Tongan Language Week

Celebrating Tongan Language Week at St Ignatius of Loyola

Mālō e lelei!

Tongan Language Week has been a wonderful success at St Ignatius of Loyola Catholic School, with students and staff coming together to celebrate Lea Faka-Tonga, Tongan culture, faith, and traditions.

We began the week with a special assembly featuring a beautiful performance by our Tongan Choir. This was particularly special as it was the choir's first time performing together at a school event, and the students proudly represented their culture and school.

Throughout the week, students enjoyed a range of lunchtime activities, including Tongan art and craft, kiekie making, cultural activities, and a fun Tongan dance session. These activities provided students with opportunities to learn, participate, and experience aspects of Tongan culture in a fun and engaging way.

A special highlight of the week was our Tongan Mass, where our students, staff, and whānau came together in prayer and celebration. Following the Mass, our Tongan whānau shared 'otai and keke with students across the school, which was greatly enjoyed by everyone. We then gathered for a shared kai with our Tongan families, creating a wonderful sense of community and connection.

Today, we are finishing the week with Tongan colouring activities and bingo games, giving students one more opportunity to learn and celebrate together.

A huge mālō 'aupito to our Tongan students, staff, cultural leaders, and whānau for their time, effort, support, and generosity throughout the week. Your contribution helped make Tongan Language Week a meaningful and memorable celebration for our whole school community.

Mālō 'aupito! Ko e lea ko e koloa – Language is a treasure!

This week, I have been proud to celebrate Tongan Language Week and share our culture, language and traditions as a school community.

Our celebrations began with our choir singing at the Secondary Schools Tongan Language Week gathering on Sunday at the Wesleyan Church. 

Throughout the week, we have shared cultural dance, singing and reflections from students at Assembly. 

We have come together during break times to share Tongan food, Tongan dance battle and students had the opportunity to make a Kiekie. 

A highlight was our Tongan Mass, where students, staff and families gathered together and shared our traditional food. 

A few of us visited Wesley College which a meaningful experience. We were grateful for the opportunity to attend their Chapel Service, watch their Tongan performances and meet with Mr Vainikolo and their Tongan student leaders.

Hearing about the ways they keep their Tongan group active throughout the year inspired us to think about how we can strengthen our own Tongan community at St Ignatius. We discussed ideas such as choir, dance, gatherings and creating more opportunities for our Tongan students to connect and celebrate our culture.

We came away feeling a strong sense of belonging and pride in who we are. The experience reminded us that our culture is something we should celebrate not just during Tongan Language Week, but throughout the year. 

We are grateful to Wesley College for sharing their experiences, inspiring us, and for working alongside in the future to support our growth in this area.

Tongan Language Week is more than just a celebration. It is a time to be proud of who we are, understand and strengthen our identity, share our culture with others and come together as a community. It reminds me of the importance of keeping our language, traditions and culture alive for future generations.

- Leila Pahulu