Dyer Street School - Lower Hutt

Kia ora koutou,

2013 has started off great.

I would like to welcome my new Computers in Homes School Dyer Street School. 
Dyer Street School are allocated 15 places for Computers in Homes.  They will be commencing training in at the end of March and will be running through the School Holidays.  Good luck to all the fanau/whanau/families who will take part in our programme.

St Michaels Catholic School - Taita

Kia ora koutou,

2013 has started off great.


I would like to welcome my new Computers in Homes School
St Michael's Catholic School.  St Michael's are allocated 15 places for Computers in Homes.  They will be commencing training in mid March.  Good luck to all the fanau/whanau/families who will take part in our programme.

Christmas Wishes and New Years Blessings

We are nearly at the end of 2012 and wow has this year past by fast!!!

We have graduated:

15 families from Petone Central
14 families from Berhampore School
12 families from Taita College
15 families from Pomare School
17 families from Koraunui School

We will be working with:

Dyer Street School and Taita Central School in 2013.


I would like to take this opportunity to give a big mihi out to all the wonderful people involved in making our families more digitally aware.

• The Government funder's because without the pūtea, giving our families the opportunity of the Computers in Homes would not be possible
• To the 2020 Communications Trust who come up with all the brilliant ideas in ways to help our families of the Computers in Homes programme become more digitally aware
• To all the coordinators who are committed to having our families received the opportunities we can provide them with
• The Principals who recognise a great opportunity for their families and grab that opportunity with both hands
• The School CiH teams - tutor, technician, school teachers, champions and admin.  Without you all, the families involved may not have seen how friendly the learning environment is
• The tamariki of the CiH parents.  Your encouragement and support we hear from you all in class and at the graduations is a priceless moment for your mum, dad, nanny or koro.
• Last but not least, to the parents of the Computers in Homes Programme.  Thank you for taking a stand for your children and wanting to give them the best in life.  By taking the challenge of learning Digital Literacy Skills to improve not only your skills, but your children's skills in showing them "If my mum/dad can do it, then so can I".  

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire - William Butler Yeats

Pomare School Intake 2 2012

Pomare School graduated 15 families.  We were fortunate enough to have Joris De Bres of Humans Rights and Race Relations attend.  We were welcomed by an island turou, which was prepared by Mama and the school tamariki.  It was the first time I had attended something like this.  Beautiful experience.  The graduation environment was filled with anxiousness and excitement.  I could not get enough of the whanau gratitude. The excitement of seeing their faces light up when they talk to their fellow class mates, the laughter in their eyes when they remember the funny experiences they had in class and the proudness they showed when receiving their certificates of achievement!!
These reports do not do the graduations I have been so blessed to experience any justice what so ever.
The speeches made by Fred and Sisa where heartwarming.  Fred spoke about the joys of learning and the camaraderie that flourished and openness to know “no question is a dumb question”, when speaking about safety and security on the internet a parent who is trying to log into her email account asks the class “does anyone know my password??”.  We all had to laugh at the irony.  Sisa’s speech brought tears to the 2020 Communications Trust as she grasped exactly why we do the mahi that we do.  I am in the process of gaining her speech so that I may share with everyone.

Koraunui School 2012-2013

Koraunui School based in Stokes Valley is a school which merged with Kamahi School and Stokes Valley School which merged to become the school it is.

I met with Barbara Hay to speak about the Computers In Homes Programme and what benefits this can have for both the whanau and the school.

She was very interested in having Computers In Homes provided in the school and even had a good 70 families off the top of her head which would qualify from this programme.

I then organised a hui with the staff and enrolled them in the possibilities Computers In Homes can create for the whanau.  They were all for the kaupapa and wanted to get this started as soon as possible.

The 15 allocated numbers for Koraunui School was filled within the first week the newsletter went out to families with an extra 14 on the waiting list.

They graduated their 17 parents on the 27th September 2012.
The graduation was a wonderful celebration with the school kapa haka and pacifika group performing.  They welcomed Joris De Bres (Humans Rights Relations Commissioner), Laurence Millar (2020 Communications Trust)

Koraunui School Computers in Homes parents graduated with so much pride and mana.  It was such an amazing thing to watch as these parents stood up to collect their tohu and have their children screaming out "Goooo mummy!!!"

Ka pai Koraunui School Computers in Homes whanau for taking the challenge to increase your knowledge and your child's knowledge of the digital world.

Hutt Valley Mayor Ray Wallace endorses Computer in Homes

Through the DVD Launch of Petone Central, the Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace was captured by the mahi and the kaupapa that Computers in Homes stood for.  He spoke to me enquiring why his Hutt City Principals have not applied for this programme.
My reply:  "Computers in Homes is a magnificant programme, it is advertised by word of mouth.  We do not enter the schools trying to sell our programme.  We need schools with fire in their belly's and can see the benefits of this programme for the school whanau make the first step to enquire through our website"

So his initial reaction was "Can we organise a hui and invite all the principals from low decile schools to watch snippets of this DVD and let them decide if this is a great opportunity for their families as I think it is?  I am more then happy to endorse and host this presentation".

November 22nd 2012 I communicated with the Mayor Ray Wallace and Cn Margaret Willard to organise this presentation.

Because of the timing in the year, many schools were getting ready for the christmas period so were unavailable to attend the presentation.  However, we had 3 new principals attend, as well as 2 Computers in Homes Principals - Pomare School & Koraunui School to share their experiences as a CIH Principal.

The hui was a great success with 6 new inquiries for the Wellington - Hutt Region.

CiH DVD Launch featuring Petone Central School

This was a huge success.  We had our honoured guest Mayor Ray Wallace attend, as well as Margaret Willard (Wainuiomata Council), Loudeen Parsens (Family Centre Lower Hutt), Iosua Esera (Petone Central Principal) and Petone Central CIH Parents and children.
The families who attended were in awe watching themselves up on a big screen.  To recapture a happy learning space for them was a great reminiscing moment they will never forget.  The children were excited when they saw their mum or nan on the screen.  Each family receive a copy of the DVD as a gift and a thank you.
The theatre did the DVD a lot of justice in which the Mayor and councillor want to organise a Hui and invite all my scoping schools to the Hui and show snippets of the DVD.  The date has yet to be finalised, however I will be inviting guest speakers Di Daniels (CIH National Coordinator), Chris Worsely (Pomare School CIH Principal and Wellington SG Committee member), Barbara Hay (Koraunui School CIH Principal) and Briar Mita (previous CIH Parent and now Hutt Valley Basic Steps Tutor) to speak about their experience and views of the CIH programme.