At St Mary’s School we recognise that oral language (both listening and speaking) is vital for students to be able to communicate effectively.  In Tika and Maramatanga Teams we use poetry as a basis to recite and read aloud. We talk about voice projection, good expression, modulation and pace. With the students we identify ‘what good listeners do’ and discuss eye contact and the use of body language. 

As the students progress through to Whakapono Team, they are encouraged to take on more challenging types of public speaking with the main aim of writing a simple speech to present.  

All students in Aroha Team are supported to prepare and deliver a 3-5 minute formal speech around a topic of their choice. This process includes defining the purpose of the speech and constructing an effective introduction, body and sound conclusion. Original and thought-provoking ideas are encouraged. 

This year’s judges were Dee Ellwood (Private Speech and Drama tutor), Miss Millie Burton and Miss Abigail Speight  (students from Aquinas College). The judges used set criteria that are also used in the South Cluster Finals at the next level. This ensures consistency for all.

We are extremely proud of the standard of speeches this year.  Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists:

Tika Team
First Place - Dominic Leitch
Second Place - Maddie Mear
Third Place - Coco Jacobs
Highly Commended - Sadie Frank
Finalist - Regan Dobbs, Keegan Murphy, Vienna Vale, Arielle Duytshoff and Manaia Brazendale

Maramatanga Team - Year 2
First Place - Tommy Mason
Second Place - Milli Banbury
Third Place - Jake Swanson
Highly Commended- Lucy Greaves
Finalist - Harin Kum and Saoirse Williamson

Whakapono Team - Year 3 
First Place - Peter Chang
Second Place - George Hopkins
Third Place -  Hugo Palairet
Highly Commended - Ivy Hodgson- Barrett
Finalist - Liae Yang and Indie-Rose Scholes

Whakapono Team - Year 4 
First Place - Eva Jeffries
Second Place - Gia Dumbleton
Third Place - Sam Waylen
Highly Commended - Ciaran Manning
Finalist - Georgia Abernethy and Kate O’ Halloran

Aroha Team - Year 5 
First Place - Nathan Holmberg
Second Place - Finn Richards
Third Place - Briar Grace
Highly Commended - Tallulah Clark and Isla Wills

Aroha Team - Year 6 
First Place - Mila Laurie
Second Place - Niamh Manning
Third Equal- Henry Scholes
Third equal - Ferlyn Wijaya
Highly Commended - Jaime Lock and Jorja Smart

Good luck to Nathan Holmberg, Finn Richards, Mila Laurie and Niamh Manning who are representing St Mary’s at the South Cluster finals on Thursday 7 September.  

Anna MacKinnon
Deputy Principal