Issue 32: Week 3, Term 4 2025

Principal's Message - Karere a te Tumuaki

Kia ora e te whānau,

I’m really sad and frustrated to be starting this week’s newsletter on such a disappointing note. Sometime between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, the cabin we were kindly lent by Just Cabins was stolen from our school grounds. It’s incredibly disheartening that someone would do something like this, especially given how generous the company had been in supporting us with the cabin’s use. We have reported the incident to the police, who are now investigating. They would be grateful for any information or camera footage from anyone living nearby who might have seen anything unusual or noticed a vehicle in the area around that time. If you do have any details that could help, please contact either myself or our Board Presiding Member (Sarah Sutherland) and we can pass it on.

I also want to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise to Just Cabins – this is not a reflection of our wonderful Karaka community, and we are genuinely sorry that something like this has happened.

Despite that rough start to the week, it’s been great to see everyone settling quickly back into the swing of Term 4. The classrooms are buzzing with energy and focus as we head into what is always one of the busiest and most exciting terms of the year. Yesterday our Year 5 & 6 students spent the day at the Auckland Museum as a provocation for their Ancient Civilisations inquiry unit this term. They had a fantastic day exploring the exhibits (even though, sadly, the famous mummy I fondly remember from my own visits — some from quite a few years back! — wasn’t on display).

Today we have eight students competing at the Franklin Schools Group Day with their lambs and calves at the Pukekohe Showgrounds — we’re thrilled to have such a strong number of entries this year. At the same time, our Year 7 & 8 Boys Volleyball Team are representing ECCS at the Counties Tournament, and we wish them all the very best. It’s wonderful to see our students out and about, representing Karaka with pride across so many different areas.

Looking ahead, one initiative we are hoping to set up for next year is a Camp Fund for any parent, caregiver, or family who would like to make a donation (even a small one) to help cover the costs of camp for families finding it increasingly tough in the current financial climate — particularly those with multiple siblings attending camps. As a school, we never want cost to be the reason a child misses out on such an amazing experience, but at the same time, we simply can’t continue to run these events at a loss. If you’re interested in contributing or finding out more, please email me directly – every little bit would make a difference.

Lastly, I can confirm that our End-of-Year Prizegiving will be run a little differently this year. For one, it will be held during school hours at 1.00pm on Thursday 11th December (with Term 4 finishing on Friday 12th December). Secondly, we will notify parents and caregivers of those students receiving a major award, although the notice period will only be around a week beforehand for a variety of reasons. We’re hopeful that by trying something new, all students will be able to attend, and families who wish to be part of it can plan their time accordingly.

If it doesn’t work, we’ll happily return to the previous format next year — but as they say, we’d never know if we didn’t try, right?

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and care for our kura. Let’s keep looking out for each other, and keep Karaka the special place it is.

Anna Powrie

Welcome to Karaka School

• Phoenix G
• Boston P
• Dahlia G
• Madison V (starting tomorrow)

Celebrating Learning and Achievement

Notes from the Office

End of Year Trophies for Prizegiving

It's that time of year again!  If you were awarded a trophy last year (or a member of your family who has now left), could you please return the trophy to the office (polished would be great!). There will be a box in reception to put them in.

PTA News

PTA Calendar Art - Order Due 16th October

Orders to be placed through Kindo and return the forms to the office by the due date.

There are product samples in the office if you wish to view them.

Updates from the Wider Community