The students of Rangitaiki School brought the festive season to St Johns Wood.
The students of Rangitaiki School brought the festive season to St Johns Wood.
The students of Rangitaiki School put on a very special show for the residents at St Johns Wood in Taupō recently.
As well as a nativity and Christmas concert, the event marked the first face-to-face meeting of friends.
All 12 of the students at the rural school in Rangitaiki have spent the last two terms writing letters to their pen pals at St Johns Wood, asking questions and getting to know each other.
“We wanted real-world situations so that they could write letters back,” said Andrea Haycock, teacher and principal of Rangitaiki School.
“I thought if we wrote to someone that they didn’t know, it would be a great opportunity.”
The children, aged between five and 12, used the opportunity to develop their question writing and punctuation skills.
For the rest home residents, the oldest of whom is 100, it was a way to share their memories and refresh their handwriting skills.
Along the way, they learned about one another’s lives and experiences, from comparing their favourite foods to trading photos of their pets.
Pen pals Bradley and Marian 'Rolls' meet at St Johns Wood.
Organising the Christmas concert and nativity, with help from visiting music teacher Glenda Drake, was a wonderful way for the pen pals to finally meet, Haycock said.
The children performed a short nativity for the residents, sharing the story of the first Christmas. They then treated the enthusiastic audience to a variety of festive tunes, including Jingle Bell Rock and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
Afterwards, they shared Christmas cards and decorations that they had made for their pen pals.
“Meeting them was just the icing on the cake.”
Everyone involved had enjoyed and benefitted so much from the project that they will continue the letters.
“[The letter writing] was supposed to be only for two terms, but we can’t stop now.”
