Newsletter Term 3 Week 10
Pekapekarau Primary School - 30th September
Principal's message
Tēnā koutou katoa
We are at the end of Term 3 already! The stand out thing for me is definitely having you all back enjoying the range of events and activities we have been able to provide for our tamariki. The support with transporting, coaching and attending these events by so many of you have made sure these have been successful and memorable for everyone. We look forward to more things coming up in Term 4 with opportunities for activities both in and out of the classroom that are fun, engaging and great learning along the way. Our kaiako are busy planning these and will let you know at the beginning of next term of the exciting things they have organised.
We are proud of our tuakana (senior) students who represented Pekapekarau at the Waipa Sports Day today at Pirongia. They had a great time and it was great to see their enthusiasm and talent along with the amazing way they tautoko (support) each other. The netball team took out the competition and the rugby teams were placed in the top four teams which is awesome!
Have a safe and restful break with your whānau over the school holidays as we have a Teacher Only Day today and are closed for instruction. Our kaiako are going to be spending the day learning about the Aotearoa/New Zealand Histories Curriculum and how we will be implementing this into our teaching.
Ngā mihi mahana,
Tania and the Pekapekarau Team
Are you male? Do you whakapapa as Māori?
Are you interested in learning how to do a mihi or whaikorero in a supportive, non-threatening way? If you are beginning the journey of te reo, on the journey a little, or just need a little bit of a confidence boost, then this will be an authentic and safe way to learn and grow supporting your school, our school and the tamariki of Pekapekarau.
Anaru Morgan, our Māori Achievement Collaborative (MAC) Facilitator has offered to tautoko (support) any of our male whānau who would like to learn to mihi, whaikorero in a safe, supportive environment at a time that suits you. These could be during school hours or after work for a few sessions. If it is a group it will be even better as it is easier to support each other.
If this is something that interests you, please contact Tania or Whaea Israel - either pop in or send an email to principal@pekapekarau.school.nz or israelh@pekapekarau.school.nz - don’t be shy!
Sharing from Room 2
Sports Polo Shirt - Pre order yours now $42.50
We are taking pre-orders for our brand new P.E/Sports T-Shirt. Below is the front and back images for you and the sizing is very similar to our uniform t-shirts with a slightly more fitting design. At this stage we don’t have any samples to try on, but we recommend that you order a size up if you are worried about growth. These t-shirts will be worn for sports and physical activity, but are not to be worn instead of our uniform polo shirt to and from school.
Board News
The School Board is currently reviewing our Child Protection, Harassment and Sun Protection policies. We invite you to share your feedback on these policies to support our review process.
You can do this by going to https://pekapekarau.schooldocs.co.nz/
Username: pekapekarau
Password: thepekapekarauway
Click on the Current Review tab and follow the instructions.
We appreciate our community input.
This Week's Board Introduction
Introducing Jean-Michel - Board Member
My name is Jean-Michel and I am not native to these shores. My mother was French and my father was English. I grew up both in England and France, and identify with both cultures, as well as being completely fluent in both languages. If I could travel back in time 20 years or so, and ask my past self "Where do you see yourself in 2022?", I certainly wouldn't have imagined the wonderful journey that brought me to where I am today!
Indeed, I was living and working in London as a registered nurse and met my then future wife, Kiri, at work. In 2006 she invited me for a holiday back in her home country... New Zealand. The rest is history! I was instantly hooked by the beauty of the land and the heart of people and quickly realised this was the place I wanted to have a family and bring up my children. So in 2007 we crossed the seas to New Zealand, joining my new kiwi whanau and located ourselves in Hamilton! Since then Kiri and I have had three beautiful daughters (very proud Dad here!), and we moved to Te Awamutu in 2015, attracted by the welcoming community feel of the town. All our girls have been, or still are, at Pekapekarau Primary School, and although there have been some challenges in past years, overall as parents we have always been impressed by the dedication, passion and commitment of the teaching staff to provide our tamariki with an education.
I currently work in a senior nursing management role at Te Whatu Ora Waikato and have been involved in a variety of clinical and professional governance groups. My personal values align very much with the principles of social justice and this is reflected in my leadership style. I am an active listener and considered in my approach to solution-finding, and get joy from creating opportunities and enabling others to thrive. In addition to being a husband, dad and a nurse leader, I also spend time being creative by dabbling in photography, electronic music production and playing the drums. I wish to bring my transferable skills and attributes to the board and be an active contributor to enhancing learning experiences and outcomes for tamariki and inform governance and decision-making processes. Our children are our future and I hope I can meaningfully contribute to building the foundations enabling them to embrace and enjoy life at its fullest. I am honoured to have been elected on the board and see this as an opportunity to give back to the community that has served my family and whanau so well since we moved to Te Awamutu!
