Kia ora e te whānau!

Nau mai hoki mai ki te wāhanga tuarua, Welcome back to term 2.

Welcome to our new school website! I am so excited to be bringing you a fresh, interactive, easy-to-navigate, and all-informative way of keeping you up to date with what is happening in our school. We hope that you enjoy the new layout and find easy access to the information you need. Like a one-stop shop, you will find newsletters, community notices, enrolment forms, our school Facebook link, our school calendar, update your contact details and you can notify us of an absence. There are loads more functions to make schooling life a little easier, have a good look around at each page and familiarise yourself with what's what.

Welcome to our new whānau! We hope that everyone is settling in well. My door is always open, should you need a chat. If you have any questions about your child's education, pop into their class after school and meet their kaiako. Parent/teacher interviews will also be this term. See important dates below to find out when, and keep an eye out for interview times.

This term is a shorter term than usual, with only 9 weeks to get as much learning done as possible, and lots going on in between. Check out the section below 'What's happening this term' to find out more about what is ahead. I will keep it short and update you on key changes and the 'need to know' for the term ahead, that way you can spend more time browsing the other sections in the online newsletter.

New Office Hours
We have new opening hours for the school office. Please observe the new times that the school office will be open for whānau and visitors from now on. We wholeheartedly thank Whaea Nicki for the continued commitment to going above and beyond for our school community.

Monday 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Tuesday 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Wednesday - Closed
Thursday  8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Friday  8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Update whānau information
If you have recently moved or changed your email address or phone number, please head over to update contact information. Your information will go directly to the school office. Alternatively, you can pop in or ring during the new office hours to make changes.

School car park
This is an unsafe and a no zone for tamariki. We ask whānau to please not use this area for drop-offs and pick-ups. Instead, students can be dropped off outside the student entry gate, which is open at 8:15 am, and can be picked up from 3:00 pm. If visiting the school, please be mindful of the disabled parking painted strip. Only those with a displayed disabled parking permit can park there.  Please keep it free for those who need it. Thank you in advance for working with us to keep everyone safe.

Uniforms
Now that we are heading into the colder months, tamariki tend to rightfully layer up. If you do not yet have a school winter jacket or your child has outgrown their last one, please see Whaea Nicki at the school office. These are at no cost to whānau. Students can wear black long sleeves (t-shirt/jersey) under their school shirt. Black bottoms for shorts, pants, skirts, or tights. 

We replace noticeable wear and tear of the school t-shirts, or if your child outgrows their current uniform t-shirt. If this is the case for your child, please bring in the shirt being replaced and see Whaea Nicki for a free replacement. Lost or extra tees are purchasable from the school office. Please name your child's uniform items so that we can return the items to the right student.

Reading and Spelling
Each week, tamariki / children are given a list of spelling words to learn. Please ask your tamaiti / child to share their list with you and have fun practicing with them. The more support and opportunities to practice they get, the better readers and writers they will become. Encourage them to seek out the words / kupu around them and try sounding them out! Get them to write the shopping list!

I hope everyone has a fabulous term 2. I look forward to connecting with you all soon!

Mauri ora!
Whaea Celia


Website Tip: You can come back to this pānui any time you need a reminder of what is happening, or to check out key dates and keep up to date with what is going on.

 House of Bricks
The house of bricks visits us in week 3 to deliver the 2025 LEGO Learning Tour, which offers an immersive, all-day educational experience that transforms how students engage with key 21st-century skills. Designed to align with the New Zealand curriculum, this hands-on tour helps students develop critical competencies, including creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and social and emotional skills. Through a series of LEGO-based challenges, students experience an engaging learning process that prepares them for success in learning and the modern world.

Road Safety Week
We have become frequent Road Safety ambassadors over the past few years, supporting the Road Safety Heroes day at Pūtahi Park. This year, we will return to the event on Friday, 16th May, and open the day with a karakia and himene.
Check out how you can support this year's road safety week here!

Book Character Day
Book month is coming up in May, and we love our books! Unfortunately, the book fair won't be in this year, however, we will still be celebrating the wonderful world of books on Friday 23rd May. Send your child to school as their favourite story character!

Keeping Ourselves Safe
In week 5, Whangarei Community Police are visiting to deliver the Keeping Ourselves Safe programme to all students. To understand more about what students will be learning to keep themselves safe, please visit https://www.police.govt.nz. More information and permission slips will be sent out to whānau closer to time.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to pop in for a chat.

Ngā Tohu o te Taiao - The Signs of Nature
Our senior class will be heading to Forum North on June 12th to watch an exciting and interactive performance showcasing a symphonic music piece composed by Dr Jeremy Mayall, and stunning live visual art by Marcus Winter, aka ‘The Sandman’. Students will learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s seasonal signs of nature, where and when to find them, and how to care for them. Check out their website for more info!

Ki-o-rahi Tournament
Last year, our seniors headed over to Manaia View for a fun day of ki-o-rahi playing against their senior students. This term, we are heading back with Horahora Primary in tow!

Te Ao o Taonga Pūoro
Bob Bickerton and his treasured collection of taonga pūoro are visiting in the last week of the term. All tamariki will be treated to the smooth soothing sounds from the ancient art of Māori instruments. Students will discover the unique decadent sound cascading from the natural ridges of each taonga and be transported into a sense of tranquility and peace. To learn more about Bob's collection and work, see here. 

While we are working towards 80% of students attending regularly, I would like to acknowledge the collective effort over the past year in raising the number of students who attend school daily. In term 1, 2024, the percentage of students who were attending regularly was a discouraging 15%. Term 2, 24%; Term 3, 30%; and at the end of last year, Term 4, 38%. In fact, since the days of COVID, the percentage has consistently been 30% or lower, and for the first time since pre-COVID, we are now over the 50% range. This is a wonderful achievement for Raurimu Avenue School and is worth celebrating the team effort!

To keep the good works going, during the term break, every student would have received a letter highlighting their individual attendance report. If you have not received this, please make contact with the office. There may be guidance and next steps that are important for whānau to know. For more information on the Stepped Attendance Response framework, please carefully read through the Ministry of Education STAR.

Please remember to contact us if your child is away, or let us know through the website's absences portal.

We have two staff-only days during term 2.

Day 1 - Tuesday 3rd June
Staff will be undergoing professional development in understanding how to best support students with FASD.

Day 2 - Tuesday 23rd June
Math Curriculum professional development. Education is going through a major curriculum shift, and staff need to understand how to best implement the refreshed Math curriculum. All staff will be in attendance of a Ministry of Education provided PLD day.

We need a community superstar or two who can commit to running our breakfast club at school.
The breakfast club begins at 8:15 and finishes and 8:45 every morning.

You will need to be here at 8:00 am to set up in the hall, 

If this sounds like you or you know someone who would be interested, please see the school office for more information.

Nau mai haere mai e te whānau!

We value the input of our whānau, and whānau hui is an opportunity to share your voice and contribute to the school in a positive direction. 

At this whānau hui, I will update whānau on the curriculum changes for Numeracy and Literacy, and what that means for your child at Raurimu Avenue School.

We are still taking an interest in those wishing to be on the school board. Please let us know if you are interested and would like to become a part of a dynamic team that leads fearlessly in the governance of our growing school. 

I look forward to seeing you all there!