Quality Learning Opportunities Across The Curriculum

KIA ORA KOUTOU KATOA, TALOFA LAVA, MALO E LELEI, NI HAO, ANYOUNG HASEYO, KONICHI WA, GRUETZI, GUTEN TAG, BONJOUR, OLA, HELLO. 

Learning across the curriculum for students continues to be exciting and varied for students at Tauriko School and provides opportunities for many of our students to shine and to take part in events and activities outside our school grounds. Students are actively involved in their community.Recently Tall Poppies students took part in Cross Country across farmland at Whakamarama, our Year 4, 5, and 6 students took part in the West Cluster Cross Country, our Year 5 & 6 and Year 7 & 8 marimba bands performed for the opening of the Gull station across the road and our Tall Poppy students took part in the EPro8 Science and Technology Challenge against other Intermediate students.
Several teams were entered over two nights. All teams displayed excellent teamwork and problem solving skills. The Wednesday night team (Kelly Duffin, Jessica Hayman, Luka Bryan & Felix AndersonPodmore) was exceptional. They came second with a score that was in the top five scores of all time! They now go on to the final in Week 10. Watch this space!

EPro8 Challenge

Marimba Bands at the Gull Tauriko Opening

Students teaching Gull staff how to play the Marimba!

Tauriko School Quiz night

Our PTA were thrilled to make approximately a record $10,000 at our recent PTA Quiz. The "Wild West" themed night was a wonderful community event which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The local Tauriko Settlers Hall was decorated and looking stunning, the costumes of the wise and knowledgable participants were outstanding and the food and drink was well within keeping of Western type fare.

Thanks you to the PTA and their RAFTs (Relations and Friends of Tauriko School) who worked hard to bring such a wonderful night to fruition. Thanks you to all of you who bought tickets and of course to our wonderful sponsors who helped make the night such a success. I would encourage the community to support our sponsors when considering purchasing a range of items - it's nice to give back to them if possible too. Their support of our school makes great things possible for our students.

Learning Partnership Meetings - 4th and 6th July

Information recently went out for parents/caregivers to book Learning Partnership meetings with teachers. The link to do this is at the top of our website front page. A notice has gone out that clearly outlines the dates and times of these and bus organisation on the day. Please take time to read this so you can make any arrangements necessary for your children.

This year these are during Leadership Week, an annual celebration in our school of student, staff and community leadership. A notice about events over this week will come out shortly, so look out for this. 

This week will also see the official opening of our renovated library and the PTA will be hosting a wine and cheese as parents are able to visit the library to see how amazing it looks.

Traffic and Parking

Greg Simmonds, our BOT Chairperson, recently contacted the Ministry of Education again to ask about decision making around our carpark. We will continue to keep this at the forefront for the MOE until we have this carpark in place.

I have been in touch with NZTA around the variable speed signs as parents have told me they are not always working and I have also contacted the police again to ask for a presence out on SH29. We have also put "No U-Turn" signs in each driveway to try to alleviate this particular problem.

Thank you for your continued patience at busy times. Please be aware that should you hold up traffic to let traffic on the median strip turn into the school this can create real safety issues. We have had several instances where trucks behind cars doing this have nearly collided with cars in front. I know this is being done to help turning traffic but please be aware of the dangers this causes and resist the temptation. Gaps in traffic do happen for turning traffic.

I would like to thank the staff who continue every afternoon to work hard to support buses to leave the school grounds quickly and safely and who get children into cars quickly in order that your time in a queue is as limited as possible. 

I want to thank you for being so wonderful at staying in your cars in the afternoon and rolling through the carpark. In the mornings also the "kiss and drop" system is working so well. This consideration for other families dropping off students I know is much appreciated.

Staffing for Term 3

Next term we have new staff joining us in our NE and Year 3 & 4 classrooms. Tim Stanley, will be teaching in Room 8 after returning from Eritrea and Liz Kriel will start in the Wee Sprouts room. We are also currently advertising for a second New Entrant teacher to team teach with Liz.

I want to thank Kelly Soutar for her 2 1/2 years service in our school. We will miss her calm, gentle manner and her expertise. We wish Kelly all the very best in her next adventure - teaching Internationally in Penang.

Thanks too must also go to Donna Olsen for the wonderful start to school her students have had in the last eighteen months. Donna has settled students in beautifully and supported parents new to schooling for their children also. I wish Donna all the very best for the future.

Principal Sabbatical

I was fortunate to win a Principal's sabbatical this year. This will involve a research project in which I will look at enhanced ways to grow professional leaders in a school. Lisa Rose will be Acting Principal over this time and other staff will step up to cover aspects of her DP role at this time also. I know that the school is in fine hands and will continue to be the amazing place it is while I am away for Term 3.

Suzanne