This week is a very special week for New Zealand with Matariki finally being recognised as an official public holiday. It is special to have a unique day for all of us to share and celebrate. Our tamariki are loving being immersed in learning about Matariki. You can see the cluster of stars for yourself. Look outside before sunrise, look to the north-east horizon. Find the constellation Tautoru, or Orion's belt (sometimes called ‘the pot’). Trace a line northwards from the three stars of Tautoru. Look for a faint sparkle of tiny dots, about the same width as Tautoru is long. This is the Matariki star cluster.

We were extremely proud of our 32 Cross Country runners who ran in the inter-schools last week. They headed to Cannons Creek Park and performed incredibly well, making our Kura proud of them for their efforts, attitudes and results. 26 of our runners finished in the top 5! Next week, Te Rauparaha sport starts up and we will have eight teams representing us.

It will come as no surprise that sickness is creating challenges for schools with both our tamariki and kaiako. As much as we want all our students at school to learn, it is as important as ever that they stay at home if they are unwell.

Earlier in the term, I asked for some parents to jump on board the home and school committee. Can you please contact me (principal@titahibay.school.nz) if you think you could help in any capacity. We are looking at funding a community project to seal our bike track for sustainability and all year round use. We would love your fundraising or whānau event ideas.

Please ensure you name your child's clothing as we are seeing lots of lost property at the moment.   Ask your child if they have lost something at school to check the lost property.  We have posted to facebook last week some of our lost property, we would really like these to get back to their owner.