Panui - Term 3, Week 6
Kia ora e te whānau...
The winter bugs have certainly made their presence felt around our kura lately, but despite the sniffles and sneezes there is still plenty happening at Tawhiti!
We are delighted to welcome two new learners, Reeve Bocarro and Jack Annabell, who start with Whaea Dee and the Koromiko team this week.
It’s a week of visitors for us this week... Our senior students will be hearing from Project Reef Life and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui, who will be sharing their knowledge and perspectives about our waterways and the impacts of seabed mining. On Friday, we are proud to host the leadership team from Mt Biggs School in Feilding, who are keen to learn more about the programmes we are running here at Tawhiti.
Speaking of learning programmes, I am so proud the writing that is being produced across the school at the moment - our value of ako is alive and well and our learners are flourishing with their writing abilities. Here is the start of a piece of writing by Kelsie Dutoit (year 5) based on our learning this term.
"Without clean water, living animals and people can sadly not survive. During 2016, 60 percent of New Zealand’s rivers were not allowed to be swam in because they were polluted. From my point of view, everyone should check the streams health. No water, no life.
In New Zealand, a streams health is checked by using a Stream Health Monitoring Assessment Kit called SHMAK. The SHMAK assessment measures clarity, ph, conductivity, temperature and dissolved oxygen. Clarity, which is also known as turbidity, is measured by seeing if you can see a black disk 1.6 metres away. If you want to know if the water is thriving with life, the temperature has to be between 18 to 22 degrees Celsius. Interestingly, for the PH level, below 5.6 is acidic and the creatures in the water will die, and over 9 is alkaline which is a high level for fish to survive the heat. Cows manure, which contains phosphorus and nitrogen, is bad for the streams health. Looking for macroinverterbrates such as Mayflies are a clue that a streams health is good because they are a species that can not tolerate in living in polluted waterways."
As always, if you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to pop in and see either myself or your child's teacher.
Sarah
Practices are well underway and the excitement is building. We can't wait to hit the stage. Below is some key information and there will be more to follow as we get closer to show time...
Shows
- There are 4 shows - Weds 17th Sept and Thurs 18th Sept at 1.00pm & 6.30pm
- A lot of work goes into our show, so it is important that children attend and perform in all 4 shows
- We know our little people get tired during this week, so we welcome sleep in's and late starts over these two days
Tickets
Due to the number of families we have and the seats that are available in the theatre, we have a ticket allocation system in place to ensure that everyone has the chance to watch a show. Our ticketing system has been refined throughout the many shows we have performed at the theatre over the years. Please bear with us and show kindness to our lovely admin team who organise this, as we try our best to accomodate everyone!
- Tickets are $10 each (plus a $0.60 booking fee which is donated to charity).
- Tickets will go on sale online from Weds 20th Aug 5pm - Fri 12th Sept (or until sold out). You will receive a link via a Hero post to purchase these.
- Payment is to be made online at the time of booking.
- Tickets are restricted to 4 per family (not child). Please don't purchase more than 4 as they will be cancelled and refunded.
- If you are free during the day and are able to attend a day show rather than a night one, please do. This will allow space for those who work in the evenings and make sure that everyone gets a chance to come along.
- If you would like more than 4 tickets, or would like to attend more than one show, a wait list will be available. Please email Emma - office@tawhiti.school.nz outlining how many extra tickets you would like and for which show. We will allocate these on Monday 15th September.
- Tickets have a QR code on them which can be scanned from your phone or printed to enter the show.
- Please contact the school office if you require any assistance with tickets. 06 278 7117 or office@tawhiti.school.nz
- Children under 2 are free if they are sitting on your lap. A seat will need to be purchased for all children aged 2 and over or for those wanting their own seat.
Leading up to the show...
During show week children will be walking to and from the Memorial Theatre to practise. We will send further details about this closer to the time.
A few reminders and upcoming events to be aware of...
- The date for our annual Pet / Grandparents day has been set - Friday 24th October. Tell your grandparents so they can mark their calendars. Mrs Broker will send out a form for pet registrations (calf/lamb/dog) a wee bit closer to the time.
- Our building work is set to start in the school holidays. Rata will move to the hall on the last day of this term as work will begin down with their classroom, the bathrooms and cloakbays. Kowhai will then move early in Term 4 as work progresses.
- Whaea Anna and her whānau have an exciting adventure planned for Term 4 through to the end of Term 1. They are walking the length of Aotearoa on the Te Araroa trail. We will keep you updated with their pictures and progress along the way. Anna has been releasing teachers across the school as well as working alongside Sarah Neyens in Kawakawa this year. For those of you who have children in Kawakawa, rest assured one of our talented release teachers will pick up these days and we will ensure continuity for your tamariki.
- A wee reminder that school camp payments are due by the end of this term. If you haven't yet paid or arranged a payment plan pop this on your to do list.
Bank Account Name: Tawhiti School Board of Trustees
Bank Account Number: TSB 15-3950-0412950-00
Reference: Student / Family Name and name of class camp
If you have a child turning five next year, or know of friends or relatives with children wishing to start at Tawhiti during 2026, please complete our online enrolment form. We are accepting out-of-zone applications, but these must be received by 12 September. Please help spread the word so that all families who wish to join our Tawhiti whānau have the chance to enrol.
Touch
Touch registrations are nearly full, with only a few spots remaining, so if you are yet to register your child please do so ASAP. https://www.sporty.co.nz/
Coaches wanted: Think you can wrangle a team of energetic kids? We’re after volunteer coaches. No experience needed—just a bit of time, patience, and humour (and maybe running shoes)! If you are keen to coach a team, email Linton. linton@tawhiti.school.nz
School Cross Country
Our students have been training hard at fitness for the upcoming cross country events.
Seniors: Tuesday, 26th August at Egmont Showgrounds
Juniors: Thursday, 28th August at the school
Please note: Unfortunately, the Taranaki Cross Country clashes with our school production this year. Therefore, we will not be sending a team of runners. If there are any children who place in our school cross country and parents wish for them to participate, contact Sheri. She will be able to provide the details for this event and you can then make your own arrangements for your child to attend.
