Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery

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25/09/2026

Week Ten Term Three
Ao Tawhiti Unlimited Discovery
Thank you all for a great term three.
Our Year 7 – 8 team played at the Kī-o-rahi tournament. Well done to all the players and thank you to Mark Stone for coaching this term.
The Year 7 – 8 Community held their fortnightly Class Master tournament.
The Year 7 – 8 ended the oral language unit with podcasting, supported by Archie Hayes.
The CCC library came and worked with Melva’s Home base supporting the students to create their own podcasts. Thank you again to Archie Hayes for his support with this. Well done Melva.
60 students participated in the circus workshops, with students having a go at juggling, ariels and tight wire. Thank you to Leah Ross for organizing this.
Matt Parkes took his 5 Science class to the University of Canterbury.
Matt Parkes also ran a great STEM Hapori class this term.
Congratulations to Harrison Brown who was one of the 20 finalists in the Scape Aspiring Artist competition.
Congratulations to Harvey Evans, whose sculpture is called, ‘How the World has Changed’ is one of the three winners of the SCAPE aspiring artist competition this year. His work will be displayed at Tūranga.
Have a wonderful holiday break and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school next term.

Congratulations to Eloy, Yuno, Harvey and Cleo who are the voices on the SCAPE Kids Art Tour - a walk around four sculpt...
24/09/2026

Congratulations to Eloy, Yuno, Harvey and Cleo who are the voices on the SCAPE Kids Art Tour - a walk around four sculptures in central Ōtautahi, Christchurch. Click on the QR code and have a listen.

Just a reminder that this is the last day of classes today for term three. We have our IEMs tomorrow (Friday) and the fi...
23/09/2026

Just a reminder that this is the last day of classes today for term three. We have our IEMs tomorrow (Friday) and the first Monday of term four.
Normal classes resume on Tuesday 13th October.
Thank you all kaimahi, ākonga and hapori whānau / staff, students and our wider community for a fabulous term.
Have a wonderful holiday break and we are looking forward to seeing everyone back in term two.

19/09/2026

Week Eight and Nine Term Three Highlights
Oakleigh Haywood directed a fabulous production of ‘Godot is a Woman’ starring Luisa Duarte, Stephen Godwin, Arabella Williams and Rose Withington. Thank you Emma Kneller.
The formal committee of Pippa Bailey, Taylah Bentley-Eddington, Frida Ricks, Luella Rivers, Hannes van Niekerk and Xavier Griffen organized a wonderful formal. Thank you to Brent Silby for DJing and Evan Kiddey for organizing the food.
Rika Hunter, Taylor Wyatt, Alba Wesener and Phoebe Inkster at The Warehouse.
Fourth Floor community had a community day at Parakiore and Hagley Park.
Joseph Hurrell and Kahu Davis at Woolworths.
Troy and Dante made Poi at the Climate Action Campus. Thank you to Pritham for running this workshop.
Tape a Teacher fundraiser run by the student council. Thank you to Linsday and Nic.
Ski Day at Mt Hutt – thank you to Kay Hayes for organizing community ski days.
Tristan Richards and Ivan Golubkov at the Climate Action Campus.
Aniwa McCarthy-Ward at Trees for Canterbury.
Recycle-a-device learning program run by Jonathan Briden. Connor is replacing thermal paste in the laptop. Eli is giving a refurbished laptop to Madden.
Derived Grade Exam week for our senior students. Thank you to Brent our Principal’s Nominee, Paula our SENCO, Lizzie and all our Teacher Aides and community volunteers.
Nicole’s Homebase spent a day celebrating the Ōtakaro with kayaking, clay sculpture and awa exploration, after their hard mahi.
Titan and Lola kayaking with Adventure Specialists.
Scape Art with Sarah – Zola and Maria create artworks using collage and Posca pens.
Monday the lamb is still the most popular member of the Climate Action Campus, closely followed by Rosie the golden retriever.
Millie Slater did work experience at Woolworths.
Theo McHaffie at Upright Scaffolding.
Thomas Malthus at Woolworths.
Isaiah Farrell at the Red Cross Shop.
Stephen Godwin at Steadfast Books.
Isis Kereopa at Tuahiwi Preschool.
Congratulations to the Year 7 – 8 Football team who came 11/26 in Canterbury regional tournament.
Daisy Wyatt at the Red Cross shop.

Keep sending photos to [email protected]
Have a wonderful week.

Reminder: Thursday is the last day of classes for term three. We have our IEMs this Friday, and the first Monday of term...
19/09/2026

Reminder: Thursday is the last day of classes for term three.

We have our IEMs this Friday, and the first Monday of term four. Our normal timetable resumes on Tuesday 13 October.

There are no level 7 - 8 classes this week, as this is exam week for our senior students. All Year 12 and 13 students are on study leave. Students were emailed exam timetables earlier this term. If younger students have an exam this week then they are able to take the two days before the exam as study leave.
Ara, Gateway and NTA programs will still run this week for all students, including Y12 and 13 students.

