New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) is recognised as an official language of New Zealand through the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006.It is for this reason that NZSL has special mention in The New Zealand Curriculum (2007).  When NZSL is taught as an additional language, it fits within the aims and objectives of learning languages in the New Zealand Curriculum. NZSL is used by members of New Zealand’s Deaf community and those who are linked with this community, for example, hearing people who have Deaf relatives and interpreters who work with Deaf people. In linguistic terms, sign languages are as rich and complex as any spoken language with many different dialects and grammar structures.
Heath, Koral, Di and I are currently learning NZSL so we can more easily communicate with our KDEC (Kelston Deaf Education Community) learners. The lessons are taught by Marjorie a trained teacher of the deaf, at the Anton Centre.  As with all new learning, some things are easy to grasp and some not so easy. Many signs are representative, which makes them easy to pick up, the challenge then is to retain the knowledge and be able to use it in context. As Marjorie is deaf herself we have to communicate either with sign or by writing. We have shared many laughs as we get signs mixed up or incorrect, I found it particularly funny that the sign for Principal is very similar to the sign for God - luckily Heath's title Leader of Learning - though I do know several principals who would not be adverse to the signs being mixed up...
Having used NZSl briefly while growing up, I have retained some knowledge of NZSl particularly the fingerspelling alphabet however I still struggle with the vowels - and remembering which finger represents which vowel sound. I hope I don't confuse too many of our deaf learners as I hesitate when trying to fingerspell... 
Something I have also learned and found interesting is that it is our deaf learners who will assign us a sign for our name. This will be based on personality traits or physical characteristics. When I told my own three children this they offered to give the deaf learners some insight - an offer I have politely declined... 
Ormiston Primary has two trained teachers of the deaf on the team,  Luisa (Habitat 1) and Margaret in  (Habitat 2) who will be supporting our KDEC learners within the Habitats. Every learner at Ormiston Primary will have the opportunity to learn NZSL, some times through explicit teaching but probably more often through immersion and the need to communicate and collaborate with our deaf learners
Learning NZSL will give all our hearing people insight into the Deaf community. In turn, this will allow our Deaf people to communicate with hearing people more easily. Thus, our school will become more inclusive as we work together to create our distinct Ormiston identity.