Week 3 Term 1, 2025

Friday assembly, last week

The Year 6 students received their hats, badges and a certificate identifying the role they have taken on for the school for the year. There was a great turn out of parents to celebrate. Matt, the school photographer, took photos of the groups that will in turn make their way to the website.

It was great to see how efficient the assembly was and how many certificates were given out. A real highlight was the two hosts from Room One who worked without the script on the day. They presented with confidence and pride. They have set a very high standard for the rest of the year.

Oliver Orozco-Thomas

I would also like to acknowledge Oliver on his selection to the Barca Academy’s Soccer camp in Auckland and two further camps to be held in Barcelona later in 2025. A fantastic effort Oliver. The school is very proud of you. Read an article here.

Year 5 and 6 Camps

Camp week has started with the parents meeting held last night at the school. Great to see plenty of parents attending and hearing the plans for both camps. There will be regular updates of photos on the website for both camps. Check out the galleries to see all the action. Camp fees can be paid at the school office.

Twilight Gala

The jolly jars have started to arrive, as have the grocery items. These items can be dropped off at the school office. There are a number of raffles on sale on the night. Firewood, two different raffles for nights away without the children, one in Taupō and one in Rotorua, plus the grocery raffles.

The food on sale on the night will be along the lines of:

Steak Sammies + optional onion
Sausage Sizzle + optional onion
Pulled Pork Buns + coleslaw + mayo
Vegetarian Nachos + Gluten Free
Drinks

There will also be a Wairakei’s Got Talent happening on the night together with the Year 6 stalls.

For the Wairakei’s Got Talent:

2 minutes for each person.
Music to be appropriate for young children
Enter your name at the office including item format. i.e dance, song, skit
Year 5 and 6 entries limited to 30
Performance 5 - 6.30pm.
If there are less than 30 entries then can open it to Year 4’s.
Entries close 5p.m. Monday, February 24.

Waiariki Mana Ake

The school works with a range of outside agencies that support the work we do. Following is the promotional blurb for Mana Aka and how to contact them. You do not need to wait for the school to do this. You can approach them yourself.

Waiariki Mana Ake is an emotional wellbeing service available within the school. The service is a joint initiative between the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health to support the emotional well-being of tamariki and whanau in schools. Our aim is to enhance students’ wellbeing through increasing skills such as building positive friendships, managing worries, coping with loss or change and strengthening their self-worth.

This support includes classroom wellbeing programmes, large and small group activities and support for individual students.

Mana Ake kaimahi, Victoria Herrick, is in the school on Tuesdays and Thursdaysand Jasmine Weaver is in the school on Wednesdays.

If you are interested in knowing more about what we do or would like to discuss your child directly, drop in to see Victoria on Tuesday mornings from 8.30am to 9.30am at school or email Victoria.Herrick@lakesdhb.govt.nz or Jasmine.Weaver@lakesdhb.govt.nz

Lost Property from 2024 has been sorted and returned to students as best we can

There is a week’s grace period before the older garments are removed so we can start again. Please come and check out what is in the cupboard and take the lost property home.

The lost property will be on display at the Twilight Gala. Something has to happen to it as the cupboard is bulging with unnamed clothing.

Missing Sport Uniforms

After marking in the uniforms returned from the 2024 seasons, the following items are still outstanding. We require these for our 2025 winter sport teams.

Touch Rugby

Yellow Numbers - 10, 17, 18, 30, 36, 37, 45, 63, 79,

White Numbers - 6, 17, 27, 28, 44, 45, 53, 54,

Hockey Number 74

Netball Number 12 Top and Skirt - Wairakei Stars

Number 23 Top and Skirt - Wairakei Heat

Number 49 Top and Skirt - Wairakei Storm

Please return to the school office this week.

Parent Teacher Discussions

Parent teacher discussions are being held on Thursday, March 6, 2025 starting at 12.30 p.m. If you are able to pick up your child/ren at midday we would greatly appreciate that. School is open and supervision will be in place for the afternoon. Buses will still operate on the day.

To book in please use the following link and code 28wgu.

Website is www.schoolinterviews.co.nz.

Wairakei Estate IronKidz

Good luck to all the students participating in the annual Ironkids event this coming weekend. We have always had good numbers of entries for this and from that the school receives some funding that we put towards sports equipment.

Yummy Stickers

It is time to start collecting these again. We have the sheets in the office that we can send home for you to add to. Every sheet we send in allows us to receive sports equipment at the end of year. The boxes arrived with new hoops and balls when school started this week.

Ngā mihi nui

Paula