The seniors have left the building.......

I can't actually believe that 2016 is almost over and I have seen off another 13 music!! It has been a super small class this year and although we didn't quite get all of the results we wanted (they would agree), as always they have been a big part of the music department and I will miss them! Hornby kids are special, we say it a lot but Hornby really is family. As migrants to NZ from Englnad ( almost 10 years ago ) I have but a small whanau of 3! The Hornby crew are an extended part of my whanau and I think of the students as #myotherkids. It is a privilege to be part of a young persons life, to watch them grow into young adults and to encourage them along the way! The year 13's this year have taught me alot! They have taught me about wonderful Maori culture and made me feel like part of their whanau! Kapa Haka will not be the same without them! They have also taught me that sometimes our children just need an ear to talk to, a shoulder to cry on and a simple hug!

Last week of term is upon us.....

So, the week is not over yet but I thought I would reflect on the terms madness early!! This penultimate term always seems to fly by. This time it has actually flown and as usual its a mad dash panic to get everyone through the last assessments. My highlights of the term have been getting back into Kapa Haka, I missed it so much and have really enjoyed learning again and being part of the special kapa whanau. We have a performance in the holidays so can't wait for that! Secondly my wonderful Voices with Soul. Such an amazing group of young singers and just generally awesome humans!! We had so much fun at the Voices festival again, they always make me proud and we received two awards for "pop performance" and "emotional plan". It was lovely to do a song dedicated to Krystal. She would have loved singing her beloved Justin Bieber! Great highlights and just a few reminders of why I love this job!! So, 3 days to go, one performance gig, two assemblies and some sad staff farewells, then relax............

Kapa Haka

So, this term my timetable has changed which means I can attend Kapa Haka again! Yay!!!! So happy. It is so nice to have an hour dedicated to learning beautiful waiata and powerful haka. I don't have to be in charge or make any decisions but just enjoy learning and being inspired!! Being part of a kapa haka whanau is a special place. As an only child its nice to have the feeling of having "people" ( even at 36 years old ) Lead by our wonderful matua and our awesome senior leaders I know that I am in good hands. This week we are refreshing our school haka which is awesome, I definitely needed a wee refresher as I have been out of practise for a while. At the end of the hour its such a rush to hear the force of the haka again, its like nothing else...... Cant wait for next week!