Principal's Catch Up
Shirley Bailey
Spring is in the air!
Kia ora koutou
As we near the end of Week 5, there's definitely a feeling of spring in the air. Our daffodils are looking stunning as they begin to bloom, and although the days are still a bit chilly, they're starting to feel a bit longer and warmer.
As we near the end of Week 5, there's definitely a feeling of spring in the air. Our daffodils are looking stunning as they begin to bloom, and although the days are still a bit chilly, they're starting to feel a bit longer and warmer.
Over the last few weeks, our tamariki have shown incredible resilience as they tackled our Cross Country course. We are very fortunate at Kuratau School to have a 'REAL' Cross Country course right on our doorstep. A massive ka pai | well done to everyone who participated in last Friday's School Cross Country event and gave it their all! Thank you to Mrs Pyman for organising our Cross Country event this year. Physical Education is a critical component of our curriculum, and there is an abundance of research and evidence that supports the idea that regular physical movement and exercise is beneficial for several key reasons:
- Physical health -
- improves fitness and prevents health issues
- Mental & emotional well-being -
- reduces stress and anxiety
- boosts self-esteem
- enhances social skills
- Cognitive development -
- enhances brain function
- supports academic achievement;
- Development of Life Skills -
- promotes discipline and responsibility
- encourages a healthy lifestyle choices
- Social and Emotional Learning -
- fostering teamwork and cooperations
- builds leadership skills
Living in Aotearoa New Zealand, where our environment naturally supports outdoor activities, embracing physical education ensures our children not only develop academically but also grow into well-rounded, healthy individuals.
Today, we're excited to host the Southern Lakes Cross Country event and look forward to welcoming the team from Tongariro Area School.
Last week, I had the opportunity to join 12 other principals from the Central Plateau Principals Association in Auckland for a week of professional learning and networking. We visited a range of different schools, learned about leadership in different settings, and participated in professional learning sessions facilitated by Neill O'Rielly, an Educational Consultant who works with many New Zealand schools. We explored the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), gaining insights into how our thinking preferences can be applied to our roles as leaders in schools.
Our Snow Squad enjoyed another fabulous day up the maunga on Wednesday. They were thrilled with the fresh dump of snow! We usually average 5-6 days of skiing in Term 3, and we've already had four amazing days of skiing and boarding. We are well on track to achieve one of our highest attendance rates for the season.
Coming up this Term
Next Thursday, we look forward to welcoming Ashleigh from the Taupō District Council, who will be educating our tamariki about dog safety. This session will teach our children how to safely interact with dogs, an essential skill that promotes confidence and reduces the risk of incidents.
We still have a lot to look forward to in the second half of Term 3. Civil Defence education sessions are planned for Week 8, the Kapa Haka Sleepover for Karearea and Ruru students on Thursday, 12th September, the Taiopenga Festival in Week 9, along with Māori Language Week and Wai Whenua Day.
Property Developments
We're excited to share that we've almost finished removing the old play centre playground area and will soon be re-landscaping it to create another outdoor space. Thank you to Geoff (caretaker), Mark Bailey and helpers from Oreti who have done an amazing job at clearing most of this area. Alby from Lakeside Earthworks will be finishing off this area, levelling it off, and reseeding it with grass. We're steadily working towards improving our outdoor spaces for our tamariki.
Our School Logo, Vision and Values
In addition, our staff and Board have been working together to update our current logo design. We're nearing completion and look forward to sharing our new logo, along with graphics for our Vision and Values, in the coming weeks.
Thank you for your ongoing support. Let's continue to embrace the warmth of spring and the exciting events we have lined up for the remainder of Term 3.
Ngā mihi nui,
Shirley
Shirley
