Photocopier from Ellis Lawyers..

Wow that is huge! What a monster, I didnt expect it to look like that! Those are some of the sentiments of the photocopier that was generously donated by Ellis Lawyers. In speaking with Phillipa who kindly recommended our centre, we are proud recipients of a Fuji Xerox colour printer - yes top of the range. On behalf of our staff and children of Le Malelega a le To'elau ECE we are very honoured and humbled to receive the photocopier. Lets hope we know how to use it :)

Naming of Reserve...

Prior to the new Auckland City Council coming into power, we were very proud to be part of the renaming of the Lost City Reserve to Radonich Park. The park was named after a park ranger that served Manukau City Council for over 20 years - Richard Radonich. It was interesting to hear the history of this modest man and the parks that he designed and developed over the years. It was more humbling to meet the man and his family in person (which our children from Puna Ole Atamai ordained them with lei's) who served with passion in creating public spaces that catered to New Zealand's love for the outdoors. The story by his daughter summed up the legacy this man has left for our community. She reflected about her Dad and in summary she said she would often go out on the truck with Dad, to help him clean up and look after the parks...my Dad was a hardworking man and he loved what he did. As new custodians of the park, our role is to ensure that the legacy of Richard Radonich and his family continues as we uphold the mantle of keeping our park clean for our future generations to enjoy.

Building Complete

On Thursday 14th October 2010, we met with Signature Homes for the official handover of keys to our new building. The handover had been delayed for about 6 weeks due to the unusual downpour of rain which held the progress of landscaping, ready lawn and other minor things. However at 3pm, Dale Co-Director of Signature Homes presented Chairperson Tauiliili and visionary Tofilau Malelega with the keys. This is the first time they were able to view the centre since the initial blessing of the land. In humbled silence he and Malelega walked through the building - eyes of wonder and awe on their faces. The response of unspoken words and tears of happiness - touching, seeing, smelling the tangible result of 4 years of planning and praying. Viia le Atua! Malo Saili!

So what are Autex Boards?

Basically Autex Boards used in our centre are display boards for children's artworks, notices etc and interestingly serves as an acoustic covering. "Autex’s top-quality decorative and acoustic wallcovering fabrics are made from non-woven, highly durable 100% polyester. Resistant to moisture, staining and UV fade, they’re easy to clean and will maintain their performance and good looks for many years." Autex Industries Ltd

Outdoors is vital for young children's development

In my last year of my studies I undertook a small research that discussed the relevance of how outdoor spaces foster young children's creativity. A key learning for me was research undertaken by my former lecturer Cheryl Greenfield - a keen outdoor environmentalist. She suggests "New Zealand children want to play outside...outdoor settings that awakens their sense of beauty, complexity, dynamics of the natural world; honour children's curiosity and motivated to explore and problem solve" (Greenfield, 2007). She further suggests an optimal outdoor setting requires the vital stimulus in order for physical active play in children. This promotes children's learning along with adults that value and appreciate the holistic development of children. Adults who are committed to provide opportunities need to be educated and skilled in outdoor settings that ensure their experiences are rich and meaningful. In line with this thinking, our goal is to provide rich outdoor experiences for children. Hence we are fortunate to have the help of our very good friend Sue Heathwaite - keen educator, herb gardener, bird whisperer at heart! Her wisdom will add value for our childen to have meaningful experiences. Therefore this outdoor space is a work in progress...watch this space.

High Five for Clean Hands

The slogan for the Hgh Five hand washing and drying procedures courtesy of Ministry of Health Department. The toilets have half doors which are lockable for some privacy. And wash basins that are easy access to the child's height. The new taps are push down which automatically switches off after use. These facilities help promote children's self-help and self-care skills for toileting. The centre also has a separate disabled toilet and shower :)

Purpose of fencing...

It was a pleasure to see the fencing go up on Friday. Fencing provides protection and a sense of safety for the staff, children and families that will utilise the facility. However I wanted to understand "what is the purpose of fencing?" Is it to provide a sense of security or does it send another message? So I was surprised to find the following note from www.consumerbuild.org.nz that states:
"The Fencing Act 1978 was enacted to clearly set out the rights and responsibilities relating to fences between neighbouring properties. This is an area that can cause huge friction between neighbours and may spoil your enjoyment of your new house."

