Newsletter 3 Term 2

Kia ora e te whanau.

What a fantastic term we have had. Particular highlights for me have been our Matariki celebration and the ShowQuest success. I was blown away by the turn out at the Matariki evening and the positive comments from our whanau community. There was certainly a wonderful vibe and delicious kai to be shared. We can all be extremely proud of our tamariki and staff involved with their incredible ShowQuest performance. As the youngest in the junior section, our performers did an incredible job. Our acknowledgment must go to the staff and students for their dedication to developing the dance, the hours of practice and mahi on the evening of the performance. Our gratitude must also go to the parents and caregivers for their support and contribution to all aspects of this event. We can all feel very proud. I would like to wish you all a safe and restful holiday break. Thank you all for a fantastic term 2 and we look forward to the exciting things Term 3 will bring.

Nga manaakitanga, AnnMaree MacGregor.

On Thursday the 24th of June, our school held an open afternoon to celebrate Matariki. Our whanau were invited in to check out our learning, share some kai, and we even laid down a hangi. The day provided a lot of opportunity for rich learning school-wide and we are appreciative of the efforts put in by a number of people, from staff, to community and lets not forget our tamariki to make this the successful event it was. It was great to see so many of you join us, and we are hoping this can become an annual event. A special thank you to Amit Lal for providing the big bits of steel used in the hangi. They were a great heat source! And we appreciate the time and efforts of Charles Kauwhata who sourced our stones, and blessed them for our use. The results were delicious.

One of the wonderful ways to celebrate our learning around the traditions of Matariki, is by getting creative and translating some of that learning to artwork. Check out some of these great efforts by our students below.

On Tuesday the 6th of July, OPS sent a troupe of students to perform at the 2021 Showquest held at Forum North. We based our performance on the story of Reitu and Reipae - one of the origin stories of Whangarei, which the students had spent months rehearsing and this absolutely paid off. We scooped 6 certificates on the night - Best Use of Lighting, Best Use of Wearable Art, Best Costume and Enhancement, Best Theme, 3rd Place in the junior section and a Participation award. We are very proud, way to go team! As tickets sold out in record time this year, we held a dress rehearsal at the school on Monday the 5th, giving many more of our school community the opportunity to see them in action. And it was fabulous!

Thank you to the following student helpers, who were a great asset delivering our Moving Smart programme this term, under the new format:

Valentino Revell

Phoebe 'Wrend

MacKenzie Wright

We appreciate you.

On Tuesday the 22nd of June, we had a group of yr 5/6 students participate in the Rippa Rugby competition run by Northland Rugby. An exhausting but fun day, full of challenges for our tamariki. Some of those that went along, share their experiences below.

"Children at Onerahi School had the chance to compete in a Rippa rugby tournament last week. We did this for a fun competition and different learning opportunities.

On Tuesday 22 June we all arrived on a bus at the Kamo Rugby Club anxious and nervous, we lined up in our teams and set off. We walked to the tent confused and got our tags, we dragged our trolley down to the other end of the field and sat down and waited.

About 10 minutes later we started warming up for our first game, we huddled up and the coach said, “relax and don’t forget to include everyone in the fun”.

Then a whistle, it had kicked off, I spectated! In the first few minutes we scored a try. The other team started getting a little more competitive and pushed a bit more, soon I came on the pitch and scored a few tries. Sooner or later the game finished for full time. We sat down and ate on the seating stand next to our pitch like a flock of hungry seagulls. We watched other teams representing and performing for our school. They were doing pretty well.

We finished eating and played around with the rugby ball practicing passing and moving. Later we started our next game. I played center and was passing out wide. We finished the game and played passing with another team.

After the next game finished we had a photo of all the schools, it was crowded! We came back up to another pitch and ate in a tree, we were monkeys. We got back down because it was uncomfortable and sat on the grass next to the tree more like humans. We saw the other pitches and they looked good, we played around with the parents practicing passing. We finally played our last game, this game was going to be hard, we were versing TAS.

I started on the pitch. And we instantly scored a try, people were clapping and cheering away. It was a tough game but we ended up winning. Our school all came back together and did a team count and celebration. We hopped on the bus and had a safe (loud) trip back!

We had an awesome and successful time at rippa rugby. We were very happy with everyone's performances and attitudes. We all enjoyed the time, fun opportunities and the experience that the teachers, parents and students created. Well done OPS."

Written by; Chase Duder, Room 3

Onerahi Primary is committed in our journey of developing a rich local curriculum for our students to participate in and learn from. One way to connect to a range of local features is by engaging in EOTC, and we have had several classes taking up this opportunity this term. Room 3 went off to scooter the loop, challenging themselves physically (even the adults!). Room 1 braved the chilly water and air for a mid-winter swim! Here are some accounts by the students of the experiences they had.

SCOOTER TRIP

On Thursday the 24th of June, Room 3 and some parents set off on a scooter adventure to do the Hatea loop.

