Ground to Stars Pilot

A Holistic Wellbeing & Creative Mentorship Journey at Maidstone Intermediate

Your child has been offered a spot in the Ground to Stars pilot program happening in term 3. 

Overview

Ground to Stars is a pilot wellbeing program designed to support students at Maidstone Intermediate to reconnect with their inner gifts, explore emotional resilience, and grow into creative peer leaders.

Blending the arts, embodiment, nature connection, and restorative relational work, this term-long program offers young people tools for navigating a complex world while staying rooted in their values and vision.

At its heart, the program teaches that every student holds a brilliant, unbreakable core—but life experiences, including trauma, disconnection, or social pressure, can create layers that obscure it. Ground to Stars gently clears these layers, restoring confidence, self-awareness, and creative agency.

Philosophical Foundations

Ground to Stars draws from an integrative model of wellbeing informed by:

• Ecotherapy – Building connection with nature and land-based identity
• Somatic Therapy – Regulating the nervous system and building body-based awareness
• Hakomi Therapy – Using mindfulness and gentle inquiry to transform limiting beliefs
• Creative Therapies – Activating expression and integration through movement, storytelling, and play
• Phototherapy – Using photography for reflection, identity, and empowerment
• Nonviolent Communication (NVC) – Supporting compassionate communication and needs awareness
• Polyvagal Theory – Helping students understand and regulate their nervous system states

This framework is trauma-informed, neurodivergent-aware, and culturally responsive, offering a safe and inclusive space for all learners.

Weekly Journey

Week	Theme	Focus Areas
1	Orientation & Baseline	Program overview, creative assessments, and building trust; introducing core concepts and language
2	Root	Relationship to body, ancestors, and tūrangawaewae (a sense of place and belonging)
3	️ Center	Polyvagal Theory, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and recognizing fight–flight–freeze states
4	Power	Understanding power dynamics, bullying, victimhood, and how to practice "power with" others
5	Heart	Building relationship skills, boundaries, and giving/receiving support in balance
6	Communication	Introduction to Non-Violent Communication, reality mapping, meaning-making, and clear self-expression
7	Imagination	Developing inner safe spaces and getting to know internal parts through creative storytelling
8	Crown	Visioning, discovering gifts, and dreaming into future possibilities
9	Reflection & Design	Assessment, integration, and co-designing legacy/mentorship ideas
10	Celebration	Sharing, showcasing, and honoring growth with peers and whānau

Structure & Participation

• Daily Schedule:
  • Morning Block 1: Girls’ Cohort (7 students)
  • Morning Block 2: Boys’ Cohort (7 students)
  • Afternoon Block: Create Happy Training Program– Both cohorts together to learn visual storytelling skills that explore the work they did in the morning.
• Term 4 Legacy:
  Students return as peer mentors, guiding new Year 7s through the journey in a tuakana–teina structure that builds leadership and reinforces learning.

Ideal Participants

We are seeking students who may be:

• Creatively inclined, curious, or emotionally sensitive
• Often misunderstood, underestimated, or questioning of norms
• Showing signs of leadership or vision, needing a safe space to explore it
• At risk of disengagement if not meaningfully supported