Mihi atu ki a koutou, (Greetings to you all)
The last two days have probably been the most satisfying and rewarding in all my time here at Turitea School. And from the kōrero (conversations) that we had at our Staff Hui last night, it seemed I wasn’t alone in thinking this way. Our kaiako shared their whakaaro (thoughts) about their experience at Te Rangimārie Marae and I just had to share some of these with you:
- I left the marae feeling like my bucket had been filled. My heart felt full when I got back to school.
- As soon as you walked into the wharenui (meeting house) you could feel the ‘specialness’ in the air.
- I had some fears, as did my kids. But when we got there, it was comfortable, felt easier than expected and ‘homely.’ I think it felt this way because of the manaakitanga that we received.
- Seeing our adults stand up and give their pepeha, with support from their child or having them stand together to do this, was really special and heartwarming.
- I felt a strong spiritual connection while being at the marae. Sitting in the wharenui and seeing the tupuna (ancestors) photos on the wall, who had passed away, made me feel emotional.
- The day before, my kids cried in class and didn’t want to say their pepeha. At the marae, they stood up, held the rakau kōrero (talking stick) and said it loud and with pride. I felt so proud as their teacher.
- All of our learning in the Te Ao Māori (The Māori World) space came to fruition at the marae. I felt our kids got the ‘why’ behind lots of the things we had been learning when they came and experienced it.
Hopefully this gives you a sense of the significance of this visit that nearly 200 members of our Turitea whānau (Children, Parents, Grandparents and Staff) benefitted from. Tini whetū ki te rangi, ko Rangitāne ki te whenua – Like the myriad of stars in the sky, so are the people of Rangitāne upon the land. Whakawhetai ki a koutou (We are extremely grateful) to Wiremu, Trieste and Nuwyne Te Awe Awe for the manaakitanga, mātauranga and aroha (love) they bestowed upon our tamariki, who arrived to them as strangers and then left their marae having felt like they gained another Koro (Grandad), Nanny and Whaea Kēkē (Aunty). The picture above shows the karanga (call) to welcome us on and Kaia delivering his pepeha with Whaea Nuwyne. Beneath this you can see Pā Wiremu sharing the history of their marae and Tōtara demonstrating kaitiakitanga by helping in the gardens.
Nau mai, haere mai (Welcome) to Keita who joined Meagan and Hannah in Rimu on Tuesday. What a first week at school you have had! Keita is the teina (younger sister) of Ihaia in Mataī and he has been the most amazing tūngane (big brother) looking after and helping her get settled at kura.
Some of you may have already received news that Oscar is finishing up as our music teacher through Epic Music Academy at the end of the term. We are a bit gutted to lose him, not only because he is part of our whānau here, but because he has made our kids love music. There are some big shoes to fill, but hopefully we will get someone just as cool to replace him in Term 4.
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori:
Next week is Māori Language Week, giving all of Aotearoa an opportunity for the whakanui (celebration) and miramira (promotion) of Te Reo Māori. This year’s theme is Ake ake ake – A Forever Language. The ake ake tree is known for its resilience as it produces some of the strongest of all native woods and grows in the harshest of climates. The name reminds us that the tree is durable, just like Te Reo Māori, where the long term goal is to have a million speakers of Te Reo Māori by 2040.
Just like we did for Maths Week, we would love for you to get involved at home or in your workplaces. Reo Maori have some brilliant ideas and resources on their website here. I know lots of our local coffee spots get behind this movement, so you might like to have a go at ordering your coffee in Te Reo Maori here. I would say ‘He pango roa koa’ for my order. If your knowledge of Te Reo is limited, Hei aha (Don’t worry) – We got you! You can have a go by saying ‘Kia Ora’ (Say: Key-Or-Rah) instead of ‘Hello’ to us at the gate. We have set up a Turitea School page here through the website above and would love for you to add what you do next week, or just have a look at what we get up to at kura. We are running a daily competition called Mīharo (Amazing) to encourage our tamariki to use as much Te Reo as they can. Kia Māhorahora Te Reo – let’s make our language seen and let’s make it heard.
Hui ā Kura (Assembly):
This afternoon, we had our second to last Hui ā Kura (assembly) of the term. Antonio, Charlee and Alexa were our Year 6 hosts and used Google Slides to run our hui so smoothly. We recognised those who consistently demonstrate our school uara (values) and receiving their tiwhikete (certificate) this week are:
Rimu: Grace – Mātauranga and Isla – Whanaungatanga
Rātā: Billy – Manaakitanga
Pōhutukawa: Zali – Mātauranga
Mataī: Evander – Manaakitanga
Tōtara: Cassius – Whanaungatanga
Kahikatea: Ayla – Mātauranga
Tumuaki: Harriet – Mātauranga
From the Fundraising Committee:
Hope you join us āpōpō for our first ever Spring Fling. We have been keeping our eye on the weather forecast all week and it is looking a little bit wet, but we are remaining hopeful! Let’s put good vibes out there for sunshine. We will go ahead as planned, but come dressed for the weather. Other things to remember:
- Gold coin entry.
