Kererū Hapori News

By Bridget McDowall | Posted: Thursday February 20, 2025

Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei .Pursue excellence; if you stumble, let it be toward a lofty mountain.

Welcome back! We hope you all had a fantastic break and are excited about the year ahead. Thank you for your support in preparing your children for the start of the school year—it has been fantastic to see them settle in so well and form new relationships with their peers and teachers. 

We also appreciate those who attended our Meet the Teacher evening. It was great to connect and share what’s ahead for your child this year. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to email your child’s teacher. We are always happy to help and discuss important things for your child’s success at Kaikorai Primary School.

Welcome to the Kererū Team!

We are delighted to welcome all our new students and teachers to our school whānau for 2025! We hope you are already feeling at home in our supportive school environment. We look forward to getting to know you and seeing you grow and thrive throughout the year.

We are also excited to welcome Matua Kane to our teaching team. He has settled in wonderfully and will share his expertise by supporting our Kapa Haka group. His passion for te ao Māori will be a fantastic addition to our school.

To all our new Kererū students, we hope you have a fantastic year ahead, filled with learning, friendships, and new opportunities!

Spelling

A quick reminder that spelling words will be sent home weekly in your child’s spelling notebook to support your child’s literacy development, so please take some time to practice these together, focusing on the spelling rule for the week. If the notebook does not make it home, spelling words can be accessed through SeeSaw.

Google Forms

For any upcoming team trips, it’s essential that Google Forms are completed promptly to ensure your child’s participation. Your support helps us organise smooth and enjoyable experiences for all.

Kaikorai Valley College Sports Day

The 2025 KVC Sports Expo will be held on Tuesday, 4 March.  The reserve day is Wednesday, 5 March.  Please complete the Google Form if you have not yet done so. 

The expo will run according to the following timetable: Students will participate in eight activities in 30-minute blocks from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m.

Your child will need... 

A school sports t-shirt, shoes for running, morning tea, lunch, a school sunhat, bottled water, and a warm top.

We will return to school at 2:30 pm.

Further details have been provided on the Google Form.

https://forms.gle/674YxSFwunaCATSt8

Kererū Fitness

Daily fitness is an important part of our school routine, helping students stay active, healthy, and ready to learn. Each day, children will take part in physical activity games and exercises designed to improve their overall fitness levels, coordination, and teamwork skills. To ensure they can participate fully and safely, it is essential that they wear appropriate clothing and footwear, such as sneakers and comfortable clothing suitable for movement. Regular exercise has many benefits, including improving strength, flexibility, and endurance and boosting mood and energy levels. 

Extra School Activities

A wide variety of extracurricular activities will be s starting in the next few weeks, offering students opportunities to explore new interests and develop their skills. Students are encouraged to sign up for activities such as drama club, choir, Ukulele, Orchestra, Kapa Haka, and recorder. These programmes provide a great way to build confidence, creativity, and teamwork while having fun. Additionally, our Physical Activity Leaders have begun running games in the playground, and all children are welcome to join in on the days they would like to play. These activities help students stay active, make new friends, and enjoy their time at school.

We look forward to seeing lots of students getting involved!

PBL-Project Based Learning

Our driving question this term is...

How can we design engaging and creative ways to showcase our community, its key places, people, and unique culture?

This term, students will engage in various experiences that will allow them to learn about and explore our wider community. We are looking forward to visiting our local Marae and the community garden later this term.

At the end of this PBL, classes will display a map of their learning, documenting specific areas, people, and the culture of our community.

Ngā mihi,

Bridget McDowall, Hannah Sims, Kane McKay and Rosarah Hardie.

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