Nau mai hoki mai ki te wāhanga tuatoru, (Welcome back to Term 3).
Ngā mihi nui me te aroha nui ki a koutou katoa (My biggest thanks and love to you all). Thank you so much to everyone who sent messages of support after Dad’s passing last term. Walking in the doors on Monday morning was tough, but being back here at kura really fills my bucket. I really appreciated everyone checking in with me after school when I saw you at the gate. I also want to acknowledge the amazing team we have here at Turitea, who all stepped in while I was away. Special mention to Trish and Anna keeping the ship steady, as well as Joeli, Fraser, Dave, Sarah and Renee from our Board of Trustees for their support.
Yesterday was a huge highlight with our entire kura taking the stage at Pae Tamariki at the Regent. Seeing so many whānau in the crowd cheering on and supporting us made the moment even more special. A massive mihi goes out to Whaea Tūrehu and Pā Anaru for their leadership, passion and hard mahi to make the performance so polished. The positive feedback and glowing compliments we received have been overwhelming! We love that Turitea’s name is out there in the Manawatū for how elite our Kapa Haka is!
As per usual, our traditional Mihi Whakatau took place on Monday morning to welcome our newest whānau members to our kura. I’m always proud of how natural this process has become for our tamariki. It was awesome to have another person whaikōrero (speak at this) in Kyerin. He stood tall and spoke proudly for the manuhiri (people yet to be welcomed) alongside his teina (younger sister) Kensley, who had just started.
It has been straight back into learning mode in our ākomanga (classrooms) with Mataī using their statistical skills to find out how many items there were in the lost property. Pōhutukawa are joining them in their Kind Hearts movement with their conference in Week 3. Our teina (juniors) from Rātā and Rimu had their 100 day party today and celebrated this milestone accordingly! Our tuakana (seniors) are fine tuning their speeches and have embarked on their novel studies with Kauri reading Charlotte’s Web and Tōtara reading Holes. Both are at the top of my list of ‘readalouds’ in the classroom so get a big tick from me. We have all been enjoying eating at the new picnic tables in the quad area. Big thanks to Richard (Michael’s Dad) for organising these for us from the Army.
Every single day in the classroom matters and we support the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) goal of students achieving 90% attendance (which means missing no more than 5 days across an entire term). Last term, 75% of our ākonga met this threshold. While this isn’t as high as we managed to achieve back in Term 1, where we had 93% of the school, we realise a lot of it came because of those pesky winter bugs. While taking a day off here or there might not seem like much, small absences quickly stack up.
Kōrero Mai:
70% of our whānau members have already booked in their Learning Conferences for next week. Are you in the 30% that still need to do this? Head straight to the School Bookings tab on Hero to secure your time. They are next Tuesday 28th July from 3.15pm – 6.30pm and Wednesday 29th July from 1pm – 5.30pm. (school will still remain open until 3pm) If those times don’t suit, email your child’s kaiako (teacher) to arrange an alternative time. These are a great opportunity to discuss how the first two terms have gone, celebrate your child’s progress, and talk through their recent school report. We look forward to seeing you there!
Mid Year Reports:
Hopefully you have viewed these in Hero. As previously mentioned, these are a new format that look and feel a bit different. We want to know if they hit the mark with you so please let us know as your feedback matters. Back in Term 1, we held a Curriculum Clarity evening discussing the changes to our NZ Curriculum. If you missed that, here are the slides to view. Last term another slide was shared that outlined the changes to the report format and hopefully help you understand the new terminology.
SMART Data:
You may recall that our Year 3-6 students trialled the SMART Assessment Tool last term, that the MoE made available for us. The data is finally available and our kaiako will be sharing Reading and Maths reports with you next week at Kōrero Mai. I have encouraged the teachers to just take a few minutes doing this, but if you want a more in depth explanation, please ask for a follow up hui (meeting) as this will eat into your time.
Out-of-Zone Ballot:
Today I shared more information about our Out-of-Zone Ballot for new families to join our hāpori (community) next term and beyond. For this intake, we have spaces available in Year 0, Year 2, Year 4, and Year 5. Filling these positions is important, as maintaining a full roll allows us to retain our current resourcing and staffing. If you know of anyone who would be a great fit for our school, encourage them to contact us, visit our website for application details before the closing date on Thursday 6th August.
