Ngā mihi mahana e te whānau, (Warm greetings)
I want to start this pānui by extending a massive whakamihi (congratulations) to Whaea Anneliese who has just been appointed to be an Across School Lead Teacher in our local Kāhui Ako (Collaborative Group of Schools) Don’t worry, she’s not leaving us! It just means she will be out of her classroom a little bit more than usual, doing mahi (work) that will benefit us, along with the other 24 kura in our Kāhui Ako. Meagan will be teaching in Tōtara every Thursday and Lynne (who is well-known to a lot of our kids) will be in every Wednesday. She will do this role for the duration of the year and we know she will be amazing!
Mihi atu ki a koutou (Thank you everyone) to those who came to our first whānau showcase yesterday. We hope you enjoyed the evening and were proud of your tamariki sharing their mahi with you. I appreciated connecting with you in the quad over the BBQ, as you can see above, and getting feedback on the question we asked – ‘What qualities, dispositions, skills and knowledge do you think our tamariki at Turitea need to thrive?’ We received your whakaaro (thoughts/ideas) around this and I have compiled it to give us a clear direction as we head into consulting with you around our next Strategic Plan for 2026-2029. If you have any further thoughts or recommendations, please email me or come and see me for a chat.
- Kindness stood out as a paramount quality you wanted to see in our tamariki, which links well to our school value of manaakitanga. Resilience, Empathy, Curiosity, Perseverance and Independence were also important attributes to you, all being mentioned more than once. Reliability, respect, pride, patience, fairness, positivity and open-mindedness also came up.
- When it came to the dispositions you wanted our ākonga (learners) to possess, having a Love of Learning, being confident to Take Risks and Accepting and Embracing Other’s Differences were at the top of your list. Additionally, being responsible for themselves and their actions, a strong sense of connection and belonging and having a growth mindset were up there.
- Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking and Creativity were frequently mentioned as the skills you thought were needed, along with teamwork, self-management, clear communication, digital confidence, making mistakes and learning from them and goal setting.
- You valued knowledge that grounds our tamariki in who they are and their place in the world. Key areas included knowing who they are (culturally and personally), understanding of the world and different cultures, awareness of the environment, hauora (holistic well-being), a strong connection to local place and community, awareness for others and being involved in real-life experiences.
We have had a plethora of extra-curricular activities this week:
- Michaela was back in on Tuesday taking our kids for their weekly Hockey sessions, growing future Black Sticks just like her.
- Garden to Table is happening today with Mataī and Pōhutukawa learning to make stir fry. Check out last week’s video from Meryl here. Thanks to the parents/whānau who came and supported us.
- Dani and Carly are at the Regent today for the DanceNZMade Regionals with our team as you can see above. They spent the day refining their dance moves ready for the competition tonight.
- Our tuakana (seniors) embarked on their Food for Thought journey, which is a nutrition programme teaching kids to make informed food choices through inquiry learning. They put their skills in practice at the Aokautere New World where they met the owner Hattie and were led by Nova, the nutritionist. They invited our entire community along to their Sausage Sizzle & Face Painting event tomorrow between 11am – 1pm to say hello and thank everyone for the warm welcome they have had so far.
Hui Ā Kura:
This afternoon we had our first Hui Ā Kura (Assembly) of Term 3 led by Toby and Luca from Tōtara. As usual, we recognised those who model our school’s uara (values) consistently, through our fortnightly tiwhikete (certificates). Those people were:
- Rimu: Daniel – Mātauranga
- Rātā: Liam – Mātauranga
- Pōhutukawa: Marnie – Kaitiakitanga
- Mataī: Jacob – Mātauranga
- Tōtara: Luca – Manaakitanga
- Kauri: Chris – Whanaungatanga
- Tumuaki: Makayla – Manaakitanga
Board of Trustees (BoT) Elections:
As mentioned previously, we are appointing new BoT members this term. Here is the timeline showing how and when this all happens. Calls for nominations opened last week and you should have received an email with instructions on how to do this. Nominations close at noon on Wednesday 6th August. Please come and chat with myself or Joeli, Peter, Fraser or Sarah if you are interested in knowing more about this role or check out the information on the NZSBA website here.
From the PTA:
Howdy, partners! Rustle up your best Wild West duds for our upcoming quiz night on Saturday 9th August as there’ll be prizes for the sharpest-lookin’ cowboys and cowgirls. We’re happier than a jackrabbit in a briar patch to see 12 teams already signed up. So polish those boots, dust off your hats and get y’all costumes sorted, pronto! It’s gonna be a rootin’ tootin’ good time! We also have a PTA meeting next Wednesday 30th July at 7pm here in the staffroom. All are welcome to attend, we encourage new members.
Intermediate Transition:
I know this is only relevant for our current Year 6 whānau members, but the Intermediate schools are hosting their open days or evenings for you to consider where your child might attend school in 2026.
- Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School (PNINS) – See their plan here.
- Monrad Tirohanga Intermediate Open Night – Tuesday 29th July from 6-8pm.
- Linton Camp School Open Day – Thursday 7 August from 11:30am-1pm. Brochure here
- Ross Intermediate Opening Night – Wednesday 13th August.
Kia pai tō rā whakatā (Have a great weekend)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz