Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Welcome to Week 7, Term 4 2023  

Baby Shower

Miss Smith, our fabulous Office Manager, is going on maternity leave at the end of term and we are very excited about the pending arrival of ‘our new school baby’! (We are also wondering what we are going to do without her!) Parents and caregivers: you are warmly invited to join our school staff for Lynda’s Baby Shower that we are putting on for Lynda at morning tea on Tuesday 5 December at 10.30am. Any queries (and your baby gift drop-offs!) can come to Tina-Maree school or message me at principal@karapiro.school.nz Thank you. 

Staffing 2024

School Pool

We need someone to help care for the school pool from 25-29 January. This would involve daily testing of the water and application of any treatments necessary. Training will be given by Mr C.

If there is anyone who is able to support us to keep the school pool open over the holiday break for our families, could you please contact Dan at dan@karapiro.school.nz to make a time to meet and have a pool maintenance lesson :) 

Rural Schools Athletics Day

Congratulations to all Karāpiro School students who represented our school so well at the recent Rural School Athletics Day. We are incredibly proud of our students and the many ‘personal best’ efforts that were achieved on the day. Thank you to the team at Kaipaki School for running the event and to Mrs Jones and Mrs McMillan who gave Mr C a hand to run the vortex station on the day. We have been advised these students received the following placings:

Ronja - 1st 100m, 3rd 200m, 3rd vortex, 2nd high jump

Milla - 2nd 100m, 1st 200m, 1st vortex

Ben - 1st 100m, 3rd high jump

Dakotah - 1st 200m, 3rd vortex, 3rd high jump

Leo - 3rd 200m, 1st shot put, 3rd long jump

Aaliyah - 3rd shot put, 1st vortex, 3rd high jump

Celestine - 1st discus, 1st vortex

Aylah - 2nd discus

Congratulations to everyone who gave it a go. All the best to the Karāpiro team who will represent our school in the Rural School team tomorrow at the Interschools Athletics event. 

Pohutukawa Camp

Thank you to everyone who made Pōhutukawa's Camp so awesome! We are grateful for all the parents and adults who helped out over the three days (Earl, Justin, Nicole, Eve, Marilynn, Rachael, Manuela, Danika, Aneka, Megan) and to the donors who made this possible through kai and fundraising contributions. We had the best time and made some lifelong memories along the way. We learnt to ski and developed our understanding of local tikanga and whakapapa. We zoomed down the hydroslide and roasted marshmallows. We even played a bit of spotlight and topped it all off with a trip to the Hamilton Zoo and Ninja Valley. Camping at school is pretty cool!

School Building Upgrade - Nga Iti Kahurangi

Our school building upgrade is in full swing this week, with repairs having been made to our buildings and spouting and the buildings washed down. The team on site is now preparing the building for painting which we hope will be underway next week. We are so grateful to the Programmed team for their work - and it was super-special to see them taking the time to give the senior playground a wash down this week too! Check out their progress in the pics below… if you look carefully you might see a sneak-peak of a colour change coming up!

Term Dates 

Term 4 will end on 15 December 2023 at 12.30pm. Term 1 begins on 30 January 2024 at 9am.

We need your help!

Can you spare some time to help out at school? We don’t have a caretaker and we rely on the support of our community to keep our school looking great for our students. Please pop in at a time that best suits you and lend a hand with the following jobs:

End of Term Events

Prizegiving

Our end of year prizegiving will be held on Tuesday 12 December at 6pm at school.  We would love to see you there to celebrate our students' successes for the year. All Karāpiro School students will receive a certificate and our Year 6 students will be presented with their leaving certificates. We will also be presenting our major prizes for the 2023 school year and saying farewell to our school staff who are moving on. Please pop this date in your calendar now!

Thank You Morning Tea

Our thank you morning tea will be held on Friday 1 December at 10am to say thank you to everyone who has helped our school this year. This is our opportunity to say thank you to our school families as well as other supporters of our school for helping us and our students throughout the year. We would love to see you there. All are welcome!

Gumboot Ball on Friday 1 December from 11am

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term. Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Pool Keys

New pool keys will be available from Monday. Pool key hire is $50 for school families and $70 for community members. There is an additional $10 key bond which will be refunded when the key is returned. If you hired a key last season please return your last season’s key to the school office.

Rental Property Wanted

Just wondering if anyone knows of a home available to rent?  Looking to rent for approximately 6 months. We are a middle aged working couple, homeowners. We only need a small place, Cambridge/Hamilton/rural/furnished/unfurnished are all options. Good references available, no pets. Adrienne & Craig. 027 447 5996

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term four is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us. 

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which is regularly updated.

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

The school holidays are nearly upon us – keep the kids entertained by taking them to an action-packed game of basketball.

The BNZ Breakers have 8 Auckland games remaining this season and every single game promises plenty of fun, giveaways, and entertainment for the whole family. Choose the dates that suit you and get behind the BNZ Breakers. Tickets are on sale at www.ticketmaster.co.nz

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Welcome to Week 4, Term 4 2023  

Swimming Pool

Our pool will be open from next week, Monday 6 November. Please make sure your child/ren have their togs and a towel each day for swimming. Swimming is part of our Health and Physical Education curriculum. Our school pool is open and we plan to swim every day. We are very fortunate to have solar heated water!  Please ensure your child has togs and towel ready for school - or a note from home is there is a reason they can’t swim.

We are also looking for a parent to volunteer to help maintain our school pool over the summer months, this involves checking chemical levels and general maintenance. If you are interested in helping with this please let Lynda in the office know.

Pool keys will be available from Monday. Pool key hire is $50 for school families and $70 for community members. There is an additional $10 key bond which will be refunded when the key is returned. If you hired a key last season please return your key to the school office.

Keeping Ourselves Safe (K.O.S.)

Our KOS programme continues with the support of Constable Kat from NZ Police. You can find more information on the programme here or speak with your classroom teacher.

Library Help

We are looking for some parents to volunteer to help us with some work in the library. We need to complete our end of year stocktake. We also need to pack up some books we have loaned from the National Library to return. This would involve checking books against the list and boxing them up. If you are able to help with this please let Lynda in the office know.

Athletics Day

Students aged 8-11 years (as at 24 November) will be attending the rural schools athletics day on Wednesday 15 November at the Cambridge Athletics Grounds on Vogel Street. Please complete the permission form: Athletics Day Permission Form

Students will need to be at school by 9.00am if they require transport to the event or they can be dropped off at the Cambridge Athletics Grounds for 9.45am and collected at 2.05pm. We do need parent helpers for transport and supervision so if you are available please let us know.

Students will need to wear a red Karāpiro School shirt. These are available to borrow from the school office if you do not have one. They will also need a hat, sports shoes, packed lunch and drink bottle. Please put sunscreen on before the event also.

Kaipaki School PTA will be providing some food for sale on the day so students can bring cash for this.

Thank You Margaret!

On Wednesday we had a special morning tea for Margaret Ng who has worked as our very own Speech Language Therapist. Margaret’s private practice has ‘taken off’ and so she will be spending her Wednesdays in her practice in town. We have been so privileged to have Margaret as part of the Karāpiro staff for the last few years. Thank you Margaret for being an awesome, loyal and dedicated member of the team - we have appreciated your expertise and support as well as the wonderful work you have done for so many Karāpiro kids. We had a farewell morning tea for Margaret at school on Wednesday - and were super lucky to receive her awesome gifts for the classrooms (wet days will never be the same again! Thank you Margaret!)

Please see the flyer below if you would like to make contact with Margaret for any speech and language queries :) 

Term Dates and Teacher Only Day

Term 4 will end on 15 December 2023 at 12.30pm. Term 1 begins on 30 January 2024 at 9am. Our next Teacher Only Day is Friday 17th November 2023, when the school will be closed for instruction for professional learning for teachers in the Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum.

Pōhutukawa Camp Information - 8-10 November 2023

When you arrive on the morning of November 8th for the first day of camp:

1. Please arrive by 7.45am, as we will be departing for SnowPlanet at 8:00am
   
   

2. Make sure your child has morning tea for the first day
   
   

3. They will need to have a day bag packed with warm clothes, a lunch box and a spare change of clothes for the first day
   
   

4. Students can drop their larger bags into Totara (Boys) or Kauri (Girls)
   
   

5. Any donations of fruit, breakfast cereals or lunch items (such as muesli bars or bread) will be gratefully received on Monday, November 6 or Tuesday, November 7. Please leave at the office.
   
   

Another thing to note, is that we would like you to drop off their mattresses and sleeping gear on Tuesday, November 7th, so that their sleeping space can be set up in advance to camp starting. A detailed timeline and further information will be sent home with students over the next two days and via email. Please direct any camp questions to Mr. C.

We need your help!

Can you spare an hour once per week to help out at school? We don’t have a caretaker and we rely on the support of our community to keep our school looking great for our students. Please pop in at a time that best suits you and lend a hand with the following jobs:

End of Term Events

Prizegiving

Our end of year prizegiving will be held on Tuesday 12 December at 6pm in Kauri Class. We would love to see you there to celebrate our students' successes for the year.

Thank You Morning Tea

Our thank you morning tea will be held on Friday 1 December at 10am to say thank you to everyone who has helped our school this year. We would love to see you there. All are welcome!

Gumboot Ball on Friday 1 December from 11am

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term.  Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term four is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us. 

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which is regularly updated.

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Welcome to Week 1, Term 4 2023.  

Welcome to Our New Students

Welcome to Milla and Alexia who have joined Pohutukawa class. Welcome to each of you and your families. It is a pleasure to be part of the beginning of your learning journey and your primary school days. We have many happy and exciting times ahead!

Sanctuary Mountain Pics

Students had an amazing trip to Sanctuary Mountain at the end of Term 3. They learned about the New Zealand environment and the flora and fauna which makes it unique, developed a deeper understanding of conservation in New Zealand and learned about the methods that have been used to keep the sanctuary pest-free.

New Gate

Thank you to Carl Jones and Greg Burton for our new driveway fence and gate to help make our school more secure. We really appreciate your time and energy! Thank you.

Ag Day 

Thank you so much to all those who came and made our Ag Day an amazing day!

Congratulations to our students who took part. The results are: Champion Calf - Celestine Poihipi, Reserve Champion Calf - Taniera Mitchell, Third Calf - Theo Epp, Champion Lamb - Zina Poihipi, Reserve Champion Lamb - Harley Foster, Third Lamb - Jahkai Poihipi and Best Dog - Eli Johnson.

A special thank you to the people who have made this event possible this year. We extend a huge welcome and thank you to the members of the Karapiro School PTA fundraising team. Thank you for your dedication and support for Karapiro School. 

Thank you: Lynda, Tina, Dan, Faye, Margaret & Amanda for all your hard work planning and organisation for making this day happen.

We need to say a huge thank you to our sponsors. Once again our students have been generously supported by the following companies:  LIC, FMG, Cambridge Vets (Patrick - BBQ), Marion from Sam and His Farmyard Friends (petting zoo and pony rides), Francis Skeet Trust and the Karapiro Hall committee for the use of your carpark.

Karapiro School families: Thank you for your support and for helping with the set up today, your generous baking and of course for supplying us with great students for our school! Thank you to Manuela and Nicole for your help selling food and drinks.

Give a Little Fundraiser for Pohutukawa Camp with Mr C!

Well done to Mr C and Pohutukawa class for raising $4356 for their camp this term. This is an incredible effort and Pohutukawa class are looking forward to an amazing camp. 

Thank You Morning Tea

Our thank you morning tea will be held on Friday 1 December at 10am to say thank you to everyone who has helped our school this year. We would love to see you there. All welcome!

Fred Hollows Award - Congratulations Aaliyah Tiatoa

Term Dates and Teacher Only Day

Term 4 2023 will end on 15 December 2023 at 12.30pm. 

Term 1 2024 begins on 30 January 2024 at 9am. 

Our next Teacher Only Day is Friday 17th November 2023, when the school will be closed for instruction for professional learning for teachers in the Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum.

Keeping Ourselves Safe – Parent Information Meeting Tuesday 17th October

This term we have a focus on safety and in Week 4 we will begin our Health Curriculum programme ‘Keeping Ourselves Safe’ which  is a comprehensive child abuse prevention programme for schools. Its purpose is to:

·     teach students a range of safe practices that they can use when interacting with other people, both online and face to face

·  teach students how to recognise the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, and encourage students who have been or are being abused to seek help

·      prevent abuse by making parents and teachers more aware of their responsibilities to help students avoid abuse.

We will be teaching this unit in collaboration with Constable Kathryn (Kat) PAYNE

our local Police Education Officer. Kathryn has made herself available for a parent information meeting to answer any questions you may have. She will be at school at 2.00pm on Tuesday 17th October in the Whanau Room. Please RSVP to Lynda at office@karapiro.school.nz if you would like to attend. You can also find information at the link below:

Information for parents and whānau

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term.  Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term four is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us. 

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which is regularly updated.

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

Junior Touch Term 4

In term 4, 2023 there will be a Junior Touch Module for years 3-8, with 3 grades, Years 3 & 4, Years 5 & 6 and Years 7 & 8. We are affiliated with Waikato Touch and Touch NZ. By playing in an affiliated module, players are eligible to trial for Waikato reps.

Games will be played at Memorial Park, Taylor St, Cambridge on Friday afternoons/evenings.  The first round will begin at 4 pm and half hourly after that. Games will comprise 2 x 12-minute halves with a 2-minute halftime.  Year 3/4 games will be played first, then Year 5/6 followed by Year 7/8.

The module will run for 7 weeks being: October 27th, November 3rd, November 10th,  November 17th,  November 24th,  December 1st,  and December 8th

Players can choose to register with either Hautapu Sports Club or Leamington Rugby and Sports Club to join a team.

Hautapu Sports:

Hautapu Sports Club registrations for Junior Touch in Term 4, 2023 are open. We have teams for year 3 - 8. 

We are thrilled to offer Touch again.

Registrations close on October 11th. Please register here: Touch Registration

Any questions please email Marie at touch@hautapusports.com

Leamington Rugby and Sports.

Leamington Junior Sports invites you to register for the 2023 Touch Rugby season, we offer Touch Rugby for Years 3-8.

We are so excited to see you!

Register here: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/253451

Any Questions? Email Lara on leamingtonjuniorsport@outlook.com 

Here is the link to pre-register for the Riverside Adventures - Waikato Summer Series races/rides - https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=330477

You can also turn up on the night to race but get there by 6pm to ensure the club can complete your race registration before racing starts. Club Members are free / Non-Club Members can race for $5.

3 tracks to choose from catering for all skill and fitness levels. Summer Series Winners will be determined by a racer's best 10 races!

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Welcome to Week 9, Term 3 2023.  

PTA - Fire Wood

Are you able to help? We have a wood splitter available but need the wood cut into chunks first. We are planning to sell the firewood to raise money for our school so any help would be appreciated.

Working Bee THANK YOU!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped out at our last working bee. We got so much done and the school is looking amazing.

Student Led Conferences

Student Led Conferences will be happening on Monday 18 September and Wednesday 20 September from 2.30pm - 5.30pm. To make a booking please use the following link:  Student Led Conferences Booking

If you have any questions regarding the conferences please let us know. If you are unable to attend during these times please contact your child/ren's teacher to arrange an alternative time to meet.

Sanctuary Mountain Trip

On Tuesday 19 September (Week 10)  all Karāpiro School students will go on an excursion to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, 99 Tari Road, Pukeatua. Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari is a mainland island sanctuary. The whole forest ecosystem is protected from introduced mammalian pests. The species live naturally in the protected ecosystems of Maungatautari. The ancient forest offers a sanctuary for populations of many of our most endangered species such as birds, skinks, geckos, frogs, bats, and insects. Students will  learn about the New Zealand environment and the flora and fauna which makes it unique, develop a deeper understanding of conservation in New Zealand and learn about the methods that have been used to keep the sanctuary pest-free. For more information please visit: Sanctuary Mountain

We will be leaving school at 9.15am and returning by 2.30pm. Please ensure all students are at school by 9am.

Students will need to bring:

- Packed morning tea and lunch in a sealed container

- A water bottle

- Clean, sturdy, comfortable, closed footwear (for walking on loose gravel and grass) and warm socks. Please no crocs, jandals, slides or gumboots. It is important that footwear is clean for biosecurity.

- Sunhat and sunscreen

- Rainproof jacket with a hood

- It is recommended that children wear layers of clothing as the mountain is colder

- A warm hat

We will need parent supervisors to help with supervision of small groups of students (please no babies or toddlers allowed) and with transport to and from Sanctuary Mountain. A reasonable level of fitness is required for the walking as there are some steep slopes on some parts of the track. Parents will supervise students on the walk (ensuring students stay on the trails and with the group, that they do not drop rubbish or touch bait stations, monitoring devices or pest control systems), and during morning tea and lunchtime (to ensure no rubbish is left).

Cross Country Results

Congratulations to our students for their fantastic running at the rural schools cross country. The results are:

Theo Epp (6 year old boys) - 6th place

Alice Daly (8 year old girls) - 2nd place

Ronja Epp (8 year old girls) - 5th place

Ben Epp (10 year old boys) - 5th place

Aaliyah Tiatoa (11 year old girls) - 5th place

Leonidas Smith Serei (11 year old boys) - 3rd place

Congratulations to Leo

Well done to Leo who represented our school in the Rotary Speech Competition this week. We are very proud of you.

Student Survey Results

PTA Raffle Result

Congratulations to Martyn who was the winner of our PTA raffle for our cross country.

Life Education pics

Give a Little Fundraiser for Pohutukawa Camp with Mr C!

Mr. C is done with the bun! Help our little school get to camp with the Give a Little Fundraiser The seniors at Karāpiro School need help to get to camp! We're a little school looking for a chance to do something big. Being small is our super power and we want our school to have the same opportunities as other schools!

My name is Dan and I'm a second year teacher at Karāpiro School. I love my job and the rewarding feeling that comes with supporting our tamariki to become strong and successful individuals. In my short time as a qualified teacher, I have been blown away by how resilient, adaptable and accepting our children are. That's why I think that we deserve a chance to experience the joys of a camp just like many other schools around Aotearoa.

When I think of the core memories of my own personal childhood and schooling, camp sits above all else. To me, it is where so many of my most important friendships were forged and the highlight reel of growing up was compiled. It’s a true kiwi classic. During school camps, we learnt invaluable lessons, took part in opportunities that I’d never had before and, most importantly, had lots of fun. I could not find a group of children, nor school, that deserves an opportunity to participate in an end of year school camp more than this one.

To support our fundraising effort, I'm even offering to cut my flowing locks if we reach our goal! Please consider donating any small amount that you can, it all helps! Thank you so much for your time and consideration.    Give a Little Fundraiser 

Ag Day on Wednesday 11 October (Week 1 Term 4 2023)

See below the activity guide for students to start to work on now at home. These can be brought to school on Ag Day for judging.

If you have any questions about Ag Day please get in touch with Lynda in the school office.

Are You Interested in Joining Our PTA? 

Our PTA helps with fundraising for our school and helping out with events held such as Cross Country and Ag Day. Our PTA also organises school lunches throughout the year. If you are interested in being involved please get in touch with Lynda in the school office.

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term.  Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term three and four is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us. 

Term 3 ends on Friday 22 September. There will be a celebration assembly from 12pm and we would love for you to be there. Students are welcome to leave after the assembly if you need to beat the holiday traffic. Term 4 starts on 9 October. 

