Week 5, Term 2, 2022
Tauranga Primary School Pānui
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Tēnā koutou katoa
Ngā mihi nui, kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to you all.
Tālofa lava TPS families,
This week is Samoa Language Week.
Having a strong self-identity through knowing about your culture, family values and beliefs is the foundation of being a confident person. It is important to us all at TPS to respect the cultural capital of our school community. We encourage our students to understand and value differences and to be respectful of others' beliefs and values.
Ma’au i lou ofaga; maua’a lou fa’asinomaga,
Keep your identity alive, to thrive
Tonight will be the first Thursday Night Food Truck Market 5.30-8:00 pm on the main school field. You can find more information here: foodee.co.nz. It's a great opportunity to pick up dinner on a winter night and a lovely venue for a picnic dinner in summer.
This event has been postponed tonight because of the weather.
Last reminder ..... Friday, 3rd June, is a Teacher Only Day, and the school will be closed for instruction. This Teacher Only Day will be used by teachers to continue their professional learning and implementation of Structured Literacy across our school.
We will be taking the school (in groups) to Huria Marae on the 27th - 28th June. We will require parent support for these trips. If we have parents who are able to karanga or whaikorero for (with) us, that would be fantastic. If you are new to New Zealand this would be a wonderful way for you to develop your understanding of Māori culture and tikanga (customary practices or behaviours). Mark these dates in your diary, more details will be sent home shortly.
Relationships and Sexuality Education
We had 16 parents join our senior leadership team on Tuesday night, to learn about the lessons we plan to teach in Term 3 for RSE, as part of our Health and PE curriculum. We had a very good discussion about the content of the lessons and received some good feedback from parents for us to consider. Here are a few summary points that were of interest and discussed:
- The lessons will be in the first five weeks of Term 3.
- We will send an email home to share the content of lessons for the following week.
- There is an opportunity for parents to request their child is removed from a lesson; please email your child's teacher to make this request. We discussed that although a child may be withdrawn from a lesson they may still be exposed to the content of the lesson via playground conversations - which we could not eliminate.
- The Year 5 and 6 content has changed significantly as Pubertal Change will now be taught at this level. Pubertal Change will include how your body changes as you mature, wet dreams and the menstrual cycle.
- At Years 5 and 6 we also discussed that for some people your sex (biology/anatomy you are born with) could be different from your sense of gender identity (your inherent sense of your gender). We approach this topic from an inclusive standpoint (anti-bullying). We understand that different cultures and families could hold other beliefs about this, and we encourage families to take the time to open up this conversation at home. We recognise that we are all different in many ways and it is essential that we treat everyone with respect and kindness so that everyone at our school feels happy and safe.
- We do not cover human reproduction in our lessons other than the connection to the menstrual cycle. At the end of the five lessons, we will send home a link, for Year 5 and 6 families, to a child-appropriate video regarding reproduction that parents can choose to view with their child(ren) or not.
TPS Covid Update for Term 2
- We remain with only nine positive Covid cases at Tauranga Primary School (students and staff) this term. There have been no confirmed student cases for the last three weeks.
- Our average attendance rate is 90%, which is normal for this time of the year (flu season).
We have RAT tests available to distribute to our school community. If your child is sent home unwell, we can provide a box of five tests for the family. If you would like a free RAT test box please enquire at the office.
He waka eke noa
We are all in this together
Ngā mihi maioha
Fiona Hawes
Tuākana/Teina day
On Friday we had our first Tuākana/Teina day for the year. Older students (tuakana) worked alongside younger ones (teina). Everyone enjoys the opportunity to work with students from other classes and to share their skills and experience. It is lovely to see students from both sides of the road making connections and building relationships
Model of Tauranga Primary
Mr Fred Andrews gifted a model of the school to us this week. It took him six weeks to make and it is amazing. Thank you Mr Andrews
Tauranga Primary School - Māori New Year Celebration
Ngā mihi nui, kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to you all
When: Thursday morning June 23, 7:30am - 8:30am.
Where: On the Senior site, performances in front of Senior Hub 1
Programme: Performances by TPS Kapa Haka, Junior Jump Jam/Kapa Haka, Pacifika, singing soloists, plus storytelling with a guest speaker.
