Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou, (Warm greetings to you all)
The energy is high here whānau, as we wrap up yet another week filled with plenty of action…
Over the weekend, we made a new employment with Kristin Moore joining Team Turitea from next term working alongside Anna in Rimu. Kristin comes to us from Massey University where she is in the process of completing her Post-Graduate Diploma of Teaching, making Turitea her first kura, which is exciting! We welcomed Margot to Rimu on Monday morning, joining the 13 other tamariki in that space, Nau mai haere mai (welcome) to you and your whānau!
Karen took our Year 6 leaders (pictured above) to attend the World Vision Junior Youth Conference down in Lower Hutt on Monday. Our tuakana (seniors) continued their Garden to Table and Wonder Project journey on Tuesday. Meryl, Kirstin and the rest of the team helped them to make the iconic desert apple crumble, using the apples they picked off our trees. Meryl made another video showing what they got up to here.
We have further added visuals of our school uara (values) to our external grounds today, with our entry steps to the office proudly now boasting their designs as you can see above. A huge thank you to Adam (Mila R’s Dad) from AGR Industries for his amazing work. Hit him up if you need any help in that space.
On Thursday, we welcomed five tumuaki (principals) from the Taranaki rohe (region) to our kura. Nadia from EdLead, my leadership advisor, arranged this visit as she works with them in her role also. As you can imagine, our kids showed up big time showcasing their warmth and hospitality to our visitors. Nadia shared some beautiful feedback after their visit:
“A heartfelt thank you to the entire Turitea whānau for so warmly hosting our Taranaki Principals group today. From the moment we arrived, we felt welcomed, energised and connected, a true reflection of the strong values your kura clearly lives and breathes. These values were not only visible in your environment but genuinely felt in every interaction we had and observed throughout the morning. A special thank you to your outstanding Year 6 leaders who were articulate, confident, insightful and deeply proud to represent Turitea. Thank you again for being so generous with your time, for your manaakitanga and the inspiration you shared with us today. We loved it!”
I’m proud of our kura everyday, but reading this really made my morning! I am lucky to have such an amazing team, fantastic kids and a supportive whānau behind us. It feels great to share our school with other leaders.
Cluster Chess:
Ngā mihi (Thanks) to Matt for running the Cluster Chess tournament today at Ōpiki School. He is new to the school this year and inherited the role from Richard, the previous Deputy Principal, who used to run it. We came third overall as a kura with Baxter coming first in his age group and coming 5th overall and Finn coming second in his age group and coming 6th overall. Thanks to Cameron and Mike (Jacob’s Dad) for taking them today.
Hui Ā Kura:
Our second Hui Ā Kura (Assembly) of the term was held in Tāne Mahuta this afternoon led by Ruby, Elisa and Grace from Kauri. They kept us all entertained as you can expect with a nice ‘pink’ theme running through the afternoon, honouring Pink Shirt Day today, which is about promoting kindness and inclusion. As usual, we recognised those who model our school’s uara consistently, through our fortnightly tiwhikete (certificates) that we give out. Those people were:
- Rimu: Caelum – Mātauranga
- Rātā: Isla – Whanaungatanga
- Pōhutukawa: Mila C – Mātauranga
- Mataī: Freddie – Mātauranga
- Tōtara: Sophie – Mātauranga
- Kauri: Aerlene – Mātauranga
- Tumuaki: Rashid – Manaakitanga
Reporting to Parents:
We are in the process of modifying our reporting to parent structure based solely on the changes to Te Mātaiaho (our refreshed NZ Curriculum). One immediate change is that we have to remove the progress graphs you would see in Hero as they aligned to our previous curriculum indicators. For this round of reporting at the end of the term, there will not be any graphs as we are awaiting Te Mahau (The Ministry of Education) to provide information about how they want us to show this. Last week I shared the link to the Parent Portal, an online resource designed to support families in their child’s learning journey. If you have had a chance to look at it, I’d be keen to hear your thoughts, as our Minister is always open to feedback.
Cross Country:
Thanks to the parents who have let us know they can assist at our school Cross Country, which is in Week 5, on Thursday 29th May. Our kids are training hard each day at school and will get a chance to walk the course during the week of the event.
From the PTA:
We held the Annual General Meeting (AGM) last night and we are delighted to announce that Jo Perry is staying on as the chairperson, Jeannah MacDonald is remaining as the treasurer and Justine Noakes is our new minutes secretary. Huge mihi (thanks) to them for taking these roles on. Hoping you can all join us tomorrow night for our PTA Pool Party from 6–8pm at the Lido Aquatic Centre. All Turitea whānau members are welcome to come along, parent supervision is required though. Sausage sizzle and snacks available for purchase based at the ‘Learn to Swim’ pool. Upon arrival at the Lido, inform the staff that you are a member of our community and they will let you in. The slides will be open for children aged 8 and over and will need to get a wristband.
From the Community:
- Join the fun this Sunday at Massey University for the Manawatū Striders Annual Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km, 5km and a free 2.5km Marafun for kids under 12. Register here.
- The Unity Singers are celebrating their 50th concert “Golden Moments” with guest artists at the Regent on Broadway this Sunday from 2pm. Information here.
- Former NZ Blackstick Michaela Curtis is offering private hockey coaching for students in Year 5/6. Check out the flyer or get in touch with her on 0273359172 to register your interest.
- Support the Red Cross Book Sale over the King’s Birthday Weekend (May 30th – June 2nd) Books, jigsaws, DVDs, records, music, comics, games and more.
Just one more friendly reminder that we have a Staff Only Day on Friday 30th May which is in Week 5 and is the Friday before the King’s Birthday Long Weekend.
Ngā tauwhirotanga (With the kindest of regards)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz