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 in the following three weeks.
Last night we had our Board of Trustees hui (meeting) and each of our board members paired up to go through all the feedback you gave us through the recent Have Your Say survey. Fraser and Anneliese looked at all the things you thought we did well. Sarah and Joeli focussed on what things we can do better. Dave and Renee explored the ways to maintain our unique character. They analysed this in depth looking for patterns and trends to help us form our strategic direction for the next few years. We hope to get our first draft of our Strategic Plan to you in the coming weeks to check that you feel we are addressing the whakaaro (thoughts) that you shared with us.
In Week 4, we have Andrea Rodley from Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga (More commonly known as ERO or the Education Review Office) spending three days with us. Every few years, all kura across Aotearoa are visited by an evaluative partner to ensure all tamariki are receiving the high-quality education they deserve. Instead of just looking at our achievement data, they dive into the heart of our school by checking that our teaching is effective, our environment is inclusive, and our leadership has a clear direction for the future. After their visit, they write a report which we look forward to sharing with you all. This will hopefully give you further peace of mind that we are a pretty awesome school that does the best by our ākonga (learners).
Tuakana-Teina is a traditional Māori concept describing a relationship between a more experienced person (tuakana) and a less experienced one (teina). While it is based on family dynamics of how older siblings would look after younger siblings, it has evolved into a rich educational concept that we hold dear at Turitea. Our tuakana from Tōtara have been showing this through Buddy Reading as seen above with Ayla with Ava. Next week, they are running Lunchtime Clubs with a different activity for everyone else to enjoy.
Our tamariki have started training for Cross Country by running around our school road. Next week they will run on the race at the farm next door thanks to Fraser, getting them ready for the big event in Week 5.
Hui Ā Kura:
This afternoon, our tuakana Sarah, Oliver, Maya and Quinn took on the role of hosting assembly for us all, so thank you to those who came along to tautoko (support) them. Mataī and Rātā shared their learning with us and as always, we whakanui (celebrate) those who demonstrate our uara (values) consistently in and around our kura. This week the following people got their tiwhikete (certificate):
Rimu: Ariyan – Mātauranga
Rātā: Ella – Mātauranga
Pōhutukawa: Niko – Whanaungatanga
Mataī: – Kaia – Mātauranga
Kauri: – Jack – Mātauranga
Tōtara: Rory – Whanaungatanga
Troy: Liam C – Whanaungatanga
Turitea School Merch:
Yesterday our ‘Turitea Merch’ orders went live, which now include T-Shirts, Crew Neck Sweaters and as always, the staple Hoodie. We also have two new designs on the production line this year.
- Kids OG Hoodies $49 (Old front print design only)
- Kids New Hoodies $58 (New front and back prints)
- Kids New Crew Neck Sweatshirts $55 (New front and back prints)
- Kids New T-Shirts $30 (New front and back prints)
Check out the poster above and place your orders here before Friday 15th May. If any adults want to ‘rock the merch’ too then add $4 to the price of the kids merch. We are giving these to you at cost pricing as the school makes no money on selling these, we just love seeing our whānau ‘repping the brand!’
Ngā Whakanui Ākonga (Student Celebrations):
Griffin and Kaia from Mataī came and shared their ANZAC poppy writing with me that they did with Bridgit and Trish. Don’t they look fab? Both boys have strong military ties with both their Dad’s being in the Army.
Out of Zone Ballot:
Our Out-of-Zone Ballot closes next Thursday 7th May for new families to join us. We have spaces in Year 2, 4, and 5. If you know anyone looking for schools, tell them to check our website or come for a visit.
Yummy Fruit Stickers:
Thank you to those who help us collect Yummy Fruit Stickers. If you need a new sheet, pop into the office or print one out here. The more we collect, the bigger share of free sports gear we get at the end of the year.
Kindo Credit:
Don’t forget that every Ezlunch order placed before 22nd May goes in the draw to win a $50 Kindo credit each week. We offer Domino’s every Wednesday and Subway every Friday. You can order through Ezlunch.
From the Community:
- Support our neighbors at Aokautere School for their Quiz Night on June 5th. It won’t be as cool as our quiz night which we hold next term, but you might want to head along if you love a good quiz.
- The 35th Palmerston North Book Sale hits Barber Hall King’s Birthday weekend! Browse 100,000+ books, games, and music with free entry. May 29th – June 1st (opening daily at 10am).
- West End Scouts meet during term-time: Keas (5-7 yrs): Wednesdays 4:15-5:30pm, Cubs (7-11 yrs): Wednesdays 6:30-8pm. Get your first 4 weeks free. To learn more, sign up here or email here.
Term 2 Important Dates:
Here are all the dates to get on your calendar. (Please note Pae Tamariki has NOW been moved to Term 3)
- Week 3 (Next Week)
- PTA Hui at 7pm in the Staffroom on Wednesday 6th May
- 4x Year 6 students at the Junior Youth Conference in Lower Hutt on Thursday 7th May
- Cluster Chess Tournament at Ōpiki School on Friday 8th May
- Out of Zone Enrollment Ballot on Friday 8th May
- Mobile Library Bus Visit at 9.30am on Friday 8th May
- Week 4
- ERO Visit Monday 11th – Wednesday 13th May
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 15th May
- Turitea Merch Orders close at 3.30pm on Friday 15th May
- Week 5
- School Cross Country on Friday 22nd May
- Kapa Haka Performance at West End School Whānau Day on Sunday 24th May
- Week 6
- Year 3-6 Tough Guy/Gal Challenge at Massey on Monday 25th May
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Thursday 28th May
- SCHOOL CLOSED for Staff Only Day on Friday 29th May
- Week 7
- SCHOOL CLOSED for Kings Birthday on Monday 1st June
- Year 1-6 Cluster Cross Country at Stewarts Farm in Tokomaru on Thursday 4th June
- Year 5/6 Interschool Cross Country at the Ashhurst Domain on Friday 5th June
- PTA Pool Party at the Lido from 6-8pm on Saturday 6th June
- Week 8
- Tōtara Class Trees For Survival Planting Day at Ballance on Monday 8th June
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 12th June
- Week 9
- PTA AGM in the Staffroom at 7pm on Wednesday 17th June
- Mobile Library Bus Visit at 9.30am on Friday 19th June
- Week 10:
- Year 5/6 Interschool Ki O Rahi on Wednesday 24th June
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 26th June
- Week 11:
- Mid Year Reports Live in Hero on Tuesday 30th June
- Last Day of Term is Friday 3rd July.
Next Friday I am heading home to Auckland to spend time with my Dad, so Hannah has kindly offered to write the pānui for me. So I’ll be looking forward to reading it as much as you hopefully do.
Kia pai tō rā whakatā (Have a great weekend)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz
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