Students around the country returned to school yesterday after two weeks of break for third term of studies.

Ngatangiia-based Apii Te Uki Ou started their morning with a turou led by student Terry Peua.

The school welcomed four new students and their families, full-time teachers Mary Rodgers and Shana Kamana and John Toleafoa and Marie Repaio who are student teachers joining Te Uki Ou for the term.

The students and teachers also welcomed a visiting party from the University of Canterbury who have been on the island enjoying all the cultural sites and activities. The group of nine visitors are a mix of lecturers and teachers studying their Masters and researching the migration of the Vaka.

Principal Carly Ave said: “The students and lecturers enjoyed running workshops encouraging fun and engaging ways to learning Te Reo.”

“This was their first trip as a group to Rarotonga, they hope to return next year to share some professional learning with teachers around Te Reo second language acquisition and IT platforms that make learning Te Reo engaging.”

Term three – an eight-week term – is the second last term of an academic year in the Cook Islands.