Issue 34: Week 4, Term 4 2024
Principal's Message - Karere a te Tumuaki
Kia ora and welcome to the newsletter edition for Week 4. First of all, I want to say another huge thank you to everyone who gave up their time on Saturday to come to the working bee. We had a fabulous day and achieved so much - a great way for staff and school families to come together to make our school a better place! Many of our families also spent their Sunday at the Auckland Marathon watching and supporting our learners (and even running with their kids!). Well done to everyone for ticking off their 40km at school over the past term and a bit and then crossing the final finish line on Fanshawe St on Sunday morning.
We want to say a huge thank you to two volunteers who have spent a large chunk of time over the past few weeks (and in the holidays) for clearing out, sorting and reorganising our Resource Room. Anyone who has been in the Resource Room will know how much in need of a clear out it was - yet it always gets left to the bottom of the list. Thank you Jackie Waters and Crystal Orr - we really appreciate you both for your time and effort.
Despite last week being a short one with Labour Weekend, we've also had a big week of sporting achievements. Our Athletics Day was split over two days for Juniors/Middles and Seniors this year for a couple of reasons (Kapa Haka leading up to our Cultural Festival at Drury next Wednesday and ECCS Touch being among them). Our preference is to have Athletics over one full day as a whole school, so we'll endeavour to get that in the calendar as soon as we are able for 2025 - being dependent on both the Counties and ECCS calendars makes this a little tricky). Congratulations to all those students in Years 6-8 who qualified for ECCS Athletics tomorrow.
Last week the ECCS Touch Tournament was postponed from the Wednesday to the Friday. We sent 4 teams through and they all had a fantastic day. Our Karaka Red team took out 3rd place (behind Maraetai A who got 1st and Maraetai B who came in 2nd) for the Year 5&6 division and the Year 7&8 Boys team placed 1st in their section and are off to Counties next Tuesday. A big thank you to Mr Vermeulen for training the teams this year, and to Mrs Redshaw and Mrs Sutton for managing the teams on the day. Thank you also to Ian Vermeulen, Gary Parker, Chris Griggs, Stu Powrie, Renee Parlane, Sarah Bolton, Heather Ben and Simon Tate for going along to ref and supervise the teams.
One thing that has come up recently that makes sense to clarify, being that we are nearing the end of the year, is our school stance on bringing treats/lollies/food to school to share. While we know birthdays and times of celebration such as Christmas are an exciting milestone in children's lives, we also ask that students don't bring lollies and treats to school to share with others. I know that these things come from a place of kindness and a wanting to share. However, with so many different food allergies, as well as the differing opinions around sugar consumption, all topped off with the added pressure it can bring other families to reciprocate, we ask that you please don't send lollies, treats, cakes etc to school to share in class. This includes candy canes with Christmas cards - which we did find to be a bit of a challenge to manage last year. I'm getting this out nice and early so we can all be on the same page and I thank you in advance for your support in this.
Lastly, I plan to publish the last edition of the 'Beyond the Gate' bulletin for 2024 in a couple of weeks so please get your photos and write ups sent in - we love sharing and celebrating these!
Ngā mihi nui,
Anna Powrie
Thank You
Thank you also to Gellert Nurseries who donated all the eggplants and tomato plants to the Oke Trust for planting in our new gardens!
Celebrating Learning and Achievement
Athletic Sports Results 2024
A big thankyou to all the students that participated in the whole school athletics day on both Tuesday and Thursday. We were all impressed with your determination and perseverance while completing in all the events.
Thank you to those parents who helped out whether it was as a photographer or during the track and field events - without your help days like these wouldn't be as successful as they are.
A big thanks to Tom Good our caretaker who ensured that we had track lines for the 100m track. We really appreciate the time and effort that you spent to get these lines down in time for our school athletics day.
Thanks to the parents who came along to support and watch your child/ren. I'm sure you're all as proud of them as we all are as teachers of their efforts.
Selected Karaka School Year 6 to 8 students will participate in the E.C.C.S. Athletics event on Thursday 7th of November, at Massey Park in Papakura and we wish them all the best.
My New Gallery
ECCS Touch
It was great to the sun shining on the Save Day of our E.C.C.S. Touch Tournament. The students participated in lots of touch games throughout the day and displayed all the Karaka LEARN Values.
A massive thanks to the parents who helped to manage and ref throughout the day, especially Wouter's son Ian who came in place of Wouter on the day.
My New Gallery
Assembly Certificates from 1st November
Notes from the Office
Library Books and Junior Readers
As we are nearing the end of year it is time to return any Library books and Junior readers that you may have hiding at home - please check under beds, behind the couch, in bookcases for any Karaka School books and return them to your classroom teachers. Thanks very much.
Lost Property
We have a number of items that have been found around the school. If you recognise any of these items, please call in to collect from the office before the end of year.
PTA News
Intermediate Uniform Orders for 2025
Please return these by Friday 8th November so we can place the orders in order to receive them back by the end of the year.
Disco tickets and hot food options are now available for purchase via Kindo! Be sure to pre order your food to avoid missing out—we’ll have limited availability on the night. Fan favourites like teriyaki chicken poké bowls, beef burgers, loaded fries, chicken nuggets, and hot chips are all on the menu!
Fill up your Christmas stockings, grab your Secret Santa gifts or keep in your pantry for a rainy day! Now is your chance to grab some baking mixes while raising some funds for our Karaka School PTA!
How to Order:
- Visit www.flouranddough.co.nz
- Click on "Karaka School Fundraiser" (top left for laptop/PC or under the three stripes in the top right on a phone).
- Enter the password: fundraisekaraka (all lower case, one word).
- Select the products you would like to order and proceed to checkout.
- Choose "Pick up Karaka Fundraiser only."
- Under Personal Message – add the child’s name and classroom you wish the order to be placed under as reference.
Orders will be delivered to Karaka School early December (date tbc) for collection.
Products Available:
- Chewy Chocolate Brownie Mix - $10
- Fudgy White Chocolate Blondie Mix - $10
- Oregano, Garlic & Sage Beer Bread - $10
- Chilli & Garlic Beer Bread - $10
- Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix - $10
- Cake in a Mug (5 servings) - $6
- Pumpkin & Cashew Bread Mix (Keto & Gluten Free) - $11
Thank you for supporting our PTA. Each product purchased raises up to $3.20 for our school - amazing!
Happy Baking!
The PTA are excited to share that we are running a Cookie Time Christmas Cookie fundraiser! Perfect gifts for friends & families. Order forms will be coming home this week and are due back by Tuesday 19th November.
Updates from the Wider Community