Reading more into the act, gave me a huge shift in my original thought that fencing is not just about providing security. However its more about the relationships we establish between our neighbours and the responsiblities we have to ensure that we communicate with our neighbours. This ensures a harmonious relationship exists for everyone's enjoyment. This is a wow moment for me because in the future we will soon have neighbours that were excited about! And to think that our fencing provides a way for us to communicate! Fencing believe it or not is Communication which is linked to Te Whaariki! Communication is another key factor to building strong communities! As it says fencing can also cause friction - it can spoil your enjoyment! So what does it mean for us - communication is vital - giving and receiving feedback is important to establishing good relationships!

P is for sand pool...

Our sand pool is looking really good - i can just see the kids now jumping in clothes and all - who needs a sandpit? However posts are in for the shade sails to go up and waiting on the water to drain/evaporate so the sandpit can be completed. The ground is also being levelled for the matting to go in before gym goes up. We are almost to completion stage, couple more weeks to go before handover. Exciting times ahead!

The road to Le Malelega a le To'elau ECE...

Out at the site yesterday with my gumboots thinking I was going to play stuck in the mud but the road was layed before me in concrete. Yes concrete is exciting ;) Especially when theres a long path to walk along to get to the centre. Concrete finally layed and waiting on the trucks to come and level the rest of the ground. So we believe in you Papatuanuku to show us favour - bring out the Sun!

P is for Play..ground

The playground construction is under way through the expertise of Playzone NZ Ltd - specialists in design and construction of educational play structures. It will feature a sandpit and play waterboard, physical equipment, Samoan fale and garden beds. The playground has been sponsored by the ASB Community Trust and Fountain of Knowledge Trust. This is the first stage of the outdoor playground which will be a work in progress as we continue to seek funding to expand it.

Centre fittings...

We are now seeing the fittings going into the centre. Its wonderful to see an outline of where things will be placed. Pictures 1 to 4 - Office, Kitchen, Entrance of Over 2 side with cubbyholes, Staffroom. We recently did a walk through to place Autex pinboards and choose a colour scheme for the centre. The main colour of white will have splashes of Aubergine, Lime, Stately and Chilli Red boards throughout the rooms - yes even I was impressed with their names. Most walls are white with some feature walls however the resources will be carefully selected to bring the rooms alive.

Taggers attack centre

Over the month of May, our centre along with other local schools in Mangere have been hit with tagging, vandalism and break ins. As you can see the culprits have tagged over brick which means each brick has to be replaced and extra money spent for scotch guard. We also had our trust sign taken of our new centre coming in the area. This will cost approximately $6800 for the scotch guard to be sprayed entirely over the centre so if any future tags are done, it will be easier to remove. Unfortunately these things do happen - the good thing, no damage was done inside the centre. Where would we be, without the local support of our Mangere Maori Wardens lead by our good friend Thomas Henry that do a wonderful job of patrolling the area and reporting these incidences immediately to Police. Our board visit regularly as well however be reassured this incident is minor compared to the fires that happened to Mangere East Primary School. This is not fatal - we will still keep moving on despite these happenings!

Its about FAMILY AND COMMUNITIES

Teachers Taufau & Liai with our transition group 4 & 5 yr olds.

While out at the project doing an electrical walk through, our 4 & 5 year olds dropped in to visit the new centre.

The feedback from the children was encouraging. They enjoyed the huge reserve park as they ran and walked around the whole premises. Comments such as "I like my new centre", "we walked here Tiana from our school" and "what a big house" confirmed the children's excitement of a new facility for the community. Although the children from Puna O le Atamai will not accommodate the new facility, they can be assured they have a sister school around the corner for daily trips and visits. What is more profound, are the many children along with their families from Puna O le Atamai that have supported the building of the new facility through their fundraising efforts over the last couple of years.

