Kia ora e te whānau,

What an awesome day we had yesterday at our Tuakana Swimming Sports. It was great to see all of our Year 5 & 6 students getting in the water and having a go. We had a range of races from non-competitive flutter board races to competitive swimming. Congratulations to the children who will be representing Arataki School at the upcoming cluster swimming sports. Take a look in our the sports news further down for our place getters.

On Monday 10th March we have a teacher only day. Our focus for the teacher only day is the implementation of the refreshed mathematics curriculum. As part of the curriculum refresh, schools are required to teach structured mathematics. The programme we have chosen to implement at Arataki School is ‘Maths - No problem!'. This program was designed to engage our tamariki in active learning through hands-on activities, group and independent work, and aims to create an enthusiasm for mathematics. The program focuses on extending the skills of our tamariki while also providing strong support for those who need extra help, ensuring that every tamaiti progresses. To ensure its success, our staff have been participating in extensive training sessions to equip them with the tools and strategies to create a dynamic and supportive learning environment. This commitment to professional development ensures that the program is delivered effectively, making math both enjoyable and accessible for all our tamariki.

Reminder - Wednesday 12th March - Whānau BBQ picnic on the back field. Our classrooms will be open from 5:00pm - 5:30pm for you to wander through your child's class and look at their learning so far this term. From 5:30pm - 6:30pm we encourage you to bring a picnic to have on the back field. We will have sports equipment and games out, and a bouncy castle. We will have the BBQ going and free sausage sizzles.

School Attendance. You may or may not be aware, but the Ministry of Education is placing an emphasis on student attendance. I have included for your information a diagram explaining the Ministry of Education attendance expectations for every student. We will be keeping you informed with an Attendance Update email coming out at the end of week 5 and 10 each term.  We will also be following up students who are not reaching the attendance targets. We are continuing to promote our message of ATK here Everyday and celebrating being at here at kura.

Asbestos removal - As part of our renovation of Room 20 & 21 asbestos has been discovered. This is going to be safely removed on Monday 10th March while no tamariki are at school. The asbestos removal work will be undertaken by a Licensed Asbestos Removal Company, Asbestos Removal + Ceiling Restorations, in accordance with the Approval Code of Practice.

An asbestos removal control plan (ARCP) has been developed to ensure that adequate measures are in place to minimise risk and to meet regulatory requirements.

During these works, signs and barricades will be in place to define the asbestos work area.

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Ngā mihi nui,

Vicki Hiini

Principal

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Click here for 2024 and 2025 Term Dates

In this issue:

• News and Events
• From the Sports Desk 
• Introducing
• ATK here Everyday
• Sponsors Wall
• Community Notices
• After School Care/Programme
• Pre Loved Uniforms

NEWS AND EVENTS

FROM THE 

SPORTS DESK

Winter Sports
 

As we head into Term 2 of the 2025 school year, we’re excited to kick off another season of sports that will run through Term 2 and into part of Term 3. We have a fantastic lineup of opportunities for our tamariki, and we can’t wait to see them get involved!

We are incredibly grateful to have received a generous koha, which has allowed us to subsidise the fees for sports this term. This support means more of our tamariki can participate, and we are so appreciative of the generosity that has made this possible.

Please see below for the list of available sports.

We still need volunteers to step forward as coaches or managers. Without these vital roles, we won’t be able to form teams. If you’re keen to help, please indicate your interest when filling out the registration form - we truly appreciate the support that makes these opportunities possible for our tamariki! Once teams are
finalized, coaches and managers will receive an email with all the necessary details.

Click this link for all of the Sports Registration Information

INTRODUCING

Please meet some of our new kaimahi here at Arataki.  If you see them around the school feel free to introduce yourselves and make them feel welcome.

ATK here Everyday

In weeks five and ten we celebrate our tamariki that have had excellent attendance for the last five weeks and those that have shown the biggest improvement since last time.

A huge MIHARO to:

Joshua Cameron and Caius Carle for winning the 100% attendance and Addison Stacey and Unique Strickland for earning the greatest improvement

SPONSORS WALL

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Play Time @ Arataki

PRE LOVED UNIFORMS

Needing a few pieces of uniform.  Come and see our pre-loved uniforms at the school office. 

Have your tamariki grown out of their uniforms? We are especially in need of Polo Shirts if you have any spare.

Please consider donating them back to the kura.  These uniform donations are:

• sold to our whanau for donations of $5. The money raised is used for resources for our classrooms. 
• used for our tamariki who may need them.

These donations are gratefully received at the school office.

Please remember to enrol your preschoolers as early as you can. This helps us to get prepared for their arrival.

To enrol you can click this link to the online application form or come into the office for an application pack.

For more information on enrolment check out our website www.arataki.school.nz