Principal's Catch Up
Shirley Bailey
Kia ora e te whānau,
The final countdown is on—just 7 more days until the end of the school year! It’s been a busy few weeks since our last newsletter—so busy, in fact, that we missed our Week 7 edition (aroha mai).
Noho Marae Trip to Pūkawa:
Our recent noho marae trip to Pūkawa was a fantastic experience, filled with learning, fun, and whanaungatanga. Some of the incredible memories we created together included:
Our recent noho marae trip to Pūkawa was a fantastic experience, filled with learning, fun, and whanaungatanga. Some of the incredible memories we created together included:
- An epic sandcastle competition
- Swimming in the lake with friends
- Trekking through the bush for ice creams
- Sleeping in the wharepuni
- Building and floating boats
- Playing rākau
- Weaving putiputi
- Making purerehua
- And, of course, the amazing kai!
A special shout-out to the helpers who joined us on Monday to support our Karearea students. Karearea had an action-packed day of learning, from exploring the history of Pūkawa Marae to crafting ukutangi, learning mau rākau movements and preparing for Tuesday night's hangi. Ngā mihi nui to Maria Hoko, the team from Tūwharetoa Health, and Gabriel Falaoa for sharing your knowledge and time to enrich our students’ understanding of tikanga and mātauranga Māori. Massive thanks also to Gavin and James for their expertise and guidance with hangi preparation.
Huge thank you to our incredible parent volunteers—your support makes these experiences possible for our tamariki.
If you haven't seen the pictures on our Facebook page you should check them out. There are some awesome snaps of our action packed 2-3 days at Pūkawa.
End of Year Achievement Summaries:
Your child's End of Year written report will be sent home via email tomorrow afternoon.
If you haven't seen the pictures on our Facebook page you should check them out. There are some awesome snaps of our action packed 2-3 days at Pūkawa.
End of Year Achievement Summaries:
Your child's End of Year written report will be sent home via email tomorrow afternoon.
Coming Up Next Week:
- Prize giving: Join us on Wednesday, 18th December, at 12:30pm in the hall to celebrate the achievements of our tamariki and bid farewell to our wonderful Year 8s.
- Last Day Fun Day: Friday, 20th December will be our traditional end-of-year Last Day Fun Day. After a bit of classroom tidying in the morning, we’ll enjoy water fights, slip ‘n’ slide fun, and maybe even a visit from Santa!
Farewell to Our Year 8s:
To our amazing Year 8s: we wish you all the best as you move on to new adventures. You have been a fantastic group, and we’ll miss you. Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui!
To our amazing Year 8s: we wish you all the best as you move on to new adventures. You have been a fantastic group, and we’ll miss you. Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui!
Thank You:
To our parents and whānau: thank you for your ongoing support. Kuratau School is a special place, and we love seeing your tamariki thrive every day. Thank you for entrusting us with their care and learning.
To our parents and whānau: thank you for your ongoing support. Kuratau School is a special place, and we love seeing your tamariki thrive every day. Thank you for entrusting us with their care and learning.
To our incredible teaching and support staff: your dedication, teamwork, and passion are truly inspiring. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.
Highlights of 2024
This year has been packed with achievements, including:
This year has been packed with achievements, including:
- The opening of our awesome new playground
- The removal of the old Playcentre playground, creating a new green space
- Continued teacher professional learning in literacy and numeracy
- Another successful Bike Day and Horse Trek fundraising event
- Much-needed repairs to the hall roof
- Noho marae trip to Pūkawa
- Snow Squad adventures, trapping and gardening with Whaea Lena, sporting opportunities in Taupō, and the Matariki Fancy Dress Dance
Holiday Wishes
We wish you a safe and relaxing holiday with your friends and whānau. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday, 3rd February 2025.
We wish you a safe and relaxing holiday with your friends and whānau. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Monday, 3rd February 2025.
Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Shirley Bailey
