Pre-school children and staff start each day with a hui.

New Head of Pre-school, Mandy Jenkins, says the positive way she was welcomed into the St Andrew’s College Pre-school family was the perfect example of how Māori tikanga principles are engrained in the environment. “Everyone was so warm and friendly, and highlighted how the values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga are embraced by the Pre-school. Building strong relationships with the children, their families, and the wider school is at the heart of everything we do.”

New Head of Pre-school, Mandy Jenkins, says the positive way she was welcomed into the St Andrew’s College Pre-school family was the perfect example of how Māori tikanga principles are engrained in the environment. “Everyone was so warm and friendly, and highlighted how the values of manaakitanga and whanaungatanga are embraced by the Pre-school. Building strong relationships with the children, their families, and the wider school is at the heart of everything we do.”

Respecting the individual, and showing kindness, compassion, acceptance, and respect are key aspects of manaakitanga, which are role modelled by the teachers in the ways they interact with the children, and each other, she says. “Whānau, hapū, and iwi are the foundations of whanaungatanga, which is also fostered in the Pre-school. We have strong, reciprocal relationships with our families and love to learn from the children about their different backgrounds, cultural identification, and where they fit as individuals into their families.”

The Pre-school children gather at the start of each morning for a hui, when they kōrero, sing waiata, and listen to a brief on what is happening during the day. “We might also look at tikanga and encourage the children to focus on one aspect, such as kindness,” says Mandy.“

The Treaty of Waitangi and its principles of partnership, protection and participation, underpin the Pre-school curriculum, says Mandy. “Partnership is the most important to us, as it reflects the partnerships we grow with our families. When genuine connections are made and meaningful connections had, we can ensure we are supporting parents to meet the aspirations, hopes, and dreams they have for their children.”

The contact with families often lasts well after the children have moved on to the Preparatory School, says team leader, Jan Marshall. “Those strong connections are what parents really value about the Pre-school. We have several Preparatory School parents whose children came to the Pre-school, who still pop in to see us. The relationships are forged so strongly, and the families always stay part of our community.”