Talanoa Evening – Junior Literacy Focus 

Around 60 Pacific parents and their children attended the 2024 Talanoa Evening, organised and led by Year 12 students, Ariana Mehau-Lave and Selai Ahovelo, with assistance from other senior students on the night. The school shared literacy and NCEA data for Pacific learners and acknowledged the three NCEA Scholarships achieved by Year 13 Pacific learners in 2024.  

A highlight of the evening was our guest speaker, David Riley. A local author and ‘Reading Warrior’, David shared a message about building a culture of reading in the home. Junior students in attendance have each been gifted a copy of one of his books.  

The purpose of the evening was talanoa and some excellent conversations were had between groups of parents and students, who discussed what literacy looked like in their homes and what new initiatives might be good to consider at Sancta Maria College. 

A communication will go home soon to our Pacific community with a summary of the evening. Thank you to all those who participated in making the evening a success.