Aubree Skinner, Sheldon Leach, Jayden Dawson, Mackenzie Dawson, Miller Dawson, Willow Wallbank Jack-Midgeley, Nathan Sharp, Alexandra Muller

Ngaa mihi nui i teenei te wiki tuatahi o te waahanga hoou. Greetings to you all in the first week of the new term.

We hope you have all managed to have a bit of a break with your family over the holidays. It’s been a lovely start to Term 3 (despite the rain) and we have enjoyed reconnecting with the learners. 

In the last week of Term 2 ,we held most of our Student Led Conferences. We were so proud of how students demonstrated their ability to confidently communicate their learning to their whaanau. At Puketaha School, one of our goals is to empower students and to help them know their learning and be able to talk about it. The teachers implement strategies that support the students to be “Assessment Capable Learners” and support the tamariki to talk about what they are learning, why they are learning it, how they are going and what their next step is.

Last week the staff met back at school to continue building our knowledge around the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum. One evening, a group of us went to the movies to watch ‘Whina’ which is the story of Dame Whina Cooper's life. We recommend the movie to all if you get a chance to see it.

We also invited some special guest speakers into school to talk with us. Renika Siciliano is one of our current board members and through her work as a lawyer, she has extensive experience and knowledge around Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Renika helped to further build our own knowledge around the Treaty and we started to think about what learning could look like for tamariki. We have also been keen to find out more of the history of ‘Our Place- Puketaha’. We welcomed historian Mike Taylor in to share with us his vast knowledge of the area and its local history. There is something special about knowing the story of the land and we all felt quite engrossed in the learning, as we made connections with road names and saw photos of people who used to attend Puketaha School. We are quite excited about the learning that can come from the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum. 

Tuia i runga, tuia i raro, tuia i waho, tuia i roto, tuia te muka tāngata.

People can achieve a common goal when connected through relationships and knowledge.

We have a fun-filled term ahead of us with a couple of camps planned, a speech competition, a Puaawai Production, a Maahuri Arts showcase and of course… the Spring Fair! 

Enjoy the rest of your week and your weekend,

Ngaa manaakitanga,

Nyree Olliver

Welcome to Term 3, I hope the holidays were a welcome break and a time for everyone to re-charge and reconnect. The PTA are all about the Spring Fair this term and as mentioned in previous newsletters this is quite a large undertaking so we hope to get support from as many parents/caregivers/community members as we possibly can.
First and foremost:    SAVE THE DATE: SEPTEMBER 24 TH 10am-2pm

Once we have locked in exactly what attractions and stalls we will be having this year we will be asking for helpers to manage these, either for the day or for rostered time slots. Please can you help to share the load. We will be bringing back a few of the favourites, (Smash-a Plate and the Monster Garage Sale) so please keep this in mind when you have your next clear out that we will be asking for donations of chipped crockery and garage sale items. Also, we will be on the lookout for raffle items
and auction items so if you or your company has something suitable to donate we would love to hear from you. We are looking to have a Needle in the Haystack stall again so if you have smaller items suitable for prizes, that also would be fabulous. There will be a Talent Show and Wearable Arts part to the day which the children absolutely love, so keep this in mind also.
If anyone knows a band that is quite good that needs some practice time that wouldn’t mind performing, we would love to hear from you (i.e it is a non-paid gig ��)

A reminder about Spring Fair Sponsorship

We are offering tiers of sponsorship:
Platinum $1,000 Gold $500 Silver $250 Bronze $100
Each sponsor can place their signage by an attraction and will have their logos on the information map sheets that get handed out to the public on entry. Donations are tax deductible and the PTA is registered as a charity. This money enables us to hire equipment and purchase goods and aids in the profitability of the event. This year funds have been earmarked for enhancing outdoor learning areas (including sandpit upgrade) plus stage lighting for the PAC.
Please make contact to me via pta@puketaha.school.nz if you can support us in any way.

Kind regards,
Merynn Connors
PTA Chairperson (M: 027 629 6820)

There will be an opportunity for students to perform their talent during our Spring Fair Talent Show. We will be gathering the names of interested students and from there we will email families to confirm their child's participation. There will be some time during lunch times for students to practice but they will require support from home to ensure they are ready for the day.

The Board of Trustees elections are due to take place on Wednesday 7th September.  

If a position on the school board is a way you would like to contribute to our school please consider standing.  Nominations have been sent to eligible people, these will need to be returned by 12pm on Wednesday 3rd August. 

If you would like more information please contact one of the current board members  or check out the link below.  

Applications are now open for out-of-zone enrolments for 2025.  This includes siblings of children who currently attend the school. If you live outside the school zone and have a child who you would like to be in the ballot for enrolment in 2025 please complete an application and return it to the school office. 

If you have friends or family members who are also interested in applying please get them to contact the School Office so that they can make an appointment to visit the school.

Parents of students who live within the home zone should also let the school know about upcoming enrolments so that the school can plan appropriately for next year.  Students who live in the home zone are entitled to enrol at the school.