We had to take public transport to the skatepark, where we met Shan. We were there for about 45 minutes, it was like the best school activity ever! We got to play on our scooters, and we had some kai together.

Next we scootered our way past a new playground being built and headed for the Camera Obscura.

“Ahhh!” Everyone was screaming in the camera obscura like squawking vultures.

In the camera obscura it was pitch black space, with heaps of people falling over. The Camera Obscura uses sunlight to project an image on the wall, but the image is turned upside down. Crazy!

After the Camera Obscura we crossed the new Hatea Bridge heading towards the Town Basin. Within 10 minutes we arrived at the stone waka, and we had to go over some rules about where we could play. After that we had a play and an explore. We were all adventurers.

Finally we made it to the Town Basin Playground and everyone was having fun for a little while. Two kids hurt themselves but they got back up and had fun also. Then the time came... the time Room 3 was waiting for….PIZZA! We shared 7 pizzas, it was awesome, like pizza heaven.

After the pizza frenzy, we continued our way around back to the skate park. We had about 30 minutes to play before we made our way back to the public bus. We waited about 10 minutes for the bus to arrive. It was public transportation so there were other people on the bus, we were very polite. We were on the bus for a couple of minutes before we got off at school.

I reckon that if you ever have the opportunity to scooter, ride or walk the loop track, you should go, it’s awesome. Many thanks to the parents that came and helped make this trip happen, you are scooter stars.

Written by: Braylee Goffin, Room 3

MID WINTER SWIM

On Thursday 1st July Room One and Two went for the most humongous walk in the history of the world! It was about 45 minutes but it felt like 5000 hours. When we arrived at the Onerahi foreshore, Sasha and I went straight onto the swings. Surprisingly, I remembered that they used to be a part of a train track. Classic Sasha - happy, loving, pretty, - worried if we were doing the right thing. Mr Bilthe called us over for the kai karakia and we ate lunch. It was yummy!

But the worst was yet to come. I heard the words spilling out of Mr Bilthe’s mouth and saw the boys run off to get changed into their togs, some of the girls trotted after them but I stayed to get my togs out of my bag. The water glistened like glass held up to the light. It was stunning. Jagged rocks tried to swallow my feet but I managed to keep them intact. I was scared, nervous and excited. The water was filled with kids now. The sand oozed between my toes made me shiver. I took a deep breath and dived under the water…. My lungs screamed as the icy water closed over my head. My body was sizzling cold! The top of my head surfaced and then my face then my body.

Hazel walked up beside me, “Hi Macy”. “Hi”, I replied.

Splashing behind me, Miss Kronfeld was preparing to dive in, so I copied and dived under the water again. When I stood up, Hazel gave me a big fright and said “I am too scared to go under, so I put the tips of my hair in the water, to make it look like I did put my head under the water but I didn’t”.

I decided that I would dive under the water one more time. When I surfaced for the last time I had definitely decided that the only way I was going to do this again was that I was not going to do it again. Then in a blink of an eye we were walking back to school. Erin and I had a hearty conversation about how I talk in third person. Now this lasted 10 minutes and by that time we were three feet away from the gate and with a big stride I was in the school grounds.

By Macy Waterhouse Room One

We do a lot of cool learning at Onerahi Primary School and we would love to share some examples with you. We have a fabulous piece of writing from Jaydah-Shari Poananga created in response to a visual prompt.

The Curse of the Disappearing Children - by Jaydah-Shari Poananga

“It was a dark and stormy night but the stars were still shining, bright as a diamond. There was a massive castle, as tall as giant! Some people say there is a magical wizard living in the massive castle. Nobody would dare to go in the castle, if they did, they would get cursed, and go missing! Everybody that went in the castle never came out. Every night people would dare other people to go inside, steal something and come back out. Everybody who did that went missing for days, weeks, months, even years! They were nowhere to be seen. Even a dog went missing in the castle. Once, me and my friend were playing truth or dare and I got dared to go in the castle and all out for the wizard. I was terrified but I still did it. I walked up to the door of the castle and called out for the wizard. I was feeling confident until I heard a big bang, like a tree was falling down. The tales were true. I was freaking out, begging for my life, and I was nowhere to be seen…”

Here at Onerahi Primary we have some amazing students achieving success not only in school but outside of it. We would like to recognise the following superstars this month.

Lucas Perry - Lucas has been steadily working his way through his belts in Karate, and has just earned his green belt. Well done Lucas, great focus and determination!

Also, one of our Yr 2 students - Miss Willow-Mae Mannagh is a bit of a cover star on the Northland Style website - https://www.northlandnz.com/visit/northlandstyle - a website designed to showcase our corner of the world and provide lots of information to those who might like to visit. Willow and her family agreed to participate in a promotional video for the website also, this will be released soon.

