There was much excitement when the start of term four began
on the 10th of October, and so there should be as the tamariki were
on the countdown to something worth celebrating. Something exceptional was
happening on the 26th October and every day at whanau time the tamariki
and kaiako would count the days until that very special Wednesday.
It was Mairtown
Kindergarten’s 60th Birthday!!! Mairtown was the first kindergarten to be established in Whangarei in October 1956 and over the past
60 years has played an integral role in many children’s lives. We now have 3rd
generation family members returning to be a part of our kindergarten community.
Te Whaariki recognises that ‘The wider world of family and community is an integral
part of the early childhood curriculum. Children’s learning and development are
fostered if the well-being of their community is supported; if their family,
culture, knowledge and community are respected; and if there is a strong
connection and consistency among all the aspects of the child’s world’. The
lead up to the big day was so much fun as the tamariki planned the event from
what to wear, what to play and even worked together to make the incredible
party decorations.
It was decided that on the day you could dress up as anything
your heart desired. We had spidermen, Elsa princesses, pirates, construction
workers and even ballerinas. We also decided to play party games such as the
much loved favourite pass the parcel, musical statues and 'Simon Said' and of
course there had to be prizes. A shared kai was planned to bring all our
kindergarten whanau together.
The day started much like every other birthday party would, the tamariki arrived and everyone was so excited to see what everyone was dressed up as, and of course the kindergarten was decorated beautifully with balloons and a long party paper chain (that the children had made leading up to the day). The place and everyone looked fantastic.
It was a busy morning as we had Zair, Kate and the help of
Kate (Arlo’s Mum) on the face painting table inside and outside Christine had a
table on the go making and decorating party hats.
"I liked getting my face painted and eating cake" Milla.
Whanau time came around and we sang 'Happy Birthday' to
Mairtown and Mia (as our youngest child here at kindergarten) got to put a
birthday sticker on the wall wherever she pleased. The tamariki
got into four little groups and we played pass the parcel, which was a real
treat as the tamariki all ended up with a prize. We also had a special visitor
come and say hello, his name was Greg. He shared with us that he went to
Mairtown Kindergarten in 1958 and to this very day he is still friends with
some of his kindergarten friends, which we all thought was super cool.
As the day progressed the excitement never ended with lots
of other party games played along the way, musical statues, Simon says and
musical bumps. The tamariki and kaiako were having a marvellous day. With party mode
in full force there was something we needed to do next, to sit down together
with our whanau and visitors to share in the delicious array of kai that the
kaiako and whanau brought in to celebrate Mairtown’s 60th
Birthday. Before we did that we needed to have cake because what’s a party if
there’s no cake?
We all came together
for a quick whanau time before lunch and we got to sing Happy Birthday to Mairtown
again. We thought it was fitting that Donna,
Jane (Milla’s Mum) and Rafe (Lily’s Dad) who had attended Mairtown Kindergarten
were asked to do the honours and blow out the candles on the cake.
"I liked when my Dad got to blow out the candles and when we got to eat cake" Lily.
With the cake being done and the games all complete, there
was only one thing to do, our mihi mo to kai so we could all go and enjoy the
delicious food together. It was such a generous and delicious kai too. Thank you so much to all
the whanau for bringing a plate of kai to share and taking time out of their
day to be a part of this special celebration. We are so thankful to have such a
wonderfully supportive community who come together for these types of events.
The people of Mairtown are what make it and what continues to make it a beautiful
place.
“People coming together as a community can make things happen” (Jacob
Rees-Mogg).
 |
| Can you spot Milla's Mum, Jane? |
He waka eke noa, We're all in this together.
From Kate
1 comment:
Congratulations Mairtown Kindy, such an awesome place for our children to go. Can't wait for the next grandchild to attend..... Hugs to all xoxox
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