Ed Sheeran

Just thought we’d pop on and share a quick post about this summer that just can’t go without being mentioned 🙂

In late January, Nevaeh and family were lucky enough to attend the Ed Sheeran concert in Christchurch! Ed has been such an important part of Nevaeh’s journey thus far, and we don’t go a day without listening to or singing/playing his music here at school. We were all so happy that she was able to experience him live. Hopefully he’ll be back one day and we can go for round 2!

And many thanks to Haemophilia NZ for providing complimentary tickets for the whole family to enjoy the experience together!

Hello 2026 :)

We’ve had a busy first couple weeks of school, and Nevaeh is getting back into the swing of things. She’s been spending time with her new classmates and teacher Miss Lang, playing music with Marilyn and Amy, attending her first RDA session of the year, and having a swim with Sam. She’s also resumed her daily learning with Jackie and Olivia, and has been all smiles. Next week we go on a fun small group excursion to the Industrial Heritage park where will we ride the trains and tractor sled, and explore some old artifacts from days gone by.

Looking forward to a great year! Lots more learning to share along the way…

 

End of year wrap-up and thanks!

With our last blog post of the year, I wanted to extend a heartfelt thanks to Nevaeh’s entire team, and all those that she has interacted with this year. We’ve seen incredible growth and maturing in Nevaeh, and it has been truly inspiring to watch her explore and learn alongside her amazing, fun, and deeply caring team.  Happy holidays to all and we look forward to making more memories with Nevaeh in 2026!

 

A snapshot of learning

This week I wanted to share a few of the learning activities Nevaeh has been exploring with her team this term. She has been performing simple pieces of music with Amy, and trying out different writing and drawing tools like pens, paint pens, and chalk with Olivia, which she really enjoys.

She’s also had lots of fun with cars- counting them, talking about colours, and watching them zoom down the ramp with plenty of excitement. On the iPad, Nevaeh is practising two-dimensional matching, sorting, and answering questions, and her engagement and confidence in these activities are growing each week.

It’s been wonderful to see her curiosity and enthusiasm shine through in so many different areas.

 

Church Organ Inspiration

Last week, we were lucky enough to be invited to the Anglican church to learn about and play their incredible church organ. Nevaeh absolutely loved it, and we can’t wait to go back for another visit. Helene treated us to a performance, and Nevaeh got the opportunity to play her very best “Mary had a little lamb.” She loved exploring the different sounds, and dancing and singing along while Helene played.

First swim of the term

Nevaeh had her first swim for the term last week, and will be in the pool with Sam weekly during term 4. She was excited from the moment she started getting ready, and stayed that way throughout the session. The pool time was filled with chat, smiles, and laughter — a calm and happy start to the term’s swimming sessions.

 

Welcome back to Term 4

It’s been a wonderful first couple weeks back! Nevaeh spent some time outdoors collecting nature art supplies for her kiwi art project. Nevaeh absolutely loved being out exploring with Olivia and Chelsea — searching for little treasures among the leaves and branches.

She also had a lovely meeting with Sam and Amy Galvin, Nevaeh’s new Speech and Language Therapist. It was great to see her feeling so comfortable and engaged.

One of the week’s highlights was seeing Nevaeh back in the swing again — pure joy on her face! A great start to the term, with lots more adventure to come including weekly swimming with Sam, a trip next week to play the organ at the Anglican church, and a group social outing to the Heritage Park to ride the trains and tractor, and have a look around. Stay tuned!

 

 

Adventures with friends at the Library

Today Nevaeh and friends, along with Sam and Olivia, enjoyed a wonderful visit to the library. They explored the upstairs space together, and Nevaeh did an excellent job managing the stairs with a little help from Jasper. Once upstairs, she was captivated by the beautiful hanging artwork and spent time gazing up at the colors and shapes. Nevaeh also joined Sienna for some colouring activities, which she really loved. It was a calm, creative, and inspiring outing for everyone.

We hope everyone has a relaxing school break! See you in term 4.

 

Exploring with BLENNZ Resources

After our visit from BLENNZ recently, we’ve had the chance to dive into our new BLENNZ resources, and it was wonderful to see how much Nevaeh enjoyed the activities. She was especially drawn to the new books, spending time looking through the pages and engaging with the stories. The simple, clear visuals made them inviting and accessible, sparking her interest.

Another highlight was using the block and container activity. Nevaeh loved pushing the block into the container again and again, all while Olivia chatted about the different colors. This simple game turned into a rich learning opportunity, encouraging skills like turn taking, helping, and practicing everyday language in a fun, natural way.

The BLENNZ resources are proving to be a valuable addition, offering both structured and playful ways for Nevaeh to explore, learn, and connect.

Department of Conservation (DOC) Visit

We recently had a special visit from a Department of Conservation (DOC) representative who came to talk with us about the Kea. She shared lots of fascinating information about this clever native bird and set up stations filled with pictures, facts, and interactive activities. Nevaeh especially enjoyed wandering around and exploring everything on display, with the laminated Kea picture quickly becoming her favorite part of the experience.