Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of Whītau School. Kia ora koutou katoa! Talofa lava! Mālō e lelei! Greetings everyone.

Kia ora te whānau

Another busy and exciting week of learning at Whītau with great activities for our tamariki to be enriched by. 

Gold Awards Learning Celebration

It was great to award the first Principals Gold Awards of the year at our Gold Award Learning Celebration on Monday. Congratulations to the 13 students who earned the first Principal's Gold Awards for 2023. Well done also to Room 15 for your interesting class presentation about your Inquiry Learning about the Water Cycle. We loved having Wendy and Amy from the Linwood Library read to us and present our school with our fabulous prize box of books we won from the Summer Reading Challenge.

FINALLY.... Our School Sandpit!

It was awesome to gather the whole school together on Tuesday morning to finally be able 'officially open' our school sandpit. Since 1999 when I came to Linwood North as the Deputy Principal, the Junior Teaching team had had a School Sandpit at the top of their wishlist. However, even when I became Principal there always seemed to be some barrier put in front of our wish to make this happen. Finally after much determination and persistence and the support of the Ministry of Education. We are well aware of the high risk factors around the sandpit on our school grounds and we have attempted as best we can to minimise these. We have a heavy duty cover especially made that we trust will not be vandalised together with storage boxes for the sandpit toys. However, we currently have issues with the lids and their hinges to rectify! I have absolutely loved being out at the sandpit at playtimes and lunchtimes talking with the children and watching them so happy playing with the new toys with their friends - lovely imaginative play, lots of conversations, sharing and caring with one another.

Music Lesson with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Yesterday all the classes in the Senior School - Karawhā and Kehakai participated in an online music lesson with the NZSO. This was a special opportunity offered to schools and NZSO shared a preparatory classroom lesson that the children participated in last week. Some classes had prepared questions for the orchestral players. The lesson involved players from the strings, woodwind, brass and percussion sections of the orchestra talking about their instruments.

Duffy Book Assembly

The whole school enjoyed a fun play presented by Duffy and his friends in the school Hall on Tuesday. Duffy played his guitar and we sang the Duffy Book song and then Duffy went on an adventure into space. It was great fun and captured the children's interest for an hour! Our Head Boy and Girl, Tāne and Anna did a great job of thanking them on behalf of the school. 

Tamai Sport Lessons

For three weeks every term, every class has the wonderful opportunity to participate in specialised Sports Coaching from Kelly Sports. These lessons are funded through our Tamai Kahu Ako. The term one lessons are focused on 'Winter Sport tasters', This week's lessons included hockey and football skills and there will be two more lessons on the next two Wednesdays. 

KidsCan Flood Relief Donations

We are proud to have donated $674.80 to KidsCan for their '$15 for Floods"  to get clothing and food supplies to children and their families via schools in the regions devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle so teachers can wrap traumatised children in support as they return to school. A huge thank you to our parents and staff for your generous donations. 

2023 Canterbury Primary Principals (CPPA) Middle Leadership Professional Learning

Whītau School is one of 20 schools chosen in this programme for 2023. This week our Hāpori Leaders, Deputy Principal and Associate Principal - Darrin, Joyce, Samantha, Rosalie, Amy and Sam have been involved in two days of learning about the leadership of quality teaching and learning and developing their leadership skills. I look forward to supporting our leaders in their learning journey and encouraging them to be the best leaders they can be.

Nga mihi nui

Sandra Dentice

Principal | Tumuaki

sandra@whitau.school.nz