Teenaa koutou katoa,

This Saturday is the big event—our Spring Fair—and we are excited to see the forecast predicting a beautiful sunny day. We've had overwhelming support from our parents, with my office now overflowing with boxes of jars for the Jar Ring Toss Game, amazing items donated for the garage sale, and groceries for raffles. We've also received many generous donations for auctions and raffles from our wonderful families. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help on the day! 

The Spring Fair is the PTA’s major fundraiser, and all proceeds directly benefit our students. Our school wouldn’t be as well-resourced without the hard work and initiatives from our PTA.

This week is Maaori Language Week, on Monday Hui, we shared a brief history of Maaori Language Week. We learned how Maaori language and culture were strong in New Zealand,  when European settlers arrived, they brought English. In 1867, the Native Schools Act introduced English-only instruction in schools for Maaori children, and they weren’t allowed to speak te reo at school and were punished if they did. Thankfully, efforts to revive te reo Maaori gained momentum, including a petition with over 30,000 signatures asking for it to be taught in schools. This led to the creation of Maaori Language Week, encouraging everyone to learn and use te reo Maaori.

It’s heartwarming to see our tamariki so eager to learn about how special it is to be in a school in New Zealand. A group of students in Roopuu Maahuri has been learning new kupu (words) and creating traditional Maaori games, while some of our Roopuu Puaawai 5/6 students taught me responses in te reo Maaori when they asked me, “Kei te peehea koe?” (How are you today?). We also had our Kapahaka Roopuu Group take part in the Te Pae Here Te Reo Maaori Showcase last night alongside some other schools in our Kahui Ako at Rototuna Senior High School. Congratulations to them all, they were amazing and we are very proud of them.

Lucas Khoo also had a successful evening, he took part in the Waikato Full Primary Speech Finals and not only did he win the Year 8 Boys Division, he also won the Overall Championship. Congratulations to Lucas, this is such an achievement. 

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your week, and I hope you can make it to the Spring Fair!

Ngā mihi,
Nyree Olliver