Kia ora e te whānau o te kura nei, (Greetings families of our school)
Apologies for the early Hero post this morning informing you that school was still open for business today. There were some misleading posts doing the rounds on social media about some schools being closed because of the fire at the old Fitz building last night. I’m lucky to be well-connected to ‘the goings on’ at other schools in Palmy, so I made the call that if schools closer to town were open for business, then there was no risk to us if we did the same. Hopefully those of you with kids at PNINS weren’t too put out by their sudden closure, which was understandable given their close proximity to the site. We hope they are able to open next week once the asbestos testing has been completed.
I often get sent ākonga (learners) from every class to share their learning with me. This week I was extremely proud of Baxter, a Year 4 student from Kauri who came and shared his writing with me. His use of strong vocabulary and varied sentences really helps paint the reader a picture. You can see for yourself below:
In the rainforest, near a clearing, the trees glistened in the sunlight through the canopy, casting shimmering light throughout the forest, with a dazzling effect. The waterfall roared. Although it did not seem possible, it grew louder. Although it did not seem possible, it went quicker. Creatures lived in the forest too, and they were just as amazing. Deep in the illustrious forest domain, the Poison Dart Frog looked out of his towering tree, which stood paralyzed to the spot in the unmoving undergrowth. The river tumbled and churned weaving through grounded rocks. The river thrashed at the rocks, but they were stubborn and gritty. The Poison Dart Frog sat still as a stone and watched the water rush around the rocks. The wind rushed continuously as the gust whistled through the forest.
Our Garden to Table programme continued today with Rimu and Rātā making some yummy beetroot cake, which I was able to sample today. We are grateful to have Meryl and Kirstin front this project, along with the whānau volunteers who come along to assist. It is a fantastic experience for our tamariki learning about Kaitiakitanga, one of our school uara (values). Check out Meryl’s movie from last weeks session. Our seedling sale has impacted the PhD community garden at Massey University recently. Micaela, one of our whānau members, purchased our seedlings for this project, which supports international candidates by offering a place for connection and well-being. Last week, 15 students from ten different countries planted these seedlings, as seen below, fostering new connections and embodying our school uara of Whanaungatanga and Manaakitanga. The Māori whakataukī (proverb) “He iti noa, he pito mata” comes to mind, which translates to mean “a small seed can sustain many” which shows that something big, can come from something so little.
Next week, Andrew Salisbury is starting to work with some of our tamariki chosen at random (you would know if your child is a part of this) over the rest of the year to help aid Massey University research project called Aotearoa Woodcock-Johnson. He will start with our Year 6’s and work his way down the school. The aim is to develop norms and benchmarks for New Zealand students to help diagnose if they may have specific types of reading difficulty, such as dyslexia.
Hui Ā Kura:
I tēnei ahiahi (This afternoon) we had our second Hui Ā Kura (Assembly) of the new term led by Grace, Ruby and Sophie. As you can expect, we were all entertained by them with their content and delivery. We recognised those who demonstrate our school uara (values) consistently. Receiving their tiwhikete (certificate) this week were:
- Rimu: Carter – Mātauranga
- Rātā: Harvey – Manaakitanga
- Pōhutukawa: Kason – Manaakitanga
- Mataī: Ben D – Mātauranga
- Tōtara: Yannik – Whanaungatanga
- Kauri: Evander – Mātauranga
- Tumuaki: Charlie P – Manaakitanga
Trees for Survival Planting Day:
Next Tuesday, we are having a Planting Day where we hope to add more trees to our microforest that we have received through our partnership with Trees for Survival. Each class will be out there working with Meryl at the times below. If you are able to assist us at any of these times, please let your child’s kaiako (teacher) know.
Kauri – 9am
Tōtara – 10am
Pōhutukawa – 11.30am
Mataī – 12.10pm
Rimu – 1.40pm
Rātā – 2.20pm
Lunch Online:
We have been approached by the team, who want to know if we would like to add Domino’s Pizza to our current lunch options along with Subway on a Friday. Please share your thoughts on whether you’d like this option added.
Wildbase Fundraiser:
Our tuakana (seniors) are preparing for our annual fundraiser to support the Wildbase Discovery Centre on Monday 10th November. Between now and then, they are preparing what they would like to make and sell on their market day that we hold at Morning Tea on this day. If you would like to support them with their efforts, by sending your child to school with a few dollars so that they can buy their products, that would be appreciated.
Looking Ahead to 2026:
As I mentioned last week, our projected classroom arrangements for next year are listed below. We offer you a chance to share your thoughts with us here, as to which classroom environment might best suit your tamariki, but this doesn’t guarantee their spot. As you can imagine, there are many variables we need to consider when placing students and it is a complex task. Please note that this is optional.
Rimu – Year 0/1 with Anna
Rātā – Year 1 with Carly
Pōhutukawa – Year 2/3 with Cameron
Mataī – Year 3/4 with Trish/Bridgit
Kauri – Year 4/5 with Hannah/Faye
Tōtara – Year 5/6 with Whaea Anneliese
School Photos:
Your child should have brought home a photo order form from Clicks Photography with your unique code to view and order individual, sibling and class photos. You have until next Friday to order if you want free delivery to kura. You can order past this day, but will be charged a postage fee.
Term 4 Important Dates:
Here is a list of all the goings on for the rest of the term. Some dates have changed or been added, which are highlighted below. This will stay as a regular feature on the weekly pānui.
- Week 5 (Next week)
- Trees for Survival Potting Day on Tuesday 4th November
- PNINS Performing Arts Showcase (2026 attendees) – Tuesday 4th November at 11.30am
- Camp Info Evening for 2026 Year 5/6 Parents on Tuesday 4th November at 3.30pm *Date changed
- Cluster Touch for Year 1-6 teams at Monrad Park on Thursday 6th November
- Photo Orders due to Clicks Photography by Friday 7th November
- Oroua Boys and Girls Ag Club Champions Day on Saturday 8th November
- Week 6
- Wildbase Fundraiser on Monday 10th November at 10.45am
- Table Tennis Competition at the Barber Hall on Tuesday 11th November
- Hui Ā Kura (Assembly) on Friday 14th November at 2.15pm
- Week 7
- PTA Mexican Bingo Night Fundraiser at Libre on Wednesday 19th November at 7pm
- Week 8
- Senior Cluster Athletics at Massey Track on Thursday 27th November
- Hui Ā Kura (Assembly) on Friday 28th November at 2.15pm
- Week 9
- Pack the Bus Charity Collection Drive on Tuesday 2nd December at 1.45pm
- Interschool Athletics (Year 5/6) at Massey Track on Tuesday 2nd December
- Hui Ā Kura (Assembly) on Friday 5th December at 2.15pm
- Week 10
- PTA Pool Party for all at school on Thursday 11th December
- Year 6 Leavers Trip to the Lido on Friday 12th December
- Week 11
- Year 6 Graduation on Monday 15th December in the evening
- End of Year Prizegiving on Tuesday 16th December at 12pm
- School ends on Tuesday 16th December at 1pm.
All the best to our four touch teams competing in our final Cluster Touch event next week. It was decided at a recent Cluster Principals Hui (Meeting) that we would discontinue this event to limit the calendar in an always busy Term 4. We appreciate those parents who are coming along to support/manage the teams.
Ngā manaakitanga (Best wishes)
Troy
principal@turitea.school.nz