End of Term 1 Week 1 Pānui

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Ngā mihi nui o te tau hou Pākehā e te whānau (Happy New Year everyone),

Nau mai hoki mai ki a koutou (Welcome back everyone). We had our usual mihi whakatau yesterday to embrace our new whānau members to the kura. As always, it was nice to set the tone for the year with this process and ‘live and breathe’ our uara (values) of whanaungatanga (relationships) and manaakitanga (kindness) by doing this important ceremony in Te Ao Māori (The Māori World). We welcomed six new rangatahi (students) to our whānau as Tia, Ollie, Kevin, Honor, Henry and Ariyan all joined Anna in Rimu. Nau mai haere mai ki a koutou (Welcome to you all). We know you and the rest of your whānau will be embraced by our hāpori (community), as we are like one big family here. 

Although she was unable to attend our mihi whakatau, we welcomed a new staff member to our kura too. Lynley Rate is joining our teaching team and will release Anna every Thursday to take on some of the leadership roles that Karen held before she left last year. Lynley is a former parent, with her children Mackenzie, Maggie and George all attending Turitea quite some time ago. We are excited to have her return, wearing a slightly different potae (hat) this time around. 

We also welcomed Jessica Hiri and Savannah Pearson to our kura. They are both on Massey University’s SOTP (School Onsite Training Programme) and will be with us every Monday – Wednesday for 2026. Jessica will be learning from Whaea Anneliese in Tōtara and Savannah will be with Anna in Rimu. 

Thank you to those who came to Puna Kōrero on Wednesday to reconnect with your new kaiako (teacher) for the year. We hope you and your tamariki found this time valuable to ‘overcome the first day nerves’ that can occur. We are interested in your feedback on the change to the format this year, taking away the ‘booking in a time’ aspect to create a more relaxed day. We want these to hit the mark for you, so if you have any thoughts or opinions about this, please let me know. If you would like to get in touch with your child’s kaiako for a more in depth chat, you can email them below.

School Finances – Hero:

In previous years, we consulted with you about our School Donations, receiving mixed views with some thinking the voluntary set donation of $100 per student and $150 per whānau was sufficient and others who were happy to donate more. In order to appease everyone, we kept this donation amount as it was in 2025 with the two ‘additional donation’ lines that you can choose to pay should you wish too. Although School Donations are not compulsory, we heavily rely on these to help us pay for the extra things that we’d love to have around the school for our kids, that our operations grant we are given from the Ministry of Education doesn’t cover. I’ve sometimes used the analogy that ‘chips are nice, but chips and dip are nicer…’ The MoE gives us the chips and the donation gives us the dip!

On Hero, you will see a Finance tab on your Home screen. If you click on it you will see the School Donation, Additional Donation lines and also an Activity Fee has been added. This fee covers all the internal and external trips that we do, to save you sending in money each time we do this. It is $15 per term or $60 for the year. Payments are to be made online; either through the Hero app directly or via Internet Banking; Westpac – 03 0726 0572091 00 and please include your child’s name and surname in the Reference and Donations or Act Fee in the Particulars.

School Calendar:

Schools are busy places and we want you all to be as connected as possible to all ‘the goings on.’ You can view our school calendar on Hero by clicking the Calendar icon on the landing page. It is also available to view on our school website here. I have added some important dates to the bottom of this pānui too.

Drop off/Pickup:

Students can be dropped off at school from 8am if parents have morning commitments before 8.30am. They are to wait quietly in the quad area until 8.30am, when they can use the school facilities. Due to a lack of parking, we ask whānau to come at either 3pm or 3.15pm to pick their child up at the end of the day. Music plays every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon at 3.15pm and on Monday, Tuesday and Friday afternoon, it plays at the later time of 3.30pm. This music signals all children who haven’t been picked up yet to sit and wait on the office porch to be collected. This gives us time as a staff to meet after school.

School Gate:

We are very lucky to have our school fully fenced ensuring safety for all our tamariki. During the hours of 8am-3pm, our gate must stay closed. We open it after then, but close the gate overnight so those who come to school before 8.30am will find this shut in the morning. Could you please assist your tamariki in opening the gate for them rather than letting them climb up on the outside to try and open it? 

School Stationery:

Thank you to those who have sent your child to school with stationery. As previously communicated, we enlist the services of OfficeMax for this. Each akomanga (classroom) has a slightly different pack and you can order these through the MySchool page if you haven’t done this job.

Toys at School:

To keep our focus on learning and to prevent playground heartache, just reminding you that all toys, trading cards, sports gear and precious items don’t come to school. While we love seeing what our kids are into, these items can cause unwanted distractions. These can always ‘come on the ride to school’ but have to stay in the car once we get there.

