Shiver me timbers...The Omok Fear Knot officially set sail last Friday.

Kia ora koutou,

Over the past two weeks our Year 8 students have had visits from Tauranga Boys, Tauranga Girls High and Otumoetai College. This week we have Katikati College leadership team visiting on Thursday. The purpose of these visits is to give our students the opportunity to hear all about the exciting opportunities and learning programmes they offer as our Year 8 students transition into College.

Our Chinese students had a successful short term stay with us and this Thursday we welcome our Japanese students arriving to stay with us for 4 days. We will have a whole school Powhiri to formally welcome them on Thursday afternoon from approximately 2pm. All parents are welcome to attend.

Over the last few weeks we have established a wonderful new friendship with Keith Nicholas. Keith and his family attended Omokoroa No.1 School from the 1940’s. The Nicholas whanau were one of the first families that lived in Whakamarama. Keith is now in his early 80’s and is coming in to talk with our senior students about his memories of Omokoroa No.1 School and the history of our area. He also has a close association with Tawhitinui Marae which is very exciting for us as we now have the opportunity to build a strong link to our local Marae.

Tomorrow we have 38 ‘Tough Kids’ competing in the first Tough Guy & Gal Challenge held at Bay Park. The weather conditions will be testing but I am confident they will all rise to the challenge and enjoy getting caked in mud.

Our Fundraising Team met last week to get our Mower Day fundraiser underway. Funds raised from this event are critical to allow our school to continue to provide additional staffing and learning support school-wide. The successful sustainability of Mower Day is totally reliant on continuing to have as many parents as possible supporting us. There will be a steady stream of Mower Day communication heading your way to keep everyone updated on what we need and how you can help. Our Mower Day Team Leaders are busy working behind the scenes and recruiting for new helpers. Thank you all for supporting this fantastic fundraiser for our Learning Community.

Nga mihi nui,

Craig Pentecost