Category: News

Ka nui te mihi mahana ki a koutou.Warmest greetings to you all. Looking back over what has been a long 11-week term, there have been many memorable moments. One highlight came early in the term, when we had the privilege of welcoming the Mounted Rifles and their Army horses for our special ANZAC Day commemoration—an experience that made a lasting impression on our tamariki. There have also been many other opportunities for our students throughout the term. From cross country, chess competitions, the World Vision Junior Youth Conference, Kapa Haka, Trees for Survival, and our regular Garden to Table programme,...

Ngā mihi mahana e te whānau (warm greetings to you all family),I always enjoy the opportunity to write the pānui and keep you all up to date with what has been happening around our kura (school). I don't know about you, but reaching the end of Week 10 has made it feel very much like the end of term... except we have one more week to go! An 11-week term in the middle of the year is certainly a rare occurrence, so there are a few tired faces around. However, in true Turitea fashion, there is still plenty happening as...

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou (Warm greetings to you all) Our kaiako (teachers) are currently busy completing assessments to inform upcoming report writing. Reports will be sent home in Week 11. We have been keeping whānau updated on curriculum changes this year and what these mean for learners. If you have any questions about progress descriptors, the curriculum, or learning goals, please contact your child’s teacher via email or HERO. We are always happy to connect and share what is happening in our classrooms. Nau mai, haere mai to Evelyn and Olivia, who joined Anna and Lynley in Rimu...

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou, (Warm greetings to you all) Move over Gucci, because we think we officially dropped the hottest collection of the season, as no school merch ‘hits harder than ours!’ As I wandered class to class this week, the ora (vibe) from the kids proudly showing off their new gear really warmed my heart. Seeing our tamariki have so much pride in wearing our school brand links them to our history, what we stand for, and one another. It is a strong showing of our uara (value) of whanaungatanga (positive relationships) that makes our little semi-rural...

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou, (Warm greetings to you all) At the end of last week, Troy travelled back to Tāmaki Makaurau as, sadly, his dad, Barrie, is very unwell. Troy, please know that you and your whānau are in our thoughts. We are sending our love, strength, and support to your family during this difficult time. He waka eke noa – we are all in this canoe together. No one has to face a storm alone, and we stand alongside you with care and support as you navigate the days ahead. While Troy is away, I have had...

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou, (Warm greetings to you all) Getting in to you all a day earlier than usual with tomorrow being our Staff Only Day and school is closed for instruction. We appreciate your support in advance giving us this day together as a whole staff to engage in a day of learning around supporting the needs of our tamariki.  Last Sunday, we were incredibly proud of our Year 3-6 rōpū (group) for their outstanding performance at the Whānau Success Day at West End School. They represented us with mana (pride), turning heads and drawing such high...

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou, (Warm greetings to you all) We couldn’t have asked for better weather this week! Check out the amazing photo of the sunset that Trish took after school on Wednesday… Just gorgeous! It set the stage for an awesome day today and there’s nothing quite like a rural Cross Country when the sun is shining and the air is crisp. Ngā mihi (Thanks) to Julie, Meryl, and Tim for all of their mahi (work) behind the scenes to make this event such a success. A huge thank you also to the parents/whānau who stepped up...

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou, (Warm greetings to you all) Didn’t Hannah do a great job with the pānui last week? Between her fine linguistic skills and Anna making a video with her cute kids to replace my weekly wrap-up videos, I was starting to feel a bit redundant in my absence! It’s great to know the ship sails so smoothly (maybe too smoothly?) when I’m gone. This week is Support Staff Week, and we want to recognise our amazing Julie in the office, magnificent Meryl in the gardens, Dani does everything and the outstanding Aimi, Mitzy and Kirstin...

Kia ora e te whānau, With Troy away, I’ve been entrusted with writing this week’s pānui. What a perfect week to be asked as it means I get to share the special news of a new arrival, I’ll happily take this one Troy! I’m delighted to share that Cameron and Olivia have officially become parents after welcoming Fletcher Alastair Schaw into the world yesterday. Cameron has shared some beautiful photos with us and stated he is ‘just perfect’. A huge thanks to Trish who stepped into Pōhutukawa this week and we look forward to welcoming Carwyn on Monday for the next three...

Kia ora e te whānau, Today is the last day for Cameron, as he starts his paternity leave for the next four weeks. He and his wife Olivia are heading down to Wellington Hospital on Monday to have their baby boy. Our amazing staff put on a surprise baby shower for him on Wednesday and this afternoon, his lovely Pōhutukawa whānau gave him a beautiful gift bag that they all put together. As you can tell he is feeling the aroha (love)! Trish (the reliever, not OG Trish) will be in Pōhutukawa next week for him and Carwyn will be...