Poetry Box:
Faye entered Bronwyn and Jack’s poetry, which you can see above, in the Poetry Box challenge for June. Both were selected for publication on their website and Jack was chosen as a winner and received a book as his prize. Ka rawe korua (Well done you two).
The Edit Hair Boutique:
Britt (Mackenzie, Lincoln, Harvey & Olivia’s Mum) has just opened a boutique hair salon at their house, across the road from school. Whether it’s a quick kids’ cut after school or some well-deserved time out for yourself, The Edit Hair Boutique is here to make it easy. Enjoy a calming appointment in a relaxed studio, with easy parking (a real bonus at school pick-up time). Kids’ cuts are relaxed and unhurried, siblings welcome, and if you need a haircut but can’t find someone to watch the kids, bring them along. Book here, Follow/Message @the.edit.hair.boutique on Instagram or text 027 305 6489.
From the Community:
- Calling Wahs Fans on Wednesday 5th August from 6:30 – 7:30pm, Warriors players, Leka Halasima and Jacob Laban will be sharing their journey and answering questions live online. Register here!
- Marist Junior Football Club is launching their Fantails programme for girls aged 4-12 for $35. It is the perfect 7-week introduction to football in a fun and supportive environment. Register here.
- The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical is coming to the Regent this August. Join Charlie Bucket on an unforgettable journey into Willy Wonka’s extraordinary chocolate factory, filled with spectacular music, incredible sets and larger-than-life characters. Book your golden tickets today.
Term 3 Important Dates:
Get ready for all the dates of interest for your calendar. We will send separate Hero posts out with more details about these events.
- Week 2 (Next week)
- Kōrero Mai (Learning Conference) on Tuesday and Wednesday 28th/29th July
- Year 5/6 Battle of the Books in Levin on Tuesday 28th July
- Year 6 PNINS Transition at 9.30am on Friday 31st July
- Mobile Library Bus Visit at 9.30am on Friday 31st July
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 31st July
- Week 3
- PNINS Open Day for Year 6 at various times on Tuesday 4th August
- Pōhutukawa/Mataī Kind Hearts Conference at Awapuni Racecourse on Tuesday 4th August
- Term 4 Out-Of-Zone Ballot closes on Thursday 6th August
- Year 4-6 School Speech/Poetry Final on Friday 7th August
- PTA Disco at 5pm on Friday 7th August
- Week 4 (Maths Week)
- Te Ahu a Turanga Marae, Woodville Trips. Tōtara, Mataī and Rātā on Tuesday 11th August and Kauri, Pōhutukawa and Rimu on Wednesday 12th August
- Year 5/6 Interschool Mathex competition at Awapuni Racecourse on Friday 14th August
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 14th August
- Week 5 (NZ Book Week)
- Book Character Dress Up Day on Friday 21st August
- Year 5-8 Cluster Speech Competition at Turitea School on Friday 21st August
- Mobile Library Bus Visit at 9.30am on Friday 21st August
- Week 6
- Year 5/6 E-Pro8 Challenge Week
- Daffodil Day on Friday 28th August
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 28th August
- Week 8
- DanceNZMade on Tuesday 8th September
- Mobile Library Bus Visit at 9.30am on Friday 11th September
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 11th September
- Week 9 (Te Wiki O Te Reo Māori)
- Year 5/6 Cluster Kapa Haka/Ki-O-Rahi at Linton Camp on Friday 18th September
- Turitea School Quiz Night on Saturday 19th September
- Week 10
- Year 5/6 Interschool E-Pro8 Competition on Tuesday 22nd September
- Hui Ā Kura at 2.20pm on Friday 25th September
- Last Day of Term 3 at 3pm on Friday 25th September
A bit of a long one from me sorry, so hope I held you till the end. It’s nice to be writing these again for you as I love communicating with you all, but didn’t Anneliese, Anna and Trish do an outstanding job taking on this role for me in my absence. I loved reading all the ‘goings on’ while I was away.
Kia pai tō rā whakatā (Have a great weekend)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz
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