In our Fa’aoloaga Programme - To Enrich, we have been working on My Identity O a’u, My Language o la’u gagana, and My Culture la’u aganu’u. We also talanoa and fa’asoa about being leaders at school. The students' writing and work that is shared on this page is only part of what they have been working on at our Fa’aoloaga.

As Part of our Samoa Language Week - Le Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa, we focused on our Service - Tautua po’o Auaunaga, Respect - Fa’aaloalo. This links us to our theme for Le Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa which is Fa’aauau le Folauga i le Va’a o Tautai - Continue the voyage with competent wayfinders of the ocean.

Let us continue to learn, share, and grow in what we have learned at school and with our aiga’s support.

Ia manuia le fa’aiuga o le vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa

Talofa lava

My name is Emily Hanford.

Becoming a leader is not an easy task to do.

Leadership involves a variety of actions.

As year 8 students it comes with big responsibilities.

You are someone that the younger students look up to,

through our service and role modeling.

If you want to be a leader you must be willing to serve.

There are many ways to serve or tautua.

At home you serve your parents,

your elders and your aiga.

At school you serve by doing your duties and

things that you are responsible for.

Be the first to volunteer to carry out duties,

be helpful and supportive wherever possible.

If you want to be a leader, start at the bottom

and make your way up.

Take one step at a time and

serve with humility, respect and love.

Have a forgiving heart and

be helpful and supportive of others.

Being and Becoming a leader as

mentioned earlier is not an easy task,

It comes with great responsibilities.

Be encouraging, considerate

and be firm in your abilities, trust and

have faith in yourself and others.

A good leader serves with a good heart.

You can tell a good leader by the fruit of their work.

O le ala ile Pule o le tautua–

The way to Leadership is through Service

Fa’afetai.

O le ala i le pule o le tautua

The way to leadership is through service

Talova lava my name is Savelina Kasiano.

Being a leader is a tough thing to accomplish. You need to have many values such as respect, compassion, consideration, and most importantly service. Being a leader can be difficult at times because of the pressure that's being thrown at you. So in order for you to become a leader you need to start at the bottom and work your way to the top.

When it comes to leadership the number one thing you need to have is service. Service has a huge impact on leadership because when you serve someone it shows them that you have what it takes to be a leader. So when serving, do it with respect and they shall return the favour.

Leadership isn't just about service it is also about consideration. Wherever you go, you must consider other people's opinions, at home, school, even at church. If you are a real leader you will let others have the chance to speak and have a voice

O le ala e le pule o le tautua

The way to leadership is through service.

Faafetai lava

Talofa, my name is Zion Seupule - mose.

Leadership is not an easy role. It comes with a lot of responsibilities and sacrifices. You need to be confident, courageous and bold.

At school we have a Student Council, that I am fortunate to be a member of. As leaders we are responsible for organising and preparing events. We serve St Claudine Thevenet school to make improvements for the better. I am also House Captain of McGowan, which I serve with enthusiasm and passion.

Personally, service through hard work, commitment and selflessness, is where leadership grows. I have had the honour of being named as Captain of two sports teams in recent times, which was challenging and exciting at the same time. I learned a lot from the experience and am eager to develop further as a leader.

O le ala i le pule o le tautua - The way to leadership is through Service

Fa'afetai.

Talofa Lava

O lo’u igoa o Olioli-Joe Silivelio. E sefulu ma le lua o o’u tausaga. O a’u o le Samoa. O a’u fo’i o le Tausaga Valu i le aoga a St Claudine Thevenet

O le avea ma se ta’ita’i e le faigofie. Afai e fia avea ‘oe o se taitai ia mautinoa ia lelei lau tautua. E te tautua i so’o se auala. Tae o le lapisi, ave se ipu vai, fai ou tiute i lou aiga, le fale aoga so’o se mea ete iai ia avea pea oe o se auauna i so’o se tagata. I totonu o le fale aoga ia e taulamua i le loto fesoasoani, mulimuli i tulafono a le aoga aemaise le mulimulita’ia o ta’iala a le aoga.

A fia avea oe o se ta’ita’i, ia amata mai i lalo e pei o sitepu o le ‘apefa’i. A’ea’e i luga e ala i lau tautua, lou loto maualalo, lou loto alofa, lou loto fa’amagalo ma le fia fesoasoani. O le ta’ita’i e le ose mea faigofie e tele ona fa’afitauli ae ia e tumau i le fa’atuatua e te mafai ona fo’ia fa’afitauli uma.

O se ta’ita’i lelei, o se auauna lelei fo’i lea. E iloa le ta’ita’i lelei i le fua o ana galuega. Ia fa’amuamua le Atua i mea uma e te faia.

O le ala i le pule o le Tautua - The way to Leadership is through Service.

Fa’afetai!

Identity

I identify myself as a samoan even though not by blood but, I am grateful for my family and how much they love and support me. My name and my last name is my first identity. What I like to do is different from others. There are certain things that I like that others do not like.

Language.

At home I speak English, Samoan and Maori. Some people speak different languages but these are my languages. In my family we look different but we are still the same. We are unique in our own ways in how we think and act.

Culture.

I respect my samoan culture. My family reminds me all the time about the three traditions in samoa. No wearing hats inside, no brushing your hair where we eat and no sitting on the table. Understanding my adopted culture is important as it is part of who I am and have become.

