Wednesday 9th March 2022 No. 3

Kia Ora e te whānau

He mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa,
Ko te tumanako, kia haumaru te noho ki roto i ngā kainga puta noa i te hapori nei.

Rāapa 9 o Poutū-te-rangi, 2022

Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

Ko te tūmanako e ora ana, e haumaru tonu ana koutou i tēnei wā hurihuri nei, mauri ora!

Greetings to you all at these unsettling and changing times.

We hope that whānau are keeping safe at this time where COVID-19 is spreading throughout our community.

To our whānau who are currently isolating at home please look after yourself and keep safe. Thank you to whānau who have been in contact to let us know of their circumstances, this is much appreciated. Kia kaha whānau!

If your child/children are having to isolate due to a positive test/s in your household, you have two options to keep connected to your child’s learning;

(1)Online learning/Hybrid learning on our school website: click the link:

https://www.totaragrove.school.nz/hybrid-learning-term-1-2022/

(2) Hard copy of mahi. This is the same as the online learning mahi but in a paperform.

If you need a hardcopy please call the office or contact your child’s teacher to organise.

Under Phase 3 kura is still open for learning and instruction and we will continue to follow Public Health Guidelines. If your child is well and is able to attend school, nau mai, haere mai.

We are at a disruptive time with the outbreak and we thank you for your understanding as our kura works to provide safe learning environments for our tamariki and staff.

Circumstances may change daily so please ensure that you stay up to date by following :

Skool Loop App – Please download for free via Applestore or Google Play
School Website – https://www.totaragrove.school.nz/
NZ Government Official COVID-19 website:https://covid19.govt.nz/

Keep connecting with us, keep safe, stay well and please reach out if you need any help or assistance, we are only a phone call away.

Kia haumaru tonu! Stay safe ! – He Kura, He Tōtara!

Whaea Vanessa (Vanessa Peters)
Acting Principal

Te Kura ō Tōtara Grove
He Kura, He Tōtara

Kapa Haka

Two weeks ago we started our waiata and kapa haka sessions with Whaea Yvonne.

Not only did the tamariki enjoy their time with Whaea Yvonne, but so did all our teaching staff. Ka rawe!

Each whānau spends 30 mins with Whaea Yvonne where they learn a waiata or few. The junior team starts off the morning, the middles next, then the senior whānau.

Then after morning tea, Whaea Yvonne works alongside our two kapa haka roopu. This year, we have a junior kapa haka roopu as well as the middle and senior school roopu. Already I am amazed at what they have learnt and the confidence in everyone- “Ko nga manu tioriori rātou “ – Should hear them sing, they’re like music to my ears, so proud ! 🙂

Whānau Kōrero – Whānau Interviews next week –

Thank you to everyone who attended your childs ‘Whānau Aspirational Kōrero’ last week.

Many came to school to hui kanohi ki te kanohi, some chose to zoom or a phone call.

We hope having the two new options to zoom or phone call with your child’s teacher, made things easier to connect, especially with the times that we are in. We mihi to you all. If you still need to connect and have a catch up with your child’s teacher, please call the office or contact your child’s teacher to organise a time. These hui are about connecting and setting goals and aspirations as a collective for your child. “It takes a village to raise a child”, working together is the key.

DROP OFF / PICK UP ZONE – BEFORE SCHOOL & AFTER SCHOOL.

This week I have had to redirect parents to drop their tamariki at the ‘drop off – pick up zone at the back of the school (See map below). Just a reminder, the staff car park is for STAFF only to drive in and park, along with the staff from the playcentre and the staff.

I am reposting this reminder below. It is for the SAFETY of everyone who uses this entrance to and from school. I know old habits are hard to break, but we are asking for your cooperation on this matter. Safety is our number one priority, nga mihi.

The only people to be using or accessing the staff driveway in the morning are the staff or students who WALK to school from neighbouring streets off Corks Rd and Kamo Rd or students who have been dropped off safely, legally at the top on the main road, Corks Rd, to walk down the driveway.

If you are dropping your child off, we want to encourage you to use the DROP OFF & PICK UP ZONE which is at the BACK of the school on OKAIHAU PLACE ( see map above). The purpose of the drop off zone being built was to alleviate the traffic out of the staff car park, for the safety of everyone and the busy Corks Rd at the top of the driveway. It is 100% safer and we ask that you adhere to this request please.