Just a heads up that our 2021 school photos - class, individual and sibling photos, will be taking place this year on the 5th and 6th of August. These are once again being done by PhotoLife (www.photolife.co.nz). As we had last year, and going forward, all orders for the photos must be done online. No orders will be taken through the school office or classes. Once the photos are ready, each family will be provided with a login code specific to each student in the family for viewing and ordering. We would like to remind you it is important to send your child in correct uniform. This means the short or long sleeved school polo shirts/jumpers/vests. With a plain black or navy bottom half and if desired a plain black or navy long sleeved shirt worn under the polo. No patterns please.

Kia Ora,

I would like to share some of the cool things we have seen and done in the library this term.

Reader of the week: This term we have been celebrating reading. Each week students are nominated because their teacher or I have noticed how much they love reading. The reader of the week recommends a couple of their favourite books and this is displayed alongside their photograph in the Library. This term's readers of the week have been: Issac Rm 3, Chloe Rm 22, Tyson Rm 5, Lali Rm 12, Billy Rm 6, Lucy M Rm 13 and Nelson Rm 31. I look forward to celebrating more readers next term.

Hells Pizza challenge: A reminder that Hell reading challenge is running for the whole year. If your child has read a book they can earn a stamp by doing an extension activity like a book report of drawing of their favourite character. Students in the junior school can come and tell me about the book they have read to gain a stamp.

Artwork: We have some wonderful leaf art by room 6 in the library. Pop in and have a look.

Kirsty Oliver

School Librarian and Resource Co-Ordinator

The main roads in Onerahi can be very busy in the mornings and afternoons. We do not recommend any children cross Raumati Cres by the shops, we ask you to continue down and enter the school through the back gate. We also reiterate the importance of using the pedestrian crossing on Church St. It is worthwhile taking the extra time, to keep our tamariki safe.

We are excited to confirm our supplier for Ka Ora, Ka Ako / the Healthy School Lunches programme beginning Term 3. We would like to welcome to our whānau, Lunch By Libelle. This is another step towards ensuring equity and inclusiveness for all our students. You can visit their website at https://www.lunchbylibelle.co.nz

We had a team that interviewed each potential supplier. The student representatives and staff were impressed by the variety in Lunch By Libelle’s menu, a strong recycling programme, and the quality of the healthy food they offered. This means that starting next term every student will receive a free lunch each day during our middle block of learning time. That means each day only a small healthy snack will need to come to school with your child. This also means that our providers for bought lunches will not be available next term.

Forms have come out via the classroom teacher to capture any information around dietary requirements/allergies, which are being passed on to our supplier. We look forward to our first yummy lunch on Monday the 26th of July.

The school is required to have held an additional 6 accord teacher only days by mid 2022. We have held our first one on the 3rd of February, ahead of the start of school and our second one on Thursday the 1st of April ahead of Easter. The 3rd was on Friday 04 June. We have scheduled the remaining day this year for Friday the 27th of August ahead of our Mid-Term break on Monday the 30th August. We ask you to make note of this day as the school will not be open to students and appreciate your support as we continue to develop our practice. The remaining two days will be held in 2022.

We have a good supply of 2021 honey cleverly made by the bees in our hives. Now is a great time to buy! Still only a bargain $5 a jar, available at the school office. Cash only.

• Friday 9 July - Last day of Term 2
  
• Monday 26 July - First day of Term 3
• Thursday 05 and Friday 06 August - School Photos
• Monday 09 August - Visit by WIS students to our Yr 6 cohort
• Friday 13 August - NEST trip to WAGS and Yr 6 Youth Summit
• Friday 27 August - Accord teacher only day
• Monday 30 August - Mid term break
• Monday 13 - Friday 17 September - Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori
• Friday 01 October - Last day of Term 3

WINTER

With the weather turning and cooling and rain becoming more likely we would like to remind you that it is a good idea for children to bring raincoats and a change of clothes along to school. Covered shoes are suggested. We would like all of these items to be clearly named so they can be returned to your children should they be left behind.

SCHOOL HOURS

School gates open 8:15am

School begins 9.00am

1st Play Break 11:00-11:30am

2nd Play Break 1:30-2:00pm

School finishes 3.00pm

School gates close 3:15pm

There are two eating breaks within the day, taken at times that suit each class. Please ask your child's teacher when their times are.

Medication: If your child requires medication be brought to or kept at school, please be aware that due to health and safety concerns, this must be kept secure in the school sick bay. It is not to be kept in children’s schoolbags during the day. This is to protect the safety of not only the child requiring the medication but also all other students. All medication requires an accompanying permission/approval form signed by their parent or caregiver. This includes epi-pens for allergy management, inhalers for asthma or any other medication your child requires on a short-term or as needed basis.

Email: office@onerahi.school.nz
Website: https://www.onerahi.school.nz/
Location: Onerahi Primary School Church Street, Onerahi, Whangārei 0110, New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 436 0521
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onerahischool