Issue 15: Week 5, Term 2 2025

Principal's Message - Karere a te Tumuaki

Kia ora e te whānau,

It’s been another busy and exciting week here at Karaka School! Last night, our amazing staff team rolled up their sleeves for their First Aid Refresher Training, which is required every two years. It was a pretty full-on evening after a big day at school, but we still managed to have plenty of laughs – and as always, the fake blood was a bit of a highlight! With Sports Camp and Year 5&6 Camp just around the corner, the timing couldn’t have been better to make sure we’re all prepared for any situation that might arise.

A huge congratulations to our Year 8 boys who represented ECCS at the Counties Rugby Tournament on Tuesday – Carter C, Cooper R and Blake F. The boys played incredibly well and finished in 2nd place overall, only being defeated by Manurewa Intermediate who went on to come 1st place – what a great effort! A big thank you to Mrs Sutton for organising the tournament, and to Graham Coppock and Andy Napier for coaching and supporting the team on the day.

We also want to give a shoutout to the 30 Year 5&6 students, plus a fantastic group of Year 7&8 student umpires, who took part in the ECCS Netball Funday last week. It was a fantastic day filled with teamwork, fun and learning about all the different positions on the court. Thank you so much to Lisa Tate, Mare van der Berg,  Jo van der Gulik, and Amelia Ben for managing the teams, and to Mrs Redshaw for putting the whole trip together – it was a real success.

Ag Day Survey Update – so far we’ve had 29 families give feedback on how we should use our 2025 and 2026 Ag Day funds. If you haven’t had a chance to share your thoughts yet, we’d love to hear from you. It only takes a few minutes and your input really helps guide our decisions on school improvement projects that benefit all tamariki.

Link to form - https://forms.gle/xs8EoLNpgGpu2LMX8

Reminders:

• Tomorrow (Thursday) is our Pizza and Civvies Day – come to school in comfy clothes (no uniform required) and enjoy some delicious pizza, which will be delivered to classrooms just before lunch.

• This Friday is a Teacher Only Day, so school will be closed for instruction.

• Please get your quiz table purchased for the upcoming quiz night. We really need a few more tables sold to ensure the night is a success. And if last year was anything to go by, you are in for a really fun filled evening - I'd love to see you there!

Thanks for your continued support, and I hope you all enjoy the slightly longer weekend ahead!

Anna Powrie

Celebrating Learning and Achievement

Counties Rugby Tournament

The boys had a great day yesterday at the Counties Tournament. They came away with 3 wins out of 4 and came 2nd overall today to Manurewa Intermediate which is an awesome achievement for our team.

• Pukekohe Int (14 nil win)
• Manurewa Int (40 nil loss)
• Finlayson Park (21-5 win)
• Rosehill Int (17-12 win)

Thanks so much to Andre, Andy Napier and Graham Coppock for helping coach and organise the boys today.  It was tough with the subbing for the coaches trying to sub with so many backs and limited forwards.

Notes from the Office

Reminder Notes from the Office:

• Please remember to sign in at the office when you are visiting the school e.g. classroom helpers
• Please remember to sign out your child when they are leaving school (this includes if leaving on the bus bell, if they do not usually catch the bus) e.g. for an appointment
• If your child arrives late at school, they must come to the office for a late pass. If they have an early morning appointment, please let us know (as below). Notes can be made through Hero e.g. Late - Dentist
• Reporting an Absence - you can use Hero, online through the Website, email the teacher and office, use our dedicated absentee phone line or their sibling can pop into the office to advise us.

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