ACES Buzz!
ACES Monthly Newsletter May Issue
Kia ora parents, caregivers and stakeholders
Tena koutou katoa,
Welcome to our May edition, where we capture highlights of Akonga on their learning waka with ACES.
We cover our very successful Open day held last week at Marist Rugby for ACES Maungarei, engaging school leaders and professional networks.
Damien shares an important article on the importance of Project Based learning methodology, as central to our ACES curriculum, learning in action and it's impact in the real world.
Finally a reminder to our School leaders that work with ACES Maungawhau our Open Day this Wednesday.
Naku noa na.
Thelo Meleisea
Community Liaison
A Celebration of Community and Growth: Maungarei Open Day
What an incredible afternoon we had at our Maungarei Open Day!
We were thrilled to welcome over 30 guests, including Deputy Principals, teachers, Oranga Tamariki (OT) staff, RTLBs, and representatives from four of our vital attendance services: ATWC, Baverstock School, and Sylvia Park School.
The event was a beautiful showcase of collaboration, but the real stars of the day were our young people.
Our Student Hosts Shine
A massive shout-out to the eight incredible students who stepped up to serve our community: Cassia, Azariah, James, KJ, Kanesha, Samson, Kaejah, and Renny.
From baking fresh cookies and setting up the site to creating art and hosting guests through the venue, these students poured their hearts into the day. The afternoon was filled with great conversation, and it was a privilege to watch each of them grow in confidence right before our eyes.
Standout Moments from the Day
A Heartwarming Reunion: One young man was absolutely blown away and filled with joy to see his teacher walk through the door.
Growth and Reconciliation: In a deeply mature moment, one of our students took the initiative to apologize to an Attendance Advisor for how she had treated them when they first met, expressing how much she now appreciates the safe space at ACES.
A Newfound Passion for Hosting: A student stationed at the front door—who had never met so many people at once or felt so embraced by a crowd—was so energized by the experience that she immediately asked our tutors if she could host the next event!
Confidence in the Kitchen: Another student, busy baking cookies in the kitchen, confidently shared details about what she was making and opened up to guests about her journey and time at ACES.
It Takes a Village
An event this successful doesn't happen in a vacuum. We are incredibly thankful to our entire team for bringing this day to life.
Special thanks goes to Isaak for his inspiring vision, and to every single staff member who played their part flawlessly. We also want to extend our deepest gratitude to our amazing Chef and Baker, Liyah Pohio, for her ongoing dedication to helping our kids feel safe, seen, and valued.
Finally, a huge shout-out to Brady, Christian, and Marcello for their incredible team cohesion and support throughout the day.
Big thanks to all who attended and made the Maungarei Open Day a milestone to remember. We look forward to many more opportunities to connect, share, and celebrate our students' journeys together!
Malo Aupito
Salome Ma'u
Campus Leader
What is Project based learning?
“Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi”
-With your food basket and my food basket, the people will thrive.
As I reflect on the current educational environment, and the many changes or adaptations happening in our education system, this Whakataukī reminds me of the importance of collaboration and community engagement in learning not being lost. It is also a valuable reminder that by combining resources, skills, and knowledge, a community or team can flourish, rather than just survive. It acknowledges that everyone has something to offer.
One of the things I am most proud of, is the mahi of our staff and students at ACES, in the medium of Project Based Learning. Project-Based Learning (PBL) prepares students for the modern workforce and world, by shifting education from passive ‘rote-learning’ to the active application of knowledge.
By tackling real-world challenges, students develop "Real-World Skills" through competencies such as critical thinking and collaboration that remain valuable even as specific technologies or job roles change. Research also suggests that PBL can increase a student’s employability by 25% in job-related competencies, effectively bridging the gap between learning and the ‘real world’ of workplace expectations.
A great example of some of these essential PBL skills in action was the ‘Ko wai au-Who Am I’ project at our Maungarei Campus. This project invited students to explore identity, purpose, passions, and future aspirations through creative media and design. It enabled students to reflect on their personal story, while beginning to shape the person they want to become. It also engaged students, while upskilling them in another 21st Century capability (Video production), creativity and design.
Due to the theme and technological mediums used in this project, it was incredibly relevant for ākonga. This resulted in high levels of engagement and an enthusiasm and curiosity for learning that reached into their wider worlds, through a holistic lens encompassing Whanau, their passions and inspirations, alongside a focus on who they wanted to become.
Our ACES ākonga who have traditionally struggled to engage in learning embraced the challenge, spending hours of their own time filming, editing videos and producing the final product. They also engaged in reflective conversations with Tutors enabling them to adapt and improve as they worked towards producing the final product.
This project also embedded Literacy and Numeracy into its delivery ,through script-writing, and structured storytelling, and the timing and pacing of videos, alongside budgeting concepts. This aligns to a key strategic priority for ACES AE in 2026, the development of our ākonga in their Literacy and Numeracy skill.
Coming through Term Two and entering TermThree, our themes of ‘Community’ and ‘Growth’ will be a continued focus across Projects, as well as embedded in our Tuakana (Year 11) and Teina (Year 9 and 10) programming.
Already this term we have seen explicit teaching of Literacy and Numeracy skills, across our timetable that aims to prepare our ākonga to achieve their ‘Moving-On’ goals of returning to mainstream, or transition to further training or employment. However, we also work towards these strategic goals from a foundation of connection, and a holistic approach to education.
A key foundational kaupapa at ACES has always been a relational pedagogy based on Sir Mason Durie’s ‘Te Whare Tapa Wha’ model. This highlights the importance of all of the walls of the whare in Rangatahi development, alongside the foundation of students feeling confident in ‘where they stand’. This is crucial to creating an environment where individual ākonga can be successful. This means firstly understanding their own identity and potential and secondly knowing where they fit as part of our learning community. In conclusion, this provides the confidence for ākonga,to develop a growth mindset and understand that any gaps in their learning, are opportunities to develop and grow.
We must all work collaboratively and collectively to support our incredible ākonga, because their success is OUR success.
Damien Fogarty
Pedagogical Leader
