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A warm welcome to our new students: Maddison Ritchie, Taylor-jay Ritchie, Willow Ritchie, Julie Ritchie, Benett Horvath, Oliver Horvath, Alex Horvath, Ataaria Marshall-Sale
Kia ora e te whaanau,
I hope you have all had a good week. There have been a few more children with jerseys on this week, and I need to hunt out some of my winter clothes with the drop in temperature over the last couple of days. It always makes me smile as some children seem immune to the cold with their summer clothing on while I’m shivering and my lips are turning blue.
Pink Shirt Day is coming up next week. This is an annual event that Puketaha School participates in, as do many schools worldwide. It is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of standing up to bullying.
Recently at our school hui, we discussed how unkind actions and words can affect another person. Many of you might know the analogy with the scrunched-up paper, where insults crease the paper, and even after an apology, the paper is still creased. It refers to the fact that the harm caused by unkindness can be long-lasting, even after an apology.
We also talked about Bystanders and Upstanders. A Bystander can unintentionally appear to support a bully if they say or do nothing. An Upstander, however, can be a big support to other people and show the person being unkind that their behaviour is not accepted by the collective. We talked with the tamariki about strategies to be an Upstander, by pulling together some other friends to say ‘no’ to unkind behaviour, showing support to the person by taking them away from the situation and befriending them, as well as letting an adult know what has happened. Many of our older children have the added dynamic of social media, which can very easily turn into a platform for bullying. My advice to parents is to be very cautious when allowing their children on social media, as, unfortunately, it is too common for children to be exposed to content and unkindness which can go unnoticed. This is one of the reasons many of these platforms are restricted to 13 years old. If they do have social media, talk to your child about strategies to keep themselves safe such as making sure accounts are private; as a parent, have ways to monitor your child while they are on social media and encourage them to talk to you if something makes them feel uncomfortable.
Being an Upstander links very closely to our school's 6Cs and Values. Being 'Courageous’ to speak up, have resilience and also seek support from others. Our Value of ‘Integrity’ encourages us to stand up for what is right. We invite everyone to participate in Pink Shirt Day on Friday, 19th May, by wearing pink. It’s also an opportunity to have discussions with your child about being kind, as well as being an upstander.
Kia pai too raa,
Nyree
PTA News
A huge thank you to all the dads and their friends who entered the Puketaha PTA Golf Day last Sunday. (Plus the three females who entered!) We were lucky with the weather that it didn’t ruin the day and we were safely back in the Clubhouse when the rain got a lot more “steady.” Steve Parkes & KJ lead the winning team and we hope to see their team back next year to defend their title. We had some fabulous auctions donated by Kate Rawnsley & The Gallagher Chiefs,Karl Johnson and the Horsham Downs Club which helped tremendously with the profitability of the day. It very much helped when we had a husband and wife bidding against each other for the same auction item! Once again thanks to Good George, Kukri, Sculpture Hospitality, Power Farming Morrinsville, Prolorus, KPMG, Waikato Pumps, Steve & Simone Parkes from Lodge Real Estate, Ingham Automotive & Superior Pet Foods Paeroa for your sponsorship.
Attached is our notice about the Scrap Metal day. We hope the Puketaha Community gets in behind this event as they did last year. It is a good opportunity to have a clear out of all things metal (refer notice for acceptable items) and the school benefits as well. Please spread the word if you are able. If the bin is full please just leave any scrap beside the bin as a truck will come to pick up any overflow on Monday morning.
We will be having a Samosa fundraiser instead of pies this year in time for winter. They are tasty and so handy to have in the freezer when you want something quick and yummy that you just have to heat up. So watch out for that order form coming out soon.
There are two cross country events happening this term. Our school one, and the EWCS one where Puketaha has a stall at Porritt Stadium. If you would like to help out with these please events make yourself known to me, or please make contact so I can add you to our PTA WhatsApp group. This is such a handy way of catching up with a lot of people easily. No pressure to help out every time, but hopefully there will be an occasion where you could help at an event if you are able.
Just a reminder new members are always welcome to PTA meetings. We only have two meetings a term so it isn’t a huge commitment. It is a great way to hear what is happening behind the scenes around the place, and how we can help to achieve the school’s aspirational goals. Next meeting week 7, June 6th 7.30pm.
Kind regards,
Merynn Connors
PTA Chairperson
E: pta@puketaha.school.nz M: 027 629 6820
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.
As the winter sporting season gets into full swing, we are hearing many children talk about their sporting experiences. Often you can correctly predict the answer to the question "how did your team play on the weekend?" The answer being either "we won" or "we lost".
Bullying in Aotearoa is a real problem. We have the third-highest rate of school bullying out of 36 OECD countries and one in five workers feels discriminated against or bullied at work. Those bullied are far more likely to experience mental health issues. Pink Shirt Day works to reduce bullying by celebrating diversity in all its forms and supporting schools, workplaces and communities to be safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
To celebrate this important kaupapa, on Friday 19th May, we’ll be wearing maawhero/pink as we stand together to spread aroha, celebrate diversity and end bullying!
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02 Jun 2023
Arts for Health Competition
Arts for Health is excited to announce our Annual Art Competition and Exhibition, "Connections," taking place in July 2023. This event serves as our major fundraising event for the year, we would like to extend an invitation to your students to participate, particularly in our youth category.
The competition is open to the public, offering the main prize of $1000 for the winning piece. This competition presents and excellent opportunity for your students to showcase their artistic talents. To submit artwork, please find the competition information attached and use the link provided:https://www.artsforhealth.co.nz/
We look forward to receiving your students' artwork.
Kind Regards, Rhiannon Jackson
Maths Tutoring available
Contact ex Puketaha student Felicity Bray for Maths tutoring for your child. Year 3 to Year 11. Located in your home or at Puketaha school after school for your convenience.
Contact Felicity at felicitybray@gmail.com