Our next Teacher Only Day is Friday 17th November 2023, when the school will be closed for instruction for professional learning for teachers in the Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. 

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which is regularly updated.

Happy Holidays!

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

Find us on Facebook 

Junior Touch Term 4

In term 4, 2023 there will be a Junior Touch Module for years 3-8, with 3 grades, Years 3 & 4, Years 5 & 6 and Years 7 & 8. We are affiliated with Waikato Touch and Touch NZ. By playing in an affiliated module, players are eligible to trial for Waikato reps.

Games will be played at Memorial Park, Taylor St, Cambridge on Friday afternoons/evenings.  The first round will begin at 4 pm and half hourly after that. Games will comprise 2 x 12-minute halves with a 2-minute halftime.  Year 3/4 games will be played first, then Year 5/6 followed by Year 7/8.

The module will run for 7 weeks being: October 27th, November 3rd, November 10th,  November 17th,  November 24th,  December 1st,  and December 8th

Players can choose to register with either Hautapu Sports Club or Leamington Rugby and Sports Club to join a team.

Hautapu Sports:

Hautapu Sports Club registrations for Junior Touch in Term 4, 2023 are open. We have teams for year 3 - 8. 

We are thrilled to offer Touch again.

Registrations close on October 11th. Please register here: Touch Registration

Any questions please email Marie at touch@hautapusports.com

Leamington Rugby and Sports.

Leamington Junior Sports invites you to register for the 2023 Touch Rugby season, we offer Touch Rugby for Years 3-8.

We are so excited to see you!

Register here: https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/253451

Any Questions? Email Lara on leamingtonjuniorsport@outlook.com 

We are excited to announce our free Have-a-Go swimming carnivals for primary aged children, aimed at supporting the progression from our water safety education program into club swimming.
Working with our Member Swimming Clubs, Swimming Waikato would like to ensure those children who have developed water safety knowledge have the opportunity to connect with their local clubs, with the aim of offering further aquatic opportunities.

Have-a-Go’s are designed to cater for all different levels of swimming ability and to ensure all participants have a fun swimming experience. Kids will also be able to have-a-go at some short races where they will receive a participation ribbon and their official time. All participants will also receive a Swimming Waikato Sports Bag filled with 'Your Next Stroke's' support and plenty more.

Hamilton Have-A-Go Carnival

Sunday 17th September

Waterworld

More info & register: https://swimmingwaikato.co.nz/2023/06/have-a-go-carnivals/

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Welcome to Week 5, Term 3 2023  

Visit from All Black Cam Roigard

Today we welcomed back ex-Karāpiro School student Cam Roigard who gave his time to come back to school, where his rugby journey began. Cam spent some time with students talking about his journey to becoming an All Black and answered some questions the students had written for him. We were very lucky to have Cam sign a new rugby ball for a PTA fundraiser too! Cam reflected on his favourite things about school which were playing rugby and hanging out in the PE shed! He also remembered bringing his calves to Ag Day. Cam shared a message for the students which was to follow your dreams and work hard towards your goals. He thanked his family and friends for their encouragement and support of his goals.

It was a pleasure to welcome you back Cam. All the very best to you! We will be watching and following your tour with huge interest. Go Cam! And go the AB’s! 

John Parsons - Cybersafety talk

A reminder that Pohutukawa class will be attending the John Parsons talk on Friday 18 August at Roto-O-Rangi School. Students will leave school at 11.30am and return by 3pm. We are short on one more vehicle for transporting students so please let us know if you can help us. Thank you. 

The final opportunity to attend a parent meeting is tonight at Cambridge Middle School - see flyer below. 

Give a Little Fundraiser for Pohutukawa Camp with Mr C!

Mr. C is done with the bun! Help our little school get to camp with the Give a Little Fundraiser The seniors at Karāpiro School need help to get to camp! We're a little school looking for a chance to do something big. Being small is our super power and we want our school to have the same opportunities as other schools!

My name is Dan and I'm a second year teacher at Karāpiro School. I love my job and the rewarding feeling that comes with supporting our tamariki to become strong and successful individuals. In my short time as a qualified teacher, I have been blown away by how resilient, adaptable and accepting our children are. That's why I think that we deserve a chance to experience the joys of a camp just like many other schools around Aotearoa.

When I think of the core memories of my own personal childhood and schooling, camp sits above all else. To me, it is where so many of my most important friendships were forged and the highlight reel of growing up was compiled. It’s a true kiwi classic. During school camps, we learnt invaluable lessons, took part in opportunities that I’d never had before and, most importantly, had lots of fun. I could not find a group of children, nor school, that deserves an opportunity to participate in an end of year school camp more than this one.

To support our fundraising effort, I'm even offering to cut my flowing locks if we reach our goal! Please consider donating any small amount that you can, it all helps! Thank you so much for your time and consideration.    Give a Little Fundraiser 

Working Bee Sunday 27 August 9am-12pm

Our next working bee will be held on Sunday, 27 August from 9am-12pm. We need help with:

• Leaves - driveway, courts and field

• Gutters cleared

• Weeding gardens - sandpit, carpark

• School pool - clean out changing sheds, clear leaves from pool

• School vege garden - weeding

• Wash down outside of buildings

• Clear branches and leaves at the top of the driveway

• Spread bark onto junior playground and under trees on senior playground

• Wash down playground (remove lichen/moss)

• Clean interior windows - classrooms

We would appreciate any help you and your family can provide. Please bring any gardening tools you have. Morning tea will be provided.

Cross Country - Parent Support - Items for Donation to Raffle Box

This year we don’t have a PTA group so Tina-Maree and Lynda have taken on fundraising and we are running a raffle to raise money for our school (because we only have the two of us on the PTA we have offered the cross country food fundraiser to Horahora School this year). Raffle tickets have gone home with students for our cross country raffle. Additional ticket books are available from the school office. We are relying on parent donations of food for the prize box. Please send them off to the school office asap. Thank you for helping to fundraise for our school.

Because we only have the two of us on the PTA we have offered the food fundraiser to Horahora School this year.We also need parent support to help run our Cross Country (including parent marshalls) which is coming up on Tuesday 5 September. We are in desperate need of a trailer to transport our gear to and from the Lake Karāpiro venue. Please contact the office if you can help us. 

Assembly

Our next assembly will be held on Friday 25 August at 2.30pm. We would love to see you there.

Ag Day on Wednesday 11 October (Week 1 Term 4 2023)

Registration forms have gone home for those students who would like to bring an animal for Ag Day. Please ensure that these are returned by 25 August.

Also see below the activity guide for students to start to work on now at home. These can be brought to school on Ag Day for judging.

If you have any questions about Ag Day please get in touch with Lynda in the school office.

Lambs for Ag Day 2023

"Our Netball Report" by Aaliyah and Dakotah

“When the day came we had to be ready. Our coach wasn’t there so it was a bit challenging. But one of our teammates' mums filled in her spot. We were waiting for the right timing. Then there was the bell. *Ding* All the kids that were just playing rushed out of the courts.Then there were our rivals. The team we were first versing. The last time we versed them it was a close  score, but we still won. But that didn’t matter. We had to concentrate. Usually we do the opposite but this time we had to be serious. We were now ready to verse the team called Kowhai. We had a little pep talk before we started the game, and before we knew it we were on the court ready to get this over with. “Ten seconds till we start,” said the lady on the speaker.Then there was the buzzer. We all dashed for the ball. We were all trying to defend them and soon succeeded. We were all waiting for the attackers to shoot the ball. Then there was the whistle. We got the goal! We were all so happy for the shooters. Then it was the other team's ball. Aaliyah and Dakotah were defending the other team's attackers. Then we caught the ball. After a while the ending buzzer went off. The score was 6/2. We had won our first game. We all thought that we had a winning shot for the finals. Then we had our second game. Just letting this reader or listener know if we lost a game we wouldn't go in the finals. Then we put on our stick-on-bibs. We were ready once again. Then the girl that Aaliyah was defending whispered “You're gonna lose” Then Aaliyah asked her if she had won before. Then she said “yes”. Then Aaliyah was thinking in her head *well that's about to change.* Then the bell went off. *Ding* We all charged into the centre third. We had the ball first. We were working as a team and called out each other's names desperate to get the ball. “Pass,shoot it,Defend and Yeah!” Were our main words we yelled out. Then we finished that game. We won again! With the score being 10/2. We were kinda surprised to be winning this much. But that was only two, we still needed to win one more to get into the finals. Then after that we had a 1 hour break. We asked if we could go to the park and that's what we did. We mainly went on the swings and the seesaw. We were all being stupid and silly. Then the time was 11:15. We all knew what to do. So we all rushed back to the tent to do our final game to get into the finals. At last our final team we had to beat. The opponents had some tall people but we believed that we could not be stopped.There were two people who had to be subs. Aaliyah was off the first round. We all tried our hardest to win this victory. Then in a flash we had won! Again! With the score being 13\2 We all screamed out “WE’RE MAKING IT TO THE FINALS!!” Then after a while of celebrating our victory, we were ready for the finals. Oh no! It was a team that was really well trained. Their coach is really strict to them. And they are expected to do everything they can to win. Our coaches on the other hand are really focused and believable. They always cheer us on. “One, two, three KARAKA!” We were gonna act as if we won the world cup.[if we won this game]  “Ten seconds till we start” The woman on the speaker said. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. everyone counted in their head waiting to be able to run into the center third. Suddenly the whistle went off and every kid on the court ran as fast as they could into the center trying to catch the ball and as soon as we knew it we were already down on the end of the court where we shoot *TWEET* went the whistle and we had already gotten a goal. Before we knew it we had already gotten 4 goals then we got 5 then we got 7 then we got 10 and soon we had 13. *DING* The game was over and we had won the finals. We screamed in joy. The score was 13/7. We couldn't believe we had won the tournament! We all calmed down and waited for the bell to ring again for the prize giving. Then it rang. All the players that had played the finals ran to the ringing of the bell. The Lady announced the year 3,4,5 prizes. “Ok everyone here is the year 6 runner up team, Hautapu Whero!” We all yelled and cheered for them. “Ok everyone the year 6 champions this year goes to Hautapu karaka!” Yay we all hugged and screamed at each other happily. We were all relieved that we had won and had all the pressure off of us. Then we all sang we are the champions. Then it was time to go home. We all hope we will do another tournament. Well, stay tuned for the next netball report in Tauranga!”

