Mōrena e te whānau (Good morning families)
Coming to you nice and early today as anticipation builds for our annual Lamb, Calf and Pet Day, which is happening this evening from 4–7pm. Creative energy is buzzing through the classrooms as our ākonga (students) put the final touches on their gingerbread men or exhibits. Thanks to Hamish and Fraser for allowing us to use and open the Massey Paddock at the top of the street for additional parking. We will open the classrooms at the completion of the pet judging (approx 5pm) to view the indoor exhibits. We please ask that you leave them on their tables for others to see for at least 30 minutes before taking them away. If you have to leave early tonight, you can always collect them on Tuesday.
This tradition is at the heart of what makes Turitea special, celebrating our rural roots. Even as animal entries shift over time, we remain passionate about keeping this unique celebration alive, as this was strongly echoed by your survey feedback earlier this year. We have a few students running busking and origami stations if you want to bring a few extra coins to support them. As always, big mihi (thanks) to Julie who helps organise and coordinate this event, our indoor judges; Ange, Cherry and Francie, our outdoor judges/stewards; Sophie, Abbie, Caoimhe, Tayla, Mark and Kerri, and our ring setter-upperer; Tim. We look forward to seeing you all this afternoon.
On Wednesday, Whaea Anneliese took a team of 11 to the Fly Palmy Rippa Rugby World Cup at Coronation Park. This event was made up of over 20 schools from our rohe (region) and was a cracker of a day! Our team of Rory, Ihaia, Jackson, Kyerin, Lincoln, Ayla, Munroe, Mackenzie, Harriet, Makayla and Emelie did us proud! Check out the video that Manawatū Rugby put together here showing some slick moves.
On Tuesday, We held a Trial Evacuation and we are proud to report that everyone was safely accounted for in just 2 minutes and 29 seconds, improving our time by well over a minute from our last drill in April. Our goal is to streamline our processes and keep bringing down the time it takes us to do this. We do these to build ‘muscle memory’ and prevent panic that can happen in a real crisis.
A range of Summer Sports have kicked off for Term 4 and it is great to see so many Turitea kids involved in these. I had a beautiful email from Stacey, the coach of our Tornadoes hockey team regarding them all showing our school uara (values) through excellent teamwork, inclusivity, and outstanding sportsmanship. Ka rawe koutou! (Awesome everyone). We are always grateful for our parents stepping in to coach our teams!
Your portraits from Clicks Photography are now available to order! The access codes were sent home with everyone on Monday. If you require an additional access code for a second household or somehow missed yours, please email Julie and she can help sort you out.
Ngā Whakanui Ākonga (Student Celebrations):
We have a range of tamariki involved in the Palmerston North Athletics Harrier Club and at their recent prizegiving for the 2025-26 season, we had some outstanding achievers. Ayla won Best Overall Athlete for 10-12yrs Girls, Kyerin won Best Overall Athlete for 10-12yrs Boys, Mila won Best Overall Athlete for 7-9yrs Girls and Kason won Best Overall Athlete for 7-9yrs Boys. Bit of a clean sweep which was awesome to see!
Dates for 2027:
We released these in last week’s pānui, but they are published here on our website under School Dates as well if you need them.
From the Community:
- PNINS Proudly Presents: Alice in Wonderland featuring incredible student talent across drama, music, dance, and production. Shows run Tuesday 3rd – Saturday 7th November at 7.30pm (excluding Thursday); tickets are available from their website or the PNINS office.
- MILO Fantails Girls Football: Marist Junior Football Club is offering a fun, supportive 7-week programme for girls aged 4–12, perfect for all skill levels with no experience needed. The full programme costs $35, and you can register your child directly at Sporty.
- Manawatū Cricket Junior Programmes: Manawatū Cricket is offering Smash Play (Years 1–4) across local hubs and Dual Pitch Smash (Years 3–6) starting Thursday 5th November at Manawaroa Park. Visit the registration QR codes on the flyer or email juniorccc@mca.org.nz to sign up.
- Auto Superior is a local business offering Turitea whānau a 10% discount on labour for mechanical repairs, vehicle diagnostics, diesel servicing and ECU tuning. Contact Franklyn, a qualified diesel mechanic with 25+ years experience for service on everything from family cars to commercial trucks.
- A Gruffalo, What’s a Gruffalo? You might have seen the post last week on Facebook about Anthony’s Lego concept for a Gruffalo set. Let’s help get him to 10,000 likes to get it made.
Term 4 Important Dates:
Watch the rest of the term fly by whānau, so do keep an eye on our dates.
- Week 3 (Next Week)
- Labour Day – Monday 26th October – SCHOOL CLOSED
- Trees for Survival Planting Day at School with Kauri on Wednesday 28th October
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 30th October
- Week 4
- PIRLS Testing Year 5 only on Wednesday 4th November
- General Election on Saturday 7th November. Come vote at Turitea School
- Week 5
- Interschool Table Tennis Year 5/6 on Tuesday 10th November
- Wildbase Fundraiser on Thursday 12th November
- Mobile Library Bus Visit at 9.30am on Friday 13th November
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 13th November
- Week 6
- Senior Fitzherbert Cluster Athletics at Massey Athletics Track on Tuesday 17th November
- Week 7
- Interschool Road Race Year 5/6 on Tuesday 24th November
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 27th November
- Week 8
- Fitzherbert Cluster Touch Year 1-6 at Monrad Park on Thursday 3rd December
- Mobile Library Bus Visit at 9.30am on Friday 4th December
- Week 9
- Year 6 End of Year Leavers Treat on Tuesday 8th December
- Year 6 Graduation at 6pm on Wednesday 9th December
- End of Year Reports and 2027 Class Placement live in Hero on Wednesday 9th December
- End of Year Prizegiving at 12pm on Thursday 10th December
- School Finishes for the Year at 1pm on Thursday 10th December
Me te mihi nui atu (With kind regards). Hei te Turei (See you Tuesday)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz
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