KEY EVENTS
Rerenga kupu ō te rā & Wero ō te rā
DISCO!
It certainly looked as though our tamariki enjoyed the School Disco last night. Thank you to our student leaders who proposed, planned and set up this fun opportunity for our school community. It was great to see many dressed in the theme and having a fantastic time! The disco has raised just over $700 and will be added to our current fundraising total. Isn't it great being able to host these events again?!
Waipa 7s
Yesterday some of the year 5 & 6 students participated in the Rugby 7s and Netball Tournament in Pirongia. Our rugby team placed in the top four of the competition and our netball girls took out the netball competition, undefeated. Well done to all the students involved and thank you to the parents and supporters who helped make this kaupapa possible.
Term 4 Swimming Lessons
In Term 4 all classes will participate in swimming lessons at the Te Awamutu Events Centre as part of our Health and PE Curriculum. Notices for this have come home as we require permission and parent help. We will be travelling to and from the Events Centre by bus. Please contact your child's teacher for more information.
Buddy Class Sing Off
On Tuesday during our School Singing time, we had a Buddy Class Sing Off. Each buddy class set shared two waiata from this Term. Congratulations to Room 2 and 11 for taking out the win!
Congratulations!
Fred Amess Cup
Last Friday we had 2 teams participate in the Fred Amess Cup. The weather stayed fine and our Pekapekarau Rua team took out the Plate Cup, coming in 3rd overall. The team will be presented with the shield at our first assembly in Term 4.
BMX
Congratulations to Luca Penny for making the Mighty 11 Squad in BMX on the weekend.
We love to celebrate the successes of our tauira outside of school. Be sure to let the teacher know or email kyliem@pekapekarau.school.nz
Mrs McKay's Writing Competition
Here are the winner's from Mrs McKay's writing competition announced on Thursday afternoon.
1st Place
Sophie Penny
2nd Place
Kayla Janse Van Rensberg
3rd Place
Georgia Tamaki
Photo is missing Sophie as she was at the Waipa 7s Sports Day.
Community Notices
New Zealand Kids Fishing Tournament
With the school holidays approaching we are requesting that your staff inform the students of a fishing tournament we are running free for the school holidays.
We are appealing to the students who enjoy fishing to enter our free tournament that runs from the 1st October through to the 16th 2022. It is open to anyone under 16 throughout all of Aotearoa.
There are heaps of prizes up for grabs that will appeal to any budding fisher. The process to register is very simple. All anyone needs to do is go to our website www.tangler.co.nz where you can find all the guidelines.
Visit Our Local Museum these Holidays!
Get Involved in Cricket!
SuperSmash Hubs
6-week after school programme during Term 4.
6x 1hour sessions for $30!
A wide range of locations set up across the Waikato, with hubs in your local area. Available for year 1-8 students, with girls only programmes available too. A focus on the fundamental skills, with small modified games. A direct link to the registration page with all options of registration - https://www.ndcricket.co.nz/district/waikato
SuperSmash Holiday Programme
Available during the October holiday period.
The closest programmes are available in Te Awamutu.
Available in Year 1-4 softball, and Year 5-8 Hardball groups.
Registration available – www.ndcricket.co.nz/programmes
For registration support for either programme, of further information, please contact Naomi on programmes@ndca.co.nz
Do you or someone you know have a child turning 5 before the end of 2022 or during Term 1 2023? Encourage them to contact us and come for a visit. We would love to meet them.
We have some spaces at other year levels as well. Share this with whānau that you know. We have information on our website.
Save the Date
Last day of Term 3
Thursday 29th September
Teacher Only Day
30th September 2022
Calendar Orders
Coming out at beginning of Term 4
Term 4 Starts
Monday 17th October
Labour Day
Public Holiday
Monday 24th October
Grandparents Day
Friday 4th November
Kapa Haka Festival - Whakamana Rangitahi
11th November
Have you downloaded our School App?
See the link below
Email: office@pekapekarau.school.nz
Phone: +64 7 871 6025