Are You Interested in Joining Our PTA? 

Our PTA helps with fundraising for our school and helping out with events held such as Cross Country and Ag Day. Our PTA also organises school lunches throughout the year. If you are interested in being involved please get in touch with Lynda in the school office.

Digital Equity Internet Access

The Ministry of Education has funding available to support families in homes without an internet connection. Please make contact with Tina-Maree principal@karapiro.school.nz if you would like more information about accessing this support. 

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term. Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term three and four is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us. 

Our next Teacher Only Day is Friday 17th November 2023, when the school will be closed for instruction for professional learning for teachers in the Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. 

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which is regularly updated.

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

FRAZZLED KIWI ADVENTURE RACE, CAMBRIDGE – Sunday 20 AUGUST 2023

For students and whānau who love the outdoors, maps, adventures, team challenges and having fun in our beautiful taiao – join the Frazzled Kiwi fun on Sunday 20 August in Cambridge.

The course is designed for students and families as well as adult social & work teams of 2 – 5 people. Frazzled Kiwi is a fun introduction to adventure racing – use your course map and clue sheet to find checkpoints and complete fun mystery activities. While Frazzled Kiwi is a run/trek only adventure race, it’s still 100% a team sport – you must stick together on the course.

For more information and to register your team, visit: https://soakedinadventure.co.nz/frazzled-kiwi-cambridge/

KEY INFORMATION:

Course length: 6-7km [complete within 1.5 – 3hrs]

Date: Sunday 20 August 2023

Key times: 8.30am registration; 9.45am race briefing; 10am race start; 1pm prizegiving

Cost per person: $35

2023 GENERAL ELECTION

We are interested to hear from anyone who would like to work for the 2023 General Election.

We are seeking people 16+ who can work on Election Day, 14 October 2023.

We are also employing people who wish to work at advanced voting polling places or in the Waikato Electorate Head Quarters based in Hamilton.

Apply online at:

Open this Hyperlink and scroll to the bottom of the page to apply.

General Election 2023 - Waikato Electorate - Electoral Commission (elections.nz)

Look forward to hearing from you.

Katrina Pepper

Recruiting & Rostering Manager.

Waikato Electorate

021 2423847

Katrina.pepper@elections.govt.nz  

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Week 2, Term 3 2023   

Welcome

This week we are delighted to welcome Jacinta to Kōwhai Class. Welcome to you and your family - we wish you many happy days ahead, learning and growing with us at Karāpiro School. 

Thank You Cambridge Busy Bees!

We are so grateful to Cambridge Busy Bees for supporting Karāpiro School to purchase a set of phonics and phonemic awareness resources for our students and teachers. This was such a generous donation and has enabled us to update our resource bank. Thank you for supporting us!

Our New Sharing Shed!

Thank you so much to Hayley Flighty, Regan Macgregor, Dylan and Payton for answering our call for help and designing and building a Sharing Shed for our school and community. You are amazing!! Thank you for your time and generosity (and handy building skills!)

So how does it work? It’s simple: Share what you have and take what you need. If you have spare fruit and vegetables from your garden or a surplus of food, please pop it onto the Sharing Shed. When you drop off and pick up your children come and have a look and see what’s there.

We will ask the children not to take items from the Sharing Shed and leave this for adults only.

Enjoy!

Congratulations Cam Roigard! Our New All Black!!

We are super excited that former Karāpiro School student Cam Roigard has been selected to the All Black team. We have made a cool school card that we have dropped off to Cam and we have an All Blacks wall in the office where we are collecting newspaper articles about Cam to follow his journey. We wish Cam all the best and cross our fingers that he gets a run at the next game coming up this weekend. 

Are You Interested in Joining Our PTA? 

Our PTA helps with fundraising for our school and helping out with events held such as Cross Country and Ag Day. Our PTA also organises school lunches throughout the year. If you are interested in being involved please get in touch with Lynda in the school office.

Rural Cross Country

We rely on support from our school community when we host the Rural Schools Cross Country Event at Lake Karapiro Domain on Tuesday 5 September. This year we are looking to hold a raffle to raise money for our PTA funds to support teachers with classroom resources. Please donate your items now! Closer to the time we will also need parents to help with marshalling the races and selling the raffle on the day. Please pop this date in your diary now. Thank you.

Digital Equity Internet Access

The Ministry of Education has funding available to support families in homes without an internet connection. Please make contact with Tina-Maree principal@karapiro.school.nz if you would like more information about accessing this support. 

Board Meeting - All welcome

All are welcome to come along to our next Board Meeting which will be held on Tuesday 1 August at 3.30pm in the Staff Room. If you would like to attend please contact our Presiding Member Marilynn Jones at marilynn@karapiro.school.nz. 

Sharing Student Work With You

Check out these beautiful artworks made by the students in Kōwhai Class

Lambs for Ag Day 2023

Cambridge Middle School Open Day for Year 6 Students

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term.  Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term three and four is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us. 

Our next Teacher Only Day is Friday 17th November 2023, when the school will be closed for instruction for professional learning for teachers in the Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. 

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which is regularly updated.

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

Edventure Young Explorers Camp Mon 10th - Thu 13th July (2nd week of the holidays)

We have an amazing week lined up with bush walks, archery, air rifle, rock climbing, fire building and cooking, hut building, tenting (optional), orienteering, team building and confidence activities, & night activities. Based at Aongatete Lodge- near Katikati, BOP

Check out the NEW: Edventure Tauranga Facebook Page; 

or e-mail: todd@edventure.co.nz for more information.

FRAZZLED KIWI ADVENTURE RACE, CAMBRIDGE – Sunday 20 AUGUST 2023

For students and whānau who love the outdoors, maps, adventures, team challenges and having fun in our beautiful taiao – join the Frazzled Kiwi fun on Sunday 20 August in Cambridge.

The course is designed for students and families as well as adult social & work teams of 2 – 5 people. Frazzled Kiwi is a fun introduction to adventure racing – use your course map and clue sheet to find checkpoints and complete fun mystery activities. While Frazzled Kiwi is a run/trek only adventure race, it’s still 100% a team sport – you must stick together on the course.

For more information and to register your team, visit: https://soakedinadventure.co.nz/frazzled-kiwi-cambridge/

KEY INFORMATION:

Course length: 6-7km [complete within 1.5 – 3hrs]

Date: Sunday 20 August 2023

Key times: 8.30am registration; 9.45am race briefing; 10am race start; 1pm prizegiving

Cost per person: $35

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Week 9, Term 2 2023   

Welcome

This week we are delighted to welcome two new students who have moved into the area and started at Karāpiro School. We are very happy to welcome Dylan to Pohutukawa Class and Payton to Kowhai Class. Welcome to you and your family - we wish you many happy days ahead, learning and growing with us at Karāpiro School. 

Congratulations Cam!

Karāpiro School has expressed its congratulations to the former Karāpiro School student Cam Roigard and his family, for Cam’s selection to the New Zealand All Black team. We are absolutely thrilled for Cam, and so tickled when we think about Cam kicking the ball around the Karāpiro field as a youngster. We will follow Cam’s progress with huge interest! You can read more about Cam in the Your Cambridge News article here. 

Reporting to Parents

Written Snap Shot Reports 2023 have been completed by teachers and are due to come home with students tomorrow (Friday 23 June). Next week they will also be available to view on your child’s individual Seesaw page. These reports provide you with an overview of your child’s progress and where your child is at in relation to the New Zealand Curriculum and they provide a particular focus on your child’s progress in our foundation skills of literacy (reading and writing) and mathematics. Please read through the report with your child to share their progress and success along with their next learning steps, which teachers have provided for you. We extend an invitation to families to make time to meet with teachers if there is anything in the report you would like to discuss.

Teaspoon Drama!

A little thing…. But it has become a big thing!! Our teaspoons keep disappearing!!! We have purchased spare spoons for students for their yoghurt and fruit at school (and we even set up a little system for dirty and clean spoons that we wash at school every day)…. However it’s not working for us and now our new spoons are going missing!! If you notice any teaspoons at home that don’t belong in your drawer, could you please send them back to school? It would also be really helpful for us if parents could please provide their children with their own named spoon that they can keep in their lunch box each day. (Thank you to school councillors Matthew and Aylah for agreeing to be photographed with our ‘spoon caddy’!)

Roading Update

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for regular updates regarding the safety upgrading which has begun on SH1 & Hydro Road. We have a direct line to the team doing the construction work so please do contact Tina-Maree if any issues arise for you and she will be sure to pass them on for you.  You can find the latest information from Waka Kotahi here.

 End of Term Celebration: Swimming Fun Day

The whole school will be attending a swimming fun day on Wednesday 28 June at the Perry Aquatic Centre in Cambridge. Please complete the permission form: Cambridge Pools Swimming Fun Day Trip for your child/ren to attend. Students being transported by their parents will meet teachers in the carpark outside the pools at 9.30am and collected at 2pm. Students requiring transport to and from the pools from school need to be at school at 8.30am (transport permission forms will be sent home for you on Monday - please return to school on Tuesday). Students require togs and a towel (or two) and a large packed morning tea, lunch and a drink bottle. Stand by for a super fun day out!! 

