Duration: 2:54
Parents, teachers, and the board of trustees share their perspectives on the partnership that has been built based on the Māori achieving success as Māori (MASAM) framework they developed together. Student learning has been strengthened as a result of the MASAM framework, which has led to a school curriculum that is very localised, flexible, and caters for the community.
Pip Williams – Board of Trustees chairperson
There’s very much a partnership happening between the school, the whānau, the staff, parents and the wider community to allow that student learning to happen and be focused on this MASAM document.
I think that the student learning through the MASAM has been strengthened by our curriculum document initially that is very localised and flexible and caters for our community and I think that’s what we’ve been able to reflect in the MASAM document.
Mereana Wynyard – parent
I found the school to be welcoming. I felt valued and very welcome as part of the community.
Some of the benefits for me have been being allowed to come to the school and help them with our family boards and see my daughter grow as a person.
My oldest daughter, she does the powhiris when they’re greeting people that come to the school she’s got to do the welcome, the karakia. I’m proud that she loves it.
Richard – Principal, Waerenga o Kuri
Through working with the MASAM document the impact for teachers has been a lot more buy-in for the students, also having parents and community involved and students in the planning process of inquiry units and this has resulted in a lot more buy-in from the students and support, support from the parents as well.
Mereana Wynyard – parent
Another thing is being able to have a say at what my kids are being taught at school.
Richard – Principal, Waerenga o Kuri
Another huge impact for the school through it has been the relevance of topics that we’ve chosen to bring the parents on board because they can actually see why their children are learning this and see it from the start to the finish of the process and be involved in it through every step. Some examples of that around our school is construction of gardens and that was, that was great right from the planning right through to the planting and then we’ll be onto the harvesting of that later on.
Yvonne Nikora – Deputy principal, Waerenga o Kuri
Some of the real benefits that we’ve found from being involved in creating the MASAM framework, reviewing it, and working on our action plan have been in forming much closer relationships with our parents, with our children, and even getting to know each other as a staff a little bit better, working from our strength base and challenging each other to make those shifts that are required to make in order to achieve our ultimate goals.