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

We have come to the end of an amazing, albeit unique year at Tītahi Bay School. Over the last few years, communities have been kept away from their local kura due to the pandemic but we are all feeling confident that 2023 will be the year for all whānau to re-engage with schools. You will read lots of important dates in this pānui to note down in your calendars. On February 22, we will have a chance for you to come and meet your 2023 teacher/s, share some kai and celebrate our kura community.

I want to give a huge thank you to our two incredible Deputy Principals; Miranda McMahon and Jamie Merrick. As you will be aware, school’s are busy places and the way they go about their mahi is greatly appreciated. The seamless approach they have kept the ball rolling so beautifully while I was unwell is a credit to them. I also want to thank our amazing group of kaiako (teachers) who always have the best interests of our tamariki at the forefront. From reading the reports that went out on Wednesday, it is vividly evident how well they know and understand their ākonga. I loved how personalised and positive the comments were. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I did. Thank you to all the whānau that thanked their teacher and commented on Seesaw to indicate you have read and appreciated the report.

We have a number of support staff in our kura that we are so grateful for that put their heart and souls into their work. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou - a huge thank you to them all.

There are many whānau leaving us for good at the end of this year. Thank you for the part you have played and all of your contributions to Tītahi Bay School. Moving onto new places always generates a flurry of emotions so I sincerely hope you have loved your time with us as much as we have loved having you.

In the holidays, please come in and use our awesome facilities. The football goals are hugely popular as are our sharp new hoops. If you take your rubbish with you and pick up a few pieces on every visit, our school will look the part when our tamariki arrive back on February 1.

Camp was a huge success, and we are so appreciative of all the families that paid for not only their own child but for others as well. Our camping experience is over $300 per child so we do our absolute best to keep costs down to $100. We would never let money get in the way of a child attending camp so whānau that pay extra help make it all achievable.

There will be no fruit in school next week so please bring some morning tea for your tamariki. On Friday 16th, we will go to the hall at 12.00pm and School FINISHES at 1:00pm.

Meri Kirihimete me ngā mihi o te tau hou,

Matt Tilley - Tumuaki