Kia ora koutou, 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, Greetings

A very warm welcome to all of our new students and whānau who have started at our school.   It is wonderful to have you here.  Kia pai tō wiki. Mauri Ora!  From your Totara Grove School team.

What's in this newsletter…..

The winners of the Ngā Mātāpono Awards for the last two weeks:

Rm 1: Charvik
Rm 2: Leanna-Rose, Bowie, Dominic, Swayde, Eliza, Elizabeth
Rm 3: Laney
Rm 4: Raniera, Deiziah, Ngākau, Israel, Hazel
Rm 5: Ayvah, Ashton, Zaryah, Denzel-Haze
Rm 6: Karsyn, Amelia, Alexis, Lochlan, Charlie
Rm 7: Pearl, Kapiriera, Lucy
Rm 8: Samarth, Lance, Nikaiyah, Saoirse, Eva-Maria
Rm 9: Larelle, Rivaan, Mahaaki, Tatianah, Hellayna
Rm 10: Po Ariki, Kaitiaki, Hemi, Jessica, Griffin, Lilly
Rm 11: Pene, Jake, Syhlas, Millie, Te Hira, Nikau
Rm 12: Hadez, Dhruhi, Bentley, Princess
Rm 13: Cameron, Abena, Mauri, Amanii-Leigh
Rm 14: Rylee, Lexi, Hartley, Andre, Maddy

The winners of books for the last two weeks were:

Rm 2: Rico, Ky-Mahli
Rm 4: Kove, Braxton
Rm 5: Kemperr, Remi
Rm 6: Alexis
Rm 7: Owen, Umar
Rm 8: Elaria, Laya
Rm 9: Onkarjot, Sam
Rm 10: Po Ariki
Rm 11: Hayden
Rm 12: Ria, Te Whata
Rm 13: Ellie, Lincoln
Rm 14: Sebastian, Zhanica

On Friday, we will be having a lockdown practice.  This is so that all staff members and children are aware of what happens during a lockdown if a serious event were to occur in the close neighbourhood or school.  Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions about this.

Thank you to everyone for coming along to our Whānau Korero afternoons last week.  Home school partnerships are very important and teachers really appreciate being able to connect with you all.  Thank you to all of our whānau who completed the survey.  The draw for the two $50 countdown vouchers went to the Harbottle and Condon whānau.

Our school photos were taken recently by Photolife. You can check out their website here: https://photolife.co.nz/.
The photos are currently being processed and will be loaded on the Photolife website. Once photo are ready students will be given paper flyers to bring home with their individual keycodes on them that will grant whānau access to view the photos. We will notify whānau when the photos are uploaded and ready to view.

Our school community truly came together to support the Cancer Society this year, creating a vibrant and memorable Daffodil Day!
The day started with a burst of color as our students and staff arrived at school in their brightest attire. They showed off their brightest outfits in our annual Daffodil Day parade. Teachers blew bubbles as the children sang and danced, celebrating their colourful clothes and the wonderful cause behind them.
This year, our students took on a new challenge. Each class decorated a window with art, stories, poems, and explanations about the meaning of Daffodil Day. The creativity was incredible and made judging a challenge, especially with a delicious chocolate cake on the line! A huge congratulations to Room 6 and Room 10, who were declared the winners of the cake, their cheers echoing throughout the school when the news was announced.
Our new STAR leaders and Matua Peter also held a popular "Shoot a Hoop" challenge during lunchtime, with a big turnout of students ready to test their skills.
Thanks to the generosity of our entire school community, we raised an impressive $347.35 for the Cancer Society. We want to extend a huge thank you for all of your contributions. Your support makes a real difference in raising awareness and providing help for those affected by cancer.

We were incredibly fortunate to welcome a special guest to our school for our Duffy Books in Homes Role Model Assembly this term. We are so grateful to be a Duffy school, and these assemblies are always a highlight.

This term, we were joined by the talented actor and dancer, Taofi Mose-Nehemia. Taofi shared her passion for inspiring the next generation through the arts. She's been in a number of films and television series, including Millie Lies Low, Gary of the Pacific, Wellington Paranormal, and Savage. She also starred in the award-winning short film Mako and performed in the play O le Pepelo, le Gaoi, ma le Pala’ai.

Taofi brought her energy and skills to our assembly, teaching the students a sasa (a traditional Samoan dance), performing for us, and even acting out a Samoan myth. Her performance was engaging and fun for everyone. It was wonderful to see how she uses her talent to share stories and inspire others.

Thank you to Shade Systems for the wonderful donation of new balls in a specially designed Totara Grove carry bag.  We really appreciate it.  

Our kura is lucky to be in partnership with KidsCan, you will likely have seen your tamariki coming home wearing a fabulous rain jacket. KidsCan is a charity organization that provides food, clothing and health products to our school. We are so thankful for their support.

Thank you to whānau who have already come forward to volunteer their support for camp. We would like to remind parents and caregivers who are wanting to help overnight on the 12th, 13th and 14th of November, the final cut off date for police vetting forms to be in to the office is this Friday the 12th September. Vetting forms are available from the office. Please contact your teacher for more information or if you are interested in supporting during the daytime instead. Thank you to those parents who have started paying for camp early. If you would like further information about how to start paying for camp on a payment plan, please email the office on office@totaragrove.school.nz.

If you have a concern about your child’s language development, learning progress, social and emotional wellbeing, or behaviour, Te Manawa 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 sign or flag. Drop into a hub or make an appointment by phoning 0800 524 842 or emailing TT.Support@education.govt.nz. 

Term 1         29th Jan – 11th April

Term 2         28th April – 27th June

Term 3         14th July – 19th Sep
                     10th Sep - School board meeting

Term 4         6th Oct – 11th Dec

For school dates, office hours and school break times please refer to the school website linked here