IF you need to walk your child to class, to see a teacher or the office, this is fine. However, we need you to park in the correct parking areas provided at our drop off & pick up zone or on neighbouring streets. A reminder also if and when you come on to the school grounds, that you need to scan or write your name on the register and wear a mask.

TUPU TAHI – GROWING TOGETHER. STANDING STRONG. REACHING HIGH.

Caught Being Good

Winners of books for the previous two weeks were:

Rm 3 : Bentley H, Kane M

Rm4 : Griffin C

Rm 7 : Paula P, Sabastian

Rm 10: Jimmy N-B, Rush A

Rm 12: Nico, Nikora T-C

Rm 13 : Chase

Rm 14 : Liam, Stehen P, Korbyn

Ngā Mātāpono Awards

Rm 3 : Rylee S, Brandon A, Jaybe S, Piper-Lee B

Rm 4 : Bruno L, Ria H

Rm 7 : Kauri S, Connor B, Storm, Ajxon

Rm 8 : Payton M, Nikau H, Shane, Suavae

Rm 9: Jadyn P, Livera Y

Rm 10 : Te Iwa S, Emma K, Tynneal W-B, Monique S

Rm 12: Melaia M-M, Maddie D

Rm 13 : Ava-leigh K, Keadynce H-P, Axl H, Skyla P-M

Rm 14 : PaiOra L-E, Preston L, Liam, Phoebe

House of Science

The last two weeks our kura has been immersed in our first House of Science Kit 3,2,1….Blast off!! This kit was an exploration about the science of rockets. Children explored concepts around physics – balanced and unbalanced forces, gravity, thrust, weight and fuel.

Feedback from staff about the kit has been:

Fun, Interactive, engaging, giving students an opportunity to look deeper into the science of getting into space. The instructions were easy to follow.- Matua Wiremu

I loved it! The kids loved it, the anticipation and the build up was excellent – Whaea Kay

It was excellent having all the equipment provided, the tamariki were really excited and engaged in all the activities. There were lots of oooh’s and aaahhhh’s and squeals of excitment – Whaea Sharon

The tamariki could easily follow the instructions. They really enjoyed the experiments and discussing differing outcomes they had. It gave us an opportunity to discuss science concepts on a deeper level and expanded the children’s scope of knowledge. – Whaea Dianna

Feedback from tamariki:

It was fun making our own rockets and launching them. I liked wearing the safety glasses, it made me look cool. – Mason

I liked watching the way the rocket balloon flew when we pumped it up with air. – Rush

I enjoyed making the paper rocket and pulling the string that exploded the big water rocket. It was fun. – Sam

I enjoyed testing how far the balloons would fly and the path they flew on. – Tynan

I enjoyed doing the experiments with my friends. I learnt that a big source of air can make pressure and make a bottle fly. – Emma

Our next kit is arriving early next week is ‘Who Diddit?? This is based around forensic science. Check in with your child to see what they are learning about.

My favourite part of the week was sending the water rocket high into the air. – Nico

I enjoyed blowing up the balloons and seeing how far they flew. – Nikora

Nga Mihi

Whaea Sharon

What contact are you ? Isolation Guides

Free school lunch programme

A message from Libelle, our school lunch provider: We are continuing to experience high occurrences of disruption throughout our food supply chain (due to a certain pandemic).

Please be assured that our teams are working hard to pivot at the drop of a hat, and we will ensure that your lunchboxes remain full and nutritionally balanced despite supply disruptions.

While we aim to keep the integrity of our advertised menu as much as possible, we do apologise if not all meals are exactly as advertised on the published menu. Our teams will try to keep you in the loop as much as possible, please rest assured that we are doing our best.

This Fortnights lunch menu:

Te Manawa Tahi Timetable

If you have a concern about your child’s language development, learning progress, social and emotional wellbeing, or behaviour, TeManawa Tahi have specialists available so you can discuss your concerns directly with them.
This is a free service and each site will be identified by a Te Manawa Tahi flag. Drop into a hub or make an appointment by phoning 0800 5248 4256 or emailing TT.Support@education.govt.nz.