This confirms my belief that our NZ early childhood curriculum Te Whaariki has got it right "the curriculum builds on what children bring to it and makes links with the everyday activities and special events of families, whanau, local communities and cultures...culutrally appropriate ways of communicating should be fostered, and participation in the early childhood education programme by whanau, parents, extended family, and elders in the community should be encouraged". (Ministry of Education, 1996).

There is no telling the amount of effort, volunteer hours and support our staff, parents, children and families of our Samoan community have contributed to the fundraising towards our new centre. What is more significant is the knowledge that everyone involved is doing this for others - to encourage more participation from our Pasifika families because we value our children. To the families of Puna O le Atamai - you have established a legacy for future generations to enjoy and remember for years to come. Malo Saili Malo!

Its about RELATIONSHIPS..

Priscilla Purcell & Tofilau Malelega

Steve Barber from Signature Homes with David Va'afusuaga from Fountain of Knowledge Trust

Steve Barber is our site building manager who is responsible for managing the contractors and building requirements. Steve also provides expert building advise and liaises with us consistently to ensure our needs with Signature Homes are met and coincide with Ministry requirements. Steve youre the man! Keep up the great work!

Brick is best..

Signature Homes have been diligent throughout the project build. They have consistently kept us informed through the expertise of Tessa Apa - ECE Account Manager. Considering the amount of projects they undertake, Tessa has been a vital link throughout the consultation process. If anything, relationship is the key!

I see through you...

Doors and window frames being installed

Look up...the roof!

Over the last week the roof has gone up and our project team did a walk through recently. Considering my first comments of feeling small (walking on a piece of slab) my perspective quickly changed as I walked through gazing at the vast space, high ceilings and amount of rooms available. My first impressions quickly transported me back to age 4 - widening of the pupils and grinning with mouth wide open, hitting the floor running and playing estactically with the new layout.
"The kids are going to love this, I want to be a kid again" I said to Tracy our MOE rep. Compared to the space in our current centre, overwhelmingly we could fit it into the infants and toddlers area alone. The beauty of this centre is the addition of the whanau support room which is a separate room for parents and caregivers to relax and enjoy some time out. The kitchen sits comfortably between the whanau and dining rooms allowing for access from both sides. Their is a dedicated staff room and storage space for both areas. This may sound very mundane and simple to the human ear however unless you have worked in minimal spaces, this new layout sings a dream working environment for both staff and children that will bring life to a very much needed facility for the area.
So far our project is on schedule and in the meantime, we are franctically applying for more funding, seeking sponsorship and donees to resource our service. That will be my next posting: A How to Help or Support List for those eager admirers, keen to give something to a much loved community.

Never say No...dare to take risks!

Keneti Apa & Tofilau Punipuao Malelega at our Vision Night - presenting our strategic plan to the community

A thought crossed my mind about what people have said to me about the drive behind our project - our centre manager Malelega. "She never says No"...she will never turn something down or someone away and will always offer help if people ask. I laugh because I know exactly what they are referring too. People ask for help and usually you would offer your hand but not this woman, she offers her arm and some. Although this is true about Malelega, which can be a strain on the people around her, and I say this because we see how much she gives of herself, and because shes known to say Yes most of the time, we see through our human eyes that she is being taken advantage of. However to be fair, most of us are probably too tired, too busy or too scared to say Yes to some of the things she gives herself to. However if we were to view things through our caring eyes, what is evident about Malelega is "she is a blessed woman". And she knows it. So because of that, she often says if someone comes to me for help and I know I can help them, I will. Ive often asked her "but what if you cant help?" She laughs and says "theres always a way...you can help them".
What we have seen is God's favour and blessing on Malelega in more ways than one (another novel). He knows how much she genuinely cares for people and so he takes care of her. He obviously knows shes a great distributor! What Ive learnt from her, is her DARING POSITIVE ATTITUDE - shes a risk taker! She takes risks and sometimes those risks fall on the way, but most times something comes out of it...a way through. She often says you wont know unless you say Yes and do it! Who else is going to do it for you..you need to do it first...onosa'i she would say, God always finds a way. So there are 2 lessons Ive learnt from her throughout this project (and life itself): Never say No and be a risk taker!