Nau mai, haere mai ki te Kōtui Ako | Virtual Learning Network Aotearoa
Kia ora koutou katoa, Kia orāna, Talofa lava, Malo e lelei, Nĭ hăo 你好, Annyoung haseyo 안녕하세요, Namaste, Assalām alaikum, Hola, Bonjour, Hallo!
As the Matariki cluster rises into our winter skies, it heralds a welcome period of whakaaro—a time to pause, remember those who preceded us, celebrate our current achievements, and look forward to the promise of the future. We reflect on our significant progress as a community of learners over the 15 years since we helped launch the Rural Broadband Initiative across our schools’ network.
In this season of reflection and anticipation, we encourage school leaders to consider how Kōtui Ako VLN can broaden opportunities, strengthen equity, and support their school’s vision for learner success. In preparation for 2027, we invite secondary schools to contact us now to learn more.
Student support is vital for success, and the role of the e-dean is essential to this. We unpack what this role involves within a school, demonstrating that high-quality virtual education is founded on both excellent teaching and exceptional pastoral care.
In support of the Arts Curriculum, we are offering placements in our songwriting class at no cost to our schools; we particularly encourage schools new to VLN learning to take up this opportunity. This is a fully learner-centred experience for Years 6 to 10, providing a just-in-time approach to writing lyrics, creating melodies, and recording musical accompaniment.
NZSL is available again next term. We welcome Monica Leach, who will be joining our team—find out more about our NZSL programme. You are welcome to join, as there are still a few spaces available for next term (Years 5–13).
Our Hail platform now has an app! Stay connected and receive updates from us directly on your phone or tablet.
Finally, we wish all our ākonga (learners) and kaiako (teachers) from kura (schools) across Aotearoa New Zealand a safe and happy holiday break.
Mānawatia a Matariki ✨️
Rachel, Amanda and the Kōtui Ako VLN team