Ngā mihi o te ahiahi ki a koutou, (Good afternoon everyone)
We are still buzzing from last Friday’s production of Turitea Tiki Tour. A huge mihi (thank you) to everyone who came along, as it was great to see the theatre packed with happy, proud whānau. As mentioned on the night, huge thanks to Dani, who wrote and directed the show, our amazing kaimahi (staff) who helped lead this immense process and to our fantastic tamariki for their efforts and dedication. I now know if I am away in future, I have a perfectly good replacement in Theo from Rimu, who did a stellar job being my doppelganger on stage, I bet you couldn’t even tell! In my excitement greeting you all on the night, I may have been a bit overzealous at giving out programmes (we printed nearly 200), so if you missed out on getting one, you can view it here or come and see Julie and she will happily print you one out. Andrew from Artisan Media filmed the event and we look forward to sharing his edit with you all when he gets it done.
I tenei te Wiki o te Reo Māori. Ake Ake Ake! (This week is Māori Language Week) and as you can expect our kura was enriched by the delightful sounds of Te Reo Māori being spoken by many. Lots of ‘Mīharo’ (Amazing) tickets were given out to those ākonga (students) who put our kaupapa o te rā (daily theme) into practice and lots of prizes were given out. Ka rawe (awesome) to those parents and whānau who embraced the wero (challenge) of trying to speak Te Reo by saying ‘Kia ora’ or ‘Hei āpōpō’ (See you tomorrow) to me at the gate. Mihi atu (Thank you) Whaea Anneliese for your hautūtanga (leadership) in this space.
On Wednesday, we sent two teams to College Street Normal School for the Lower North Island ePro8 semi finals. This is an annual STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) competition for schools to partake in. Our first team was made up of Amelia M, Amelia C, Blake and Chris and our second team had Toby, Kyerin, Elisa and Felicity. Our second team placed third overall, so moved on to the finals and competed again yesterday. This team did extremely well and finished FIRST place! How cool for them to put our name on top at a big competition like that! Thank you to our parents who assisted with supervision and transport.
Yesterday, all of our tuakana (seniors) went to Cluster Kapa Haka at Linton Camp Cultural Centre. As you can expect, our tamariki shone on stage and it was a beautiful showcase of waiata and haka (song and dance) across the four kura that took part.
20 kids then stayed on for our inaugural Cluster Ki-o-Rahi competition with seven teams playing. Our Turitea Rua team came first equal with Linton Camp School!
Sophie, pictured below, a member of the Comets cheerleading team, is celebrating her recent success after her team won first place and was then awarded grand champions! The Comets received the highest score among all 27 teams at their recent cheerleading competition. Ka pai tō mahi (Great work) Sophie!
Kazuri, also pictured below, continued her success in Table Tennis over the weekend as was U11 Girls runner up in the Manawatū Open Table Tennis Championships. Ka rawe (Awesome) Kazuri!
Hui Ā Kura:
I tēnei ahiahi (This afternoon) we had our final Hui Ā Kura (Assembly) of Term 3 led by Hugo, Eli and Leo B from Kauri. As usual, we recognised those who model our school’s uara (values) consistently, through our fortnightly tiwhikete (certificates). Those people were:
- Rimu: Penelope – Mātauranga
- Rātā: Gemma – Mātauranga
- Pōhutukawa: Esme – Mātauranga
- Mataī: Abby – Mātauranga
- Tōtara: Xavier – Whanaungatanga
- Kauri: Grace – Manaakitanga
- Meagan: Leo B – Manaakitanga
- Tumuaki: Riley – Manaakitanga
Looking Ahead to 2026:
As we close the door on Term 3, we start to look ahead to 2026 shortly. We have determined that there will be some spaces for out-of-zone enrolments next year and we will hold a ballot on Friday 24th October to fill these spots. If you have a younger child at home that you’d like to attend Turitea in the future, please can you fill out our online enrolment here ASAP, as we don’t want to give away your space! If you have friends or neighbours that are looking for a kura in 2026, tell them that now is their chance to secure their spot!
New Board of Trustees:
As you may have read on Tuesday, your voting has secured us our new board members until 2028. Whakanui mihi ki a koutou (Congratulations to)
- Dave Gibbs (Soon to be starting, Ella’s Dad and Anna from Rimu’s Husband)
- Joeli Nagera (Kyerin, Kason and soon to be starting, Kensley’s Dad)
- Fraser Ponsford (Mackenzie, Lincoln, Harvey and soon to be starting, Olivia’s Dad)
- Sarah Shannon (Finn, Lachie and soon to be starting, Catie’s Mum)
- Renee Taipana (Ayla and Zali’s Mum)
Our BoT keeps momentum and consistency by retaining Joeli, Fraser and Sarah and adds some ‘fresh eyes’ with Renee and Dave joining the mix. They officially took office on Wednesday and our first hui together is next term on Wednesday 15th October. Whaea Anneliese was unchallenged, so remains our Staff Representative and Ella Cole returns as our Minutes Secretary. Mihi atu ki a koe (Many thanks to) Peter Butler for his service to our Board of Trustees over the past three years. Your keen eye for the finer details, health and safety knowledge and property insight has been much appreciated.
Strike Action:
As you may have heard, a nationwide vote of all NZEI (Teachers Union) members has confirmed that a large number of education professionals will be taking strike action on Thursday 23rd October. This will be a unified strike involving primary teachers, principals, support staff and MoE field staff and support workers. This collective action is the result of ongoing contract negotiations with the government. Although the union members are seeking a pay increase that reflects the rising cost of living, they are also advocating for more funding for resources that directly benefit our tamariki, such as smaller class sizes and more teaching assistants. This strike is intended to highlight the urgent need for investment in our education system to ensure a high-quality learning environment for all.
Lamb, Calf and Pet Evening:
Now that production is done, we are moving on to planning for our next community event that is coming up early next term on Friday 17th October. Today is the last day to enter your pets, so please see the previous Hero post from Julie for more details. Our kaiako (teachers) will start to send home comms to you all about the indoor exhibit section and what the theme is for each class or year group.
School Photos:
We have school photos next term in Week 2 on 14th and 15th October. This year we have changed our photographer and are using Sarah from Clicks Photography, as you can see above. We will share more information about ordering these soon.
Sports in Term 4:
On Wednesday, Dani posted on Hero about all the sports on offer next term and brace yourselves, there are quite a few to choose from. Get in quick as we have had to cut off some sports as teams fill up. We love how much you all value hākinakina (physical activity) at Turitea School, so don’t miss out.
From the Community:
- The Wave Rave is on at the Lido tonight from 6pm–8pm in celebration of the Women’s Rugby World Cup. There will be special guests, food trucks, music, bungee run, activities and competitions. $9 per person entry (includes indoor slides for aged 8+)
- Our Palmerston North Blood Bank needs you. Maybe you could find time to give a gift that saves a life. More information here.
- Kelly Sports are continuing their after school clinics next term, which are on every Tuesday. More information can be found here.
Holiday Programmes:
Here is what is on offer these school holidays, if you need care for your tamariki:
- Kelly Sports Holiday Programme – See their information here
- Bounce Basketball Academy – See the poster here
- Epic Music Academy – Check out their poster here
- Massey Kids Club – Here is their information here
- Table Tennis Holiday Programme – Here are the details
Thank you everyone for your support over what was another action-packed and fun-filled term at Turitea. How exciting as we move into our final term of 2025 soon. During the break, all buildings will have a full exterior wash, and Tōtara and Pōhutukawa are scheduled for a complete repaint. School resumes on Monday 6th October.
Hei te wahanga tuawha (See you in Term 4)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz