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Mahurangi College’s Te Korowai Aroha (The Cloak of Love) faculty, which supports neurodiverse students, will hold its second annual Christmas market outside Warkworth Library on November 26, from 12pm to 2pm.
Mahu specialist teacher Caroline Foubister said her students would be selling chocolate slices, greeting cards, Christmas decorations, fabric pot plant holders, fridge magnets and more.
“We have a hospitality department at the school, so we make the slices in the kitchen there,” she said.
Last year the event raised around $280, which helped “top up the faculty’s budget” for day trips, school projects and kids who may be struggling financially.
“It’s very expensive to go and do things in the community. For example, we might all catch the bus down to Silverdale and go for coffee at Plant Barn, or we might want to take them to Warkworth Museum,” Foubister said.
“It can cost $150 just for one day. It’s expensive because we have kids in wheelchairs that need to travel in a mobility taxi.”
Her students take part in about four school excursions each year, one per term, she said.
“These day trips are invaluable. They love it. We always take them for ice creams on the way back.”
Each excursion requires careful planning and support, with nine teacher aides assisting alongside two specialist teachers, including Foubister and her colleague Beverley Tennant.
“When you’re on an outing, some of the students need to be looked after one-on-one. If you’ve got a kid who’s really autistic, they might get scared and run away, so you’ve got to be really careful.”
Currently Te Korowai Aroha supports 12 students aged 11 to 21, ranging from Year 7 to Year 13.
Foubister, who has 25 years’ experience as a specialist teacher and joined Mahu a year-and-a-half ago, said the age range reflected the school’s commitment to supporting neurodiverse students through to adulthood.
She added that the Christmas market was about more than just fundraising.
“We just want people to know so they can come and support us. It’s great for the kids to see that they are valuable – that the community cares.”