Edward

My Identity

I identify myself as a 12 year old teine Samoa, born and raised in New Zealand. I am not fluent in my Samoan language, but my goal is to try my hardest to understand and learn to speak and understand Samoan. I would like to be able to communicate with my elders properly.

My culture

My culture is a big part of my identity because it helps me to understand who I am, as a Samoan girl. Culture is important to me because it helps me connect with my family and Samoan Community.Through them, I am able to understand and learn about who I am as a Samoan girl living in Wainuiomata and within New Zealand, the place where my parents and family now reside but were not born like I was.

My language:

My language is important to me and my family, even though my Samoan is limited, I continue to try my hardest to speak it. My language is part of my identity and culture. It makes me unique, and I feel proud that I am able to speak and understand some of the words. I will continue to learn more so I can use and speak it fluently.

Shalom

Malo aupito! My name is Abi. I am Tongan. I come from a family of 6.

My speech today is about, ‘The way to leadership is through Service’ in Samoan O le Ala i le pule o le Tautua’

As a student, The number one thing in becoming a leader is to have the 4 school values and carry it wherever you go.

That includes having respect for your parents even if they're wrong, for teachers if you get told off and for others. As you get older you also have to have respect for your friends and family and higher people up there like the priest and aunties and uncles. You also need to have a lot of respect for your parents as they've been with you from the beginning of your life up to now.

You also need to have integrity-compassion- and service. All these values help you to improve your wellbeing and help you to become a leader. When you have integrity you do the right thing when no one's looking then that sets an example for the little one to grow up and do the right thing. As you have you need to have compassion that means to look after the little ones especially when they get bumped or hurt on the playground. And last but not least you have to have service. As you know leadership is through service. That is to serve others at home, school and elsewhere. When you do all these things you become a leader and become a better person.

The way to leadership is through service

Malo aupito - Fa’afetai

Identity

Talofa lava. My name is Rekisha Taitu’ave-Pona.

Identity has a different meaning for everyone. Everyone has their own identity, their own voice. When I thought of the word identity many other words popped up, but the word I thought of the most was uniqueness. Whether I know who I truly am, know who you truly are, I have an identity and you have an identity. I think my identity is what makes me unique among others. Everything about myself makes up my identity, like my age, gender, name, culture, personality, my passions and talents. My identity is who I am and who I think I am.

Culture

We all have a culture. Our culture plays a big role in our lives, it affects our lives and how we live. Our cultures have traditions and rules, these traditions were passed down from our ancestors. We have roles, jobs and expectations that we are expected to live up to. I think it's important to have the confidence and pride to share your culture with others because that is a part of who you are. Many families have rules based on cultural traditions, because they were raised around those traditions. As a young Samoan, I know it's my job to look after my family, and to be an example to my younger sibling and cousins. In conclusion, I think our cultures are very impactful in our lives.

Language

Our language defines where we come from. Language is the main way we communicate with others. Many languages are unique in their own way. Some languages have different pronunciations and different letters. Language is an important part of culture because without language, it would be hard to tell what culture is without them speaking. I think language is important because it’s cool learning how to speak your own language, especially when you teach others how to speak your language, you get a sense of pride. Language is unique to every country and I am proud to be able to speak, act and appreciate my Samoan language.

Identity:

My identity is special because it tells and reminds me of who I am. My name, age, gender and nationality are all part of my identity. They all help identify who I am as a person. I identify myself as a 13 year old Samoan and Tokelau male named Darrin Ineleo-Furmage. I was born on May 5th 2009, a Taurus. Even though I am a New Zealand born, I still introduce and identify myself as a Samoan and Tokelauan. Identity is very important to me.

Culture:

My culture is the nature of my family, whether I’m a Maori, Samoan, Tongan or Tokelauan, we are all family. We are all Pasifika. My cultures are Samoan and Tokelauan. There are a lot of cultural celebrations in my culture that I wish and hope I will be able to learn as I grow up. I would like to learn more so I can be able to express myself and enjoy cultural celebrations with a good understanding of what they really mean.

Language:

My language differientiates me from other nationalities. Language is the way I speak using my Mother tongue or the language I grew up with. My cultural language is Samoan and Tokelauan, although I do not speak it fluently. I hope that I will get the opportunity to learn and know more, because it is part of who I am.

By Darrin

My Identity

Hello, my name is Ruth Troon. I am a New Zealand born, proud, fijian. I am a fijian girl that wants to embrace her culture ( fijian ). I am a part of a family of three. My dad ( Joe ), my mum ( Salote ) and of course myself.

My Language

My language is a crucial part of my life. My language helps me connect with my family and culture. Using my language can help connect me with any fijian I may meet and of course it keeps my language alive. The best part is that people can't call me " palastiki, " or plastic.

My Culture

My culture plays a big part in my life. Taking part in ny fijian tradition is always an honor to me. My culture has helped me to be more respectful and disciplined. Throughout my life I've learned to show generosity and hospitality to anyone and everyone. In my culture we let the elders eat first, we don't touch each other's hair without asking and much more. There's many traditions, such as the giving of the masi, tabua and yaqona to the cutting of the hair.

I want to embrace and connect with my culture as much as I possibly can. I want to take every opportunity to connect with my roots. My culture and language are staples in my life. My identity is my language and culture.

I am grateful for the opportunity that is given this year to share and talk about my Identity, my Language and my Culture, and to enrich myself and others about who we are as Pasifika students.