- Please bring cash. The nearest ATM is at the BP on Fitzherbert Ave or next to Aokautere New World (charges may apply at this ATM).
- Parking could be a challenge. We have a courtesy van available and it will go between Massey Orchard Road Carpark (look for the Turitea School signage/blue balloons) and the event. We will have booster seats for children. Text/Call 021 141 1006 on the day for a ride. Thank you to Linton Camp School for lending us their van for the day.
- If your child is in Year 4-6 or in the Choir, we need them at school to perform Kapa Haka and some waiata (songs) by 10.30am on the day. Please indicate through the survey you were sent yesterday.
From the Board of Trustees:
We had the second of our twice termly meetings on Wednesday night, and as always the Class Reports that Whaea Anneliese gets the kaiako to put together to give the board some insight into what each classroom gets up to, was the highlight! It seems a shame to only share this with them, so here they are for you to enjoy. Have you ever thought about joining our Board of Trustees? We are a pretty friendly bunch and all we try to do is make sure our school is the best that it can be. If you’re ever interested in learning more about what we do, please come see one of us (Joeli, Liam, Niki, Hannah, Peter, Anneliese or Troy). We are heading into an election year next year so need new members.
Holiday Programmes:
With only 10 school days remaining in the term, you might like to check out some of these options for your kids over the upcoming school holidays:
- Wellington Phoenix Football Camp is on at Marist Sports on October 10th/11th Register here.
- True Hoops Basketball Camp is on at the CET Arena on October 7th/8th. Register here.
- Young Stars Performing Arts Holiday Programme is on at Woodville School from 2nd-4th October and at Bunnythorpe Community Centre from 9th-11th October. Register here.
- Wild Nature School have their programme. Email Kirsty for more information.
- Massey Kids Club have their programme. Email Lakin for more information.
- Kelly Sports have their programme. Email Craig for more information. They have also opened their afterschool clinic for Term 4 on a Tuesday afternoon and you can register here.
From the Community:
- Yoga for Children is on after school next term every Wednesday on the Square. More information can be found here and register by contacting Anahera on anaheramassey@gmail.com
- This Sunday (day after the Spring Fling) there is a Green Corridor planting day at Valley Views, which is at 203 Turitea Rd from 10am – 12pm. Our tuakana (seniors) were involved in this project last year and really enjoyed planting trees for the future down by the Turitea Stream.
- Raffle for Maia – Last week I let you know about Maia, a local girl who has been diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. There are no treatments/surgeries available in NZ, so Germany is their only option for life saving surgery. There is a great raffle available to support her.
- IPU Tertiary Institute of New Zealand is hosting their Sakura Day on Saturday 21st September from 10am – 3pm with plenty of things to see and do. It’s just up the road too on Aokautere Drive.
- The Mudder Event is on Saturday 21st September at 498 Makuhou Rd, Marton from 8am – 3pm. This event comes highly recommended from some of our Turitea Whānau. You can get tickets here.
- Last week, Kinky Boots opened at the Regent on Broadway and runs until Saturday 21st September. Our very own Dani is in the choir ensemble, proudly sponsored by Kate and the team at Bijonei Hair Design. She features in this alongside ex-student Manawa from our kura last year. This show comes highly recommended, so if you fancy a night out, get your tickets here.
- Icebreaker Aquatics is looking for new swimmers for next term. Check out their flyer here or have a chat to Janina (Antonio and Ella’s Mum) before or after school one day.
On Monday afternoon next week, I am flying down to Ōtautahi (Christchurch) for Tau Mai, Tau Tahi! (The Trans-Tasman Principals’ Conference). I have an action-packed week of whanaungatanga, connecting with many tumuaki from across our motu (country) and hopefully making some new connections with those coming over from Australia. I am really looking forward to learning from our keynote speakers; Dr. Hana O’Regan (Māori Language Advocate/Academic), Iain Taylor (An inspirational tumuaki from South Auckland) and Gilbert Enoka (Internationally renowned mental skills coach). In my absence, Trish will fill in for me and the team will take turns covering my beloved gate duty after school each day. Anna has kindly offered to write the pānui for you all next Friday, so I will be reading along with you hearing all the cool things everyone gets up to.
Hei āpōpō ki te Spring Fling (See you tomorrow at the Spring Fling)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz
PS Karawhiua (All the best) to Maitlin (Whaea Anneliese’s partner) who is competing in the Snapback Boxing Gym Tamariki Toa Charity Fight Night tomorrow evening.