Kia ora koutou

We’ve made it to the end of Week 9, and with just one more week to go until the end of Term 3, we’re heading into a well-deserved break.

The standout event of the past fortnight has undoubtedly been our kapa haka performance at the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Taiopenga Festival. Our tamariki did us incredibly proud with their beautiful waiata and haka. A massive thanks and appreciation to Whaea Lena for all the mahi she has put in this term to prepare our tamariki. A special thanks also to the whānau who supported us on the day—your help does not go unnoticed. It was wonderful to see so many whānau turn out to tautoko our tamariki.

As we look ahead to Term 4, there are some exciting opportunities on the horizon:

We will be jumping straight into Term 4 with a busy start, as we prepare for our School Athletics Day on Wednesday, 6th November. This will be our major Physical Education focus for the term, with teachers teaching and developing essential running, jumping, and throwing skills with our tamariki.

We are crossing our fingers and toes that our Snow Squad will have one more opportunity to enjoy a day on the maunga this season. Though the last couple of weeks have been chilly, the late snowfall has been a bonus for our maunga.

Looking ahead, four of our teachers will be attending Ministry of Education-funded professional development [PLD] in Structured Literacy early next term. This PLD will greatly benefit us as we continue to grow our skills, knowledge, and capability, ensuring we provide the best literacy education for our tamariki.  

As many of you may be aware, there has been considerable discussion in the media about the upcoming changes to the national curriculum. At Kuratau School, we are committed to implementing these changes from Term 1, 2025. While adapting to the new curriculum will bring some challenges, we believe it provides an excellent framework that clearly defines the essential literacy and numeracy skills our tamariki need to succeed in life.  In addition to the curriculum's strong focus on literacy and numeracy, we will continue to emphasise the development of independent, self-regulated learners who are able to problem-solve, communicate, and collaborate effectively. At the same time, we remain dedicated to preserving the unique elements of our local curriculum, such as trapping, gardening, Pet Day, Wai Whenua Day, Snow Squad, kayaking, and noho marae opportunities.

Our ultimate goal is to nurture well-rounded, capable individuals who possess the skills and knowledge to contribute positively to their communities, Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider world.

Wishing you all a relaxing and enjoyable school holiday break with your whānau. Take this time to recharge and enjoy some time together with your friends and whānau.  We look forward to welcoming you back, refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4, on Monday, 14th October.

Ngā mihi nui

Please note that school will be closed for instruction on Friday, 25th October, 2024 for a Teacher Only Day. On this day, our teaching staff will be onsite, focusing on professional development to deepen their understanding of the new curriculum documents. We appreciate your support as we prepare for the new curriculum expectations, which will come into effect in Term 1, 2025. 

This week we have proudly celebrated and supported Te Wiki o te Reo Māori.

Take a look at these slides from Ruru and these ones from Pīwakawaka to see the wonderful activities we've been involved in this week.

Throughout the year, all classes have been engaging with te Reo Māori daily, guided by their kaiako. We've been using Wai Ako, an online tool, to help deepen our understanding and use of te Reo across our kura.

We continue to start each day with karakia, waiata, and haka, a special time where we come together as a school community to nourish our wairua and create an empowering start to our day of learning.   

We are fortunate to have many ākonga with strengths and capabilities in te Reo Māori, and these students play an important role in supporting their kaiako and classmates in further developing their reo.  Well done to these amazing students!  Ka pai ki enei tauira whakamiharo!

We’re also excited to share that Whaea Lou is participating in Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, a Ministry of Education initiative that “aims to grow and strengthen an education workforce that can integrate te reo Māori into the learning of all ākonga in Aotearoa.”  Whaea Lou's learnings, along with her passion and strengths in Te Ao Māori, are an integral part of our plan to embrace and enrich te reo Māori in our school.  Alongside this, our kaiako also attend Ngāti Tūwharetoa Professional Learning opportunities through te Mana Whenua workshops, which is supporting us to deliver content informed through our local iwi lens.  

Today, we had the privilege of welcoming five guest speakers who shared valuable insights on how we can better care for our natural environment. With Kaitiakitanga being a core school value, today's Wai Whenua learning sessions play a vital role in our localised curriculum.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Jennifer from Enviro Schools, Rachel & Heidi from Greening Taupō, Didymo Dave, and Chris Bayler for their time and expert knowledge. Our tamariki were deeply engaged and took away meaningful lessons on what it means to be a kaitiaki of our environment.

Our day was rounded off with a delicious BBQ lunch and a refreshing, and fortunately dry (just beating the rain), walk around the wetland area, where everyone had the chance to appreciate the beauty and importance of our surroundings. 

You might like to ask your child what their takeaway from the day was ... besides the sausage sizzle, toasted sandwich or cookie :-) 

As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering a supportive and safe learning environment, the Taupō Kāhui Ako recently engaged in professional learning focused on Trauma Informed Practice, guided by Jase Williams.   

We currently have 94 students from 65 whānau at our school, and we expect them to get on with one another. Now, imagine doing this with the same number of adults—or even just 10 adults—there would definitely be times where disagreements and conflicts arise. It’s only natural.

At Kuratau School, we have 4 core values: whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga and mahi tahi. These guide our interactions and behaviour every day. However, in our homes, we also have a set of beliefs and values that may be similar to, or completely different from, those at school. In our wider communities, our students often encounter yet another set of beliefs and values.

In many ways, our students are required to juggle these expectations, almost needing to be three different people. That’s why, at school, we are deeply aware of this challenge.  We endeavour to ensure school is a safe space where our students can truly be themselves. We acknowledge that making mistakes is part of growing up and learning, and when our students do make mistakes (and they will), they’ll be supported by safe, consistent, predictable, non-judgemental, and compassionate adults.

Trauma Informed Practice is about recognising the complexities of these experiences and understanding the impact of trauma on behaviour and learning. This approach ensures we respond sensitively and effectively, helping students feel safe, supported, and understood. With the support of Jase Williams, our staff are becoming better equipped to guide our students through their challenges, fostering emotional wellbeing and creating a positive environment for all.

You might like to follow Jase Williams via his Instagram page: traumainformednz .  

Vegetables, cheese, plain popcorn, yoghurt, plain crackers, plain nuts*, savoury muffins, cottage cheese, hard boiled eggs*
sandwiches – fillings could include: peanut butter*, tuna and mayo, cheese, lean meat slices, egg*, tomatoes, salad

*please bear in mind any allergies your child may have