Celebration Assembly

Come and join us at 12 noon next Friday 30th June which is our last day of school for the term. We support families who would like to head home after assembly to get a head start on the holiday traffic. We know the roads around our school will be very busy. 

Driveway Tree Removal

One of the large trees at the entrance to our driveway will be removed during the first week of the school holidays. This means access to the school will be limited during this time as the driveway will be closed. We are looking for families who would be available to help chop up the rings of wood that will remain for us to sell. We will be offering the wood for $200 per trailer load, for school families,to help raise funds for our school. If you are interested in a load of wood or would be available to help to chop the wood please contact Lynda in the school office.

Rural Schools Cross Country 2023

Karāpiro School will again be running the Rural Schools Cross Country event for the Cambridge rural schools at Lake Karāpiro in Term 3. The date for this year is Tuesday 5 September (and the save day is the following Friday). We will need all hands on deck to manage this event - please pop the date into your diary now!  Tuesday 5 September.

Congratulations to these awesome students on their recent awards!

Working Bee

We have some jobs around the school that we need your help with at a time that suits you. If you could please complete this form: Working Bee to indicate the date and time you would be available we would really appreciate it. Jobs we need help with: Leaves, gutters, weeding gardens, washing down outside of buildings, planting in carpark gardens (about 20 plants). Thank you!

Lambs for Ag Day 2023

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term.  Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term one and two is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us. 

School Gardens & Sharing Shed

We are looking for some help with our school gardens on a regular basis. Please let us know if you have some time to spare to support us with some general weeding of the car park gardens and gardens in the school grounds. We would really appreciate your support!

We are also looking to set up a ‘sharing shed’ where we can swap surplus food - does anyone know of someone who could build one for us? Alternatively, does anyone have an old bookshelf that we could paint and use?

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which has been updated for the new term ahead. 

This is our final newsletter for Term 2. We wish you happy holidays and look forward to seeing you back at school in Term 3.

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

Edventure Young Explorers Camp Mon 10th - Thu 13th July (2nd week of the holidays)

We have an amazing week lined up with bush walks, archery, air rifle, rock climbing, fire building and cooking, hut building, tenting (optional), orienteering, team building and confidence activities, & night activities. Based at Aongatete Lodge- near Katikati, BOP

Check out the NEW: Edventure Tauranga Facebook Page; 

or e-mail: todd@edventure.co.nz for more information.

To register: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=FdjiCi2Vike46bkZ2g6xcgg8LWCRiLpJsp_HKAZIyzJUMk5MTVk5MUdYNUEyRlZJQlU5U1hVUEpSNy4u

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Reminder: Friday 16th June Teacher Only Day Across Cambridge Schools -  Te Oko Horoi (Kahui Ako) 

Week 6, Term 2 2023   

Welcome!    

This week we are delighted to welcome River to our school. River has turned 5 years old and joined Kowhai Class. We wish you many happy school days ahead River!

School Photo Day on 9 June

Our photo day will be on Friday 9 June from 9am. If you would like a photo with your child/ren and siblings who do not currently attend our school please let Lynda in the office know.

Working Bee

We have some jobs around the school that we need your help with at a time that suits you. If you could please complete this form: Working Bee to indicate the date and time you would be available we would really appreciate it.

Jobs we need help with: Leaves, gutters, weeding gardens, wash down outside of buildings, planting in carpark garden (about 20 plants)

Assembly 

You are warmly invited to attend our next assembly here at school in Kauri Class 2.15pm on Friday the 9th of June. The students are looking forward to sharing their learning with you. All are welcome.

Swimming Fun Day

The whole school will be attending a swimming fun day on Wednesday 28 June at the Perry Aquatic Centre in Cambridge. Please complete the permission form: Cambridge Pools Swimming Fun Day Trip for your child/ren to attend.

School Gates

Our new gates and our new system seem to be working really well and we have had positive feedback from families and visitors to the school on the procedures. Can we please remind you to close the gate securely behind you, immediately. Thank you.

School Attendance

School attendance is currently a focus of the Ministry of Education and you may have seen a  number of news items about poor attendance levels in New Zealand schools. We continue to monitor attendance at our school. We also have concerns over the number of students arriving late to school, which causes disruption to the classroom programme and also disruption for the child who is late as they often miss key information at the start of the school day. Please can parents support teaching and learning by ensuring students arrive on time. Thank you. 

If your child is going to be absent from school, we are required to record parents' reasons for the absence. You can support us by contacting us before 9am either by phone on 07 8277642 (you can leave a message - we check the answerphone regularly) or by using the online link on our school website. Absence link

Credit: Verona School, NSW Education & Community 

Pohutukawa Camp Parent Meeting

Planning for senior camp is underway with much excitement. An email has been sent out last week but if you have not seen it, Dan would like to invite you to a short consultation session.

This will be held on Wednesday, June 7th at 2:45pm and will be approximately 30 minutes long. During this session he will pass on our hopes, ideas and current plans for a term 4 senior camp and answer any questions at this time.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Visual Pepeha by Pohutukawa Class

Pōhutukawa created these visual pepeha as part of our Mana Tangata (self esteem, identity, positive self talk) focus. 

These pepeha tell a story about each individual student and their whakapapa (ancestry/heritage). They include aspects of their whānau, local area and the things they bring them joy and pride.

Like any visual storytelling, they provide an insight into their creative minds, thoughts and feelings. 

We also focused on using this traditional Māori method of greeting as a way to gain a greater cultural understanding of our home, Aotearoa. 

Incredible work, Pōhutukawa!

Kaitiakitanga by Kowhai Class

Kowhai has been learning about our school value “kaitiakitanga”. This is when you are a guardian of all things around you.

Roof Repair

Thank you so much to Shaun Higginson from Any Angle Roofing for donating your time and materials to fix our school roof recently. We appreciate it so much!

Driveway Tree Removal

One of the large trees at the entrance to our driveway will be removed during the first week of the school holidays. This means access to the school will be limited during this time as the driveway will be closed. We are looking for families who would be available to help chop up the rings of wood that will remain for us to sell. We will be offering the wood for $200 per trailer load to help raise funds for our school. If you are interested in a load of wood or would be available to help to chop the wood please contact Lynda in the school office.

Scholastic Book Orders

Catalogues have come home with students this week. Extra copies are available from the school office. Orders close on Friday 9 June.

Board Meeting

Our next Board meeting is Tuesday 20 June 2023 @ 3.30pm in Kowhai Class. All are welcome.

Student Prizegiving - The Jones Maanakitanga Award

Thank you to Marilynn Jones and her whanau for the donation of this beautiful new award which will be awarded to a Karāpiro School student for the first time at the 2023 school prizegiving.

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term.  Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term one and two is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us. Our next session is 7 June. 

School Gardens & Sharing Shed

We are looking for some help with our school gardens on a regular basis. Please let us know if you have some time to spare to support us with some general weeding of the car park gardens and gardens in the school grounds. We would really appreciate your support!

We are also looking to set up a ‘sharing shed’ where we can swap surplus food - does anyone know of someone who could build one for us? Alternatively, does anyone have an old bookshelf that we could paint and use?

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which has been updated for the new term ahead. 

We wish you all the best for a long weekend ahead with your families. See you back on Tuesday 6th of June.

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

Find us on Facebook 

Edventure Young Explorers Camp Mon 10th - Thu 13th July (2nd week of the holidays)

We have an amazing week lined up with bush walks, archery, air rifle, rock climbing, fire building and cooking, hut building, tenting (optional), orienteering, team building and confidence activities, & night activities. Based at Aongatete Lodge- near Katikati, BOP

Check out the NEW: Edventure Tauranga Facebook Page; 

or e-mail: todd@edventure.co.nz for more information.

We are supporting Stats NZ to encourage everyone to complete the 2023 Census. So, this is a reminder that you need to return your census forms if you have not done so already. Census data is used to make important decisions that affect us all. The census is the official count of people living in Aotearoa New Zealand, and everyone who was in the country on Census Day, 7 March 2023, is required by law to complete a census form. Your participation will help ensure that our community receives funding for services for the number of people that live in our community. That includes education, health, and social services. 

To complete the census, you can do it online at www.census.govt.nz using one of the access codes provided in the letters sent to your household. Or you can fill out paper census forms if you have them. To request a new access code or paper forms, freephone 0800 236 787 (0800 CENSUS) or order online at www.census.govt.nz. 

The 2023 Census closes on 30 June, so you should do them online now or as soon as practicable. Ensure your paper forms are posted so they arrive with Stats NZ by 30 June. Census collectors are no longer visiting households providing help to complete census forms (except in the cyclone-impacted areas of the Far North, Te Tairāwhiti, and Hawke’s Bay). If you need assistance or more information:  

You can attend a census support event and get face-to-face help to complete forms (for more information go to www.census.govt.nz/census-support). We encourage you to help whānau, friends, and neighbours complete their forms. There is information in New Zealand Sign Language, Braille, Easy Read, Large Print, and Audio formats, as well as in 29 different languages at www.census.govt.nz. The 0800 CENSUS (0800 236 787) helpline will be open until 30 June. 

Thank you for your support in making sure our community is accurately represented in the census.  

You may already know that Waipā District Council is consulting now on proposed changes to their Dog Control Policy and Bylaw.

There are now just 2 weeks left to take a look at their proposals and make submissions. Closing time is 5pm on Friday 16 June.

The changes are all listed in their Statement of Proposal (the key document). Most of them relate to where and when dogs can be exercised off-leash. But there are one or two new prohibited areas as well.

Most of the dog exercise areas are in the heart of communities, and some are close to schools. Whether you are a dog owner or not, you may have an opinion or some thoughts you would like to make.

