Panui - Term 1, Week 6, 2025
We’ve had a great start to the term, with plenty of learning happening both inside and outside the classroom. Our students have been very fortunate with their trips to the Pātea Dam and up the maunga. A special shout out to everyone who has helped with these experiences.
A massive congratulations to all our swimmers who represented us so well at Spragg Banner! Special mentions go to Willow Gibb (1st place district champion), Quinn Pick (1st place champion of champions race), and River Leatherby (3rd place champion of champions race). Outstanding effort!
Our learning programmes are in full swing, and we are particularly proud of how well our students have embraced our new school-wide spelling programme. The engagement and effort they are putting in is fantastic, and we can’t wait to see the progress when they are retested in Term 2! Throughout the remainder of the term we will be covering personal boundaries/appropriate behaviour, bullying, kindness / respect and staying safe online in our social skills sessions.
Our building work is not progressing as we would have hoped. This is beyond our control. We have our fingers crossed for some positive progress soon as we have missed our assemblies, the opportunity to formally welcome our new learners and the celebration of student achievements. In the meantime, we will give out awards at our school whānau hui that we have on the courts each week and take plenty of pictures to share with you all. I would like to extend a big Tawhiti welcome all our new whānau and learners - it is great having you as part of the team and we look forward to getting to know you and your child better as we work alongside you over the next few years.
Here's to another fantastic few weeks ahead!
As always if you need me, please pop in.
Sarah
The New Zealand Government requires all schools to use the STAR attendance system to monitor student attendance and ensure every child has the best chance of success.
The STAR system has four levels:
🟩 Green Zone (Less than 5 days absent a term - 90% attendance or more)
✅ Great attendance! Your child is on track for success.
🟨 Yellow Zone (5-9 days absent a term - Between 80-90% attendance)
⚠️ A concern—this equates to missing a day or more every two weeks.
🟧 Orange Zone (10-14 days absent a term - Between 70-80% attendance)
🔶 A serious concern—significant learning gaps may start to develop.
🟥 Red Zone (15+ days absent a term - Less than 70% attendance)
🚨 Critical risk of falling behind—urgent action needed to support learning.
We are required to inform you when your child’s attendance drops into the yellow zone (under 90%). This is not a judgement—just a sharing of information to keep you informed. Our teachers care deeply about your children and are professionals following government requirements and best practices to support learning. If you don’t like the message, you have the choice to delete it or ignore it. But please, be respectful—our teachers are just doing their job and working in the best interests of your child.
Thank you for your support and we know that our kids will have the best chance of success when we all work together!
What is our attendance as a school currently looking like?
🟩 ✅ Green Zone (192 children - 70% of our children)
🟨 ⚠️Yellow Zone (58 children - 21% of our children)
🟧 🔶Orange Zone (16 children - 6% of our children)
🟥 🚨Red Zone (9 children - 3% of our children)
We have a few upcoming events as outlined below. A reminder that Monday 24th March is a teacher only day so school will be closed. All teachers through the South Taranaki region are working together with a Ministry of Education Curriculum Advisor on the new maths curriculum.
Colour Run
We are having a colour run! This will be held on Friday, April 11, 2025. This event is not only a day of fun but also our major fundraising effort for much-needed sports uniforms (rugby jerseys / school jackets) and end-of-year camps. Be sure to keep an eye out for brochures that will be sent home with your tamariki with full details about the event. A huge thanks to Sheri for organising this event; the funds raised WILL benefit ALL of our children.
Rare Disorders Mufti Day
This is an initiative that is being led by our student leaders - Braxton and Felix. Please support the mufti they have planned for this coming Friday.
What is rare disorders month? Rare disorders is a time in March when we give to the many who have rare disorders such as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome. There are around 300,000 people in New Zealand that have a Rare disorder. Sadly, at Tawhiti school there are some parents that have rare disorder. We will be fundraising for everyone with a rare disorder, it doesn’t matter WHO!! - Written by Felix
Rippa Rugby – Let’s Keep It Positive!
We love that our children have the opportunity to participate in Rippa Rugby, and we appreciate the time and effort of our volunteer coaches and referees who make it possible. At the moment, each week, there have been multiple issues and as a school we are spending a considerable amount of time dealing with these issues.
We want to remind everyone why we are there: for the kids. Rippa Rugby is about fun, learning, and teamwork. Let’s keep it that way. Please remember:
✔ If you have an issue, speak to me, Ashleigh Potts or Terrance Dunn (Southern) and then leave it be. Trust that we will deal with this in a professional way.
✔ No yelling at children, referees, or other parents.
✔ No sideline coaching—watch the game, enjoy, and support positively.
✔ Make sure you understand the rules of the game before offering advice.
Our staff will be present at games over the coming weeks. Let’s work together to create a positive and supportive environment where all children can enjoy the game!
Netball teams
Netball teams have been created - these are done by Sheri and Ash and then looked over by teachers. If you have any concerns regarding the teams please come and see us - we would rather hear it straight from the horse's mouth!
Lucky books are due back next Thursday (20th).