Loving Literacy at Te Rito Harakeke - Marshland School

Kia ora e te whānau

What an incredibly fun way to end the week with Friday’s Colour Run! Tamariki were grinning from ear to ear as they dashed through the course, surrounded by a bright sea of colour and water spray. I want to thank all the committed parents and whānau who supported this event, particularly those who volunteered for different stations. Thanks again to the PCG for their outstanding organisation and the staff for fully participating in the action-packed fun.

Staff also supported our amazing Kapa Haka group at the Tūhono Cultural Festival on Saturday. This roopu (group) wowed us all with their powerful performance, filling us with pride. We especially loved the waiata composed by Matua Te Huaki for our school. For those who missed it, you can catch a glimpse of this outstanding performance on the parents’ Facebook page or join us at the Te Ara Tūhura Cultural Festival on Thursday, 28th November, at 5:00pm at St Francis of Assisi School to see them in action.

Our teachers have also impressed us through critical practice observations over the past few weeks. This contributes to their annual Professional Growth Learning Cycles, supported by a range of evidence, including observation data, student feedback and student learning outcomes. Our Kōtuku team (Riki, Paul and I) accompany the Team Leaders to conduct these teacher observations and engage teachers in professional coaching conversations across the school.

Critical Practice Observations ensure our Principles of Teaching @ Marshland are consistently embedded across the school. We have been impressed by the quality of teaching and teachers continuing to refine their practice for improved student learning outcomes.

As we approach the end of the year, swimming lessons for Years 1-6 are kicking off, which will undoubtedly bring some excitement (and splashes!) to each school day. Despite this, our teachers remain committed to sustaining the progress tamariki have made this year and maintaining routines wherever possible, except for a few planned end-of-year events and activities.

The Canterbury Athletics event is being held at Ngā Puna Wai this Wednesday. We wish the seventeen Year 5-8 tamariki who qualified for this high-level competition the best of luck.

I look forward to seeing you all over the final weeks of 2024 and making these weeks for our Year 8 tamariki, heading off to Secondary school, as memorable and special as they are to us here at Te Rito Harakeke!

Ngā mihi maioha 

Leigh Fowler