There has definitely been a buzz of activity around the school over the last two weeks.  With various building projects getting underway; our students preparing for Friday's Pet Day, Farm Skills Activities and Flower Art and Technology Show; and everyone continuing to practice for this week's Athletics Day ... it’s certainly been busy.

We have the following property projects underway this term:

Last week we saw students delve into their creativity as they planned and prepared their Flower Art / Technology exhibits.  There were some fantastic creations!  Massive thanks to Ngaire Grainger and Frances Martin for judging once again this year.  We are very thankful for their support.  

On Friday it was awesome to see some of our students bring their pets to school.  We saw some cheeky chickens, lively lambs, cute calves, happy tail wagging dogs, a tiny pony and a very friendly rooster in the ring.  Jess Byrnes-Clark from Lakeside Lifestyle Animal Health had the tricky job of judging our pets.  Big thanks to Jess for giving up her time to come along and judge for us.  

See the results section below for a list of placegetters for both Pet Day and Flower Art and Technology exhibits. 

This week is another busy week, with Athletics on Wednesday.  We hope to see lots of you supporting your children at Athletics Day.  This will kick off at 12pm, with an estimated finish time of 2.15pm. If the weather is unfavourable we have a postponement date of Thursday 2nd November. 

The Kuratau School Board will be hosting two Whānau Hui this week.  There are two kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) opportunities to come along and chat to the Board.  See the 'Message from the Board' section below for full details.  

Not long to go now until Karearea and Ruru head off to Wellington for their camp. If you have not yet paid for camp fees, please do so as soon as possible.  Rachel has emailed invoices to all families and we would appreciate your prompt payment so that we can process the payment to El Rancho.  Thank you to all those who have already paid the $150.  

We hope you have a terrific week ahead and look forward to seeing lots of you this week - at athletics or at one of our planned hui.

The Kuratau School Board is currently working on developing our long term and annual plan for 2024 (and beyond).  These plans will be based on student, staff, whānau and community feedback, as well as our school's progress and achievement data. We cannot do this on our own and need you to help us plan for our school's future.

 

You are part of our Kuratau School whanau and we want to hear from you!  Your voice and experiences are valuable and will help shape our school into a place where all children and young people can thrive. 

 

Come kōrero with us to share what matters to you and your whanau for the future planning for our school:

We value your time and whakaaro so all whānau that complete the survey questions (whether online or at one of our upcoming whānau hui) will go in the draw to win a grocery hamper.

If you would like to know more about the School Planning and Reporting Process, please have a read of the attached Parent Information from the Ministry of Education. 

It won't be long and the end of the year will be upon us, as will be our much anticipated day of prizegiving.

Please can you return any trophies that were received last year so we are able to have them engraved for this years recipients.

Thank you.

At Kuratau School, we promote a healthy lifestyle to our school community (students, staff, and families/whānau) as part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive school environment. Educating students about nutrition and encouraging healthy active learning contributes to their personal success and wellbeing, and to a healthier community for everyone. 

We have noticed an increase in energy drinks, cordials and fizzy.  These drinks are making their way back into our students lunches, notably 'Prime', which has 6 x the concentration of caffeine than that found in your regular can of coke.

Please be reminded WATER is the best choice for hydration.

The full policy on Food and Nutrition can be found online at School Docs.

We all need the right tools for the job, and learning is no exception here. 

Historically Kuratau School has provided a stationery pack which includes all stationery required for your child's learning throughout the school year.  Until now this has been a requirement meaning that returning students end up purchasing additional items to those they may already have (and could easily reuse) from previous years.

This year, we are therefore offering you an option of either purchasing as a bulk pack through school or alternatively purchasing individual items yourself from a list of 'required' items based on what you may or may not have at home.

Bulk stationery packs will be priced as follows:
Room 1 (Year 6-7 and 8) - $41.53
Room 2 (Year 4-5) - $40.93
Room 3 (Year 2-3) - $46.43
Rooms 4 and 5 (Year 0-1) - $36.76

Bulk Stationery Pack options come with substantial savings and, depending on excess stationery items you may have, may work out to be cheaper than purchasing items individually.

Indicative prices (if purchased independently from Office Max with 'Back to School' Pricing) can be found in the attachment below.  Please feel free to browse the list of required items and compare prices.  You are also welcome to source these products from alternative providers.  Once decided, please advise us of your choice on the attached form as we will be consolidating and placing our school order PRIOR to the end of Term 4 2023.

Stationery Packs ordered through school must be ordered by Friday November 17th 2023. 

Completion of the Attached Form will confirm you agree to purchasing your child's stationery pack at the price offered and payment will be made on receipt of the invoice.

Bev Campbell, a teacher with the New Zealand Modern School of Music, has been giving private piano/keyboard lessons at the school on Fridays to a number of our students. The 30-minute lessons are given individually and are paid for by the families.

Contact Bev at 029 773 8615 for any questions you may have regarding the lessons and the fees. She has openings for next year. There are also a limited number of openings for lessons to be given in her home after school hours.