Tū ki te marae, tū ki te ao, hewa mauri ora. Tēna tātou e te whānau, tuatahi, me mihi ki tō tātou matua nui i te rangi, nāna nei ngā mea katoa. Tuarua, ki ngā mate hohua o te wā, haere. Haere ki pae maumahara, haere ki te kainga tūturu mō tāua te tangata. Mate atu he tete kura, ko rātou tēna i okioki ai. Ara ake he tete kura, ka hoki tēnei ki ngā kanohi ora, koutou rā e te whānau, tēna koutou.
Key Dates for this Week
Mon, Feb 29: Ross School arrives
Tue, Mar 1: Volleyball starts (Northland Secondary Schools)
Wed, Feb 24: Ross School pōwhiri
Thu, Mar 3: Waka Ama practise
Kapa Haka practise (Paerangi)
Volleyball (Northland Secondary Schools)
Paenuku
Dropping Off/Picking Up/Parking
Due to the building of our fence all cars dropping off and picking up ākonga are to do this at the far end of Paenuku by the playground so we don’t disrupt the contractors.
This applies to all staff and parents.
Reminder for Ākonga Potae
Paenuku has limited shade and at times the sun is literally beating down on ākonga. It is our kaupapa to be SunSafe and we are asking that whānau support us with this.
Paenuku potae are available at 185 Lower Dent St for $13 each. Whānau need to purchase these asap.
Healthy Eating
Thank you to all whānau who tautoko this kaupapa. While we are seeing a reduction in pies and noodles, we are slowly seeing an increase in other non healthy kai such as sausage rolls, hot chips, McDs and Chinese takeaways.
Please tautoko this kaupapa by not sending your child/children to Paenuku with this type of kai.
Rangatahi Inc to Launch at Pasifika Fusion
Ngā ākonga involved with the business studies class launch their first product this weekend at the Pasifika Fusion Festival in Whangarei.
The students have been working hard behind the scenes to get ready for the launch and will be selling a range of nutritional health beverages aimed at creating a healthier and fitter community.
The product launch is also the first entreprise launched under the Rangatahi Inc initiative.
Whānau are encouraged to visit the stall and sample their products. They will be set up near the gym opposite 185 Lower Dent St.
Regan Taylor
SolOthello Comes to TKW
Adapting Shakespeare to a place and a culture Shakespeare himself could have had no concept of is, in itself, a big ask. Doing so for a single player is a whole other ballgame.
But that’s what deviser Regan Taylor has sought to do with Solothello.
Delivered in a combination of Shakespearean language, modern dialect and Te Reo Māori, Solothello embodies four characters from Shakespeare’s text: Othello himself, Lago, Roderigo and Desdemona, with other characters invoked and engaged in conversation but not present on stage.
The production is coming to Te Kāpehu Whetū on March 16 with one show at 10am. Entry is open to whānau and costs $1.
One of last year’s students, Josh Rawson, is behind the move to bring the production to the North.
Hands-On Science
Look what they found (above). And getting their feet wet… ākonga investigate further (right).
On Monday 22nd Feb Takurua (Year 11) Science class visited the Waitaua awa. The Waitaua starts above Dip road in Kamo before winding its way down behind the industrial area behind Pipiwai Road then on through the mixed boundary of farms and residential area of Tikipunga to the Whangarei Falls.
The awa provides a great opportunity for our ākonga to gather data to measure the impact of human activity on a freshwater ecosystem and gain level 1 NCEA credits. Ākonga compare environmental factors such as bush cover, algal growth, species of invertebrates present, water clarity and water temperature from two sites.
The first site is Hodges park in Kamo where the awa has been relatively unaffected by activity of people. The second site is the falls after the awa has flowed through light industrial, urban and farming areas.
This activity provides our ākonga with the opportunity to better understand the signs of the health of the awa in a measurable way.
Our thanks to Whaea Soozee McIntyre and others from the Whitebait Connection Programme who helped us with our mahi at the awa. Whitebait Connection are involved in many projects such as raising native plants and riparian planting and provide a great partnership for our ākonga to learn about our awa and do hands on mahi.
Te Reo Classes Are Go
Te Ataarangi classes are being offered free of charge to whānau.
Pereri Mahanga has offered to provide classes for whānau and staff, and will be held on either Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays from 4pm until 7pm, depending on expressions of interest.
There must be a minimum of 15 people for a class to run and whānau are expected to commit fully to the weekly class which will run for approximately 15 weeks.
