Tēnā koutou katoa,
While Troy has been away this week at a principal conference and visiting student teachers from Massey University at Te Kura o Take Kārara in Wānaka and Andersons Bay School in Dunedin, I have had the pleasure of writing this pānui.
The Past, Present, Future Production on Wednesday night was a fabulous and heartwarming experience! To see our tamariki come together to deliver such a wonderful performance was a proud moment for all of us. It certainly shone a light on our school values of Manaakitanga (showing kindness to others), Kaitiakitanga (showing guardianship of the environment), Mātauranga (setting goals in our learning) or Whanaungatanga (developing positive relationships).
There was a lot of hard work and dedication that went on behind the scenes, and I would like to acknowledge and thank those who contributed to telling the story of Turitea School so successfully. To Dani Macdonald, Whaea Tūrehu, the actors and scriptwriters, the senior classes, all the builders of props and their transporters, but most importantly our tamariki who played such a wonderful part in telling ‘our story’. Ka rawe mahi! (Awesome work)
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori:
We are coming to the end of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori or Māori Language Week. It is an annual campaign led by Te Taura Whiri (Māori Language Commission) promoting Te Reo as New Zealand’s language and a language for all New Zealanders. Their goal is to encourage whānau across Aotearoa to give Te Reo Māori a go. The theme of Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori (Making the language stronger) will continue this year, picking up from where it left off. This is an essential piece of the puzzle to achieving the goal of 1 million speakers of Te Reo Māori by 2040. We encourage you to do your part and ‘Kei te rere Te Reo’ (Let the language fly!) It can be as simple as replacing your ‘Good Morning’ with ‘Kia Ora’ and your ‘Goodbye’ with ‘Ka Kite.’ There are plenty of amazing resources here on the Reo Māori website.
Māhuru Māori Language Month:
There are many ways to celebrate Te Wiki o te reo Māori this year and here in Papaeioa there is a fun Rapua Te Kura Huna. (Hidden Treasure Hunt) Whānau can head into Te Marae o Hine – The Square to search for the hidden treasures of knowledge using the attached map and answer sheet. There are some cool spot prizes to give away for those who return their completed answer sheet to any of the pick-up locations.
Lamb, Calf and Pet Day: Friday 27th October – 4.30 – 7.00 pm
All children will be involved in the making of indoor exhibits which will be displayed in their year groups inside classes on the day of Lamb, Calf and Pet Day. These are judged by a team of community volunteers. Information about these activities will come home from classroom teachers at the end of Term 3.
From the Community:
-Want a Puppy? You might remember, a fortnight ago we had a wagon load of adorable puppies from the Fletcher household roll into our school. If you’re interested in getting your own little bundle of cuteness, check out the flyer here for more information or register your interest here.
-Craig from Progress Agency who does all our graphic work also runs The Christmas Barn in Kairanga. He was in the other day and let us know that it will be open every Wednesday – Saturday if you’re interested in taking your kids out for a look.
-Need Firewood? Local firewood business owner Georgie is offering discounted rates to schools in the area. They are doing a mac/pine mix. Contact 0210489768 or georgie.rjscontracting@gmail.com
-Across Te Kotahitanga O Te Wairua are running a ‘Fear-less Anxiety Programme’ which is designed to reduce anxiety in 6-12 year olds. This is a free 6 session course which runs over a term with afternoon and evening options. You can book here.
-Miles from True Hoops is running his usual basketball holiday camps at the CET Arena in October. Information for the Bigs is here and the Littles are here.
-Epic Music Academy also has their Holiday Programme, check out the flyer for more information.
We look forward to Troy’s return to school next week and I know he will be excited to catch up on all the exciting news about our School Production for 2023.