FUTURE GENERATION

Jacqui Tutavake is the principal at Te Kura o Ritimana/Richmond Road School.

Richmond Road School is part of the local community of learning, ‘Te K ahui Ako o Waitemat a’.

I understand that there is an interesting story behind the name? Our K ahui Ako brings together the twelve local schools that are close to our Harbour. Its name is derived from Te Mat a, the flint stone which is a pinnacle rock visible at low tide off Kauri Point and is referred to, on charts, as Boat Rock.

What makes this K ahui Ako unique? This Community of Learning (CoL) is based on a partnership with our M aori-medium units within our kura. M aori-medium education within the K ahui Ako are known collectively as Te Reo o Te Mat a, in recognition of the mana and responsibility they shoulder for the preservation and development of m atauranga M aori, te reo me on a tikanga (language and culture).

Te Kura o Ritimana/Richmond Road School is also unique with its four language units. Yes, we have four r opu – two are bilingual (Samoan, and French), one is immersion (M aori) and the fourth is as an English-medium unit.

How did you become tumuaki (principal) of Richmond Road School? I was a deputy principal for ten years in a West Auckland school before I moved to the University of Auckland to lecture in education, supporting schools in professional learning and development. My research for my PhD focuses on bilingual education, specifically; Pacific bilingual education; M aori bilingual andi immersion education. When the role was advertised, I was drawn to Richmond Road School because it is the most historical bilingual school in New Zealand. And here I am! And loving the tamariki, staff and our multilingual school community.

Richmond Road School has some unique practical challenges because Ministry of Education formulae for calculating teacher-student funding ratios aren’t designed for language r - opu. Yes. Staffing ratios are not suited for schools with bilingual units. It’s a struggle, and something I’m working on changing and finding any loopholes to get money into our school.

You mentioned that you are doing a PhD. Yes, I’m still working on it. The title is ‘Found in Translation’ and focuses on the voices of teachers in M aori, Samoan and Tongan bilingual/immersion units in English-medium primary schools and how they make sense of (mostly English-medium) professional learning and development. Obviously, none of our school’s units are part of my research, which would be unethical, but we definitely benefit from what I’m learning.

This is your second year as tumuaki of Richmond Road School. What have you enjoyed most? Our staff, students and the community at our kura are definitely the biggest highlight. I’ve been heartened by the way our community has kept our children, wh anau and staff well-being at the centre of how we respond to national challenges like the current COVID-19 situation.

What about life outside of school? I have a very close-knit family with a lot of teachers among them. I enjoy spending time with my two children and extended family and am often out West Auckland, when COVID allows, to visit family or watch nieces and nephews play sport. I play netball regularly and enjoy road trips around Aotearoa. And of course, I’m looking forward to a time when I can again travel to Rarotonga and other Pacific Islands.  PN

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Children need help with their school work?

Local resident Rachel Roberts is a former teacher offering private tutoring to families in the Western Bays.

What are you offering? I’m offering in-home tutoring in English (Reading and Writing), Maths and ESOL for students in Years 1-10.

What experience do you have? I’m a NZ registered teacher with experience in classroom teaching, ESOL teaching and private tutoring.

How do you work? I work mainly after school and during the weekends. I provide: • support to help students improve their knowledge and skills in a particular area; • assistance with any class work or homework; • a challenge for those students who may wish to extend their learning. “I believe my son transitioned smoothly from intermediate school

What do you like about the work? I enjoy being able to focus on one student and personalize their learning. Because of this I feel I’m making a difference in each student’s life. I also enjoy seeing my students increase in confidence and apply their learning outside of our tutoring sessions. The Lynn, and Westmere.

difference this makes in their achievement at school and in their lives is really rewarding.

I have testimonials to share: “As a tutor, Rachel was encouraging, engaging, and firm with our children. They understood that Rachel set high expectations for them, and this inspired them to learn. She regularly monitored our children’s progress, customized their learning programmes accordingly, and kept us informed of their development. We feel very fortunate that our children were able to benefit from Rachel’s vast teaching experience and knowledge”. Pania.

to college because of the work Rachel did with him, and I have recommended her to many of my friends as a result. Rachel is friendly, open, and easy to communicate with, and as a parent I have truly appreciated this”. Deb.

What areas do you cover? I cover St. Mary’s Bay, Freemans Bay, Herne Bay, Ponsonby, Grey Any results to share?

How do you switch off? I love to go out out walking, particularly by the sea. I also love traveling and I have long held interests in property and fashion.  PN

RACHEL ROBERTS E: inhometutor2020@gmail.com; M: 027 236 6402

I Love Lucy Book Review: Burn Patrick Ness - 14+

‘Burn’. Isn’t that just the best name for a book? It sounds so mysterious. It certainly hooked me in. ‘Burn’, in Patrick Ness’s own words, is set in 1950s America with dragons. That is probably the easiest way to describe this awesome and complex book.

I really connected with the main character, Sarah Dewhurst, who, like me, spends a lot of time in the library and loves her pets. She’s an almost-16-year-old girl living on a farm with her Dad. However, the farm isn’t doing so well and is running out of money.

Sarah’s Dad decides to hire a dragon to help out on the farm, despite it not being socially acceptable. That’s when things start to get a little strange. This story includes FBI agents, a cult that worships dragons, a teenage assassin, a parallel universe and not one, but two forbidden loves. What more could you ask for?

The character that I found most interesting was Kazimir, aka the bound to make a character interesting. Kazimir was witty and knowledgeable and struck a chord with me when he responded to Sarah’s comment, “I’m just a girl” with “It is tragic how you have been taught to say that with sadness instead of triumph.”

On the other hand, I found myself develop an intense hatred for the character of Deputy Kelby, a homophobic and racist who is bad dragon. He was strong and mysterious and well, a dragon; that’s

through and through! Like Sarah Dewhurst, I didn’t like him one bit.

I found this book impossible to put down, so if you are looking for adventure, mixed with fantasy and a hint of magic, this book is for you! (LUCY KENNEDY) PN  out of 5!