Catering: Toast, jam and Marmite provided as a light breakfast for all
For the children: Free hot chocolate and marshmallows - BYO CUP FROM HOME
For our whānau - hot drinks will be available for purchase from the ‘Coffee Cart’
Parking: Roadside around the school
If you are able to help with this event by making teapots of Milo, and serving toast please email me.
Many thanks to Tauranga Pak n Save for providing food and drinks for this breakfast.
Ngā mihi,
Kelly Savage
Friends of the School - FOTS
This term the FOTS team will run a Pizza Friday on the last day of term, the 8th of July.
In addition, we hope to hold the school disco towards the end of term 3. The next meeting is on the 28th of June at 6:00 pm, so please join us in the school staffroom if you would like to meet other TPS parents and be part of creating awesome memories of school for our students.
Huria Marae visits
It is not long until our visits to Huria Marae. These will take place in week 9.
- 27th June-Seniors
- 28th June Middles
- 29th June Juniors
from 9.30am-12.30am. A newsletter will come out in a couple of weeks with more information. We will be asking for parent help on these trips.
School Lunches Required
There are occasions that a child may need lunch provided whilst at school. We currently have a list of school parents who are able to provide additional lunches for children. These requests could be for one or two lunches a week for a term, or maybe one lunch for three days, to help a school family through a challenging time.
Providing lunches is always very much appreciated by the families concerned and the school. Your contribution is provided anonymously through the school office.
If there are any parents who would like to add their names to the list please contact
admin@tauranga.school.nz or dp@tauranga.school.nz
Equally, if you are experiencing some challenges providing lunches for your children, please let us know. We are here to help. Talk with your child's teacher or email us.
Board of Trustees - election year
TPS Board of Trustees (BOT)
This year is a Board of Trustees election year with elections being held in September. Some of our current board members will not be standing for election as their children will be leaving or have now left TPS. If becoming involved in the governance of your child(ren)'s school is of interest to you, please talk with me or Aaron Moores (board chair) Aaron.Moores@craigsip.com. We are happy to talk through what the role involves. You are welcome to attend a BOT meeting- please contact principal@tauranga.school.nz if you wish to do so.
Some broad information can also be found here.
On the 21st of June, the current BOT will host a Meet and Greet opportunity 6:00pm-7:00pm, where you can hear from current members about their experience as a BOT member and ask any questions you may have.
What skill sets are valued on a school board?
Parents who represent our diverse school community. The best boards are those with a variety of people and skill sets, people who are able to contribute at a governance level, with an invested interest in creating a school environment where all children at our school can thrive.
Finance and property are a major part of the operation of the school, and people with experience in these areas are very necessary at a governance level.
Every five years the school embarks on a significant property upgrade and expertise to help guide the process is very helpful. The school employs a project manager and the school board work in conjunction with the principal and project manager to oversee projects.
Experience in personnel is another area of governance that is extremely helpful to the principal in her role as CEO.
School Banking with First Credit Union
Banking day for our school has been changed to Tuesday each week. Don't forget to put your bank book and money into the letterbox in the student's foyer.
New enrolment packs can be collected from the office.
Term 2:
3rd June - Teacher Only Day- school closed
6th June - Queen's birthday holiday- school closed
13th - 17th June - Foodbank Appeal week
14th June - Structured Literacy Parents Information Evening, school hall, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
21st June - 6:00pm - 7:00pm staffroom, BOT - parent Meet and Greet for parents interested in learning more about becoming a Board of Trustees member. Hear from current BOT members about their experience
21st June - BOT meeting 7:00pm - 8.30pm
23rd June - Matariki breakfast, 7:30am - 8:30am
24th June - Matariki holiday - school closed
27th - 28th June - Huria Marae visits,
- 27th June-Seniors
- 28th June Middles
- 29th June Juniors
from 9.30am-12.30am.(more information to follow)
28th June - FOTS meeting 6:00pm school staffroom
8th July - FOTS - Pizza Friday
8th July - Term 2 finishes
25th July - Term 3 begins
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Contacts:
Principal
Fiona Hawes
Deputy Principal
Cathy Ediker
Assistant Principal
Robyn Caley
Junior Team Leader
Pam Wilkins
Middle Team Leader
Jason Morgan
Senior Team Leader
Jo Howard
International Student enquiries
Cathy Ediker
Business Manager
Susan O'Neill
Enrolment Officer
Barbara Turley