He Rau Timotimo Kōrero - 14 Huitanguru 2022 Rāhina, 14 HuitanguruKo te kai a te rangatira he kōrero. Ko te kai mā ngā mokopuna he penupenu, he rau timotimo tēnei e kī ana, nāu te rourou nāku te rourou ka ora te iwi. He āta whāngai i te whānau ki ngā kaupapa huhua kei mua i te aroaro. Nō reira he timotimo kōrero e hora ake nei, kia makona e te whānau. Te Puna Ara Kōrero (the Communications team) have launched a new weekly pānui called ‘He Rau Timotimo”, which is intended to provide a snippet of Kōhanga-relevant kōrero every week - and hopefully not overwhelm you with too much information. These pānui are not specific to a single kaupapa but will include a combination of general and informative updates across various issues that may be happening at the time, specifically those that are of interest to our Kaupapa kaimahi, Kōhanga Reo and whānau. We will aim to publish these pānui every Monday as a reflective summary of “the week that was” and will include dates for future events or announcements. Nō reira, here is our first ‘He Rau Timotimo’ publication of the year. Ngā mihi Te Puna Ara Kōrero In this edition of He Rau Timotimo
Kōwheori-19 - Update Aotearoa will shift to Phase 2 of its Omicron response on Tuesday at 11:59 pm, after a big jump in Covid-19 community cases at the weekend. It comes as 981 cases were announced in the country today and 810 reported yesterday. The country is currently at Phase 1 of its response which means there are some cases in the community, but health officials would have the capacity to continue trying to stamp out Omicron outbreaks. What happens under Phase 2? Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has previously called it the 'transition stage', where there was a "much more" severe risk of Omicron, and cases had spread in the community. In Phase 2 rapid antigen testing (RATs) may be used more widely, there will be shorter isolation times, and digital communication with close contacts comes into play. The isolation period for cases is reduced to 10 days and contacts to seven days. The Prime Minister says the increase in Covid-19 cases is not unexpected and the country will stay in Phase 2 as long as daily cases remain between 1000 and 5000 cases. There is no change to the traffic light system, and schools and businesses remain open. For more information on Phase 2, please visit the Covid19 website. Best practice advice for Kōhanga Reo Many of our whānau are now fully vaccinated and we hope that we can all continue to build on the experience of the last two years. Getting boosted, wearing masks, and social distancing are still our best defences against Omicron. While there is no guarantee against infection from Covid, it does lessen the severity of symptoms and reduces the chance of transmission. Boosters The required waiting time for a Pfizer booster vaccine has been reduced to three months rather than four. That means the booster is available 93 days after receiving your second vaccine dose (or third for those who are immune compromised). Covid Planning If you have not yet created your Covid safety plan for operations, or a Covid plan in the event your Kōhanga Reo has a positive case, please contact the Ministry of Education in your region and your local Kōhanga Reo District Office. The landscape has now changed as Kōhanga Reo can remain open at a red light setting and may not necessarily need to close when you have a confirmed Covid case. It is important that we consider how our Kōhanga Reo are to remain open and how to best manage the daily operation in these situations. Things to consider:
Your Covid Safety plan is your road map to ensure the safety of your mokopuna, kaimahi and whānau. Having a plan should help to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety. We are expecting to see a continued increase in case numbers, and this may lead to additional stress as Winter approaches. The following link will help you determine the situation for your Kōhanga Reo should there be a Covid case in your whānau or your Kōhanga Reo: Please refer to the Public health toolkit for the process information and the templated letters. Managing COVID-19: A public health toolkit for early learning services and kōhanga reo It is important to notify the whānau of the identified close contacts immediately. You do not need to wait for the case number from your Local District Health provider to begin contacting your whānau. Self-Isolation timelines Visit Unite against Covid-19 for this easy-to-follow timeline share with your whānau. Isolation can seem to be daunting and extreme, but it is the best way to protect those you love and care for. Setting up your own plan for yourself and your whānau can make the experience tolerable. “Te Matakahuki” was officially launched on 6 February 2022. It is a collective of Māori education initiatives including Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, Te Rūnanganui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori Aho Matua, Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa, and Te Tauihu o Ngā Wānanga Māori. The purpose of Te Matakahuki is to create a forum for collaboration and consultation to the issues that pertain to the collective, and each philosophy within each sector will retain its own autonomy to their specialist area. The collective is made up of respected leaders and advocates who are proactive in their various sectors. It is a significant and monumental moment for the development of Mātauranga Mana Māori Motuhake, a dream realised. It has been a long time coming for a formal collaboration of Mātauranga Māori immersion environments that bind Māori knowledge pathway, language revitalisation initiatives, and the promotion of the succession of cultural practice to be established. Daniel Procter, Co-Chair of Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board, is also the nominated Chair of Te Matakahuki. The role is to be shared between the different whare ako, with a new Chair and new whare ako to be appointed as kaitiaki of Te Matakahuki every two years. Board Elections 2022 Last week was the closing date for nominations for our rohe elections to Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust Board. The rohe that will be voting are Te Taitokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Tainui, Mātaatua/Tauranga Moana, Kahungunu, Aotea, and Te Waipounamu. Step 2 of the election process is the hui by your Purapura to select your nominee. Please ensure that you have your hui minuted, the minutes signed by Purapura representatives, and that your nominee fill in all appropriate paperwork. The opening and closing date for this part of the process is: Opening date: 16 February Closing date: 2 March 2022 at 5pm Nō reira kia kaha tātou. Te Ataarangi – Te Ata Raukura Te Ata Raukura enrolments have opened for Kōhanga Reo. Te Ata Raukura covers language structures from Te Ataarangi Te Tuarā o Te Reo Māori programme, using everyday Reo through practical experiences including pepeha, karakia, mihi, waiata, and many more. Ākonga will be confident to communicate and use their Reo skills with mokopuna and whānau in Kōhanga Reo. • Start date: 14th March to 19th December If you are interested in enrolling, please contact your local tari-a-rohe for an enrolment form. Closing date - ākonga enrolments Please note that the close-off date for all ākonga enrolments is Friday 25 February, 2022, 4.30pm. If you are interested in enrolling on one of our Trust Training programmes, then contact your tari ā-rohe asap. This also applies to all ākonga who are currently completing the Tohu Whakapakari – you must make sure that you have re-enrolled back onto the programme. Edge Training Online Edge training is open for Kōhanga Reo to register their interest. Follow this link to register for training today. Te Onetū Our first Te Onetū publication for the year is scheduled for the beginning of March. Te Onetū is our two monthly publication that provides a more detailed update on different events across the wider kaupapa. We are keen to celebrate all successes both big and small so please send us your stories from within your Rohe or Kōhanga Reo so we can proudly showcase them in our pānui. Please send through any kōrero and pictures that we can include in the Jan-March edition by Friday, 18 February, or share your interest via email to comms@kohanga.ac.nz and we can assist where needed. Kāti ake, kia rewa ake ngā whakaaro ki te wāhi ngaro ki a koutou hoki ngā kaihāpai i te Kaupapa o te Kōhanga Reo. Mēnā he timotimo kōrero wāu, tukunga mai hei ngaungau mā te iwi. Kia rongohia tōna reka. So if you have any tasty morsels of kōrero to share, or have any feedback on our pānui please feel free to send to comms@kohanga.ac.nz. |