Bilingual Education
Offering bilingual classes was an outcome of community consultation in 2019 that showed overwhelming support. It also meets our strategic aim to ensure we provide sustainable bilingual pathways across our Kāhui Ako. This is an exciting journey that our staff have embraced and our community welcomed.
The year 2021 marked the start of our two bilingual classes, Te reo Māori and Samoan Bilingual Vasega, we opened a second class in each in 2022 and a third in 2023 making our school pathway from Y0-Y6 complete and more importantly enabling the full pathway from pre-school through to Year 13 across our Kāhui Ako schools.
Without the challenges Covid-19 brought, 2023 is our year to consolidate our bilingual curriculum in both Te reo Māori and Samoan Bilingual Vasega.
Our parent community thought carefully about the names for our classes and we were gifted with the following names:
Te Whānau o Hato Renata - In English this translates to The family of St. Leonards.
Tautua Mo Le Lumana'i Manuia - In English this translates to Service for a Successful Future.
Our aim is to partner with families to design education opportunities together with teachers, leaders and educational professionals so that whānau aspirations for their children are met.
Research tells us that when first language is strong, it makes learning English more successful. From this foundation, bilingualism and bi-literacy can flourish and grow at our school, not only in our bilingual classrooms but across our school as we use the cultural richness of first language to support our children's learning in all classrooms!
O le gagana e la'ei ai le aganu'u
Language characterises the essence of culture
If you want to enrol your child/children in our bilingual classrooms, please contact the school office to book an appointment with us through the school office.