing patterns and noticing what rule is at work. They try copying and continuing repeating patterns, and also create their own. We work on being able to say what the unit of repeat is: what is the rule and how do we know?

 

Here, we're building some repeating patterns. If the unit of repeat is consistent, other people will be able to spot the pattern and add to it.

Our patterns included consideration of objects, colour and sizes. We discussed whether the pattern was broken if we use the same objects, but using inconsistent colours.

Being able to describe the pattern is vital to knowing whether really does repeat and how we might continue it. So, we also had a go at drawing and writing the rules for our patterns.

We began by working with visual patterns, using objects. But, of course, patterns can occur with words, sounds, musical notes, actions, numbers... so there is a lot more for us to explore.

When you are out and about with your child, do some pattern spotting. What can you see in the built environment? On the supermarket shelf? On people's clothing? Once you start looking, you may find that you are seeing patterns just about everywhere.

Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua: celebrating our whānau Haerenga

Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua

(Learning about our past to move forward into the future.)

Ko Ranginui ki runga 

Ko Papatūānuku ki raro 

Ko ngā Atua ki waenganui

Tēnā Koutou

  

Nei ra te mihi ki a koutou ngā Mana Whenua o te rohe nei - Ko Te Ātiawa. 

Ngā mihi nui ki a Taupuruariki Brightwell me ngā Kura Ahurea mō a rātou mahi toi me nga pūrākau me te kōrero tuku iho e pā ana ki a wahi whakahirahira - Ko Whetūkairangi.  

I te tau 1842, E ai ki ngā Ōhākī o Te Rangatira - Te Wharepouri, I muri nei, kia pai ke aku taonga Māori, taonga Pākeha, kia tae ake te haruru o tō reo ki ahau i Te Reinga. 

We would like to acknowledge Te Ātiawa and their work through the Kura Ahurea programme and Taupuruariki Brightwell.  This artwork helps us tell the stories and learn about the history of this special place and its surrounding areas including the people that came before.  

In 1842, Te Wharepouri, a great rangatira from Te Ātiawa left a wish for us all .  "After I have gone, be good to my Māori and my non-Māori, let the thunder of your voice reach me in the spirit land. "

The ōhākī ensures that these stories and facts are shared with our kids so that they are understood and can be shared with whānau.  

How fantastic to see so many of our Worser Bay whānau joining our Haerenga this week.

We live and work in a very special place where we experience the awe and wonder of Whetūkairangi on a daily basis. The natural beauties of this place are matched by fascinating mythological and historical stories that surround it.

Our teaching team have been working with Te Ātiawa and Taranaki Whānui - Mana Whenua on a programme called Kura Ahurea. There are many variations of the pūrākau that are told differently across iwi and cultures. But these are the stories that have shaped our place here at Whetūkairangi, and also wider Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Some of the art on display was created by Worser Bay students in response to their learning. But the wonderful black, red and white art is the creation of the artist Taupuruariki Brightwell and Kura Ahurea. 

The pou in our courtyard are our anchor point for how we connect to our stories, and also the land, sea and sky. We began at our pou together, before exploring the wealth of artwork and information on display around the school. This was a chance to hear, read and retell and the stories of how our environment has been shaped by natural and human forces. History, mythology and immense geological happenings are all in the mix.

By clicking on a QR code, we were able to hear some of our stories being retold by our students: we hope to add more to this library.

With our stories in mind, we headed to the lookout and then down to Worser Bay beach, viewing and visiting many of the places that appear in the stories we had been sharing. 

We are learning more all the time and and are keen to share and continue to build our knowledge and understanding. So this Haerenga is just the beginning.

We will send the links via seesaw so that you can hear our recordings and view some of the resources and beautiful artwork again.  You can also scan the QR codes that are dotted around the school.

"Tuia ki runga, Tuia ki raro,  Tuia ki roto, Tuia ki waho, 

Ka rongo te pō, Ka rongo te Ao 

Haumi ē,  Hui ē , Tāiki e"