He mihi mahana kia koutou katoa - Warm greetings to all.

Our week got off to a "Fun, Fun, Fun, Have a go, Fun" start with Waka Tete and Kopapa participating in Top Team. The activities gave our tamariki a chance to collaborate to complete a task. There was a lot of laughing and that was just the parent helpers!! Thank you for those who volunteered their time to help. Waka Mokihi will have their Top Team acitivites on Tuesday morning next week.

This week we also had a special surprise for the tamariki with the new police Eagle helicopter and police dogs visiting us. This was a great opportunity for our tamariki to look at the sort of "tools" our police use to help keep us safe in our communities. I'd like to thank the police for choosing Somerfield Te Kura Wairepo for this visit.

For all my years at Somerfield Te Kura Wairepo we have been supported by a motivated, energetic PTA. The PTA does more than raise money, they undertake roles that directly support our tamariki and their whanau with such things as sausage sizzle, discos, second hand uniform sales and lost property to name a few. The current PTA has worked tirelessly on our behalf but they really need more man power. You might not want to join the committee and attend committee meetings but if you can spare an hour or two a week our PTA  needs you. You will see further in the newsletter (under our PTA page) they are running a survey. Please fill it out and if you would like to help contact them. If you would like to be more involved with the committee the AGM Wine and Cheese meeting is on 19 March in our staffroom. So get involved, I'm sure you have skills we can use!

22 February Commemoration

There are events to commemorate those we lost of 22 February 9 years ago; and places where the communities can come together to reflect and remember including a public civic service at the Oi Manawa Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial. The service begins at 12.30pm, Saturday 22 February, on the north bank of the Memorial site, on the corner of Montreal Street and Cambridge Terrace in the central city.

Where and when other earthquake commemorations are taking place can be found here.