Newsletter 15th September 2022
Taradale Primary School
Korero ō te tumuaki
"He manako te kōura i kore ai"...wishing for the crayfish won't bring it.
Tena koutou katoa nga mihi ki te whānau o te Kura o Ōtātara,
What a busy week it has been as we launch ourselves towards the fabulousness that is the Village Fete! Personally I can't wait as this is such an important part of our calendar both in terms of fund-raising and in terms of an opportunity for all of our whānau to gather together as we work for a shared purpose - our tamariki, our kura. The chance to catch up, enjoy the company of our friends and stroll in the sunshine is one of those things that we probably all need right now. And what better place to do so than the kura where your tamariki spend so much time. A massive thank-you to all who have put their energy into this amazing day. Whether that be as part of the organising crew or part of a working bee or an hour or two on the day or as someone who has donated some goods to the cause...we thank you!
If we truly are to be thought of as a community hub then we need days like this to help us back to that sense of normality and to create new spaces that can be used for learning and for play, during the school day and after hours. With this in mind, the PTA has been part of the 'big picture' of the school in that they have provided the bulk of funds for such aspects as the astro-turf, the sandpit, shade sails to protect from the sun and the really big marimba's which provide so much musical joy! What else do these items provide? Fun after school too, and it has been very obvious that these areas attract whānau and tamariki to be at school as often as possible. As simple as it sounds, kids coming to school outside of school hours is an important thing as it demonstrates a sense of belonging (turangawaewae) and if their parents are there too then it shows the tamariki that school is a good place for all. Having frequent visitors like this, including ex-pupils, has the knock-on effect that we suffer little vandalism, a win-win situation.
Full steam ahead for the Fete and lets just see how much we can raise for our tamariki, and how much fun we can have as we do it. Be a part of this mahi and be a part of our kura! The whakatauki I have used this week is reflective of this. If you wish for your tamariki's kura to be the best and offer the best, then get behind all that we do and add your weight to the task. For those of us who love our kai moana I can assure you that no kōura is ever easy to catch and to do so requires some mahi. Help us to continue to make this kura the best kura ever!
Nga mihi
Marty Hantz
Tumuaki
A Note from the Board of Trustees
The PTA are putting in huge mahi to ensure the success of our annual Village Fete. Ka mau te wehi!!
This is the biggest fundraising event of the year and also welcomes the local community into school.
The Board and the PTA work closely together so these funds are used in the best possible way to benefit all akonga.
Please support us by volunteering a little bit of your time to help on a stall on Sunday and then go and join in the fun!
Upcoming Events
- TPS School Fete - Sunday 18th September
- Queen Elizabeth ll Memorial Day - Monday 26th October (School Closed)
- End of Term 3 - Friday 30th September
- Term 4 begins - Monday 17th of October
- Hawkes Bay Anniversary Day - Friday 21st October
- Labour Day - Monday 24th October
- End of Term 4 - Wednesday 14th December (school closes at 12.30pm)
Medication - measuring cup/spoon or syringe
If your child has medication at school please provide a measuring cup, spoon or syringe. This is especially important for day trips or sports events that are off-site as we do not supply these.
NUGGETS OF GOLD!
Any kura can be a wonderful place to be and for so many reasons too. What makes a kura wonderful? If we asked any kaiako at all they would all reply with a story or anecdote that they came across that day - those wee moments that make us laugh, make us smile or make us proud. Every tamariki has these moments and we could fill a book with them.
On Monday I had a line up of tamariki smashing me at Paper, Scissors, Rock with the occasional interruption of a child showing me their wiggly tooth. It takes me 15 minutes to get from one end of the school to another!
On Tuesday at Bullrush, I had a queue of tamariki who all wanted to help put out the cones to get the game started. Just about every kid who wanted to play asked and used the word please. Lovely!
On Wednesday at Road Patrol the two lovely wee lasses in the afternoon were practising dance moves as they waited, using different accents and generally having fun. If we were miserable we could growl them and tell them to focus, except they were focused and made many a passing motorist smile. A great moment.
Today I spent some time talking with all of the Year 4 konga who wanted to know more about Moremore, the son of Pania and who is represented on the signage around our school. I was so proud of the patai they asked and the collaborative mahi that they did afterwards. Tino pai!
That's why every kura is great!
MASKS
As you will all be so very aware we now have no Traffic Light System in place and it is now no longer strongly recommended that masks are worn. These have served us well over the year and we have been able to keep the numbers of staff affected by Covid and the flu to a very slow trickle which has given us the luxury of not having to have too many relievers or shared classes. The fact that we have not had to close the school or send classes home is something we should be proud of!
We do have kaiako and tamariki who will still wear masks as members of their whānau may be compromised. Please be respectful of this and understand that they have valid reasons for doing so. If possible, we would ask that masks be worn around their presence as well.
EARNING FETE DOLLARS
For every item brought in to assist the Fete each child was given a chance to win 'Fete Dollars' which can only be spent at the Fete in the Children's Entertainment section. These are not transferable to real dollars!
The lucky winners were...
$10...Hunter Cameron
$5...Vanessa Crabtree, Taylor Ouk, Elliot Francois and Rhosa Sigglekow.
Mr Hantz will pass those on to the winners tomorrow!
FAREWELL
Sadly, this will be the last week that we host our amazing EIT Year 2 Candidate Teachers. They have been with us pretty much each Tuesday and Thursday this year and have been wonderful young practitioners, asking many patai and always looking to be better each day. We wish them all the very best in the next phases of their careers, knowing that they will continue to grow. Our thanks too to all of the staff that have generously shared their wisdom and knowledge. In particular we should acknowledge the mahi of Gayl Squire who has coordinated their programmes at TPS.
Ka kite apopo Chelsea, Anders, Summer, Olivia, Grace and Aimee.
Hats - Term 4
Just a wee reminder that in Term 4 all tamariki must wear hats when outside. Now is a good time to order them through the New Zealand Uniforms website or pop into The Warehouse and purchase a navy blue bucket hat. Please remember to name all of your child's uniforms, including the hats so they can be returned to the right student if misplaced.
Hahana Kids: The truth about New Zealand's Māori language
Check out this awesome video supplied by Andrea Bryant
Māori language week
This week is Aotearoa's official Te wiki ō te reo Māori. (Māori language week.) It is a chance to reflect about the history of our national language and the effort that is being made to revitalise this important language. This year to celebrate the week, all classes were asked to send in videos of some learning that they were proud of around Te Reo Māori. Here are a few snippets from the week to share with you. We would love to share them all, but there were soooo many!
The following clip is a brief history and background to Te wiki ō te reo Māori. (Māori language week)
Community Notices
Dolphin Academy