Please contact the school office to confirm your interest and preferred day as soon as possible. Classes will be confirmed on Friday 26 February
Captain Qadmiel Edmonds bursts through the Kamo defence
Sports
League Boys Lose Tight Encounter
After a solid start last week, TKW’s league team went down 32-20 to Kamo High on Wednesday.
The game started in a high tempo with some classy runs from Diani Timms, Nico and Kaharau as TKW surged onto attack.
However attack soon turned to defence as Kamo starting making headway into TKW through their big forwards.
It was an exciting game with the score see-sawing throughout. Henare Beattie was outstanding playing in an unfamiliar position in the centres.
The boys take a two week break before their next game.
Volleyball: Northland Secs Starts
The Northland Senior Secondary School Volleyball competition starts on Tuesday (Mar 1).
This year we have five teams entered: three senior boys and two senior girls teams. The cost is $80 per team and games will start at 9am and finish at 3pm.
Players should bring lunch, as well as a water. There is also a café onsite.
Sports Briefs
- Waka Ama practises are Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30—5:30 at Kissing Point in preparation for this year’s Waka Ama Secondary School Nationals in Rotorua from April 4—8. For Paerangi paddlers only.
- Calling for whānau support to coach or manage our netball teams for 2016 for Paetawhiti and Paerangi. If you are interested in either of these roles please see Whaea Ringi or Whaea Jackie at the Kura office asap. If your kotiro is interested in playing netball this season see Whaea Ringi. Training days and times will be confirmed once coaches are selected.
- Intermediate Netball and Senior Netball Fees Girls wanting to play netball need to have their fees paid by mid April please.
- Seniors (Years 9-13): $85 per player
- Intermediate (Years 7-8): $60 per player
- Volleyball – whānau who have players wanting to go to the nationals in Palmerston North in April are advised to get in touch with Coach Jason Woods asap. It costs $500 per player to go on this trip. Some serious fundraising will be required over the next month to support these players. Any shortfall in funds will be met by whānau.
Health and Safety
Towards Sustainability: Healthy Kai
As part of our drive towards sustainability, we are introducing a series of lifestyle principles throughout the Kura aimed at improving our choices around kai, and better health and fitness.
Our immediate focus is healthy lunches and we encourage whānau to tautoko the idea by not sending ākonga to Kura with noodles, pies, and fizzy/sweet drinks.
We realise there are economic ramifications for whānau. But there are also huge cost and health benefits downstream. We have Weetbix available for ākonga who need breakfast or are hungry.
Ākonga are at a time of rapid growth and development, and a time when many habits and behaviours are set. A healthy lifestyle, including healthy eating, will help to ensure a healthy future.
Ākonga Bringing Vehicles to Kura
The only ākonga permitted to bring vehicles to Kura are the Year 13 students.
Mopeds or scooters will be allowed to be parked in the immediate vicinity of the Kura. Cars are to be parked in the car park near the roundabout at the intersection of Lower Dent and Carruth Streets.
All ākonga bringing vehicles to Kura will need to present a driver’s licence appropriate to their vehicle and abide by the conditions of their licence.
The Kura will not take any responsibility for the vehicle or its driver. That is up to the whānau. However we will step in if the driver’s actions impact on our ākonga and immediate community.
Driving a vehicle to Kura is a privilege, not a right. We expect ākonga to take that responsibility seriously.
Applications to bring vehicles go to Whaea Maia in the front office.
Whānau in Class
We know whānau want to come in an see ākonga in class. However it raises several concerns with congestion in classrooms, ākonga being distracted, along with health and safety issues.
We will have opportunities throughout the year for whānau to come in and participate. So please refrain from dropping in.
Smoking Cessation
We are working with the Northland District Health Board on developing a Smoking Cessation programme.
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death and in 2009 the numbers of Māori smoking were 44 percent. The programme we are interested in developing is about not only those who currently smoke, but potential smokers. Te Kāpehu Whetū staff will be the first introduced to the programme, which will also be offered to whānau.
Leaving the Kura Premises
Only Year 12 and 13 ākonga are permitted to leave the Kura premises during the morning tea and lunch breaks.
We have two major breaks:
- 11:15—11:45am
- 1:45—2;30pm
Ākonga are expected to be back onsite 15 minutes before the end of each break.
They must also sign in and sign out when going off the premises.
Taking Photos of Ākonga
Whānau are not permitted to take photos at kura events in our controlled spaces without prior approval.
We appreciate there are times and events where whānau are trying to capture moments involving tamariki. However that is difficult when non-whānau are photographed as well and as an organisation we have to respect the privacy of others who for whatever reason do not want their image or that of their children taken or recorded.