The Statement of Proposal, the draft Policy and the draft Bylaw, and maps showing the proposed exercise and prohibited areas are all available online at www.waipadc.govt.nz/dogsreview or at the Council’s offices and libraries.

Please take a look and send your submissions to Council. They have an online submission form, or you can email them at submissions@waipadc.govt.nz (subject: dogsreview).

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Week 2, Term 2 2023       

Welcome to Term 2! This term we are delighted to welcome our new students Cooper, Jahkai and Harley to Kowhai class. Welcome to each of you and your families. It is a pleasure to be part of the beginning of your learning journey and your primary school days. We have many happy and exciting times ahead!

Introducing our Student Leaders

This week we are excited to highlight our student leaders. These students are a really special part of Karāpiro School and they contribute to the fun and happy learning environment for our students. Our student leaders have a genuine say in issues that affect the students and have input into the games and activities the students play in their own time and their environment. Here are our 2023 student leaders:

Survey feedback

Thank you to our families who completed our survey where we explored how parents felt about changing our school start and finish times due to roading issues. We had a small response which will go to the board for discussion at their next meeting which is Tuesday 9 May at 3.30pm.

New Fences and Gates

When you drove into school this morning you no doubt would have noticed our new safety fencing. This fencing was provided to us by the Ministry of Education and features Perspex panelling which is climb-proof, and features new gates that swing open into the school (as opposed to outwards into the carpark/driveway). The fences are also higher at 1.8m and the gates are opened by a safety catch at the very top of the gate. These gates cannot be opened or closed by students which means we have developed a new gate procedure.

The Student Gate (at the rear car park) will be latched open from 8.30am. At 9.00am our learning support teacher Whaea Amanda will close the student gate and head to class. Any students arriving after this time will not be able to open the gate themselves and we ask parents to instead park in the visitor car park at the front of the school office. Once parked you will be able to open the Office Gate for your child and then sign them in using the VisTab tablet in the school office.

See the pics of Aaliyah below modelling the procedure for us 

In the afternoon, teaching staff will be on duty as usual to farewell the children through the Student Gate. This is a good time to remind you to please use the ‘Drop Zone’ effectively by pulling forward to the very front of the drop zone to allow other cars to come up behind you. We will let the children go to you via the footpath when we see you in the zone. In the interests of safety could we please discourage parents from parking in the Bus Zone as students will need to walk out on the driveway to find you. If you are parking in the car park please come to the gate to collect your child. Thank you.

Our next project is to work on safety fencing for State Highway 1. We have some quotes in and are looking for sponsorship for this.

Ministry of Education School Bus for Term 2

If you are interested in your child taking the bus to and from school please contact Vicky at Cambridge Travel Lines on 07 827 7363 and then let Lynda know the date your child will be starting office@karapiro.school.nz

Student Wellbeing@School programme

To further add value to our Student Wellbeing@School programme, school staff are taking part in the Pause, Breathe, Smile programme provided by Southern Cross. This is a mind health programme designed to equip children aged five to 12 with tools to manage the ups and downs of life and set them up for a healthy future. We will be training in the programme over the course of the term. Further information can be found here: Pause Breathe Smile

Your Cambridge News - Article About June

Our music teacher June Mackenzie was featured in Your Cambridge News for a celebration we held at school for her during book week for a very special birthday. The article can be found here: Thank You For The Music, June with some great photos of our students.

Book Week and Grandparents Day

Beach Education Day    

We had an amazing trip to Papamoa Beach with Surf Life Saving New Zealand. Thank you to our wonderful staff who made themselves available so that this trip could happen.

CAM Competitions

The University of Canterbury is delighted to offer the annual Kiwi English, Mathematics and Science competitions for Primary, Intermediate and Secondary schools. The skills based Kiwi competitions are written by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students and closely align with the New Zealand Curriculum. The online competitions will be run in the last 3 weeks of Term 2 and the first week of Term 3. The competitions take place at school under exam conditions. Parents/caregivers will be provided with an individual student report outlining student performance. All participating students will be awarded a certificate and a prize will be awarded to the top student in each competition. The cost for a student to participate is $9.90 per competition entered. Entry forms are due back to the school office by Wednesday 10 May.

Scholastic Book Orders

Catalogues have come home with students. If you did not receive one, extra copies are available from the school office. Orders are due by Friday 12 May. 

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term.  Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term one and two is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us.

School Gardens & Sharing Shed

We are looking for some help with our school gardens on a regular basis. Please let us know if you have some time to spare to support us with some general weeding of the car park gardens and gardens in the school grounds. We would really appreciate your support!

We are also looking to set up a ‘sharing shed’ where we can swap surplus food - does anyone know of someone who could build one for us? Alternatively, does anyone have an old bookshelf that we could paint and use?

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which has been updated for the new term ahead. 

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Week 9, Term 1 2023       

Welcome to Week 9! It is incredible how this term is flying by and we are heading into the holiday break already. It has been a busy but fantastic term and there is some great progress being made by Karāpiro School students who have been making the most of the opportunities we provide for them.

The staff would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Mr Churstain for keeping our school pool sparkling over the summer term. Looking after a school pool is a daily job and we appreciate the work you do to keep everything ticking. The pool will close at the end of this term. If you have a pool key, please return it to the school office. We will issue new keys for the 2023/24 summer season later in the year.

THANK YOU also to Marty from Dingo Services for grinding the tree stump outside the school house. A little birdie told us he was trying out some new gear (we are very happy to be guinea pigs for things like this!) Thanks for helping us out.

Birthday Girl - Congratulations Music Teacher June McKenzie 80 years young!

Staff News - Wedding Bells! 

The Karāpiro School staff team would like to congratulate Lynda and her fiancé Issam ahead of their upcoming wedding in the school holidays. We are all very excited for the two of you and wish you the happiest future together. The staff are planning a ‘kitchen tea’ on the morning of the last day of school - stand by for a bit of fun! Parents are welcome to join us - 10.30am in the staff room.

Beach Education Trip -  Wednesday 5th April

We are very excited to be heading to Papamoa Beach Surf Lifesaving Club next Wednesday for our Beach Education. The school bus will be leaving school at 8.30am and we recommended children arrive at 8.15am so they can use the bathroom and have a briefing with teachers so the bus can leave at 8.30am sharp.

Below is a repeat of the information sent home on the permission form: As part of our Health curriculum programme Pohutukawa and Kowhai students will be taking part in a Beach Education programme at Papamoa Beach Surf Lifesaving Club on Wednesday 5th April. We will travel by bus (Karāpiro Charters & Tours) and be leaving school by 8.30am (sharp) and aiming to return by 4pm.

Beach Education is unique to all other water safety programmes as it provides students with a real experience of Surf Life Saving with qualified instructors. Students are immersed in a Surf Life Saving environment with hands-on experience of beach and surf conditions - that means they will be participating in water activities in the surf environment. The day will involve theory, beach activities and water activities.

Students will need to bring: Togs/wetsuit, towel x 2, warm clothing, shoes, a large packed morning tea, and a water bottle (one that can be easily refilled), school hat, sunscreen, and any medication that your child needs (to be handed to your classroom teacher on the day).

We are planning a 'fish and chips' lunch for everyone on the day which will cost $5 per person which will be invoiced separately. Parent helpers who would like to attend can also order lunch for themselves for $5 per person which will also be invoiced.

There are no other costs for this trip other than $5 per person for lunch. The school thanks 'Jumble Around' for providing us with a grant to cover the cost of the bus (approx. $800) and the school will cover the curriculum cost of the Beach Education instruction.

Student Led Conferences

Teaching staff are looking forward to meeting with families to discuss your child’s progress and learning so far this year. Student led conferences will be held on Monday 3 April and Tuesday 4 April from 2.30pm-5.30pm. To make a booking please use the following link:  Student Led Conferences Booking In addition to the teacher, your child has an active role in the meeting and will be practising talking about their learning and sharing their learning goals with you. If you have any questions regarding the conferences please let us know. If you are unable to attend during these times please contact your child/ren's teacher to arrange an alternative time to meet.

School Hours Survey

As you know, the Karāpiro School Board of Trustees is committed to our school vision, which is that our school is a safe and happy learning environment for our students. To this end, the Board continues to lobby for safe roads around our school (see the Safe roads update below). 

As a Board we are exploring an idea - and it is only an idea at this stage - that we think has the potential to alleviate some issues school families and staff are facing on the roads - in particular at peak times when the road is congested.

The Board wishes to explore a change to our school start and finish times: moving from a 9am start to 8.30am, and finishing at 2.30pm instead of 3pm. 

Before any decisions are made, we want to explore this fully with our families and staff to find out what the potential impact such a change might have on your family. Please answer the survey below and let us know your preferences and use the space at the end of the survey to give us some feedback. I will collate your responses and provide it to the Board for discussion at the next Board meeting on 9 May. It is not expected that a firm decision would be made at this meeting, as further consultation may be required,  but it will be tabled for discussion. Your link to the survey: School Hours Survey

School Charter

Our 2023 School Charter has been consulted on and you can find the latest copy on our website Charter 2023

Safe Roads Update - What’s happening?

The school has met with a number of stakeholders to share our concerns about road safety in the area around the school. Despite the government announcing changes to roading work plans recently, our roads remain in the top 1% for government safety concerns requiring attention. We share this view and to this end, in recent weeks I have met with the following groups:

• Stantec - They are subcontracted to Waka Kotahi for the roundabout installation and SH1 corridor safety upgrade and I am in communication with them. Progress is being made towards the installation and an update will be made to the public in the coming weeks.

• Road to Zero – I have raised the issue of speed, noise and carpark safety with this group who is focussed on state highways. I am looking for furthering lowering of the speed limit outside the school, solutions for double glazing classroom windows to reduce road noise and funding assistance for a SH1 fence (between the school carpark and SH1).

