Whanau/Community Newsletter - March 2019

**VIEW THE FULL NEWSLETTER HERE**

Kia ora and welcome back to 2019. We are now entering our fourth year of operations in our schools, helping our tamariki achieve educational and life success.

Last year was a HUGE year for I Have a Dream. We achieved so much in terms of supporting our Dreamers, providing opportunities through After School Programmes and much more including some amazing one off opportunities.

2019 brings many NEW things for us including the employment of two new Navigators and two Whanau Coordinators (Y0-Y2). We are pleased to introduce you to:
 Louise Engeler – Whanau Coordinator (Y0-2) based at Tikipunga Primary School
 Laura Stevens – Whanau Coordinator (Y0-2) based at Totara Grove Primary School
 Laura Griffin – Navigator Y3
 Sergio Bloemen – Navigator Support

As the staff grows so does the roll. We now have over 700 students enrolled in the I Have a Dream Programme covering Years 0-11. To ensure your child receives all benefits of our programme, make sure they are fully enrolled; it’s free, and the kids just love having the long-term support of their Navigators. I Have a Dream enrolment forms are available at your school office. If you have any questions about what we do, or about getting your child started on our programmes, feel free to contact your child’s Navigator or send us a message via our facebook page, website or text.

Hillary Camp
It was awesome to see 40 of our 2018 Year 7 students go off to camp during the January holidays. There was much excitement in the planning and lead up to the trip. They travelled all the way to Tongariro where they stayed at the Hillary OPC Centre and took part in a whole heap of challenging and varied activities. They were away from home for a week, sharing rooms with other students they didn’t know, carrying out camp duties and taking part in some amazing outdoor activities. They arrived back home after a week, exhausted but elated – they had achieved so much, made new friends and had an experience second to none.

Our sincere thanks go to Hillary OPC and Foundation North for sponsoring our students. Without this the trip could never have taken place. A special thanks also to Ritchies who provided amazing bus driver, Adrian, and helped reduce the cost of travel. Pak’n Save had an integral part to play with the supply of packed lunches for the journey plus some other treats. To our staff who were also away from home for a week—a huge thanks for your commitment, passion and effort. Celebration 2019!

It’s always great to start the New Year with a positive focus and this is what happened on Friday 15th Feb! Over 500 Dreamers and their whanau turned up to Tikipunga High School and enjoyed an evening of celebration. They met our new staff, took part in some cool activities and enjoyed the carnival atmosphere. Some memorable moments were Allain tying off over 700 balloons during the two hours into all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes, the speed swings, the climbing wall, Naomi the face painter, Mai FM who provided music and some challenging games and the best of all just seeing whanau come together to share kai, swap stories and enjoy what turned out to be a beautiful night. Our thanks to everyone who made this possible from our sponsors Mai FM, Tikipunga High School for the use of the facilities, all the providers of fun entertainment and to the staff of I Have a Dream who worked tirelessly to make this event happen.

After School Programmes
After School Programmes have now started and are running in schools Monday-Thursday. We run 24 programmes over the four days. Check out the timetable over the page to see what is happening in your school on any given day and with what Navigator.

Volunteering
Have you an hour to spare each week? Our volunteer numbers continue to grow however we still need more volunteers for after school programmes, mentoring dreamers and for other occasions. Contact Diane to learn how you can help – diane@ihaveadream.org.nz

2019 will see many more occasions when we can get together and celebrate the success of our tamariki. Make sure you keep an eye on our Facebook page and read our newsletters so you know what is coming up next. For general enquiries contact Lesley on 0274 356 366.

I look forward to working together with our schools, whanau, and community because… when we all work in unity, we give our tamariki opportunity. So lets all get ready for an exciting 2019.

Ant Backhouse—CEO