February 4th 2013

Kia ora koutou,

Welcome to the school year for 2013. I hope you and the children all had lovely holiday breaks. We start the year with 407 children and 17 classrooms in action. Mrs Ryan's new entrant class will start shortly. 

We started the year with an assembly and we talked about the year ahead, in particular discussing our school values and how they heavily influence our ability to do well at school. Our school values are - commitment, respect, self-confidence, resilience, curiosity, excellence, kindness and integrity. Our goal is to show high levels of commitment to seeing these values in place.

We also talked about obstacles and how they are tough to overcome. They can overwhelm us at times but we all know there are things we are good at, and not so good at; or things we enjoy or don't enjoy. We talked about being determined to do our best and be courageous in the face of adversity.  

Many of the children would have been very nervous on Monday morning. Much of this year will be a challenge to all our children and the next few weeks is very much a settling in process where the children develop relationships with their new classmates and teachers.

Next week parents will have the opportunity to meet their child's new teacher at Parent/Teacher interviews.  These interviews are on next Wednesday 13th and run from 2.00 until 8.00. School will finish at 1.50 to allow the interviews to be completed on one evening. You can book your interview by clicking here and entering the code GJEHC. Alternatively you can call Carole or Sue in the school office to book a time.

Welcome
We have 28 new children joining the Muritai family today. Welcome to our new children - I hope your time at Muritai is a huge success :-
Year 8 - Raven Cassidy
Year 7 - Blair Kuchenbecker, Todd Wellwood, Hailey Cooper-Penn, Javaan De-gaia, Soren Mathewson, Alicia Mitchell-Barker, Brianna Kirkham
Year 6 - Alessandra Ryan, Angelina Hardy
Year 5 -Roan O'Sullivan, Laura Hardy
Year 4 - Molly Mathewson, Ming Bao, Joshua Apaapa-Preston
Year 3 - Noah Kirkham, Joshua Ryan
Year 2 - Sage Pettus
Year 1 -  Finn Johnstone, Ori Hoskin, Macy Warbrick, India Farndale, Solomon Khawaja, Lauren Mitchell, Sarah Hester, William Harrington, Elle Morrison and Joss Patel.

Back to school BBQ
This Friday we will hold a back to school BBQ. It is a chance to catch up with friends that you haven't seen for a while.  Kick off is around 5.00...bring your picnic.  We will provide sausages at $2 each.  

Sunhats
All children need to have a hat at school in term 1 and term 4. This provides some protection in our intense summer heat. Please make sure hats are named.

Swimming
Swimming starts this week with our KiwiSwim coaches. Teachers will notify you of your child's swimming days and this information will be on the class blog which I suggest you visit if you haven't already. Next Friday the 15th our year 5-8 swim sports will be held at Huia Pool.

School term dates for 2013
Term 1 - Monday 4 February - Friday 19 April - 51 days
Term 2 - Monday 6 May - Friday 12 July - 48 days
Term 3 - Monday 29 July - Friday 27 September - 45 days
Term 4 - Monday 14 October - Friday 20 December - 48 days

Easter holidays are Friday 29 March - Tuesday 2 April
Teacher only day 1 - Friday 31 May
Teacher only day 2 - Friday 25 October

Term event dates for your diaries
February 
Tuesday 5th - Swimming starts
Wednesday 6th - Waitangi Day
Friday 8th - Back to School BBQ - 5.00pm
Wednesday 13th - Meet the teacher interviews 2.00-8.00; school finishes at 1.50
Friday 15th - Year 5-8 swim sports at Huia Pool - 9.30-12.00
Monday 18th - Friday 22nd - School Photos
Friday 1st March - Kiwi swim coaching finishes

Community Notices

Underground Market @ The Dowse. 

Second Sunday of every month 10am-3pm. Feb 10th and March 10th. 

Looking for that something different? Experience one of Wellington’s most exclusive shopping destinations brimming with beautifully made gifts and treats. Meet the designers, artists and crafters and 'unearth a little treasure' from our distinctive collection of market-only goodies.

Enjoy live music while you browse with friends, bring the family, or take time for yourself. Discover a unique array of locally made designer homewares, clothing, craft creations and gourmet food products.

Mid-Week Tennis at Muritai Tennis Club

Take some time out for yourself!!  Tuesdays 9.30am at 356 Muritai Road.  Summer & winter! Primary School Terms.  Women & Men welcome - Beginner to Advanced.  Regular or casual.  Dress informal.  Small playground for pre-schoolers.  Lessons available through club.

Just turn up! Morning tea supplied.  Enquiries: Merryn 562-0236 or Carol 568-5360