• Waka Kotahi – On behalf of the school community I have completed a ‘Social Impact Survey for Stakeholders’ which will feed into the Social Impact Assessment Report for the long term realignment of the expressway (extension).

School Donations

The school Decile System has been replaced by the Equity Index. As a result of the change Karāpiro School is now eligible for the Ministry of Education’s (MoE) School Donation Scheme, whereby the school receives a roll-based payment from MoE in lieu of the school asking for parent donations. Parents will be pleased to know that the school will no longer be asking parents for school donations or curriculum-related costs. For more information you can check the MoE website 

Book Week

Get your dress-ups ready! A reminder of our parents, grandparents and special friends day on Friday 31 March. Bring a plate for morning tea and bring a favourite book or two to read with the children. Please see the invitation below for details: 

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term. Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term one and two is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us.

School Gardens & Sharing Shed

We are looking for some help with our school gardens on a regular basis. Please let us know if you have some time to spare to support us with some general weeding of the car park gardens and gardens in the school grounds. We would really appreciate your support!

We are also looking to set up a ‘sharing shed’ where we can swap surplus food - does anyone know of someone who could build one for us?

Leamington Sports Club

Leamington Sports Club invites you to register for the 2023 winter season, we offer Netball, Hockey and Rugby.  Please register using the following links:

Netball: https://www.sporty.co.nz/leamingtonrsc/Junior-Sports-Registrations/junior-netball-player-registration

Hockey:https://www.sporty.co.nz/leamingtonrsc/Junior-Sports-Registrations/junior-hockey-player-registration

Rugby:  https://www.sporty.co.nz/leamingtonrsc/Junior-Sports-Registrations/junior-rugby-player-registration

Please come along to a muster at our club on Carlyle Street on Sunday March 5th at 2pm .  You can try on uniforms, talk to our volunteers, kick, throw or hit a ball around and get to know our club. There will be games, food and drink and lots of friendly faces. We would love to see you there! If you have any questions please contact Lara Connors or Sam Ward on leamingtonjuniorsport@outlook.com

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which has been updated for the new term ahead. 

As this is our final newsletter for Term 1 we would like to take the opportunity to thank our families for their wonderful support this year. We wish you an enjoyable holiday break with your children and will see you again when Term 2 begins on Wednesday 26th April (the day after Anzac Day). Happy Easter! 

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/211032

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Week 6, Term 1 2023       

Kia ora parents, caregivers and whānau,

Karāpiro School extends a very warm welcome to Riverlee and her family. Riverlee has turned 5 and has joined the students in Kowhai Class.

Thank You

Thank you Nicole, Justin, Summer and Chelsea Skivington for all their work at school on a recent Sunday - our edges have been beautifully trimmed up! Thanks so much for your time. Thank you also to the Churstain whānau for tackling the huge pile of oak wood chips (they finished the job started by Mrs Jones and Karāpiro students last Friday). The chip is now beautifully spread out underneath our stunning London Plane trees in the playground (great mulch for the trees and the roots are no longer a trip hazard for humans!) Thank you to everyone who supports our little school. 

Industrial Action - Schools closed Thursday 16 March

Last night we received notice of the intention of primary school teachers across New Zealand to take industrial action by way of strike action on Thursday 16th March 2023. The school will be closed for instruction on this day.  We will have more information for families on this via email on Monday.  

Health Curriculum 

Consultation on the school Health Curriculum is due to close at the end of day Friday 10 March. Please follow the link in your email to have your say on our health education programmes. 

We are also excited to have been accepted on to the Pause, Breath, Smile wellbeing programme for staff which we will undertake training in Term 2. This programme will be a welcome addition to our Student Wellbeing@School programme. 

Before and After School Care

We are exploring running a Before and After School Care programme for parents. Please complete the link as soon as possible to give us an idea of the need: Before and After School Care Survey

Rural Swimming Sports

Thank you to everyone who supported us with transport and timekeeping and supervision for the swimming sports this week. Mr C and I thoroughly enjoyed this day with our students - it was full of personal best efforts and awesome teamwork and support of each other and students at other rural schools. Great work Pohutukawa Class!

Waipa Council Ahu Ake Strategic Plan

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Waipa Council consultation day and shared their views about our school and our region. There is still time to have your say on the future of the Karāpiro region. Send through your views via the link in the poster below.

Thank You

We have been learning about rights and responsibilities and what it means to be a citizen. We are focussing on the people and groups who are there to help us when we need help. This week Pohutukawa students took the time to write letters of thanks to our local Cambridge Volunteer Fire Service.

Book Week

Book week will run from 27 to 31 March with students taking part in lots of activities involving literacy. The week will end with a parents, grandparents and special friends day on Friday 31 March. Please see the invitation below for details: 

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term.  Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term one and two is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us.

School Gardens & Sharing Shed

We are looking for some help with our school gardens on a regular basis. Please let us know if you have some time to spare to support us with some general weeding of the car park gardens and gardens in the school grounds. We would really appreciate your support!

We are also looking to set up a ‘sharing shed’ where we can swap surplus food - does anyone know of someone who could build one for us?

Leamington Sports Club

Leamington Sports Club invites you to register for the 2023 winter season, we offer Netball, Hockey and Rugby.  Please register using the following links:

Netball: https://www.sporty.co.nz/leamingtonrsc/Junior-Sports-Registrations/junior-netball-player-registration

Hockey: https://www.sporty.co.nz/leamingtonrsc/Junior-Sports-Registrations/junior-hockey-player-registration

Rugby:  https://www.sporty.co.nz/leamingtonrsc/Junior-Sports-Registrations/junior-rugby-player-registration

Please come along to a muster at our club on Carlyle Street on Sunday March 5th at 2pm .  You can try on uniforms, talk to our volunteers, kick, throw or hit a ball around and get to know our club. There will be games, food and drink and lots of friendly faces. We would love to see you there!

If you have any questions please contact Lara Connors or Sam Ward on leamingtonjuniorsport@outlook.com

St Peters Open Day – Friday 16th March

You are warmly invited to St Peter’s School Cambridge, Full School Open Day on Friday 16th March. This is a great opportunity to find out what St Peter’s can do for your child. You will enjoy a student led tour of the school and have the opportunity to hear from existing parents and students first hand.

Please register for this event at stpeters.school.nz or to find out further information please contact Claire Pollock, Director of Admissions on 07 823 3684

RD4 Post Delivery Driver Role - Part Time

A part time driver role is available delivering on the RD4 post run. Please contact Sukhdev Singh on 021 135 8969 if you are interested.

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which has been updated for the new term ahead. 

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/211032

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Week 3, Term 1 2023       

Kia ora parents, caregivers and whānau,

Well that was a wild start to the week! Our thoughts are with people in our community and across the country who have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. We are so fortunate to have escaped any damage to our school, with only a site clean up of fallen branches and leaves required. Thank you to the Karāpiro staff team and students for the huge clean up job you did on Wednesday :) 

Working Bee

We do have quite a lot of work to be done around the school site and would appreciate your support at our next Working Bee this Sunday from 10-12. Many hands make light work! Please bring your own gardening gloves and gear and check out the list below. (Morning tea provided for you!)

Staff News

Karāpiro School is delighted to announce Amanda Tucker will be joining our staff team and providing learning support as a teacher aide. Amanda is an experienced teacher aide and impressed us with her caring personality and her knowledge and experience working with children with special education needs. We are very lucky to have her! Amanda starts work with us next Monday and is kindly popping in to lend a hand at our Working Bee on Sunday so please do introduce yourself and say hello.

Hello my name is Amanda Tucker. Children usually call me Whaea Amanda, as I work closely with children with different learning needs. I'm a Teacher Aide / Learning Assistant and I'm lucky to be starting work here at Karāpiro School. I've just moved with my husband and our two sons from Paraparaumu to Te Awamutu to call Waikato our new home. My husband Gavin has family here. I have four years experience as a Teacher Aide at Paraparaumu School and have first hand experience with autism. Both our sons are on the Autistic Spectrum - Aspergers. Our sons are Troy (22 years old) and Jack (18 years old). My hobbies include: art, knitting, gardening and hearing "Dad Jokes" from my youngest son Jack. I look forward to meeting everyone and working in the classrooms with kindness, fun, inclusion and encouraging different learning styles. Amanda  😊

Music Lessons

Music lessons are available at school on Thursday’s during school hours. We support this being available to students as we know the benefits learning an instrument has to education.

June MacKenzie is available to teach both individual and group lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano and keyboard. If your child is interested in learning an instrument and does not have access to one please let us know as there may be the option to loan one from the school. Lessons are $160 per term. 

Please contact June Mackenzie on 021 136 0583 if you are interested.

Karāpiro School Community PlayGroup

Our PlayGroup schedule for term one and two is now up and running and on the flyer below. Please share with friends and family and anyone you know who might like to come along and join us. Please also note the transition dates for our new students starting school with us.

Teacher Only Days 2023

We want to give you advance notice that the Ministry of Education has provided schools with teacher Only Days for the implementation of the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. After consultation with the Cambridge Principals Association (in an effort to coordinate this day to support our families across Cambridge with students at multiple schools) the first of these dates will be Monday 24 April 2023. This means Term 2 will start on Wednesday 26th April 2023 (the day after Anzac Day.

The Ministry of Education is provided a second day later in the year and we will advise this once it is released. Thank you. 

Notice of Paid Union Meeting for Teachers (PUM’s)

School Gardens

We are looking for some help with our school gardens on a regular basis. Please let us know if you have some time to spare to support us with some general weeding of the car park gardens and gardens in the school grounds. We would really appreciate your support!

