NEWSLETTER

Wednesday 8th February 2023          No. 1

 

Kia ora, Namaste, Talofa Lava, Konnichiwa, Ni hao, Kia orana, Malo e lelei, Chao, Hallo, Zdravstvuite, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Salam, Suostei, Hola, Annoyong Haseyo, Caio, Nei ho, Suoday, Ni sa Bula, Kamusta, Xin chào, Gutentag, Bonjour,

A very warm welcome back to school to all of our students and whānau. A special welcome to our school too if you are new this year. It is wonderful to have you all as part of our Totara Grove whānau. We also welcome Beth Lamb our new deputy principal and teachers Kitty Sorenson, Courtney Shuttleworth and Bridget Johnson to our kura too. They have all settled in so well and we are very pleased and excited to have them as part of our team.

I hope everyone had a good break over the summer. I enjoyed spending time with my whānau though the weather did put a bit of a damper on some days. Our thoughts are with our Auckland whānau at this time as they continue to clean up and return to normality after the deluge of rain they experienced. It certainly was a concerning time for us with a state of emergency being declared for Northland last week too. I was about to board a plane from Wellington to Whangarei as this happened and was very grateful to land safely at Whangarei airport last Tuesday night in time for school the next morning!

It is so awesome to see all of the excellent learning our students are doing already! Our topic theme for Term 1 is ‘Ko wai au….ko wai koe…ko wai tatou ~ Who am I….who are you…who are we?’ This topic lends itself beautifully to our Whanaungatanga value as students will focus on getting to know each other, our kura, and the community around them whilst sharing about themselves and what makes them unique and special.

Have a great week everyone.
Mauri Ora!

Sharon
Principal Tumuaki


Totara Grove staff 2023

We would like to welcome the new kaiako to Te Kura ō Tōtara Grove, 2023. Beth Lamb, Kitty Sorenson, Courtney Shuttleworth and Bridget Johnson. Nau mai haere mai ki Te Kura ō Tōtara Grove!

A list of our 2023 staff is available at the office and included below:

 

Free school lunch programme

Please see attached the menu for the next fortnight. More detailed information is published on the lunch by libelle website: www.lunchbylibelle.co.nz/current-menu.html (click here).

This Fortnights lunch menu:

 

Asthma medication for at school

If your child needs asthma medication while at school, please ensure your teacher and the office is aware of your child’s specific needs. There is an asthma form available at the office which we can refer to if needed. Medication can be kept in the sick bay. If you can please bring in a current inhaler -CHECK EXPIRY DATE – and check we have an up to date asthma form for your child.

 

School Board
The date of the first Board of Trustees meeting for the year is yet to be finalized and will be announced in the next school newsletter.

KiVa

We have begun our journey as a KiVa school. We are excited about taking a community approach by working alongside our neighbouring schools- Tikipunga High School, Tikipunga Primary School and Te Kura o Otangarei to implement this kaupapa. He waka eke noa – we are all in this together!

Our staff completed the initial training yesterday and are excited to be learning more about KiVa. We look forward to sharing our knowledge with you all throughout this journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

School policies

Our school has updated all of our policies this year and has joined the School Docs policy platform who support many schools throughout NZ with policies and community access to these policies. If you would like to access any of our school policy information, please see the log in details below. This will also be updated on our website.

The SchoolDocs site (URL) is: https://totaragrove.schooldocs.co.nz

COMMUNITY LOGIN 
Username: totaragrove
Password: totaragrove

 

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.
 

 


Upcoming School Dates

2023

25th Jan – Enrolment day, TOD

Term 1          1st Feb – 6th April
6th Feb – Waitangi day
7th Feb – TOD

Term 2          24th April – 30th June

Term 3          17th July – 22nd Sep

Term 4          9th October – 15th December


Community Notices

Girls’ Brigade invites you to join a fun, inclusive group for girls and young women aged 5 to 18 years, who want to make the most out of life. Joining a GB company is a great way for girls to make new friends and enjoy activities that challenge and nurture their growth in a safe and supportive environment. You can find out more at https://www.girlsbrigade.nz

There are two Girls’ Brigade Companies in Whangarei, meeting on Thursday nights. Our first enrolment night for the year is 16 February:
1st Kamo Company meets from 6.00 – 7.30pm at St John’s Golden Church,149 Kamo Road,Kensington, contact Kerry 021 0230 4000
OR 2nd Whangarei Company meets from 5.30 – 7 pm at Hope Whangarei Church, Hunt St, Whangarei, contact Sue 021 260 0792