Ngā Manu o te Taiao • Teacher resource • Whānau communication • Print-ready

Whānau Permission and Participation Note

This page is for kaiako. Use the teacher-facing guidance below to prepare a clear, respectful home communication, then print the letter section for whānau. It is designed for action days, short local fieldwork, and end-of-unit participation or sharing events.

Kaiako planning snapshot

  • Use length: 10-15 minutes to customise and distribute before the action week.
  • Prep: Confirm dates, times, supervision, venue, school policy wording, and who should receive the note.
  • Grouping: Best used by kaiako or team leaders, not as a student fill-in task.
  • Likely misconception: Whānau notes are not neutral admin extras; they affect participation, trust, and how safe the whole activity feels.
  • Workflow: Use this alongside the unit lesson, the action planner, and school communication channels.
Teacher planning snapshot Whānau communication Action-day readiness

Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions

  • We are preparing clear communication for whānau about the manu inquiry action and sharing event.
  • We are making participation requirements, safety details, and support needs visible.
  • We are strengthening home-school partnership around local inquiry and kaitiakitanga.

Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria

  • The note clearly explains the purpose, timing, and expectations of the event.
  • The note makes consent and participation options easy to understand.
  • The note welcomes whānau knowledge and support in a respectful, realistic way.

Readiness and scaffold support guidance

  • Entry: Pre-fill all event details and send one simple consent option home.
  • On-level: Keep the full letter structure and let students explain the kaupapa in class before it goes home.
  • Extension: Add space for older students to help prepare a bilingual invitation or event run sheet.
  • Readiness cue: If students are still unclear on the action itself, fix that first before sending the note.

Inclusion and accessibility guidance

  • Inclusion: Use plain language and make key dates, transport, and supervision details explicit.
  • ESOL and multilingual whānau: Translate or phone home where needed rather than assuming the written note is enough.
  • Accessibility: Offer digital and paper copies, and check whether any families need different formats or follow-up support.
  • Whānau dignity: Invite participation without pressuring attendance or unpaid labour.

Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment

This teacher-facing page supports the community-participation side of the Unit 12 inquiry. Use the companion page to connect whānau communication with social studies participation, oral-language preparation, and the wider learning sequence rather than treating this as an isolated permission slip.

Teacher resource Whānau partnership Curriculum continuity
Open curriculum companion

Mātauranga Māori and whānau partnership note

A mātauranga Māori lens matters here because the inquiry is relationship-based. Local place, whānau knowledge, and manaakitanga shape how the invitation should be framed. Adapt the note for local tikanga and avoid implying that all Māori knowledge can or should be shared on demand.

Te Kete Ako | Unit 12: Ngā Manu o te Taiao

Kia ora e te whānau

Our class is learning about local manu and the habitats that help them thrive. As part of this inquiry, students have been observing local places, gathering evidence, and planning a realistic action to support birds in and around our kura or community.

We are writing to let you know about the upcoming action and to invite your support where appropriate. Please customise the details below before sending this note home.

Event details

Date
Time
Location
Kaiako contact

Suggested custom details: transport, supervision, clothing, tools, wet-weather plan, and whether the action is on-site or off-site.

Permission and participation

  • My child may participate in the planned local manu inquiry action.
  • I understand the action involves supervised outdoor learning and local environmental care.
  • I am comfortable with my child being photographed for school-based sharing only.
  • I understand I can contact the school if I have questions or need further details.
Student name
Parent or caregiver name
Signature
Date

Whānau participation options

  • I or another whānau member may be able to attend or support the action day.
  • I can share local knowledge, experience, or a story connected to manu or this place.
  • I would like a follow-up phone call or email before the event.

Comments or questions

Ngā mihi nui for supporting place-based learning and kaitiakitanga in our kura.

Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment

Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi

Level 3–4: Investigate social, cultural, environmental, and economic questions; gather and evaluate evidence from diverse sources; communicate findings and reasoning clearly for different audiences and purposes.

English — Communication

Level 3–4: Read, interpret, and evaluate information texts; write clearly and purposefully for specific audiences; apply critical thinking skills to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned responses.

Aronga Mātauranga Māori

This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.

Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts

Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?

Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided

This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.

Curriculum alignment