Thank you for helping us celebrate Matariki on Thursday 23rd June. We were extremely thankful for the turn out and you can put it in your diaries as an annual Te Rito Harakeke/Marshland School event!

A special thank you to our food vendors, Paula Revell with ‘The Chippy’, Brad Stokes-Cassidy with ‘Sweet As Waffles’ as well as our wonderful Jeannie Hood of ‘Te Rito Cafe’. Having something a little different as kai options was very exciting for our tamariki! Sharing kai with friends and whānau is an important part of Matariki tradition.

Our Kapa Haka mentor Matua Te Huaki led a rousing Kapa Haka performance and we were delighted to see some new leaders step up and be led by our current leaders. We are very lucky to have these passionate tamariki in our school. Thank you Miss Smith, Mr Millar and Miss Harrison for assisting with this performance. 

It was lovely to see whānau helping Kiwi and Pukeko to decorate their manu tukutuku (kites), with some kites getting a maiden run out on the field! Manu tukutuku were traditionally flown during Matariki as a way of connecting heaven and earth, communicating with our loved ones who have passed on, so again a very special tradition to be passed on during this time.

Tui and Korimako had an action packed afternoon of self selected art, craft, poi making or games outside with our kori kaihautu (student P.E leaders). Judging from the smiles on our tamariki faces, these activities were thoroughly enjoyed! All hubs had done some literacy work through the week learning about the significance of Matariki and her stars, as each star of the Matariki cluster has a connection to the environment and human wellbeing.

Toroa did an art afternoon making Matariki landscapes with paint and pastel showing the Southern Lights. Their literacy during the week covered research on the nine stars, with tamariki creating their own icon to represent each star based on its meaning, as well as forming some interesting critical opinions on whether fireworks are a good idea or not.

It turned out to be a great afternoon, but what we noticed most was our wonderful whānau taking time to help out not just their own children, but other tamariki as well. It really highlighted the community spirit in our kura (school). 

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou! A huge thanks to you all!