Kia ora e te whānau (Hello everyone)
Yesterday I had another one of those ‘Proud Tumuaki Moments’ as we had the entire team of nearly 40 staff members from Porritt School in Napier come to see how we do at Turitea School. Our whole school gave them a beautiful welcome with a Mihi Whakatau, in which we really ‘raised the bar’ on how we did this. Our tamariki were loud, proud and passionate – it was really noticeable! Our Year 6’s then took each of the manuhiri (visitors) around and showed off our kura. I received beautiful feedback about what an outstanding job they did. They loved the feel and vibe of our school, our strong vision and values which they saw reflected throughout the entire school from the moment they arrived, the beautiful, friendly tamariki and the embedded integration of Te Ao Māori. When you cater to a large group like this and they share such amazing sentiments, it really fills your bucket!
We have one week left to find our new kaiako for next year so I have been showing people around and fielding lots of emails – a great problem to have! You have proved time and again that word of mouth is the best form of advertising whānau, so if you know a teacher that you think would fit our fantastic team, here is the link for them to apply.
Well done to those of you who managed to make it to the Cyber Safety Evening at Roslyn School on Monday. From those who I have spoken to about it, the feedback was really positive and the content hit the mark. I do apologise for the short notice on this, but am grateful you took the opportunity to go along and learn.
No Hui Ā Kura:
There is no Hui Ā Kura this afternoon as the PTA will transform Tanē Mahuta into our Scary Halloween Scene for the Disco tonight. Last week I said we would defer the hui to next week, which is LCP Day and our kaiako want to use that time to get their akomanga (classrooms) looking amazing for the evening. So, we will push it out another week and roll out the following schedule for the final Hui Ā Kura being in Weeks 4, 5, 6 and 8. Exact dates can be found on Hero in the Events tab or on our website here.
Keepy Uppy World Record:
Next Wednesday (first day back after the long, long weekend) at 1pm, all our tamariki will be taking part in a World Record attempt. Sport Manawatū are counting on us to help us smash the current world record for the most people playing Keepy Uppy at the same time. If your child is a fan of Bluey, then they should know exactly what this is. Queensland currently holds the title with 702 participants. Whitney, the organiser of the event says they are expecting nearly 2,000 people to take part. A cool thing to be part of.
Lamb, Calf and Pet Day:
Next Friday 1st November from 4-7pm is our annual LCP Day. We would love to have you join in the fun, even if you don’t have an animal to bring. The classrooms will be open to see all the fantastic creations the kids have made in class and there will be a bunch of food trucks so we can all have dinner together too. For those that this is their first LCP Day, there are two optional whānau activities you can do as well and they are Lego Creations and Arts and Crafts.
Gumboot Friday:
Also next Friday 1st November is Gumboot Friday. Show your support for youth mental health by wearing gumboots to school on this day, which goes pretty well with LCP Day. To date, Gumboot Friday has helped deliver more than 100,000 FREE counselling sessions for our rangatahi (youth).
True Hoops:
This morning Coach Miles started back with us, taking our tamariki for their weekly basketball sessions over the next 6 weeks. It is always fun having him in our kura helping grow the love of Basketball, a sport that most of you know I am extremely passionate about. The timing on this is perfect as the NBA resumed on Wednesday giving Miles and I plenty to discuss at break times. Let’s go Suns!
Pedestrian Gate:
Can you please not put something in the pedestrian gate to hold it in place for others. We understand if you are doing it to be kind to the next person, but we do appreciate you following the instructions on it and keeping it closed. This is to keep all of our tamariki safe. The only gate that is to be left open is the main vehicle gate at 3pm and I am usually out there to supervise this. Ngā mihi
From the BoT:
On Wednesday evening we had our first Board of Trustees hui of the new term. Heading into next year, we will have vacancies on the BoT that we will need to fill as we are losing Niki and Liam because their daughters; Harper and Ada are moving on to PNINS in 2025. Are you interested in knowing more about this important role in our kura? If so, flick me an email as we’d love to have some new people to fill in until our Board Elections occur in September 2025.
From the PTA:
The Halloween Disco is tonight from 6pm – 7.30pm. All the information about this is in their previous Hero posts. This is a fun, free dress up event for our Turitea students to enjoy. Children need to remain in the hall, unless using the bathroom, for the entire event. There will be no wandering off into school grounds, to ensure the safety of everyone. This can be a ‘drop and go’ event or if your child would prefer you stuck around, there will be a parent zone in Tōtara. We are having a PTA meeting here at school next Wednesday 30th October at 7pm if you wanted to join us. Get your orders in from Pepper and Me for our fundraiser with them as we get a share of the money you spend back. I can thoroughly recommend the Man Grind and Sesh Oil.
From the Tamariki:
Congratulations to Felicity from Tōtara, picture above, for her impressive performance in the recent Grade 6 & 7 piano competition! Despite being only a Grade 5 student, she earned the “Most Promising” trophy. Ka rawe (Awesome) Felicity!
Rory and Natalie, also pictured above, competed in the Manawatū Mountain Biking Regional Schools Festival in the holidays. Natalie placed 1st in X-Country Event for her age group and Rory came 2nd in his age group. What a talented whānau!
From the Community:
- If you need after school care, Massey Kids Club has spaces available. Please get in touch with Lakin by emailing her to enquire.
- ACROSS Te Kotahitanga o Te Wairua are still offering free 2-hour online or in-person parenting workshops on various topics like handling disobedience, creating bedtime routines and managing screen time. These sessions use the evidence-based Triple P program and are perfect for parents looking to build strong relationships and manage child behaviour.
- ‘Creepin’ it Real’ is a Halloween treat trail at Distinction Hotel next Thursday 31st October/Friday 1st November. Enjoy spooky scenes, meet costumed characters and win prizes in our colouring competition and best-dressed family contest. There will also be a monster bash disco and food available. Proceeds support the Linton Community playground.
- Also next Friday 1st November from 5-6pm the SquashGym on Linton Street will be hosting a Halloween Themed junior club night, which is FREE for any child to attend. This event is supported by the Sport Manawatū Tū Manawa Fund, who have funded a whole bunch of new games & activity equipment to use, so come test it out!
- Celebrate the upcoming Hindu celebration Diwali Mela next Saturday 2nd November from 5pm-10.30pm at Te Marae o Hine (The Square). Enjoy cultural performances, hands-on activities and food trucks! Don’t miss the curry competition, in which Adam (Eddie’s Dad) is a finalist.
- Is your child between 8-16 and loves to sing, dance and act? If so, Act Three Productions are holding auditions for their upcoming musical School of Rock. Auditions will be held from 8th-12th November. The link has more information and the audition pack or email them with pātai (questions).
- New Stage Productions is calling all young singers as they are looking for many talented voices to join the children’s choir in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The Regent on Broadway on March 15-16th 2025. Register here or contact Shane Brown for more information.
This is your final reminder that we are having a Teacher Only Day next Tuesday 29th October which is the day after Labour Weekend, which hopefully gives you all an ‘extra’ long weekend. School will be closed for instruction that day, but the teaching team will be getting together to ensure we are ready to roll out our new curriculum for Maths and English for 2025. We appreciate your support in giving us this day together to improve outcomes for our students.
Kia pai tō rā whakatā ā-ture. (Have a great long weekend)
Hei te Wenerei (See you Wednesday)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz