The last week of Term 3 and nearly in October. Goodness me how did that happen?? I am hanging out for a proper “normal” holiday, and I know the teachers and children are too. Here’s hoping that term 4 will be smooth sailing for us all.
It was so great seeing the children run their first Tomarata School Cross Country yesterday. The weather was playing the game, and we even got our arms out in the sun. The cows joined in the fun too. A HUGE thank you to Storm Baynes-Ryan for organising the field for us to run over on a true cross country route, and to Hayley Hodgetts who ran umpteen times with children on their practice runs. Thanks also to the parents who offered to be marshals for the event and who came to support their whanau. As with anything new, there were things that can be improved on for next year’s event. However the main thing was the children had fun, and all placings were celebrated. We also saw lots of examples of Growth and Working Together Harmoniously. Special mention to Maani Malaki in Room 2 for his sportsmanship and care of an injured classmate, that impacted on his placing in the race. Ka pai Maani!
I don’t know if you have been able to meet our newest members of the Tomarata School family yet. Chicken Nugget and Dora the Explorer have happily settled into their new home, and are busy laying as a thank you. They LOVE people and will happily race up to the fence to say hi and talk. Until our community stall is built next term, fresh free range eggs are available for purchase in the office- $5 per dozen. The money from the sales goes towards buying more chook food. Thanks to Jeanette Mabin for your donation of a big bag of pellets. Much appreciated. Any other donations of kibbled corn, pellets or chicken muesli would be gratefully accepted.
Class speech competitions were held earlier this week. Congratulations to the following students who have made it through to the finals being held tomorrow at 9am in the school hall:
Rylee-Jane Clapham;Eva Kerrisk; Connavar Mitchell; Monty Bishop ; Dylan Burke ; Payson Ecroyd; Maani Malaki ; Robbie Bromhead; Teilah Melrose; Liana Kerrisk; Lachlan Murray; Kyle Watson-Walker; Nico Freeman; Brooke Hare; Mitchel Elliott; Lincoln Clapham; Ellie Russell; Jack Tipping; Tayla Elliott; Alexis Bromhead; Maddy Wallace; Koen Hare; Lysharn Sionetali
Good luck everyone. We welcome parents to come and watch their children. Due to Covid restrictions we will not have the rest of the classes in to watch as well. Our judges are Emma Greaves ,Deputy Principal, Mangawhai Beach School and Eliza Clarke, PB4L facilitator and Senior teacher, Mangawhai Beach School.
It is not long to go until our major fundraiser for the school-GUY FAWKES NIGHT. The Helping Hands are busy getting organised now for this amazing event so keep an eye out for those early bird family tickets and any other notices. It’s going to be wild! We do need a handy man or lady to help to put up the big advertising signs on Waiteitei Road . The Helping Hands are also still on the lookout for new members. They meet once a month- which is now happening during the day at the Brew Collective in Mangawhai. Much easier than trying to escape the house at night so hopefully more of you will now be able to join. One of their projects is to organise school sunhats but we need someone who has abilities in graphic design to set up a Logo template for us. If you are able to help with any or all of the above, please contact Anne Richards on 021 521 513 or alternatively contact Vicki in the office. WE NEED YOU!
With the Summer months and warmer weather coming up I would like to give a gentle reminder for our more senior girls about suitable clothing and footwear. I remember a saying that has always stuck in my mind- ” Girls if you can see up it, down it or through it-don’t wear it!” This includes bare tummies and very short shorts. Some of our young ladies are developing into beautiful young women, and our boys are changing too. To avoid any awkwardness or embarrassment or unnecessary comments, please monitor what your daughter is wearing to school. Footwear should be flat as high heels can cause nasty sprained ankles.
Vicki has a new system for the buses. As you can appreciate she is a one man band in our office. To help streamline things, especially time management and communication the following applies from next term:
IF YOU WISH TO MAKE ANY CHANGES RE YOUR CHILD AND THE BUS, OR ABOUT YOUR CHILD GOING HOME PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE BY 2:00 pm . Many thanks!
I had an interesting conversation with prospective parents today about resilience. It is something that children of this century often have low levels of. It starts with having someone else packing their bags and hanging them on the hook to helping them up into and down from trees instead of letting them problem solve how to do it themselves with your guidance and words. It’s about letting them fall ( physically and metaphorically) and learning to bounce back up again. It’s about talking with your child about how making mistakes is okay, and a good thing as you learn more from them. It’s about not riding to the rescue for your child on every little hurdle they come across e.g. my best friend isn’t in my class next year, or I didn’t get picked for the Rippa team. It’s about teaching children that coming 1st, 2nd and 3rd is going to happen in their lives in some way shape or form and learning to deal with the disappointment if you don’t gain a place. If we don’t build resilience in our children, then they are going to find adult life very challenging and hard. COVID 19 has certainly done a good job in building levels of resilience in ourselves, but we need to remember that it is a mindset that comes from home as well as school.
On Monday our Year 3 & 4 students were lucky to have a Rippa Rugby coaching session with Hannah Shalders from Sport Northland. Funnily enough Hannah is actually the daughter of my cousin, and I haven’t seen her in forever. It was a lovely way to reconnect. The children had buckets of fun and learnt new skills. We also have Turbo Touch sessions happening tomorrow across the school, so lots of fun stuff happening to end the term. The Hungerball arena has remained at school, and is proving to be extremely popular. You will have a chance to see it if you join your child’s class for a shared lunch on Friday. Please do come to end the term on a happy note.
Our PB4L focus this week is on Hungerball expectations and using a respectful tone of voice. Really important to model especially in a stressful situation where you or your child may feel challenged or put on the spot.
Well that’s it for this term. I can’t say I’m sorry to see the end of it- onward and upwards to Christmas ( and yes I did say THAT word already!)
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