Onekawa Kindergarten

28/08/2026

💛What a beautiful way to finish a very busy week! 💛

Today we dressed in yellow to show our support for Daffodil Day, while also celebrating and farewelling our beautiful kaiako, Whaea Rachel.

Rachel will be missed immensely. She was surrounded by so much aroha today and so well deserved. We know she felt the love from our tamariki & whānau 💛

We held a special poroporoaki mat time for Rachel, sharing our love and best wishes as she heads off on her next adventure. It’s not goodbye though, just see you later, as Rachel will still be popping in to relieve for NKA. 🥰

A huge thank you to Rachel for the wonderful resources and books she gifted to our kindy. The tamariki were absolutely delighted and are already enjoying exploring their new treasures! 📚💛

Haere rā e Whaea Rachel — thank you for everything. We wish you all the very best for your next adventure! 🌼💛

25/08/2026

Come to kindy dressed in yellow this Friday in support of Daffodil day 🌼🌼🌼

21/08/2026

Yay, it was so good to see the sun today! ☀️ Tamariki made the most of the beautiful weather, enjoying time outdoors, playing music with a range of instruments and singing to their hearts content. 🎶

Following on from our excursion to Atea-a-Rangi yesterday, tamariki enjoyed a treasure hunt around the playground. They searched high and low for images representing special places from their learning, with some even discovering themselves as part of the treasures! 🔎✨

Our collage table has also been very busy, with tamariki practising their cutting skills, developing their pincer grip and getting creative with a variety of materials. Collage continues to be a favourite for role play too, with tamariki creating their own spontaneous play as well as engaging in teacher-planned provocations.

It has been wonderful to see tamariki building on yesterday’s learning, connecting experiences and finding new ways to explore, create and share their ideas.

Enjoy the weekend whānau

20/08/2026

Some of our tuakana were lucky enough to hop on a big bus and enjoy a ride to Ātea a Rangi at Awatoto, where they had the opportunity to learn more about Māori astronomy, navigation and the stories represented through the pou.
Tamariki loved getting out into our community, gaining new knowledge and revisiting the pūrākau of Te Ika-a-Māui.
They also had lots of fun taking part in a treasure hunt, exploring the different pou and discovering the special meanings and stories each one represents. It was a wonderful hands-on experience that strengthened their connection to te ao Māori, local pūrākau and our wider community.

17/08/2026

You may have noticed our new large coreboards around kindergarten — one on our outdoor trolley, which we can move around to wherever the majority of our tamariki are playing and one on the wall inside to support communication throughout our environment.

We’ve had a high level of interest from our tamariki already!

We’re starting small with just three key words: Look | Help | More , and over time we will gradually build on these as our confidence and understanding grow.

These core boards have been funded by the Ministry of Education and will be a wonderful asset to our kindergarten, supporting inclusive communication and giving all tamariki another way to have their voices heard. 💕

07/08/2026

Frosty mornings didn't stop our tamariki from embracing all the learning opportunities on offer this week! A very generous donation of dress-up costumes from one of our previous kindergarten families, the MacGregor whānau, was a huge hit. The costumes sparked imaginative play, strengthened friendships and brought plenty of laughter as they were given a wonderful new lease on life. A big thank you to the MacGregor whānau for your kindness and generosity.

As the afternoons warmed up, tamariki made the most of the sunshine outdoors. They tested their theories, developed their coordination and challenged themselves through balancing, jumping, rolling, and mastering the "Granny Wheels" an activity that requires patience, perseverance and determination. It was wonderful to see so many children showing resilience as they practised, persisted, and celebrated their achievements together.

Enjoy your weekend whānau :)

31/07/2026

What a busy and fun-filled week we’ve had at kindy! 😊

This week, our tamariki practised both our earthquake and fire drills, and we were so impressed with their recall and understanding of what to do in an emergency. 🔥 A great reminder for whānau to kōrero at home about your own fire safety plan too — including choosing a safe meeting place, such as the letterbox.

Physical challenges have also been a big hit, with tamariki jumping hurdles, taking turns, encouraging one another and celebrating each other’s successes. 💪

Exploration and play have been happening everywhere — searching for bugs and insects 🐛, dramatic play, dancing to favourite nursery rhymes 🎶, harvesting delicious mandarins from our tree 🍊and enjoying tabletop games that support early maths skills, cooperation and turn-taking.

Another wonderful week of learning, laughter and fun together! 💚

24/07/2026

Nau mai, hoki mai whānau! 💚

Welcome back from a well-deserved mid-year break! Our kaiako enjoyed an inspiring week of professional learning at the Napier Kindergartens Conference, coming away with lots of new knowledge and ideas to support the learning of our Onekawa Kindergarten tamariki.

It has been wonderful seeing our tamariki settle back into Kindy routines and reconnect with their friends. The chilly, frosty mornings have sparked lots of curiosity, with tamariki exploring the frost and ice and discovering what happens as it melts.

Storytelling, imaginative play, outdoor exploration, animals and challenging ourselves on the outdoor equipment have all been favourites this week.

What a wonderful start to the term — it is so lovely to have everyone back! 💚

20/07/2026

12/07/2026

📢 Reminder for Our Onekawa Kindergarten Whānau

Just a friendly reminder that Onekawa Kindergarten is closed this week while our teaching team takes part in professional learning and attends the Napier Kindergarten Association Conference.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to kindergarten on Monday 20th July.

Ngā mihi,
The Onekawa Kindergarten Teaching Team