Strathmore Park Kindergarten

🌺 Kãtoanga’i ’o e Lea Faka-Tonga 2026 🇹🇴
16–22 August 2026

This week at kindergarten, we are proud to celebrate Vike Kãtoanga’i ’o e Lea Faka-Tonga — a special time to honour the Tongan language, culture, identity, and the richness of our Tongan community.

The theme for 2026 is:

🎶 “Ko ‘etau hiva, ko e fe’unu mahu’inga ia ki he mo’ui ‘a e Tonga.”
“Our music is a vital strand of our Tongan culture.”

For Tongans, hiva (song) is more than music. It carries their language, history, values, faith, and stories, connecting generations and strengthening the bonds that unite families and communities.
Below in the photos are some everyday phrases you could give a go and learn alongside us this week!❤️💙

Mālō ‘aupito! 🇹🇴🌺

Kia ora Tātou,

Yesterday was a great day to make some carrot soup. Thanks to Kaibosh for all the carrots and onions, which helped to fuel our bodies. Eventually we will be growing our own Māra kai once the weather gets a bit better. We have been starting by germinating some Bee flowers, which hopefully will be great companion flowers to help our vegies grow. Thanks tamariki for helping peel and cut all those carrots, I definitely noticed a lot of kaha (perseverance, determination) being used. This week we have also been focusing on our 5 main senses at mat times, so taste was an enjoyable sense to explore yesterday. Ka rawe to all those tamariki who tried a new healthy soup for the first time. Carrot is such a delicious sweet vegie, which is often a winner with young children. Ngā mihi nui.

We’re sharing this on behalf of one of our past kindergarten whānau, Lou, who currently has a few spaces available for in-home childcare.

Over the years, we’ve had a number of children attend our kindergarten who have also, or whose siblings have, been in Lou’s loving care. So we wanted to help spread the word for any families who may be looking for childcare for their little one that can’t attend kindergarten yet. 🙂

Kia ora, I’m Lou 😊

I have been caring for little ones for 36 years, starting as a nanny and now as an in-home carer based in Rongotai.

I currently have two vacancies available on:
📅 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
🕗 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

If you’re looking for childcare for your little love, I’d love to have a chat.

📞 027 282 0153 – feel free to call me anytime. 😊

Kia ora Tātou,
Yesterday we were so lucky to have Martin the Toy Maker come to Kindy. He was helping support our tamariki to make the most fabulous wooden houses. Which we will love playing with at Kindy. What a lot of sawing, hammering, problem solving, persisting, creating and building I noticed. Ngā mihi nui Martin, we loved having you come to help us all work on our carpentry skills. We look forward to your next visit.

Whānau and friends we need your support!

ECE Voice Powered by NZEI Te Riu Roa, ECE Voice is for early childhood teachers, kaimahi and their communities to unite and campaign for fair pay and better conditions.

Authorised by Stephanie Mills, National Secretary, NZEI Te Riu Roa, 79 Boulcott, Wellington

HAVE YOU ENROLLED TO VOTE IN THIS YEARS ELECTION?
🟠We have enrolment forms available at kindergarten.
🟠You can update your details by clicking the QR code at kindergarten.
🟠You can also enrol online by clicking the same QR code.
🟠Everyone must be enrolled by October 25th if you want to vote.
Enrol early so you’re ready to vote

This is a critical time for early childhood education. After months of upheaval and change in the sector, we now have another report proposing more changes, this time to funding.

The consultation document that forms part of the government’s review of ECE, being undertaken by the ministerial appointed funding review group, has been released.

Kindergartens Aotearoa is concerned that it ignores the fundamental issue: the level of funding is simply not enough, and it hasn't kept pace with rising costs.

The options presented mean shifting money around rather than increasing it, with teacher qualifications, pay and conditions treated as areas where trade-offs can be made. These factors are fundamental to high quality provision, and undermining them would be devastating for the over 180,000 babies, toddlers and young children attending teacher-led ECE services each day.

Read more of our response below.

Kia ora tātou,

Hope you have all been enjoying some lovely fine weather this week? Even if it's been a little chilly, we always wrap up warmly and head outside. This week, thanks to the lovely Nicole of Berhampore Kindergarten, we have been enjoying a sensory extravaganza that stimulates sight, sound, smell and touch. We have all loved playing with these cocoa husks from the Whittaker's factory in Porirua. The gorgeous chocolatey smell has been a great provocation to talk about, what we think it is. We have had fun, hiding and finding sea creatures in it, digging, scooping and pouring it, turning it into a long and short train, to move around the edge of the trough and it has even lent itself to the tamariki being ka pai kaitiaki, as they have learnt to sweep it up. A beautiful resource to play with for all ages, very sustainable, as it turns into a much needed mulch for the garden when we have finished playing with it.
Ngā mihi Nui

Kia ora e te whānau,
I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful sunny weather and have had a lovely school holiday break? It has been business as usual at Strathmore Park Kindy, with fun learning for a smaller cohort of tamariki.
The tamariki have enjoyed cooking some delicious cheesy mouse traps (cheese and ham on toast) with Seini and many more exciting learning opportunities. We look forward to seeing everyone back to Kindy next week. Ngā mihi nui.

This week, we had the pleasure of celebrating two very special kaiako. Rhodene marked an extra-special birthday, giving us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate her and all that she brings to our kindergarten community. We also recognised Lara, who has been relieving with us for the past three weeks while Rachel has been away. We are so grateful for the care, enthusiasm, and support Lara has shared with our tamariki and whanau.
Celebrating these special moments reminds us of the importance of the relationships that make our kindergarten such a caring and connected place.🥰