Ka nui te mihi whānau,
It has been great to see so many kids back this week and I’m pleased that all our teaching staff are out of isolation now too. Gosh, it has taken its toll on our community and affected over half of our school! For those who are still unwell, Kia piki tō ora (get well soon). A big mihi (thank you) to those who have already paid their school donation/activity fee/stationary, it’s appreciated! Sorry again if you were invoiced after paying. Quite a few things are going on here at school so just wanting to keep you all in the know…
New Appointments:
I am delighted to announce that as of next term Anna James is finally part of the teaching team at Turitea. As you all know, Anna is a hugely supportive parent of the school, multiple sports coach, PTA chairperson and organiser extraordinaire, so is a welcome addition here! She will work 2 days a week teaching sport skills to every class and will be our school Sports Coordinator. Chris Ricketts will also be joining us every Thursday teaching in Kauri releasing Trish for her SENCO role (Special Education Needs Coordinator). Chris taught at Halcombe School, so brings a wealth of experience of rural teaching. I know our kids will love him!
School Transport Assistance:
Do you live within our school zone, but live over 3.2km from school? Jump onto Google Maps and check it out if you are unsure. If you do, you are eligible to apply for School Transport Assistance. You can download the forms here and return them to the office and STA will give you a contribution towards your travel.
Cluster Swimming:
Yesterday we took nine kids to the Kupe Pool in Linton Camp for Fitzherbert Cluster swimming and had some fab results! Antonio won the Year 4 Boys 25m Freestyle, 25m Breaststroke and the 75m Medley. Grace won the Year 5 Girls 25m Freestyle, 25m Breaststroke and the 75m Medley. Elias won the Year 4 Boys 50m Freestyle and 25m Backstroke. Ruby won the Year Girls 50m Freestyle and came 2nd in the 25m Backstroke. Kiara came 2nd in the Girls 50m Freestyle and 3rd in the 25m Freestyle. And to finish things off, our team of Kiara, Ruby, Grace and Myah came 2nd in the 4x25m Freestyle Relay. Ka rawe koutou! (Awesome everyone!)
Covid Update:
With the announcement Wednesday about the changes to the COVID-19 Protection Framework, it has meant we are getting closer to ‘normal’ at school. We are allowed to resume our indoor gatherings since the limit is now 200, so we can come together as a school again which is nice. We can also welcome you back onsite without needing to check in as we will be removing our QR codes from around the school.
Beautification Day:
Yesterday I shared the plan for Saturday with you all. Thanks to those who have let me know that you can whakapai (make better) our kura. Here’s hoping the weather is kind and we get a lot crossed off that list!
Pānui from the PTA:
The Hot Cross Bun Fundraiser is open and we are doing all orders online now. You can order all that goodness here. Raffle tickets for the Monster Raffle Sale are due back next Friday which is the same day as the Monster Dress Up Day. A reminder that lunchtime juicy’s have moved to only Wednesday/Friday lunchtimes and they won’t be selling cards anymore, just $2 at the office in the morning on those days.
Sports:
We still need a few more Basketball players as we don’t quite have enough for two teams. (Year 3/4 & Year 5/6) Register here ASAP if your child is keen or we might have to merge the teams. Coach Miles runs a fantastic Holiday Camp called True Hoops if you want to get your child ‘ballin’ over the holidays. The Tough Guy/Gal challenge is back for 2022 on Tuesday 31st May. Please complete this form if your child is Year 3-6 and wants to participate. Further details can be found on the form. Registrations close next Thursday.
Parking:
Thank you for your ongoing support during pick up/drop off. FYI, the staff park on the opposite side of the school so you don’t have to get kids to cross the road. Once that is full, they park in front of the area where the new turf is going. That leaves all the other parks in front of the school for you to utilize.
Highest Needs Review:
Jan Tinetti, the Associate Minister for Education has been reviewing the support that tamariki in the highest need receive in Aotearoa schools. She is asking for any feedback from our community. If you are interested in having your say, please read more here for more information.
Record of Learning Feedback:
We have been invited by Aatea Solutions to take part in a 1.5 hour trial session to understand the needs, barriers and enablers of whānau engaging with a potential Record of Learning system that the Ministry of Education wants to develop. The purpose is to test their developments so far and the insights from whānau will provide recommendations to the MoE of what should be included before further development. All viewpoints are welcome and participants complete this via an online survey. We are looking for 5-12 participants, so please email me if you are interested and I can pass your details on.
Remember to send me your business logo if you’d like some free advertising on our website. Hopefully see some of you tomorrow with a rake or a shovel at our Beautification Day from 9am.
Ngā manaakitanga,
