A warm welcome to our new students: Sonika, Hunter, JJ, Lilly & Alia

Kia ora e te whaanau,

Winter Sports are in full swing and like many of you, I too have the juggle of being at the right sport, at the right time with the right child…with the right gear. On Saturday I am often at the netball court and this year I have noticed a big drive from the organiser to spread the message of ‘Positive Vibes Only’. They had people dressed up, handing out stickers and posters with messages such as:

• Support and encourage both teams
• Let the players enjoy the game
• Be kind 
• Your words affect how we play 

These messages align with the ‘Balance is Better” philosophy developed and promoted by Sport New Zealand. Their research indicates that children are leaving sports in high numbers, particularly as they reach Intermediate years. Sport New Zealand is working hard to keep children engaged in sports by promoting their evidence-based messages to teachers, coaches and parents. 

They have 10 Golden Rules for Parents…

• Fun with friends comes first
• Be patient with their progress
• It’s their time to shine- Turn up and step back.
• Applaud effort over outcomes- “You tried your best today and never gave up”.
• More sports is better- Variety over early specialisation.
• Sports for life skills- Valuing the learning around showing good character, sportsmanship, resilience, being part of a team, and being kind.
• The mind matters most- Supporting our children with challenges, giving them perspective, reducing the high stakes with messages such as ‘it’s just a game’.
• Be a good sport too- Children pick up on parents' actions and words on the sideline.
• Be aware of burnout- It’s okay to give them a break if they are tired.
• Love watching them play- “I loved watching you play today”.

Here is the video from their website…

https://balanceisbetter.org.nz/10-golden-rules-for-youth-sport-parents/

We see the 'Golden Rules’ in action during our school sports events and on the sidelines, and we value the positive attitudes our school community brings to sports. This fosters a sense of enjoyment and creates a positive atmosphere. We are also grateful for the strong support we receive from our coaches and team managers. A big thank you to all the parents who dedicate their time to running practices, coaching, managing teams, and showing up on the sidelines to support.

As you know, school is closed for students tomorrow for a Teachers Only Day. The teaching team will be heading off to a Professional Learning Day with our Kaahui Ako (Community of Learning) with approximately 700 teachers attending. We believe Erika Standford is planning to make an appearance and we will be taking part in workshops across various educational topics.

We hope you all have a lovely long weekend and we will see you back at school next Tuesday,

Ngaa mihi nui,

Nyree Olliver

PTA News

Thank you to those who supported the Oxford Pies fundraiser.   It was a bit chaotic yesterday getting all the deliveries picked up while there was such disruption to the end of the school day, but we got there! We raised just over $1,700 from this event which was awesome. Special mention to the top three sellers: Rachel Johnson, Anne Weinburg and Natasha Gerrand, great work! We hope you, your friends and family all enjoy them.

Quiz night preparations are coming along nicely. All tables have been sold so thank you for your support. If for some reason you cannot attend we do have a waitlist so can you make myself or Rachel Goodin aware.  There are a lot of our community who would make a prize donation but don’t see their business as having a suitable product to give.  We can always buy voucher of your choice and invoice you if this is the case, and acknowledge you as a sponsor that way if that suits.  There are going to be some fantastic prizes on offer for raffles so make sure you bring some actual cash along for those. Plus there will be some amazing auction items up for grabs. With these you don’t have to have cash for on the night, we will take a record and invoice you, or you can pay straight to the PTA account.

Eastern Waikato Country School (EWCS) Cross Country is on next Wednesday, (June 5^th) at Porritt Stadium, and Puketaha School runs the food stall at that event. Any baking donations will be appreciated and can be dropped at the office the morning of the event.

Our next PTA meeting is on June 18^th, we have delayed this a week due to school productions.  This will be first meeting to plan Spring Fair, so if you have any thoughts with regards to how you can help with this huge event  we would love to see you there, or can you email through your suggestions or offers of help.

Kind regards,

Merynn Connors

PTA Chairperson

E: pta@puketaha.school.nz   M: 027 629 6820

The tentative date for the school's Agricultural Day is Tuesday 15^th of October, the first week of Term Four.

Now is the time to think about taking up the challenge of rearing an animal for Agricultural Day.  Please let us know if your child/children would like to bring an animal or if you have not been involved before and would like to find out more.

Lambs, Calves  and Kid Goats

The Lambs, Calves and Kid Goats competition.  The school can help by providing tips and advice on rearing them. Animals can also compete at North Waikato Group Day and at the Waikato Show if you choose.

If you are unsure of what Agricultural Day is about or have any questions about raising an animal, don’t hesitate to give us a call at school. Alternatively, you could visit www.waikatoaandp.co.nz.

Please email office@puketaha.school.nz if you are: 

1. Planning to have or already have an animal.
2. If you would like to know more about Agricultural Day.
3. If you would like to be kept informed about Agricultural Day

and you will be added to an email list for all future communication about this event.

Thank you

A reminder - a good deal of our communication about events, activities, trips, sports teams and immediate notification are sent through the school app. More detailed information about specific events is sent via email.  

The app is free to downlaod and is kindly sponsored by local businesses. 

Please turn on the relavant notifications for your family so that you can be kept informed.

What's on for the rest of the Term

• Teacher Only Day (Fri 31st May)

• King’s Birthday Public Holiday (Mon 3rd June) 
• EWCS Cross Country (Wed 5th June)
  
  
• Year 5&6 and Year 7&8 Productions (Tues 11th June)
• Tackle 5’s Competition (Wed 12th June)
• Kaakano trip to Museum (Friday 14th June)
• Playhouse Show (Thurs 13th June)
  
• Junior Tough Guy and Gal (Thurs 20th June)
• Powerful Learning Hui (Fri 21st June)

• Student-Led Conferences (Tues 25th June and Wed 26th June)
• Matariki Public Holiday (Fri 28th June)
  
  
• Student-Led Conferences (Mon 1st July)
• School Photo Day (Tues 2nd July)

The local council is holding a Community Meeting in the Puketaha Community Hall. Puketaha School and the Community Hall as central to the Puketaha Community and we have a shared interest in the shared use of the Community Hall Carpark as well as the strip of council land that runs behind the hall and across the back of our school field to Puriri Park. If you can attend, they would be grateful for the support.