This is Whanau Kereru!
Kia ora! Welcome to Whanau Kereru! We are a a Year 6-8 class with 20 students! We are a class who prides ourselves on being kind in thought, kind in word and kind in action. Our learning is hands-on and inquiry focused, weaving all the strands of the curriculum through it.
​
Our days begin with Mihi Whakatau, led by the students, which includes a mihi, karakia/inoi, waiata, pepeha and mindfulness before launching into a morning or Literacy. Literacy includes Reading, Writing and Code (phonics/spelling), and is strongly influenced and driven by our term theme. After that is a block of Numeracy (Maths), followed by Inquiry/Theme learning. Wednesdays include Te Reo lessons and Kapahaka, and our Fridays are spent in Specialist Classes - Garden to Table, Bush Classroom and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths) or at Tech (for our Year 7 & 8's).
Hi, I'm Whaea Jo!
Kia Ora, I'm Whaea Jo. I am so excited about coming to your kura and becoming the kaiako of Whanau Kereru. I have been teaching for 14 years and love it. I have lived in Te Puke with my partner, Chris for 6 years. We have 6 children and 5 grandchildren. Three of our children live in Europe and three live here in the beautiful Bay of Plenty.
At home with us are our very large dog Maggie, and our 3 cats, Alphie, Mr T, and Mia. On the weekends you can find me taking long walks along the beach with Maggie. I have lots of vegetable gardens and spending time growing our food is so rewarding. I just love time outside, listening to the birds, and being in nature, it is truly my happy place.