Have a great last week of term three and a wonderful holiday break.

Join the 2026 Environment Canterbury Youth Rōpū for their planting event on Saturday, September 19th! 🌱We will begin wit...
18/09/2026

Join the 2026 Environment Canterbury Youth Rōpū for their planting event on Saturday, September 19th! 🌱

We will begin with a welcome and planting demonstration at 10am, then we will plant for around 90 minutes before tucking into a delicious BBQ lunch 🌭 The event will wrap up by 1pm.

All gear provided. Please let us know of any dietary requirements you have. See the maps on the next slide for directions to the planting site.

Reminder: STUDY LEAVE - DERIVED GRADE EXAMSWeek 9NCEA Level 1 derived grade exams on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th Se...
14/09/2026

Reminder: STUDY LEAVE - DERIVED GRADE EXAMS

Week 9
NCEA Level 1 derived grade exams on Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th September. No Level 6 classes run on those days, therefore Year 11 students are on study leave, unless they are in to attend higher or lower level classes.

Year 9s or 10s who have a Level 1 exam on those days are allowed study leave on the day of their exam. Otherwise, they are expected to attend school.

Because Level 1 classes are not running on Wednesday and Thursday this week, Year 9s and 10s who are at school and have a scheduled Level 1 class will have Arotahi during that colour block.

Week 10 - September 21st - 24th
NCEA Level 2 and 3 derived grade exams. No Level 7 or 8 classes run this week, therefore Year 12 and 13 students are on study leave all week.

Year 9s, 10s, or 11s who have a Level 2 or 3 exam are allowed two days study leave prior to their exam session. Otherwise, they are expected to be at school attending their normal classes.

Because Level 2 and 3 classes are not running, Year 9s, 10s and 11s who are in those classes and are at school will have Arotahi during those colour blocks.

Any questions then please reach out to your child's Homebase Learning Advisor.

Kia ora,In 1953 a man wrote a play about waiting.In 1988 he sued five women for trying to perform it.It’s 2026 and we’re...
14/09/2026

Kia ora,

In 1953 a man wrote a play about waiting.
In 1988 he sued five women for trying to perform it.
It’s 2026 and we’re still waiting.
------------------------------
While looking into the possibility of performing Beckett's classic 'Waiting for Godot' we stumbled upon the brilliant play 'Godot is a Woman', written and previously performed by Silent Faces Theatre in the UK. The play was reviewed by the Guardian as 'cheeky and geeky', the Stage as 'richly comic', and Reviews Hub as 'unmissable'.

'Godot is a Woman' is the story of a group of actors waiting for the rights to perform Waiting for Godot, and the Beckett Foundation's history of not allowing women to perform it.

We are very grateful that Silent Faces is a lot more generous with their rights than the Beckett Foundation continues to be.
---------------------------------
The play Godot is a Woman is performing THIS WEEK at Ao Tawhiti. It is a witty comedy starring: Luisa Duarte, Rose Withington, Arabella Williams, and Stephen Godwin.
It plays:
7:00pm Thursday
7:00pm Friday
2:00 Saturday
7:00pm Saturday
Tickets can be found here - https://events.humanitix.com/godot-is-a-woman

13/09/2026

Message from Matt Davis

Kia Ora Koutou,

After a fabulous 22 years as a learning advisor, I have decided to step away from Ao Tawhiti and head off on exciting new musical adventures. I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the amazing students I've worked with - and their whanau - both in my role as a teacher of music and as a Homebase Learning Advisor.

Keep on blazing trails and carving out your own lanes, I know that you are all destined for greatness.

I would also like to extend a big thanks to those Learning Advisors who are passionate about doing the best for their students and doing education differently. It has been inspiring to work alongside so many colleagues who are determined to create an amazing and unique learning environment for our Rangitahi.

Ka Kite Ano - Matt Davis

Term 4 Class choices - Due 18 SeptemberYear 7-13 students….Check out the available classes for the first half of Term 4…...
09/09/2026

Term 4 Class choices - Due 18 September

Year 7-13 students….

Check out the available classes for the first half of Term 4…2026 below…

Please note...these classes will only run for the first four weeks of Term 4. Students will select new classes for the last five weeks soon.
https://arotahi.aotawhiti.school.nz/course-list

Please spend some time browsing through the descriptors and then let your HBLA know what you’re planning on doing as soon as possible. Our deadline for getting classes in to your HBLA is Friday the 18th of September. This gives us some time to balance class numbers etc before the end of term. It’s always a good idea to have a couple of options for each colour block.

We always try to get everyone their first choice but sometimes there are limits on the numbers of students that can fit in a class. As an example, only 24 kids can work in the hospitality space for Health and Safety reasons.

Address

5 Mollett Street
Christchurch
8011

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Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

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+6433777773

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