The Green Team are looking forward to creating a Bathtub Worm Farm. The only thing missing is the bathtub! The Green Team is kindly asking the community if they have an unwanted bathtub they can provide. If you can help please contact Blair Harper blairh@puketaha.school.nz Thank you

We’ve been asking some of our volunteer coaches about their WHY. Check out this week’s featured coach Fee Edwards.  Fee coaches the Puketaha Leopards (Year 7 Netball Team). She provides a fantastic insight into why she supports our tamariki with their sporting endeavours and the joy that she gets from seeing them succeed. It is neat to read how her experiences link with life-long skills and our Puketaha School Values. 

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR SPORTS PHOTOS TOMORROW MORNING

Please ensure your child has their full winter sports uniform, this includes shoes. 

If you child played a summer sport can they please have their shoes (and socks), and black shorts. 

Netball photos will be taken first at 9am.  

The link to order photos will be available once the photos are ready.

Thank you to our families who have supported the school with selling chocolates, we appreciate the efforts that you have made with this fundriaser, and especially to those who have sold extra boxes these fundraising efforts. 

Each box of chocolates is $72.  Please return payment either cash to the School Office or internet banking payment. Bank account number 12-3171-0283600-00 with last name and 'chocolates' as a reference. Thank you.

The Growth Collective Limited (known as Kindo, myKindo and ezlunch) has recently been classified as a Financial Service Provider. This means that there are additional responsibilities we must undertake, including compliance with the strict regulations imposed under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act (AML). 
 
We have negotiated exemptions, which are awaiting approval, however one issue was around the cash withdrawal of account balances. We expect to publish updated Account Holder Terms on or around 31 July 2022 to cover the new arrangements. In summary: 

• If you have received a refund from your school or registered charity, e.g. in relation to a cancelled event, you can withdraw that value to your bank account using the myKindo facility at any time within 12 months of the refund. 
• Otherwise, cash withdrawals will no longer be available, including when you are closing your account.  
• Credit balances may be spent, or you have the option of donating to your school or a registered charity, without undergoing AML due diligence checks.  
• When topping up your myKindo account, please take care to top up only the amount you will be able to use during the time you have a myKindo account. 

There will be a transition period as we change the withdrawal facility to respect these new arrangements. You can expect access to the current withdrawal facility until the new Terms are published.  

Thank you for your understanding as we take on these new responsibilities. If you need any assistance, please get in touch with hello@mykindo.co.nz.

Recently the school received a donation from the Combined Lions Clubs of Morrinsville, Morrinsville , Pakeke and Tahuna & Districts from funds derived from the collection and sale of casualty calves.
These calves were generously donated by farmers in the areas during the calving season of 2021.

Thank you to the farmers who supported this initiative and for the LIons members who got behind it to go and collect the calves.

Dear Parents / Caregivers,

We would like to offer the opportunity for some students to enter the ICAS competition. We offer English, Science, and Mathematics for Years 4-8. The International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) are independent skills-based assessments with a competition element and are administered by the University of New South Wales. 

This is an extension opportunity designed to challenge some students who show particular strengths in the areas of Science, Mathematics and/or English. They will be completed online, during school time on the set dates. Each test takes approximately 1 hour. Please note that these assessments are completely optional and are not suitable for all children. 

The school does not benefit from these assessments or use the information to help inform our planning. If you would like to chat further about the suitability of your child completing these assessments, please talk to your child’s teacher. 

Registering your child and payment

To register please og into the ICAS shop and purchase the assessments for your own child. Use the link to access the shop and the school code. This information will then come to the school via their system and we will organise for your child to sit the test.

Go to-  https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps

School Code- GNI216

You will need to do this by 1st August please. 

Note- Year 7/8's going to Sports camp will still be able to do their Math ICAS assessment if they arrive at school at 8.00am on the Monday morning before we go. 

Yours sincerely 

Nyree Olliver 

Term 1: 7 February to 6 April

Term 2: 24 April to 30 June

Term 3: 17 July to 22 September

Term 4: 9 October to 15 December

Saturday morning music classes

Enrolments are now open for Term Three 2022 at the Waikato Community School of Music. The first session is on Saturday 30th July. The school caters for all ages (3 to retired) and ability levels, offering group-format and one-to-one music tuition in a range of instruments. Group-format class fees range from $45 to $110 per term (9 lessons in Term Three) depending on student age and the instrument chosen. The enrolment fee for an instrument class includes participation in as many of our ensembles as the student wishes. Enrolment in ensembles only is also an option. One-to-one classes can aid in preparing for exams and earning NCEA credits.

Class times are between 8:00am and 2:00pm on Saturdays during primary school terms. WCSM is located on the University of Waikato campus in Hillcrest.

Contact us via our website WCSM or on 07 838 4611.

Horsham Downs Badminton Club

Horsham Downs Badminton Club 83.86 KB