Kia Ora, Talofa Lava, Greetings, Malo e Lelei, Kia Orana, Bonjour, Nǐ hǎo, Hallo, Hola, Kon'nichiwa, Namaste, G’day mate


FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome back to term 2! The school has once again turned into a happy and humming place of learning now that we are underway for Term 2.  I hope you had a wonderful break over the holidays and look forward to connecting with you all again over the term.  


Names for Syndicates
We currently call our syndicate or whanau teams the Junior, Middle, Senior Middle and Senior syndicates.  We would like to explore some unique new names to ‘brand’ these teams of people, and their classroom areas in our school.  
We hope these names would be in keeping with our school geographical position e.g. surrounded by bush and sea which is represented in our logo illustration and also may link to our vision statement (as below).  It would be nice to be able to see the growth in name representation from our smallest 5 year old learners, right up to our senior learners in Year 7 and 8.  



Other schools who have special names for their syndicates have also chosen to link to the whenua (land) by creating names such as

e.g. birds - tui, piwakawaka, pukeko, kahu etc.
Different types of waterways, different parts of a tree, different geographical features...the list is endless, and so is the creativity.  If you and your family have a great idea, please do email it through to me at Principal@Muritai.school.nz


Teacher Only Day:
Please note we are holding a teacher only day the day following Queens Birthday Weekend on Tuesday the 6th of June. Staff will be working on moderation of student performance as they prepare to begin writing the mid-year student reports.


ANZAC  Essay
This year students were asked to produce a piece of writing based on 'NZs Involvement in the Battle of Passchendaele'.  Several students took part in the competition.

Congratulations to Jessica Park who won first place in the Year 5/6 category.  I was delighted to join Jessica when she was awarded her certificate and (enormous) trophy following our wonderful ANZAC Day remembrance service at the Muritai School Memorial Gates.  

Congratulations also go to Grace Manson who was placed third in the Year 7/8  category! WOW!
We will share these Essays with you in the next newsletter.

Celebration - Toitoi Journal
Another celebration to share with you is that one of our students is a published author! Yasmin Kerr entered her writing for consideration into Toitoi, a journal for young writers and artists, around her experiences of the Earthquake that rattled Eastbourne late last year.  Yasmin has now moved onto college as a year 9.  
You can find Toitoi in our school library.  
If your child is interested in putting a piece of writing forward for consideration, please talk to your classroom teacher. The journal accept pieces of writing from 5-13 year olds.   

Facebook - Remember to ‘like’ our Facebook page where we post throughout the week some of our highlights, messages and celebrations from across the school.  


Kind regards
Ngā Mihi

Bec Power
Principal


FROM THE SCHOOL
Our very successful 'Hooked on Books' programme will again resume during the afternoons. If you have a spare hour each week and are interested in listening to some of our Junior students reread their reading book then please do not hesitate to contact me buckley@muritai.school.nz
I will then meet with you to show you what is involved and create a roster for this.


LUCKY BOOK CLUB
Scholastic have put out their latest catalogue of books for sale. Orders can be made either by handing in your order form to the office or online at  https://mybookclub.scholastic.co.nz/
Orders will close on Friday the 19th of May. Please note that orders made to the office can either be done by credit card or cheques made out to Scholastic NZ, sorry we cannot accept cash payments.
Thank you for your support in purchasing Scholastic books, as all orders help us to build our library resources.

Hutt STEMM Festival returns for 2017!

