Bi-lingual Unit expanding
Colleen Hansen, head of the bi-lingual unit at the Raetihi Primary School, teaches pupils from the new entrance level to Standard Two. Shirley Coogan, is responsible for the pupils from Std Two upwards. Mrs Hansen has an assistant, a teacher's training student, Vanessa Katene, from the Rangahaua Maori studies unit, which is part of the Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic. Ms Katene spends two weeks in the class room as part of her practical training and one week in Wanganui, back in the unit. While this is an ongoing part of her training, when she graduates there is no guarantee she will be posted back to Raetihi although she is hoping that this will be the case. As a Maori studies trainee Ms. Katene will be fully qualified in Te Reo Maori and this would be of great
benefit to the school. At the moment, Mrs Hansen is the only qualified bi-lingual teacher at the school. This, together with reduced bilingual pupil number may mean cutting back a class by one. Mrs Coogan currently has a teacher's aid Cindy Hiroti, assisting her. Ms Hiroti is fluent in Te Reo Maori and this is necessary for the class to continue. Everything is being done to give the ^pupils in these classes the best possible opportunity to learn in all subject in the main stream learning programme across the board. Some of the main stream subjects are taught bi-lingually. Extra learning comes in areas of Tikanga and traditional Maori cultural learning such as waiata, action songs and poi, haka, carving, flax weaving orbasket making. On the Maree situation,
the pupils get the chance to learn such things as karanga/mihi, whai korero, calls of greetings, and speech making, karakia, the things that are tapu - sacred, and all that is protocol within the Marae. Although the language is not an international language, it gives the pupil a sense of pride about themselves as maori, an understanding of Maoridom as a whole, and helps to build up the confidence of the pupil, particularly in the area of both Marae based protocol, the class room situation and generally in sports and recreation. Both classes have a good atmosphere, though some of the pupils in the senior class are looking forward to continuing the maori studies at a higher level when they are at college because as one pupil said 'I want to learn more".
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Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 611, 7 November 1995, Page 8
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400Bi-lingual Unit expanding Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 611, 7 November 1995, Page 8
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