A warm welcome to our new students: Micah Goulter, Zane Anderson and Shiksha Lal

Kia ora koutou,

What a fun day we had on Tuesday with our School Cross Country. There was a lot of excitement and nervous energy at the starting line, with some children visualising themselves placing in the top three, others wanting to beat their personal best, and for some, it was their first ever time running the cross country. The determination on some of their faces was just awesome to see, children were digging in deep. The smiles were also heart warming and we always feel proud of our students when they get in and run alongside each other, showing encouragement and support, particularly our senior students demonstrating tuakana / teina relationships. 

At the end of the event, many children felt pleased with themselves because of the effort they put in, and a few felt disappointed they didn't get a place. It’s hard to not compare yourself with others in situations like that. We as parents and teachers work to set our children up for success by making sure success is measured by meeting personal goals, rather than success being measured by “being the best”. 

“Compare yourself, only to your previous self” Gostle

I know we had to have conversations at home with the small people who live in our house, supporting them to celebrate their personal achievements, for example, running further than the year before, not stopping as often and managing a sprint down the final chute with a smile. Trying to refocus attention on the personal growth and development rather than feeling like a failure because they didn't win. I imagine we will have conversations like this more than once, and maybe each time the message will sink in a little more and they can resist the temptation to just give up. 

Looking over the photos of the day, the tamariki really ran their hearts out and there was a great atmosphere here with so many parents and family being able to attend. The P.T.A ran another successful Sausage Sizzle and the baking that was donated was delicious! Thank you all for supporting our Cross Country.

Last week we held our Parent Evening to consult with our community around the Relationships and Sexuality Curriculum. We are working on collating the feedback forms and we will share our next steps with our community once we are done. Thank you to all those who managed to make it! We had a really great turn out and the evening was full of thoughtful and honest conversations as well constructive ideas. 

As you are aware, school is closed for a Teacher Only Day on Friday. Our teaching staff will be joining 600 other teachers from our COL to connect with Ngati Wairere and learn more about the Aotearoa New Zealand History Curriculum. 

We hope you all have a great long weekend!

Ngaa mihi,

Nyree Olliver

Good morning Parents/Caregivers

School photo day is scheduled for Tuesday 28th June

We have chosen again to go online this year. Orders are now open.

Portrait orders close  Monday 27th June you cannot order portraits after Monday 27th June NO EXCEPTIONS 

Class photos will remain available to order after the portrait cut-off date. Free delivery for class photos ends Friday 8th July.

If you would like to order a class photo or pre-purchase a portrait of your child/ren, please click on the following link:

If you have any queries on how to use the website, please contact Masterpiece Photography directly at (07) 823 4306 or masterpiece@xtra.co.nz. Do not contact the school. 

Remember to get your Portrait order in before Monday 27th June or there will be no Portrait taken!

Kind regards

The team at Masterpiece photography

Hello all.

Cross Country

Thank you so much to those who helped with baked goods at our cross country held on Tuesday, the selection was outstanding. We were so lucky with the weather. Many thanks to those who pitched in when they could selling, and to Adam Bradstreet who manned the barbeque. Also, a special mention to the Redgate family who sponsored the sausages and juicies for this event.

Puketaha PTA has a similar stall at the East Waikato Country School (EWCS) Cross Country next Wednesday June 8th. We desperately need one or two more helpers for this day.  It is at Porritt Stadium and we need someone from 9am until about 1pm. If you could help can you please message me on the PTA email. We would appreciate any donations of baking for this also. They can be left at the office the day of the event.  Thank you in advance.

Quiz night

The date has been set for our annual Quiz night of Saturday July 2nd at The Keg Room.  This is a sell-out event so organise yourselves early if you would like to enter a team as numbers are restricted. Tickets go on sale the morning of Tuesday 7th June, and can be purchased via KINDO.  Details on the attached poster.  Any sponsorship for prizes most welcome.

Oxford Pie Orders

Tomorrow is the last day for orders.  If you require a last-minute order form, there is one on the School App under the PTA icon. Can these be emailed to pta@puketaha.school.nz and money banked to the PTA account 12-3171-0204642-00.   Orders can be collected June 15th from the PAC. Any volunteers to help sort after school drop off on the morning of June 15th will also be appreciated.

Just a reminder that our first fundraising goal is to enable the purchase of some new chrome books for Years 3-8. Plus, we are told the school needs a new barbeque as we had to borrow one for the Cross Country day as the old one was leaking gas.

