News
Principal's Weekly Message
Kia Ora Whanau
This week sees the return of Rooms 9 and 11 from Te Whanau o Wainui te Whara from their camp at Aongatete Lodge and Waimarino Water Park. The camp was for four days and the reports have been that the students (and whanau) have been having a lot of fun which is great to hear. A huge thanks to Mrs Kendra Lowndes and Ms Samantha Byrne for their organisation of this epic adventure and also to all the whanau who have attended. Whanau support is a unique and positive aspect of our camp programmes as it ensures the right safety ratios are adhered to. It also brings that connection with whanau and the school closer together. Next week we have camps from Te Whanau o Ohinemataroa heading away and I know they are all very excited for this opportunity as well.
Today we have a sizeable team competing in the Super 11 Inter-Regional Athletics Championships. This competition, which is held in Tauranga, involves the top athletics students from our school competing against the 10 other Intermediate Schools that make up the Super 11 Competition. The students who were selected to represent our school had to finish in the top 2 or 3 places for each individual event at our School Athletics Day to qualify. The students were excited to be able to represent the school and were looking forward to competing against other top athletes from the other regions’ representatives. We look forward to hearing how the day went and about any results that may occur!
Last week the school held its annual Manu Korero Competition. This competition is open to the entire school and is also a key part of the learning programme for our BiLingual Syndicate, Te Whanau o Ohinemataroa. It involves writing and presenting a speech about a topic of their choice, and is spoken entirely in Te Reo Maori. It was another hugely successful event and helps positively celebrate our Bi-Cultural nature, especially for our Maori students. A huge “well done” to all participants for their passion and pride in delivering their speeches, and especially to the winners for their high level of delivery. A huge thank you to Whaea Haruru Douglas and her team for running another successful event. A special thank you to Whaea Vonnie Waihirere and Matua Hami Kinghazel who judged the event.
Nga Mihi
Mike Webster