Board of Trustees Meeting

The next meeting of the Karāpiro School Board of Trustees will now be held on Tuesday 21st February at 3.30pm in the Science Lab. All are welcome to attend. If you would like to attend please advise the Presiding Member, Mrs Marilynn Jones at marilynn@karapiro.school.nz 

Winter Sports

Hautapu Sports

Planning for Hautapu Sports Clubs Junior Sports 2023 is well underway. We are excited and cannot wait for the Hockey, Netball and Rugby 2023 seasons to start and to see all our Hautapu Junior superstars out on the turfs, courts and fields learning and improving their skills, playing as a team and most importantly having fun!  

Online registrations for primary and intermediate hockey, netball and rugby are live on our website here Junior sports - Hautapu Sports Club You will also find information there about each of our junior sports, the costs, what is required, season dates and playing venues.  

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.  

Junior Hockey, Marie Dale, juniorhockey@hautapusports.com.

Junior Netball, Jody Anderson, juniornetball@hautapusports.com.

Junior Rugby, Josh Bull, juniorrugby@hautapusports.com

General Club Enquiries, Andrew Douglas, gmanager@hautapusports.com

Leamington Rugby and Sports

TVP (Primary and Intermediate Hockey)

We are awaiting registration details, for any questions please email tvpjuniors@gmail.com 

Community Consultation - Our School Charter

It’s that time again when we review our school charter. Please take the time to read our charter and offer any suggestions for our 2023 update, which the Karāpiro School Board of Trustees will finalise in the coming weeks. You can find a copy of our charter on our school website or click the link: Charter for review If you have any comments or suggestion please send these to office@karapiro.schoo.nz 

https://www.waipafunrun.co.nz/    see flyer below for more

Waipa Girl Guiding

Are you up for fun, friends and adventure, then GirlGuiding could be for you?

We have four units in Cambridge, Pippins (5-7),Brownies (7-9 1/2), Guides (9-12 1/2) and Rangers (12-17), if you are interested then email Michelle on michellegirlguide@gmail.com to find out more.

What does Waipā look like in 2050?

Waipā District Council is in the early stages of developing Ahu Ake - Waipā Community Spatial Plan which will be a blueprint for our district for the next 30+ years.

This plan will have a direct impact on our future, and the future of our children and grandchildren and will be the most important plan we create. Now the plan needs you.

Council will be coming to our school on Wednesday 1 March from 2.30pm-4pm to speak with parents about what is important to them for the future of our village and the wider district.

There will also be entertainment for kids and the chance to win some cool prizes. 

So, when picking up your children on Wednesday, please feel free to drop-in at their event and have your say. They’ll be in the courtyard if the sun is out or in the assembly room if it is raining.

If you can’t make it, they’ll also be at the Karāpiro Lookout from 5.30pm-8.00pm that evening to speak with residents.

You can find more information about this project and have your say online at www.ahuakewaipa.nz/have-your-say.

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which has been updated for the new term ahead. 

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

https://www.sporty.co.nz/viewform/211032

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Week 1, Term 1 2023       

Kia ora parents, caregivers and whānau,

Welcome back to the new term! We are very excited about the new year ahead. A special welcome goes out to new students Summer and Chelsea who have joined us and were welcomed to Karāpiro School at assembly. 

Thank you to Tina Turkilsen and Dan Churstain who met with me during the holiday break to plan the curriculum for our learners for the year ahead. Our focus is on foundation literacy and number skills with a major focus on our Reading programme. The upcoming Census will provide context for part of our mathematics programme https://new.censusatschool.org.nz/ . We will also be learning about the Treaty of Waitangi and New Zealand history as well as taking a closer look at what makes the Waikato River so special - where it comes from, what lives in it and how it is used by people, throughout history and today. Our Health & Physical Education programme will focus on swimming with all students participating in daily swimming, building water confidence and learning basic swimming skills. Please ensure your child brings their swimming togs and a towel every day!

Community Award for Karāpiro School

Karāpiro School was delighted to win the Your Cambridge News ‘Person of the Year’ award for 2022. This was a huge surprise to us, following editor Roy Pilott’s ‘secret’ visit to the school late last year when he took our photo. Your Cambridge News noticed our persistent advocacy for the safety of the school and that despite our size we can get action when we work together. You can read more about the award at Your Cambridge News Playing it Safe - Karāpiro School award winners 

Welcome to Louie the Dog

Louie the Dog has enrolled at school and is very excited to be coming to school with us! My daughter Abby and her partner Rhys have relocated to the Sunshine Coast in Australia recently and their dog Louie has come to live with Steve and I. Louie is a 7 year old Shih Tzu / Maltese dog who is very friendly and loves dog treats. Louie is already known to the students from his previous visits to the school. Louie will be helping to teach our dog safety programme this year as part of our Health curriculum ‘Keeping Ourselves Safe’ programme. You can find out more information about dog safety for children here https://www.dogsafety.govt.nz/dogsafety.nsf 

Term Dates for 2023

Our term dates for 2023 are set as follows (with some additional teacher only dates to come as advised by the Ministry of Education): 

Term 1:  31 January - 6 April

Term 2:  24 April - 30 June 

Term 3:  17 July - 22 September

Term 4:  9 October - 15 December

Staffing for 2023

We continue to enjoy a stable staffing team at Karāpiro School and our staffing plan for 2023 is as follows:

Thank You Aleesha

This term we say farewell to Aleesha Steele who has been providing learning support at our school. Aleesha has decided to return to the University of Waikato in 2023 to undertake teacher training. We are very excited for Aleesha and thank her for all her work in 2022. We wish Aleesha all the very best for her studies and we are excited to welcome her to the teaching profession. 

Community Consultation - Our School Charter

It’s that time again when we review our school charter. Please take the time to read our charter and offer any suggestions for our 2023 update, which the Karāpiro School Board of Trustees will finalise in the coming weeks. You can find a copy of our charter on our school website or click the link: Charter for review If you have any comments or suggestion please send these to office@karapiro.schoo.nz 

Stationery

Stationery is available to purchase from https://www.myschool.co.nz/karapiro. Please ensure that you do this as soon as possible so that students have all that they need for the start of the school year.

Enrolments for 2023

If you have a child starting with us in 2023 and have not yet completed an enrolment form please do so to help with our planning for next year: Enrolment Form

Karāpiro Hydro Dam

As you will be aware there is ongoing work at the Karāpiro Hydro Dam and this has caused road closures. We continue to keep our community informed with regular updates posted on our school Facebook page as we receive them. You can also check the website at the following link: https://www.mercury.co.nz/karapiro-dam 

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which has been updated for the new term ahead. 

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

Look us up at www.karāpiro.school.nz and like us on Facebook

Week 8, Term 4 2022       MERRY CHRISTMAS!   

Kia ora parents, caregivers and whānau,

Merry Christmas!!! It is hard to believe that it is December already and we are in the final days of the school year. We would like to say a huge thank you to all our parents and families who have supported us throughout the year and contributed to making Karāpiro School such a great place to learn and grow. We are hoping to see you at our ‘Thank You’ morning tea next Monday at 10.30am - please come along and join us.

Events for the Rest of the Year

Reporting to parents - Snap Shot Report

Written school reports will be sent home with students tomorrow and uploaded to your child's Seesaw account before the end of the school year. We encourage you to read your report with your child and engage them in talking about their progress and achievement. Teachers are happy to make time to meet with you and your child should you wish to discuss the report with them. Congratulations to all of our students for your success this year. 

Celebration Assembly

This Friday at 2.15pm we are holding our celebration assembly. We have some class and principals awards and a very special new award for one of our students. You are all welcome to come along and join us in Kauri Class. 

End of Year Prizegiving

Our end of year prizegiving for all students will be held at 6pm on Tuesday 13 December in Pohutukawa Class. Put this date in your diary now!! We are hoping that ALL students will attend to receive their certificates and yearbooks.

Wet and Wild Day

We are holding this fun day on Tuesday 13 December. Please ensure your child/ren bring their togs, two towels, a change of clothes, water guns (if you have some) and apply sunscreen before coming to school. We will provide a free lunch of a sausage sizzle and juicie for all students. 

Toys at School 

Please keep toys at home as they are a major distraction in the learning environment. From time to time families may have something really special to share - please coordinate this with your child’s teacher so that we can share with the children but also keep the special item secure during the school day. Sometimes, teachers will arrange a special ‘pokemon card day’ for example and make this a special event to look forward to. All toys that are brought to school come on an ‘at your own risk’ basis. We will do everything we can to ensure items come home at the end of the day but this cannot be guaranteed. Thank you for your cooperation. 

Term Dates for 2023

Our term dates for 2023 are set as follows (with some additional teacher only dates to come as recently announced by the Ministry of Education): 

Term 1: 31 January - 6 April

Term 2: 24 April - 30 June

Term 3: 17 July - 22 September

Term 4: 9 October - 15 December

Staffing for 2023

We continue to enjoy a stable staffing team at Karāpiro School and our staffing plan for 2023 is as follows:

Enrolments for 2023

If you have a child starting with us in 2023 and have not yet completed an enrolment form please do so to help with our planning for next year: Enrolment Form

Year 6 Graduation Dinner

The annual Year 6 Graduation Dinner was held on Monday 12 December at 5.30pm at Joe’s Garage, Swayne Road Cambridge. Mr Churstain, Miss Turkilsen and Miss Thatcher thoroughly enjoyed spending the evening with our Year 6’s before they leave us for Cambridge Middle School.

Pool Keys for Sale

Our school pool is open! Pool key hire is $50 for school families and $70 for community members. There is a $10 key bond in addition to this. Forms and keys are available from the school.  If you hired a key last season please return your key to the school office. 

Keep an eye on our School Calendar which has been updated for the new term ahead. 

A reminder that school ends at 1pm on Wednesday 14 December. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ngā mihi

Tina-Maree and the Karāpiro Staff team 

 Find us on Facebook 

https://www.mooloocommunityrugby.co.nz/community/minis-2-mooloos-holiday-programme-1