Kind regards,

Merynn Connors     

PTA Chairperson 

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

School Board elections are being held this year.  It would be appreciated if phone and email details were up to date to make this process smoother. Please email office@puketaha.school.nz or update details via the school app. 

We’ve been asking some of our volunteer coaches about their WHY. Check out this week’s featured coach Dean Armstrong. Dean coaches the Puketaha Thunder (Year 7/8 Hockey Team). He provides a fantastic insight into why he thinks it's important to support our tamariki with their sporting endeavours and what our purpose as coaches, managers and supporters should be. 

We asked Dean: Why do you choose to be involved?

I strongly believe that great sporting/play/active experiences (which don't necessarily need to be the "traditional" sports) can enrich the lives of our tamariki and rangatahi, and drive long-term benefits for them and our broader society. I want my children to have these great experiences and to become life-long sporting/active participants. I also really enjoy being involved in sport/play myself - both on the field and off it.

We asked Dean: What makes it worthwhile from your perspective? 

It is really neat to see the kids develop - both from a sporting/skills/physical ability point of view, and also growing as people. I love the moments when you see one of the kids do something they haven't done before, whether on or off the field. It may be executing a particular skill, making a smart decision under pressure, or simply undertaking an act of sportsmanship or caring for a team-mate or opposition player. Those little moments are unbelievably rewarding and can send shivers down your spine.

We asked Dean:  What advice would you give someone who is still deciding whether to get involved in a team management context? 

You don't need to have any special skills or particular sporting/coaching experience to do a great job and have an impact on these kids' lives. The only thing that matters is that you care for the kids, and will act to try and ensure they are at the centre of everything you do (both the ones in your team, but also those on the opposition sides!!). If you ask around you'll be able to find any help you need on the sporting/technical side - all that stuff can be learnt.

We asked Dean:  What are some of the messages you give pregame and postgame to help support your players mindset, motivation and/or resilience?

At this age the only thing that matters is whether the kids are having fun with their friends. We should measure our success on whether they want to keep playing sports (not just one) and being active across their schooling and lifetimes. We have a tendency as adults to muck up kids' sport by putting "adult" structures, systems, and rules in place too early, or by driving (consciously or subconsciously) a focus on outcomes/results rather than individual/collective growth. Pre- and post-game I try to think about what will best help the kids grow as individuals. Their needs (skill levels/motivations/levels of physical maturity) will be quite different - especially at primary school age. This is all easier said than done, but I believe that if we remember that sport is for everyone, and focus on creating a great experience for each child then we'll get it right most of the time!

Dean, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again for your ongoing support, your insights and perspective on the role of a coach/manager/supporter in youth sport. We appreciate the time you have taken to share your thoughts with us all.
If you would like to share your coach's story or nominate a coach please contact jasonb@puketaha.school.nz. We would love to hear your why! 

The Education Review Office (ERO) has shifted to a more developmental  approach to evaluation that supports each school’s improvement over  time. Key features of the new approach, Te Ara Huarau, are that ERO will: 

→ work with all schools in an ongoing way rather than as a one-off  event 

→ connect with each school’s strategic planning and reporting cycle as  part of their improvement journey 

→ work in partnership with schools, collaborating in support of  equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners 

As a result, each school will:  

→ have a dedicated ERO Evaluation Partner who works alongside the  school 

→ have a different experience depending on needs, strengths, and  their school’s specific evaluation focus 

→ be on a three-year evaluation cycle  

What will public reporting on ERO’s website look like?  

As schools’ transition into the approach, ERO will work with schools to  publish a one-off Profile Report. This will focus on the strategic goals  schools have in place to improve learner outcomes and what the school is  seeking to achieve through the evaluation.  

Within a three year cycle all schools will then have a Te Ara Huarau |  School Evaluation Report. This report includes information about the  school’s improvement journey, what the school has achieved for learners  and their future priorities.  

All schools will receive a Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative  Requirements Report about their board’s attestation to meeting those  requirements. Provision for International Students and Hostel Reports will be published where applicable.  

Other reporting 

Progress Reports - These reports are not published on ERO’s website.  Progress reports will provide specific information for specific audiences  such as your board, the community or the Ministry of Education. 

More information is available on ERO’s website,  ERO.govt.nz/how-ero-reviews/Te-Ara-Huarau