Tēnā koutou katoa, (Hello everyone)
What a fantastic day we had last Saturday for our Turitea School Fest. It is always special to see the way our hāpori (community) comes together in such a positive way to support our kura. Mihi atu (thank you) to everyone who played a part in making the day such a success. Whether you were busy in the kitchen baking treats, running a stall, directing traffic, selling raffle tickets, or turning snags on the barbie, your tautoko (support) is what makes events like this possible. We appreciate our beloved PTA and their efforts to make events like this happen. Approx $6K was raised which will go towards our playground swings project.
Monday marked the first day for Isla who joined Anna and the ākonga (students) in Rimu. She finally joins her big sister Mila from Kauri at school. Nau mai haere mai (Welcome to you) Isla!
We are drawing to the close of our ‘Have Your Say’ campaign where we are collecting your whānau voice to help form our strategic direction moving forward. We are sitting at just over the 70% response rate, which is massive, so thanks to those who have done this. Please follow the link in Hero if you still haven’t told us:
-What are we doing well?
-How can we improve?
-How can we maintain our unique character?
Hui Ā Kura (School Assembly):
Hopefully our hosts above; Ayla, Lily, Makayla and Mackenzie may have enticed you to attend our first Hui Ā Kura of the year with the video they made. They set the bar really high for the rest of our tuakana (Year 6 leaders) to meet and follow, so thank you to those who came along. We celebrate those tamariki who demonstrate our uara (values). This week the following people got their tiwhikete (certificate) for doing this consistently:
Anna: Henry for Mātauranga
Carly Harley for Manaakitanga
Cameron: Eddie for Kaitiakitanga
Trish: Caleb for Mātauranga
Faye Skyla for Manaakitanga
Whaea Anneliese: Ihaia for Mātauranga
Meagan: Māia for Mātauranga
Troy: Amelia for Manaakitanga
Rimu/Rātā Trip:
On Wednesday Rimu and Rātā had a great time at the Awapuni Resource Recovery Park as you can see above, building on their learning about rubbish and recycling. They watched as machines and people sorted the recycling, saw plastic bottles squashed into cubes, and learned how compost is made and yes, it was a bit smelly!
DIBELS Testing:
Your child may have told you that they did a DIBELS test recently, and you might be thinking ‘What on earth is that?’ This is a quick check that measures the building blocks of reading, which consists of a few one-minute tasks such as identifying letter sounds or reading a short passage. This helps teachers identify exactly where they might need support. By catching gaps early, teachers can provide targeted support to ensure every student stays on track. Our teachers will make contact with you if there are gaps in your child’s learning to address or you can always ask to see how they did.
Kōrero Mai:
Hopefully you have seen the bookings are opened for Kōrero Mai (Learning Conferences) through Hero, where you can book in a 15 minute timeslot to meet with your child’s kaiako (teacher). This is Wednesday 25th March from 1-8pm. Don’t worry, we are not closing the school early! These conferences can include your child, if you wish, but your feedback suggested some prefer one-on-one sessions with the teacher.
Ngā Whakanui Ākonga (Student Celebrations):
The kids in Mataī above have been doing some outstanding learning. Earlier in the week, Lachie and Charlie (above) came and shared their recreated sentences about fireworks. Great vocabulary boys! Yesterday Scarlett and Francesca (below) showed me the artwork in response to their poem. Such precision and imagination!
Swimming Pool Closed:
Although we have had great weather this week, we made the call to end swimming today, as our swimmer numbers are dwindling. If you hired a pool key, please send that back to the office. Huge thanks to Fraser, Lucain, Wei, Shayna, Anne-Marie and Patrice for keeping our pool safe over the last few months.
EPIC Music O-Week:
The music room will be open for kids to drop in, grab an instrument, and have a go next Thursday 19th March. No experience needed, try some instruments, ask questions, and see why music with EPIC is EPIC!
From the Community:
- Triple P Parenting News Check out what’s on offer to support parents here
- Takaro Football Club Open Days tomorrow (and next Sunday) from 10am-12pm. Information here
- Beauty and the Beast Jr. Auditions are next weekend. For more information, email them
- Ngā Manu Nature Reserve Big Easter Weekend on 3rd–6th April from 10am–5pm. Info here
- Hockey Manawatū Holiday Programmes 10th-17th April. Year 3/4 info here and Year 5/6 info here
- Massey Kids Club offer Before and After School Care and have a Holiday Programme too.
Term 1 Important Dates:
A look at what is to come over the rest of the term. Some of these can be viewed in the new Hero Events tab.
- Week 8 (Next week)
- Weetbix Tryathlon at Ongley Park on Tuesday 17th March
- Year 6 Cluster Careers Day at Tokomaru Hall on Thursday 19th March
- Week 9
- Year 5/6 Bike Safety Week from Monday 23rd March
- Kōrero Mai (Whānau/Teacher Interviews) from 1-8pm on Wednesday 25th March
- Year 5/6 Southern Cluster Swimming at The Lido Aquatic Centre on Thursday 26th March
- Junior Cluster Athletics at Tokomaru School on Friday 27th March
- Library Bus Visit on Friday 27th March
- Hui Ā Kura (Assembly) at 2.20pm on Friday 27th March
- Week 10
- Last Day of Term is Thursday 2nd April.
Kia pai tō rā whakatā (Have a great weekend)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz
Follow us on Facebook