Returning for its third year, the Hutt STEMM Festival just keeps getting bigger. STEMM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Manufacturing and the festival celebrates all of the great work happening in these fields, right here in Lower Hutt.
The festival runs from 6-21 May, and there are heaps of free events including many for families, kids and students. You can see the full listing at huttstemm.nz or the programme we are giving out to take home, but here are a few highlights:
Wednesday 10 - Thursday 18 May
Science Starters - FREE
Hutt City Libraries
A hands-on science session where kids can experience the fun side of science and curiosity. Spaces are limited, please arrive early.
Saturday 13, 3.30-4.30PM | Taita Library, Walter Nash Centre
Friday 19 May, 3.45-4.45PM | War Memorial Library
Lego Legends – FREE
Make amazing Lego creations and become a Lego Legend!
Lego Legends is limited to ages 5+ due to safety requirements. Spaces are limited.
Sunday 7 May, 11AM-3PM
Hutt STEMM Discovery Day – FREE
Pelorus Trust Sportshouse, Hutt Park Rd, Seaview
Try fun activities and fascinating science experiments. There’ll be programmable robots called BeeBots, build your own model Earth, and experience a chemical reaction in your mouth!
Tuesday 16 May, 7-8.30AM
‘Why Science Matters for Primary Kids’ Breakfast – FREE
The Dowse Art Museum, Laings Rd
A great opportunity to discover the benefits and approach to get kids and teachers hooked on science. Spaces limited, register at tinyurl.com/mvcyd3t


CLASSIC COACHES AFTERNOON SCHOOL BUS
Currently the bus fare is $1.50 to Day Bay or $12.40 for a ten trip and $2.00 to the other bays or $13.90 for a ten trip.  

To make it easier for your son or daughter to travel to use this service, Classic Coaches are offering a term pass for $70.00 which is available to purchase on-line or from the driver.  The account number is 03 1535 0071811 00.  Classic Coaches will have a master list of those students with a term pass so that children will not need to carry the pass daily.  The regular driver, Dawn, knows all students.  If there is a relief driver, then the students can let the driver know as they get on the bus that they have a term pass.  There will be no need to have the actual pass in their possession.  

Should you ahve any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Richard Potts, Owner/Operator of Classic Coaches on 564 5015.


TERM 2 2017 DATES
11 May         BOT Meeting at 7.30pm
12 May         Assembly at 1.45pm
15-19 May   Science Week
17 May         National Young Leaders Day
18 May         Y3-8 School Cross Country
23 May         Postponement day for Y3-8 School Cross Country
24 May         Year 1 trip to the Planetarium
26 May         Year 2 trip to the Planetarium
30 May         South East Zone Cross Country Champs
5 June          QUEENS BIRTHDAY - NO SCHOOL
6 June          TEACHER ONLY DAY - NO SCHOOL
9 June           Assembly at 1.45pm
15 June        BOT Meeting at 7.30pm
20 June        InterZone Cross Country
23 June        Assembly at 1.45pm
7 July           LAST DAY OF TERM 2
24 July         FIRST DAY OF TERM 3


TERM DATES FOR 2017
Term 1 = Thursday 2 February - Thursday 13 April (Easter)
Term 2 = Monday 1 May - Friday 7 July
Term 3 = Monday 24 July - Friday 29 September
Term 4 = Monday 16 October - Tuesday 19 December

We have a teacher only day at Queen’s Birthday on Tuesday 6 June


COMMUNITY NOTICES

WELLINGTON MARATHON
The Wellington Marathon is on 18 June 2017 and includes a Kids Magic Mile with major spot prizes from Mizuno and Thermatech, girls and boys mountain bikes, plus family travel on Bluebridge.

For those running the full/half marathon/10k/5k then join Team Heart Racer and help raise vital funds for the Heart Foundation. Every Heart Racer receives a Heart Racer dry-fit running tshirt, regular newsletter with training /nutrition /fundraising advice, an online fundraising page, plus a FitBit Surge for those who raise over $750!  everydayhero.co.nz/event/wellington-marathon-2017
Kids Cross Country Series starts mid May
The Brendan Foot Supersite Kids Cross Country Series is back this winter. Each event has 500+ kids, aged 3 to 13.  There are five events through the Wellington region from May to August with the first one in Upper Hutt on Sunday 14 May. Your choice if do you one, two, or all five. Come along, join the fun. Complete them all and receive a commemorative medal and Drink Bottle. More info / to enter athleticshub.co.nz





No comments:

Post a Comment

Followers