Kia ora e te whānau,
Thank you again to all of you who braved the rainy weather and came and helped make our annual Monster Garage Sale a huge success. After not being able to have it last year, it was a reminder for me of what rural schools are all about, which is where the school is the ‘beating heart’ of the community. Massive shout out to the PTA Members and others who gave up their time to run a stall, sell raffle tickets, turn a snag on the barbie or donate goods for the white elephant stall. We are still working out the final figure on what the day made, but it is looking above the $5K mark which is so good. Tau Ke! (Awesome) As you can see from the picture, Abby was pretty stoked to win the Easter raffle as the basket of goodies was nearly as big as her.
Cluster Swimming:
Yesterday Cameron took our team of 12 to the Kupe Pools at Linton Military Camp for our Cluster Swimming Competition. This tests our kids against the best swimmers from Tokomaru, Aokautere, Opiki and Linton Camp schools. It was safe to say our kids were nothing short of amazing, collecting podiums across all events. Well done to Finn, Natalie, Grace, Antonio and Ada who each won at least one of their events.
Weetbix Tryathlon:
It was a pleasure to set up the Turitea gazebo and have it as our base camp for the 36 kids who did the Weetbix Tryathlon this past Tuesday. It was miserable weather to start the day, but luckily the day still went ahead with our kids giving their all to compete in this annual event that encourages hākinakina (physical activity) in our tamariki. The joy on their faces when they crossed the line and got their medal was priceless!
Turitea Sports Uniforms:
The legendary Julie has made sure that every child in the school has a Turitea Uniform to wear for the year. A gentle reminder that this is only to be worn when they represent the school in any event or play a sport outside the school. It is not to be worn to school for any other reason. We want to keep these looking sharp and lasting many years to come. We don’t want to see them being worn to school as school clothes please.
Te Whānau Māori Hui:
A reminder that the Turitea School Whānau Māori Group are holding their first hui for the year on Thursday 30th March in Tāne Mahuta. This is an opportunity to meet up with staff and whānau members who have an interest in and passion for the growth, enhancement and enrichment of Te Ao Māori within our kura. All whānau are welcome, whether you whakapapa Māori or not. Shared kai from 5:30pm (please bring a plate of food), with the hui commencing just after 6pm.
Hot Cross Buns Fundraiser:
The PTA are working with the Rosebowl Bakery and Cafe to bring you their yummy Hot Cross Buns. This is another of our annual fundraisers where we make $1 per pack sold. If you would like to order, please fill out the form and pay the money into the Turitea School PTA bank account: Westpac 03-0726-0572366-001 We have our next PTA Meeting on Wednesday 29th March at 6.30pm in the Staffroom, all welcome to attend.
Bike Safety for Year 5/6:
Next week, Erin and the team from Sport Manawatū are running some bike safety sessions with the Year 5/6s in Tōtara and Kahikatea. If you have a Year 6 child and haven’t already filled out the form regarding transport to and from the Esplanade, please find the Hero post called Bike Safety Next Week that I posted on March 22nd. Cameron has also posted a message outlining this in his post today for those concerned.
Health/PE Student Teachers:
Today and for the next four Friday’s, the university students doing the Health/PE programme at Massey are working with our tamariki in Tōtara and Kahikatea on developing their soccer skills that will culminate towards a tournament amongst themselves. We are grateful for Rachel, their coordinator who arranged this for them.
MCA Yeah Girls Cricket:
It was great to have some fine weather so that Sarah and Jess could come in and run some lunchtime sessions as part of their Yeah Girls Cricket programme.
New School on Ruapehu Drive:
A reminder about the information evening regarding this is on Wednesday 29th March at 6pm at the clubrooms above the Hockey Turf on Manawaroa Street.
Kia pai tō rā whakatā (Have a great weekend)