Newsletter 24th November 2022

Tena koutou katoa nga mihi ki te whānau o te Kura o Ōtātara

The big event last week was the Ōtātara Kapahaka Festival, run this year by Greenmeadows School at the Municipal Theatre. This was a wash-out last year and was very sorely missed which made this year all the more sweeter. This has always been a massive part of all of our school's cultures and allows us all to celebrate what we all do and have learned individually as well as celebrating all that our local schools do! It gives us an amazing feeling of pride as we see our tamariki striding on to the stage, standing tall and proud and showcasing their love of Te Ao Māori. The quality of the performances has its roots in the fabulous work done by those behind the scenes as well as within the obvious love that our tamariki show for this part of their lives. We have had such wonderful feedback in regards to this and thank those that have taken the time to share their thoughts with us. As the tumuaki of TPS, it was so moving emotionally as our tamariki were exceptional in every way. If you feel even half as proud of them as I do, then that's a pretty big kete of aroha!

Last night we held a hui in regards to our plan to create Composite Classes in the Year 3 and 4 area of our kura. We had a small turn-out however I hope that any or all fears were allayed. The key points to remind ourselves of is that this is not a new concept, is successfully employed in many kura throughout Aotearoa (not just in country schools!) and has no negative impacts on the learners. A very important note in this regard is that there is no distinct Year 3 or Year 4 curriculum and that we teach each child to the level that they are at. We learn in Stages not ages!

Having grown up in country schools and having taught in schools that have been for the most part composite based, I am very much in favour of these as the positives are many. This is particularly so for a kura like ours which has the tuakana-teina "big buddy" concept as a strong part of our culture. The two things that I noticed more than anything were the ways that tamariki settled into the learning year so much more quickly when they had older classmates to assist and guide them, and the lift that this gave to those older tamariki was so very obvious. This just adds to that culture of manaakitanga (kindness) that we continue to aspire to.

Nga manaaki

Marty Hantz

Tumuaki

After last week's announcement of our Tumuaki, Marty, leaving TPS at the end of this term, it's all systems go for the Board. Replacing the school's Tumuaki is the most important job a Board of Trustees does, so we are looking for your ideas about what you are wanting in our next Tumuaki. We will reflect on your preferred qualities and skill in our selection criteria. As a heads up, we'll be sending out a survey for our staff and TPS community to complete to support us in this process. More details to come soon.

We are well into the recruitment process and this will be our main priority. We've appointed an external consultant, Steven Hensman to assist us with this process.

A start will be made on the filtration system on the Green Family Pool as of Friday afternoon, the 25th of November. This means that there will be fencing around some of the car-park area and that there will be a loss of four car-parks between now and the end of the school year. Please be mindful of that loss of car-parking as some of these parks must be allocated to the pool staff. Cones will be placed in the car-park to signal this.

As of the 17th of December there will be fencing around the pool on the inside of the school field. This is also part of the filtration upgrade and may be there until mid-January. If you or your whānau are intending to use the school field over the holiday period then please be aware that the fencing is there and is a potential hazard.

• BOGO Book Fair - Thursday 24th - Tuesday 29th November
• Athletic Sports - Tuesday 29th November starting at 9am - 1pm approximately at Taradale Park
• Whānau Helpers Morning Tea - Tuesday 6th December at 10.30am in our school hall. Please RSVP to Amanda, email office@taraprim.school.nz or phone 8442 626 by Monday 5th December.
• Cultural Evening - Monday 12th December at 6pm - 7pm
• End of Term 4 - Wednesday 14th December (School closes at 12.30pm)
• Term 1 Begins - Wednesday 1st February 2023 at 9am

Well, it is pretty obvious that there is another round of Covid on its way and we are just starting to feel the effects of this. As stated in our most recent newsletter we will be keeping a very close eye on what we do in response to this as it should always be our intention to keep everyone as safe as we can. A big focus on washing hands whenever we can.

We have noticed that a larger number of our tamariki have already resumed wearing masks and so we will provide extra masks for those that wish to use them during the day at school.

We will also be keeping a pretty close eye on our tamariki as there are plenty of other tummy-bugs going around at present and we have had to send home many this week due to this. Please remember that if your tamariki have vomited then there is a compulsory 48 hour stand-down before they can return to school.

ATAWHAI VISIT

Last week our choir, the "Taradale Minstrels", and instrumentalists went to perform at the Atawhai Rest Home. Our concert of recorder playing, Ukulele strumming and beautiful choir singing was very well received. It was such a valuable experience for both our TPS children and the residents of Atawhai.

H.B. SCHOOLS' UKULELE FESTIVAL

Last Friday 31 of our Year 6 children joined hundreds of other children from H.B. Primary and Intermediate schools for an evening of Ukulele playing and singing.

Our TPS players also performed a solo item, "The Cup Song" complete with buckets!

The relaxed, informal evening meant for a very enjoyable, fun concert for both performers and audience.

MUSIC EXAMS

Congratulations to pianist Ethan Xu: Grade 6 and Oliver Kee: Grade 2 ( who will be performing a piano duet with his sister, Olivia ) who have been chosen to play in an Examiner's Choice Concert. This selection is a very high accolade recognising the top performers who excelled in their Music Exams this year.

Rārangi ki waho-Line up outside.

Rārangi ki roto-Line up inside