Hi, I'm Whaea Dee!
I am the Kaiako of Whanau Piwakawaka. This is my first year at Rangiuru School.I have taught in a variety of settings and bring with me a wide range of educational philosophies, having taught abroad, in Early Childhood, and in Primary education. I have quickly discovered that Rangiuru school is a fantastic place for tamariki to learn and grow, and I am delighted to be a part of this community.
I live in Te Puke with my husband. Our home is a place where our grown-up family frequently gathers, filling our house with the delightful chaos of our many grandkids, who enrich our lives.
When we're not travelling to Taranaki to visit our grandkids, you can find me pottering in my garden. I enjoy staying active by taking early morning swims and exploring the hidden pathways around the Bay. During the summer months, I often follow the surf lifesaving circuit with my husband.
This is Whanau Piwakawaka!
Welcome to Whānau Piwakawaka, the heart of where the magic starts at Rangiuru School! We are a Year 0 - 2 class and currently have 15 learners, full of energy, wonder and joy.
Our days begin with a predictable rhythm that sets us up for the day. We have a blend of structured and hands-on learning experiences. We love to sing, practise our kapahaka, play draw, read, write and engage all our senses.
In Whanau Piwakawaka we learn:
Kindness
To share and listening to others
To have respect and value each other
To have gratitude
To be the kaitiaki of our classroom and beyond
We start our day with a karakia, waiata and kapahaka.
Followed by our maramataka - working through the days of the week, month and year
We have Shared Reading, Handwriting, then begin our Structured Literacy lesson.
Writing follows which we try to keep as authentic as possible as we are early writers.
Then we delve into our Maths,
After our lunch break we have our Mindfulness Time, then Active Movement
This leads us into our Theme work, where we are often join by Whanau Pukeko (Year 2 - 3 class)
Wednesdays include Te Reo lessons, Waiata and Kapahaka and Fridays take on a tuakana-teina approach as our whole school joins together in our Specialist Classes - Garden to Table, Bush Classroom and S.T.E.A.M.