Kia ora koutou ngā whānau o te kura o Tītahi Bay,

It has been wonderful to have all of our whānau into our kura this week celebrating your child’s learning and progress in 2023. After the last few years we have had, I don’t think we will ever take these things for granted again. We cherish having you all come in and know that your child does too so thank you for prioritising it. Next term we have a dance show to look forward to that will be another opportunity to welcome you all in.

I hope you had the chance to attend our Matariki breakfast this morning. We had an impressive turn-out and it was such a warming way to end the term. A huge thank you to our kaiako and all the whānau either stepped up to help out or for just being there. Matariki, also known as the Māori New Year, is a significant celestial event celebrated in Aotearoa.. It marks the appearance of the Pleiades star cluster, which becomes visible in the pre-dawn sky during the winter months. Matariki is a time of great cultural and spiritual importance, signifying the beginning of a new year, a time for reflection, renewal, and connection. It is a time for communities to come together, to honour their ancestors, and to acknowledge the land, sea, and sky that sustain them. Now it is a recognised public holiday, we as New Zealanders are gaining a better understanding of the importance of this celebration.

I want to express my extensive appreciation for the teamwork and collaboration of our amazing kaiako here at kura. Our staff create an atmosphere where all of our ākonga feel supported and encouraged to grow and thrive. I love reading the emails and seesaw messages that come through from our whānau showing their gratitude to our teachers and support staff.

This week is support staff week across Aotearoa and it is a time to reflect and openly appreciate the work that our crew here at kura do. They are an integral part of our school and it is nice to stop and reflect on the superb work they do whether it be in the classroom, looking after our grounds or greeting you at the front desk. All of our support staff do the extras through their love and care for our special kura.

A huge congratulations to our 19 runners that qualified for the Regional Cross Country that was held in Masterton yesterday. You will read more about the event in this pānui but I don’t think there would be another kura in our wider region that could boast 19 qualifiers.

This week you would have received your child’s term 2 report. Please take the time to log in, read it alongside your child and make a comment on seesaw to recognise it. I know that your child’s teacher appreciates every comment they get.

We hope you all have a stunning two weeks with your children and we look forward to seeing you for what will be an awesome term 3.

Kia pai tō rā whakatā - have a great weekend.