Staff Only Day:

Just another reminder that school is closed for instruction on Monday 9th February for a Staff Only Day, hopefully giving you all a four day weekend with next Friday being Waitangi Day. We will be hosting Newbury and Tokomaru kaiako (teachers) for a day of learning with Dr. Jo Knox from The Learner First. This is our second (of three) years we are working with them. They are a worldwide company delivering cutting-edge Maths professional development to teachers. 

Sports Uniforms/Hats:

Your child was issued with a hat to wear for all of Term 1, including our new Year 6’s donning the Red Hat, a Turitea tradition which helps our teina (juniors) easily identify the tuakana (seniors). Your child should also have (or get given) a Turitea School sports uniform. If they have experienced a growth spurt over the holidays, bring it back to Julie in the office for the next size. Just a reminder that this is to be worn only when representing our school offsite or when they play sport for the school, it is not for ‘day to day’ wear at school. 

Juicies:

Next week with the anticipated warm weather, our tuakana are selling juicies every day for $2 each in the quad at lunch times. They will be using the money made to go towards Highland Home Camp in Week 5. Send your child with a two dollar coin in their bag if they would like one. 

From the PTA:

We are in organisation mode for The Turitea School Fest on Saturday 7th March. If you can help out in any way, please reach out to any PTA member or email us. We have our first PTA hui of the year on Wednesday 18th March at 7pm (after the Curriculum Clarity Evening) in the staffroom. All are welcome to attend.  

Swimming Pool:

Mihi atu (Thanks) to Lucain, Fraser, Wei, Shayna, Anne-Marie and Patrice who all took shifts to ensure our pool was safe for us all to use over the break and this upcoming swimming season. Our kids swim most days, so make sure you get them to pack their togs and towel each day.

Absent from School:

Just a friendly reminder that if your child is going to be away from school to let the office know, rather than the teacher. Julie is the one who handles making sure everyone is accounted for. You can let us know through Hero by clicking the three lines up the top left hand corner and then going to Report an Absence.

Sport @ Turitea:

Dani, our sports coordinator, organizes all sports and teams for us. She has sent out previous Hero posts about what is on offer in Term 1. If you have any queries, you can contact her at sport@turitea.school.nz. Make sure you check this out as the turnaround period for some registrations is quite short.

Triathlon Series:

The Palmy Kid’s Tri Series returns for 2026 this Monday 2nd February for 5 weeks. These events are for children aged 4-12 years. Information can be found on this flier. Triathlon Manawatū also sponsors our local Manawatū Principals Association (MPA), so we would love you to get your tamariki involved in this event.

Epic Music:

Does your child love music, want to learn an instrument, play in a band and perform on the big stage? To check out all the info, highlights video and to sign up, click here. Lessons start on Thursday 12th February and Matt is back taking the Drums, Guitar and Foundation classes.

Backpack Buddies:

Lucain and Jeannah have designed and 3D printed the Backpack Buddy, a companion that clips onto your child’s bag and adds a layer of safety wherever they go. Each is equipped with an NFC tag, pre-programmed with an phone number chosen by you. If your child ever needs help, someone can simply tap their phone on it to call you. They come in two colours for $15 or you can choose custom colours and add a name for $20. Perfect for school bags, daycare bags, or outings. We have samples to view and test at the office. Get yours here and they will donate $5 back to the school for every order.

Rugby League:

Linton Cobras are welcoming registrations for Under 7s (turning 7) and Under 10s (turning 10). We focus on fun, skill development, and confidence in a supportive team environment. You can register here. 

Term 1 Important Dates:

A lot of you told me that you found this section helpful at the bottom of each pānui, so I’ve kept it going.

  • Week 2 (Next Week):
    • I Tri’d the Tri Starts at Skoglund Park on Monday 2nd February
    • Waitangi Day on Friday 6th February – School Closed
  • Week 3:
    • Staff Only Day on Monday 9th February – School Closed
    • Library Bus Visit on Friday 13th February
  • Week 4:
    • Curriculum Clarity Evening in Tāne Mahuta at 5.30pm on Wednesday 18th February
    • PTA Hui in the Staffroom at 7pm on Wednesday 18th February
  • Week 5:
    • Year 5/6 Camp at Highland Home on Wednesday 25th February – Friday 27th February
  • Week 6:
    • I Tri’d the Tri Finale on Monday 2nd March
    • Library Bus Visit on Friday 6th March
    • Turitea School Fest on Saturday 7th March
  • Week 7:
    • Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 13th March
  • Week 8:
    • Weetbix Tryathlon at Ongley Park on Tuesday 17th March
  • Week 9:
    • Year 5/6 Bike Safety Week from Monday 23rd March
    • Junior Cluster Athletics at Tokomaru School on Friday 27th March
    • Library Bus Visit on Friday 27th March
    • Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 27th March
  • Week 10:
    • Last Day of Term is Thursday 2nd April.

I know this pānui is super long for only the second day of school, but the start of the year has a lot of information to get out to you all. Hopefully I held you all to the end and I promise you they won’t always be this long.

Kia pai tō rā whakatā (Have a great weekend)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz