Newsletter 7th July 2022

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything"

George Bernard Shaw

Kia ora whānau

The holidays are well nigh upon us and it is a great time to look forward to the break, so we can re-energise, relax and recuperate. Term 2 has been a pretty interesting time and we are very grateful that we have not perhaps had the same struggles with staffing that many other kura have had. A lot of good management and one or two pieces of luck in that! Long may that continue. So, what of the term? What was significant? The reality is that this was yet another term which was defined to a large degree by the impact of Covid-19 and the 'flu. But, alongside all of that there was some great stuff too. And as impactful as the pandemic can be, we should not lose sight of the wonderful stuff that surrounded us.

There are so many examples of this but let me start at the end! Last week we had our annual Matariki celebration and this has gone from strength to strength each year as we build upon our own knowledge and the enthusiasm of those around us. It won't be long at all until this will probably be regarded as one of our premier and most important holidays. I don't know about you, but to me the Matariki holiday felt like we had always had it! And the level of enjoyment of our own Matariki day was fabulous as was the ability to have whanau in attendance. The nine elements of Our Whakawhanaungatanga were clearly on display in all of our classrooms that day and there was a true sense of whakaanga (engagement) from all involved. As a tumuaki (principal) I thought I already knew lots about Matariki however each new conversation with our akonga (learners) revealed new layers of thinking and new gems of information. Love that learning together!

This term our Year 6 tamariki went on camp, we have started to revisit our local marae, the weather was great, the tamariki were full of beans and our planet kept on orbiting around the sun. Kids kept on sharing their learning that they were ever so proud of and showing their wiggly teeth. Kids kept on playing bull-rush and making up their own games. Kids kept on digging the biggest holes ever in the sandpit and despite the winter chills spent most of their time either barefoot or without a sweatshirt...sometimes both! The intensity of the high-fives and the desire to beat me at Paper-Scissors-Rock continues to be a feature of every day. Their manners continue to be excellent and we continue to feel that wonderful manaakitanga (sense of caring) around the school which is evidenced by the way that we seem to have dozens of future nurses, doctors and counsellors every time someone falls over or cries.

Their learning continues with glee and the best thing is that our akonga have taken everything in their stride. To them, their day is the same as always and they are very much more adaptable than we seem to be. They will always be excited about the day ahead as it means another opportunity to do some learning, practice what they have already learned and spend some time with their mates. My thanks to the staff who create the calm and structure, who adapt the curriculum to suit the needs, who provide the aroha and the smiles, who provide the enrichment and the support. Enjoy the two weeks holiday, whanau, you all deserve it.

Ngā mihi

Marty Hantz

This week is Te meke Tumuaki or Principal appreciation week and the BOT would like to give a shout to our awesome Tumuaki.

Marty lives the TPS values and puts an incredible amount of mahi into making the school the fantastic place it is.

So... for teaching French, maintaining relationships with Kahui ako local schools, helping on the PTA, meeting with the BOT, meeting with parents and whanau, coaching sports teams, running around at Bullrush and much much more......

We appreciate you!

• End of Term 2 - Friday 8th July, 3pm
  
• Term 3 Begins - Monday 25th July, 9am

This has been very well explored over the last few months in the media and it is neat to see that the Ministry of Education is putting more resourcing behind this. To put it bluntly, each day that a child is away from school equates to a week's lost learning. The impact on missing out on learning opportunities and trying to catch up can be huge. While illnesses and pandemics have played a part in this it is also true to say that across Aotearoa there are many tamariki whose parents condone their tamariki not going to school. Being at school is a legal requirement! Over the holidays we will look at our own attendance and will be contacting whanau if we see issues around this. This is not a 'blame game' rather an opportunity to look at how we all can work together to ensure that all of our tamariki are at school and achieving to the best of their ability.

We are so very fortunate that we not only have a great library at school, but that it has been recently refurbished! It looks great and is so inviting too! But that is not just about how great it looks, it is also about the fact that we have our very own librarian and shelves absolutely full of fabulous books. The library is open in our lunch hour and that allows us to provide a space that is a little less noisy than the playground and allows those that love reading to have their nose buried in a book. We have the support of our PTA in allowing this to happen as it is they, and you, who provide the funds to create this. It is sad but true that so many schools now are losing their libraries as pressure goes on for extra classroom space or because they may be struggling to fund the purchase of new books!

Next term we will be restarting our Buddy Systems through which our older tamariki (tuakana) share with and guide our younger tamariki (teina). At TPS this has been a long running cultural artefact and we have missed this so much. It is so important for our tamariki as this adds another layer of care and support across our kura. To the untrained eye the Tuakana-Teina concept may just look like Buddy Reading and a bit of coaching every week, but the truth is that it creates a kinship and sense of community. The teina will actively seek their tuakana if they have an issue in the playground and the tuakana will often check in on their teina just because they can! Lovely concept!

Reading is such an important part of learning and being a learner ... a book tells us so much and gives us so much information and knowledge. Homes need books. Tamariki need books!

So, there is a free book sale ... yes, you got it, turn up and whatever is there is for free!

This is to be held at the Little Book Shop, 17a Latham Street Napier ...

• Saturday 16th July - 1pm to 3pm
• Sunday 17th July - 1pm to 3pm

Fill up on books.

Uniform ‘Flash Sale’

As promised we will be holding a ‘flash sale’ of ex-Warehouse stock. This is the old uniform however we will be phasing this out over the next couple of years so please understand that there will be no issues re wearing of this at TPS! This sale includes the last of the lines for track pants, long sleeve polo’s and sleeveless fleeces. Be in to get yours!

When: 2.00 – 3.30pm on Friday 8th July

Where: Staff Room by Hall

Payment: Eftpos in the office or cash (we may or may not have change)

He pātai tāki. I have a question.

Kia ora whānau, once again the rate of Covid infections continues to be very slow and steady. We are aware that some of the local tamariki and whānau are just beginning to be part of a second wave of infection. Not just us though! With the first wave having passed through followed by the flu there will still be some (or many) who will be yet to have contracted either. It is really important to keep up with the fabulous health precautions that have made a difference so far!

Have a fabulous and healthy break

The Y holiday programme

Last chance to book your child into the Dolphin Academy School Holiday Swimming Programme. NEXT WEEK, morning sessions still available. A great way to boost your child’s swimming and consolidate what they have learn in their water safety classes through school. Book online NOW https://www.dolphinacademy.co.nz/school-holiday-programme