This year is the first year as a country we have an official holiday to celebrate Matariki.

Whānau are invited to join us for breakfast and informal sharing by your child about Matariki at 7.30am on Thursday 23 June. It will be exciting to arrive at school when it is still dark. Children will need to have an adult with them.

Matariki, is a celebration of the Maori new year. Celebrations followed the harvesting of crops when the store house was full, freeing up time for family and leisure. Matariki is also a time we remember those who have gone before and make plans for the future. It is a time for us to stop, rest, sit together, eat, celebrate, and begin our new year. It's an important part of who we are here in Aotearoa and it becoming a holiday. So every year now we're going to stop as a nation and watch Matariki rise to mark the new year and celebrate one another.

To celebrate Matariki we will be having breakfast together in your child's class learning space from 7.30-8.15am, with sausages in bread and porridge available. Sausages will be available from the bbq and can be taken into rooms to eat, porridge will be in each team space.

We have a coffee van for adults to purchase drinks. As this is likely to be busy, please do not purchase drinks for the children.

With this morning being an early start and it being a long weekend we are offering an optional opportunity to take your child home at 12.30pm (Google form must be completed)

We hope you will join us for breakfast and to hear what your child has to share about Matariki.

Please complete the form by Friday 17 June to indicate if you plan to attend the breakfast and if you wish to take your child home at 12.30pm that day.