Newsletter Week Nine Term Two
26 June 2024
Principal's Message
WE celebrate Matariki from 29 June to 6 July, with a National Public Holiday on 28 June. The theme for 2024 is Matariki heri kai, which comes from the Māori proverb ‘Matariki whetū heri kai’ meaning ‘Matariki, the bringer of food’. Food is central to the celebration of Matariki, and Māori believe that the appearance of Matariki in the morning sky in winter would determine the success or failure of kai harvesting. Different stars in the cluster have an association with the various domains from where we source our food, in particular:
gardens (Tupuānuku)
forests (Tupuārangi)
freshwater (Waitī) and
the ocean (Waitā)
This connection reaffirms relationships with our environment and signifies the importance of food in celebrating Matariki and building on last year’s theme, “Matariki kāinga hokia”. People are encouraged to view Matariki as a time to journey home, spend time with whānau and friends, and enjoy feasting fresh, locally sourced produce.
Our Matariki Cultural Dinner is tonight in our school hall. This will be the 11th Dinner. All the past dinners have been successful and a lot of fun. All families are invited to bring a dinner dish to share. Come along and enjoy a fun night.
Our Religious Education team of Lorna Dobson, Sara Mines, Liz Macaskill, Lorette Tiedt, Becks Scott, and I travelled to the NZ Catholic Convention in Wellington last week. With over 750 delegates nationwide, it was a unique opportunity to reconnect after the COVID-19 outbreak. We were fortunate to hear from some exceptional speakers and participate in insightful breakout sessions.
A special thank you to Shanelle McCashin for her efforts in organising the Football Duty Day on Saturday and for running the food stall down at Football. Thanks also to the parents who helped us with the BBQ, setting up, and packing away the fields. You all did a fantastic job. We were indeed fortunate with the weather.
On Tuesday morning, the Totara team hosted a Celebration of Learning breakfast for parents. Parents had an opportunity to see the work children have been doing over the latter part of the term. It was fantastic to see so many parents supporting this occasion.
Rhapsody Rotorua is being staged in Rotorua this week, and several schools from Australia are participating. The schools spend a week in Rotorua workshopping, performing and sightseeing. We have had schools perform at St Mary’s in the past, and our children enjoy the concerts. This year, we are hosting St Mark’s Anglican School from Sydney on Thursday at 1.45 pm.
Several of our junior children will be baptised on Monday at the Parish Mass at 9 a.m. The classes that have children being baptised are attending Mass, and you are welcome to attend as well.
Next Thursday, 4th July, the PTA is hosting a disco with a Fluro theme. The entry fee is $2.00, and there will also be lots of food for sale.
A reminder that there is a public holiday on Friday, so there is no school.
Enjoy Matariki Day and the weekend.
David Macmillan,
Principal.
Director of Religious Studies
Tonight we have our annual Matariki Cultural Dinner. It is a wonderful social occasion that brings us all together as a community. This week we have a Matariki Liturgy on Thursday 27th June at 12:15 pm It would be lovely if you could join us. This week the Kakano team have been celebrating Matariki through art and sharing kai.
Matariki can be translated as Mata Riki (Tiny Eyes) or Mata Ariki (Eyes of God). These eyes watch over the land and her people. Matariki is a special time to celebrate our connection to the Whenua (land) and admiration for Papatuanuku, our mother earth. It is time to remember our history and roots. Matariki is a time of growth and change, a time to celebrate what we have and what gifts we have to use. Matariki is a celebration of culture, language, spirit, and people.
Here is a lovely prayer for you to recite as a family:
E te Atua, God of the cycles and patterns of the universe and all living things whose ways we only begin to comprehend, open our hearts to the wonder of the natural world, your incarnation throughout creation, and your presence with and in us now. Amen
Enjoy the celebration of Matariki on Friday with your whanau.
God bless.
Lorna Dobson
DRS
Photolife
You should have been emailed your child’s unique Key Code to go online to view and purchase 2024 School Photos. Check your trash or spam if you have not received it.
***FREE DELIVERY EXPIRES Midnight Sunday 30th JUNE ***
If you cannot locate your keycode please call or email the school office.
GET READY !
School Disco is about to happen ...
Thanks for your support
We were able to donate five supermarket trolleys full of cans due to your support. Many, many thanks.
Opportunity for paid employment
Would anyone be interested -
SPORTS NOTICES
Football Duty - BIG thank you to everyone that helped with BBQ Duty on Saturday. It was so successful we sold out!
CBOP Cross Country- Well done to Mateo, David and Jack who participated in the CBOP Cross Country On Tuesday.
Tough Guy & Gal Challenge 2024
This is an 'extreme running event' - a chance for kids to get involved in New Zealand’s biggest mud run series in a version tailored especially for them. There will be lots of mud, obstacles, mud, water crossings and more mud!
When: Thursday 29th August 8.30am - 12.30pm
Where: Lakes Ranch, 79 Rotokawau Rd, Rotorua
Who: Years 3 - 6 children only
How: Own transport / carpool if possible (note: we can not guarantee transport for your child)
Registrations close: 3.15pm Friday 9th August 2024. Click Here to register.
Photos - Please if you have photos of your sports teams we would love to see them. We use these for our end of year magazine and web pages. Thank you to those that have sent me photos of your teams.
Check them out:
Students VS Staff - We had our Football game today against the Tui’s football team. What a game, the Tuis are a great team with some amazing skills. Staff put up a great fight and came away with a win 2/0. Was a lot of fun had by both sides.