HOROTIU SCHOOL TE KURA O HOROTIU Horotiu Bridge Road, RD 8, Hamilton 3288 Telephone (07) 829 9892 Email: office@horotiu.school.nz Website: www.horotiu.school.nz "Ki te kotahi te kaakaho ka whati, ki te kaapuia e kore e whati Naa Kiingi Taawhiao "When reeds stand-alone they are vulnerable, but together they are unbreakable." School Community Newsletter September 7 th 2017 Roll 239 Community and Whaanau Hui Radio Horotiu interviews Principal s Message The last fortnight has been an absolutely fantastic period of time for all members of Horotiu School and there was certainly plenty of action and excitement for all. Some of the more memorable events included; the Community & Whaanau Hui related to writing, the massive Winters Sports tournament, Enviro planting with Mrs Pemberton, and the visit by some of our seniors to a 15 th century archaeological site. (The opportunity to learn about early Maori culture and developments a very special opportunity indeed.) We have also had Whaea Marleina and Whaea Antonia working very hard to best prepare our Elite Kapa Haka group for the Western Cluster Festival, which is a huge part of our academic calendar. Watching these children develop under their care has been both inspiring and a source of great pride. Winter Sports Challenge This was a wonderful occasion and involved around 90 of our athletes in games of Netball, Soccer and Rugby against students from Te Kowhai, Rotokauri, Whatawhata and Horotiu. The weather this year was brilliant (very different to 2016) and the level of community, crowd support was fantastic. Our Horotiu teams certainly shone and we secured victories in all three sports and made multiple finals. Our thanks go out to the organising and host schools and we can t wait for our next sporting challenges. We also do need to acknowledge our transport helpers, coaches and managers. With out you, we would be absolutely lost! Way to go Horotiu! 1
A side note; it has become very apparent that our Rugby and Netball uniforms need to be replaced. If you are interested in looking into this process with us or have contacts that would help, please make email contact with Jo and Karen. J.wright@horotiu.school.nz or k.purdy@horotiu.school.nz Whaanau and Community Hui- Helping our learners write in partnership with parents and whanau. Last week around 30 whanau, parents and staff members met to participate in a series of workshops aimed to support writing development for our children. This was a really important hui, as writing continues to be an area of concern across NZ. (Around 38% of all primary learners in NZ are at below levels of expectation in writing!) Our workshops focussed on how families/ whaanau can encourage, inspire and support writing at home. We were also very fortunate to have local literacy adviser Anne Grady who led with the opening workshop. Thank you to the families who came in to support and work alongside our teachers. This is really important and we hope that through a growing partnership, we can help some of our challenged writers and make a difference. Each family who attended received resources, notes and ideas on how to support. If you would like guidance but could not attend, please do see one of your class teachers. Archaeological Site Visit Digging Up Our Past On Friday,15 of our senior learners, Mrs Purdy and Whaea Marleina were invited to visit a 15 th Century historical and archeologic site. This was a unique chance to see professionals learning about early Maori settlements, culture, history and life style, (only two groups have been allowed access at this time). The group was informed that this site may be one of the most significant to be found in New Zealand s recent history. We now know that this area was used for horticulture and planting by local Maori. The archaeologists have discovered tools, implements, cooking pits and have gained new insights to life 600-700 years ago in the Horotiu area. A great link to our ongoing learnings around the awa and our previous Turangawaewae inquiry. Arts Inquiry Celebration- As you will all be well aware our students have been heavily involved in an inquiry learning process focussed on the visual arts over the last two month. This has included students being exposed to Art areas including; drama, line dancing, puppetry, wearable arts, Pacifica, pottery, instrument making, print making and painting. On Thursday, the 28 th at 6.30pm our children would like to invite you to come and join us in the Main Hall for an opportunity to see and view the children learning. Agriculture Day Registrations for Ag Day close this Friday 22 September. Please ensure that you have filled in a registration form and returned it to the office by tomorrow. All lambs, calves and goat kids will receive a bottle of Agrisea animal tonic upon registration. This is an important event on our school calendar and we are looking forward to the big day on Wednesday 18 October. 2
Can You Assist? We have a school family requiring transport for their child from Huntly to Horotiu School every morning. They are happy to provide payment for this or alternatively return carpool in the afternoon. This will be for a period of six weeks in Term four due to surgery. If you can be of assistance, please phone Lydia on 07 828 8920 or 021 224 3375. Perry Foundation and Marlene Julian- Promoting Outcomes for Horotiu! We are delighted to inform you all that we have been successful in our Perry Foundation Grant Application. We have been awarded an additional $19,000 to add to our Gala Funds to complete the 2017 library developments. This is a huge accomplishment and we cannot thank the Foundation and Marlene enough. It is awesome to have community groups like the Perrys who are willing to support schools like Horotiu! We are currently in the process of getting paint and carpet quotes to get the final works completed. Tremaine in concert Kapa Haka Elite rehearsal assembly Inline Hockey Last week the Eagles beat Peachgrove 3-2. A very exciting game ending at 2-2 and then going to extra time to score the goal to win. The Hawks beat Berkley and had the same thing happen to them. It was 2-2 at the end of the game. They played into extra time and scored the winning goal. An outstanding effort by both teams. This week the Eagles beat Waldorf Vikings in the final of Division 3, 1-0. A very close game with outstanding team work by everyone. The Hawks beat Peachgrove Wombats 4-0 in the Division 1 finals. You all played exceptionally well and very much deserved the win. Thanks to all the brothers, sisters, Mum's,Dad's and grandparents for your support of our teams this year. 3
Road Safety-Can you help? The article below is a timely reminder that we all need to be very careful driving around school buses. We also need to teach our own children to cross in the appropriate spaces. At Horotiu, we still have a small group of parents who cross in front of or behind the bus. This is dangerous and not great role modeling for others. Please help us to keep all our children safe. The little boy in the article was very lucky. http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/96785079/child-hit-by-car-while-stepping-out-from-the-school-bus-to-crossthe-road?cid=app-ipad Missing- A pair of Nike shoes, black and white, size 5. Please check at home and return these to the office if found. New turf works nearing completion Winter Sports day Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori Many of you enjoyed the Maori Language links we shared last week. For those of you wanting a little more support, this link to Radio NZ is very useful, as are the voice clips. http://www.radionz.co.nz/collections/kiaora Dates to Remember: Kapa Haka Festival-Waingaro Marae PB4L Rewards Afternoon-1.30pm Arts Inquiry Evening-6.30pm End of Term Start of Term 4 Agriculture Day Thursday 21 st September Tuesday 26 th of October Thursday 28 th of September 29 th September 16 th October 18 th October 4
Blue Light Golf We are looking for players, sponsors and prizes to support the North Waikato Blue Light Charity Golf Tournament at the Hukanui Golf Club on the 1 st of December 2017. This is a great way to give back to your community or enter a team and celebrate the end of the year with your work group or organisation. North Waikato Blue Light is a registered charity which provides activities and opportunities for the youth of the North Waikato to build stronger relationships between local youth, families, schools, police and communities. Pete Wiggins Youth Aid Officer Ngaruawahia Community and Whanau Hui- Writing Kapa Haka Festival Dress Rehearsal and Assembly 5
Inquiry Learning Awesome parental support- Thanks Tanya and June 6