Porritt School Press

Kia ora ngā whānau o Te Kura o Porritt!

Term 2 at Porritt School has dawned brightly! It has been a sun-soaked start to the term both inside and outside of our learning spaces.

I have loved being back in the folds of the korowai of our kura following my hip surgery. It truly has been heartwarming to reconnect with our beautiful tamariki and the awesome whānau and caregivers of our community. It has been a pleasure getting to know our new tamariki and family members. Our little kura keeps growing and growing.

I wish to take this opportunity to thank Marsha and Ben as senior leaders in the school for their guidance, and congratulate Marsha on such a positive start to the year as Acting Principal. I also express gratitude to our wonderful teaching staff, learning support staff and administrative staff for their excellent mahi in Term 1. I am also very grateful to the Porritt School Board for their support in allowing me the time to recover from my hip surgery. I'll be running around in no time!

Have a korero at home with your children about our new whole school learning Inquiry - Hauora Heroes! This topic is all about how we keep well and looking after our wellbeing. There have been some amazing activities and lots of little fires have been lit in the minds of our learners. Congratulations to our staff on such an engaging start to the term.

Roll on Week 2!

Mauriora koutou,

Maaka Papuni - Tumuaki/Principal

It was a great start to our Monday here at kura with a whakatau, a welcome, to our new tamariki and their whānau members. We hosted this whakatau on the front court with our tamariki and whānau hou, our new children and families, making their way into the school through the waharoa - our front entryway. Ataahua! Beautiful!

It is also a reminder of how many new learners have joined the whānau - we are now at 308 students. We have a particularly busy term with welcoming new entrant tamariki to the school. Please see below if you have a four year old at home wishing to start school this year - we need your enrolments in as soon as possible.

Our ākonga me whānau hou! Our new learners and families - nau mai, haere mai - welcome!

It has been an awesome first week launching our first learning inquiry for Term 2 titled 'Hauora Heroes'.

Hauora Heroes is an inquiry focused on how we can keep well, and the different types of wellbeing that make up Sir Mason Durie's Te Whare Tapa Whā model.

To ignite the learning here, we've seen Fear Factor challenges, amazing race style activities, trips out of kura and lots of good korero around the different ways we can look after our wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around us.

Keep talking with your child about the learning they have been doing in this area as the term progresses.

Last year, our teaching staff and members of our support staff undertook a six month course of study called 'Te Toka Tūroa'. This was about growing our own Te Reo Māori capabilities as kaiako in Aōtearoa , New Zealand, and becoming language champions.

We were proud as a group to complete this study and take another step forward in our growth. To celebrate, we treated ourselves to some new Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori staff hooded sweats. We think they look awesome!

If you have a four year old at home and you intend to enrol them here to start at school this year, please get your enrolment in ASAP! You can apply online below, or reach out via our school phone number, or email Maaka at principal@porritt.school.nz to arrange a visit and a tour.

The Home & School Group are running a firewood raffle for two cords of radiata pine offcuts delivered.

Raffle tickets cost $1 per ticket or $20 for a full sheet.

The firewood raffle will be drawn at school on Friday 17th May 2024. The winner will be contacted by phone.

New sheets can be collected from the office. All sheets and funds must be returned to the school office no later than Wednesday 15th May 2024.

The Home & School Group would like to thank Tumu Firewood for donating this prize.

Ngā mihi,

The Home & School Group

Pink Shirt Day is rolling around again. This is a day to support Mental Health and make a stand to stop bullying in all it's forms.

Your child can dress in any pink or pinkish gear, and if you'd like to make a donation to support this kaupapa, head online to the website detailed in the poster above. We won't be collecting any money at school.

Speak up, stand together, stop bullying - Kōrero mai, kōrero atu, mauri tū, mauri ora!

On an entirely selfish note to finish the newsletter, it was a pleasure (sort of!) to be a part of the Team Rua Fear Factor Challenge with fellow contestants Whaea Tori, Whaea Katie and Mrs Keesom on Friday morning.

We ate our way through seven courses of very interesting and highly questionable concoctions such as wasabi laden pasta, raw eggs and sardines and cottage cheese...blindfolded just to elevate the smells and tastes!

After a tie breaker...Mr Papuni was crowned grand champion (self titled!). This little trophy is going straight to the mantlepiece!

Many thanks to Team Rua staff - what an entertaining way to start a korero about facing our fears and eating well!!!