FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
你好.
The year of the dragon Signifies success. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon. Chinese dragons are respected and honoured, not only for their strength and wisdom but success as well. The Chinese New Year holiday comes to an end with the Yuan Xiao (元宵节 / yuán xiāo jié), or Lantern Festival, celebrated on February 24th, 2024.
Nǐ hǎo. This week, at our Monday morning assembly, we heard from Queenie Zhao about the customs and traditions that occur in her family to celebrate Chinese New Year. Our challenge this week is to be able to all say “Happy New Year” in Chinese!
Newsletter Focus:
- Meet Us All
- BNZ Court of Dreams Breakers – Breakfast TV Report
- Kapa Haka
- Wainui School Board – First Meeting of 2024 – Tuesday, 2oth February
- FOWS (Friends of Wainui School) First Meeting of 2024 – Wednesday, 21st February 7:00pm
- EOTC Trips to Goat Island
- Powhiri and Morning Tea
- Leadership Year 8’s
- Whole School Assembly – This Friday 23rd February
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING
Meet Us All – Thank you everyone for coming! This was a great event for our families to connect with the teachers, the chair of the FOWS – Leslie Ann Linn, and to have a look at the first draft of our Strategic Plan 2024/25. Culmination for the Strategic Plan was done last year with the help of surveys, a consultant and a number of Board/staff meetings. This Strategic Plan is for 2 years, which is in line with the current Board’s tenure. The draft will be shared with you all online after the first Board meeting.
BNZ Court of Dreams Breakers – Breakfast TV Report – If you missed the Breakfast TV report on Harry’s amazing win and trip for us all, I have attached the link here. We are all still smiling from the night, and we are all Breakers fans now if we weren’t before! We are very proud of all of our students that attended.
THIS WEEK
Kapa Haka – Haere mai /Welcome back Whaea LeeAnne! We met last week to plan 2024, and as we continue to ensure the capability of all of our teachers in Te Reo and Te Ao Maori, this is at the forefront with Whaea LeeAnne. We will continue to focus on this at staff meetings throughout the year. Tuesdays are still the day that year groups will have the opportunity to participate and learn waiata, haka, ropu – plus work with our potential rangatira rangatahi o kapa haka for 2024. The first performance will be our Pohiri for new families on 1st March.
Wainui School Board – First Meeting of 2024- Tuesday, 2oth February – Our elected members of the Board: Pip Catchpole (Presiding Member), Chad Mexted (Finance), Joseph Long (Property), Annaliese Hewitt (Community) and Chris Scott (Community Projects/ Deputy Presiding Member) have begun their second year. Meetings are now all scheduled and there will be 9 in total throughout the year, to occur on a Tuesday evening with a 6:30pm start time. If you wish to attend a Board meeting at any time, please contact the Board Secretary to do so. Meetings are focussed on achieving the Strategic Plan goals and ensuring Wainui School continues to be an excellent place for learning and development!
FOWS (Friends of Wainui School) First Meeting of 2024 – Wednesday, 21st February 7:00pm – Come meet us in the staffroom to get involved and learn about all of the wonderful events and activities we have planned for the year. This is a great way to meet new friends. Drinks and nibbles will be served.
In order to achieve our strategic goals, it helps to have more funds than the Ministry give us!! We are so very fortunate that we have such amazing parents who give their time and energy, but we cannot sustain the success and size of the events if we don’t have more parents, grandparents or friends to step up and help us!! Last year we exceeded all of our plans by raising not just the budgeted $40,000 but well over $60,000!! Just amazing!
EOTC Trips to Goat Island – The year 5&6 students have traveled out to Goat Island this week to learn to snorkel. This has been an amazing experience for our students! The sea is clear and warm, and the sky is blue. What a great way to encounter sea life and gain new skills at the Marine Reserve!
NEXT WEEK
Powhiri and Morning Tea – All new families to our school are welcome as well as anyone who has missed this in the past. Please assemble by 9:15am outside the hall. We will then all have kai and a cuppa in the staffroom. We would love for you to come!
FINALLY
Leadership Year 8’s – The interviews were held last Thursday and Friday to find our leaders for 2024. The speeches were outstanding and some of the presentations using digital technology blew the judges away!! We will be announcing the leaders in Assembly on Friday.
Whole School Assembly – Friday 23rd February at 2pm – The year 7 &8 Team (Takahe Team) will lead this Assembly and everyone is welcome!! It is a lovely way to celebrate the values that students have displayed. We celebrate achievements and share our current learnings through performance.
Ka kite ano,
Gillian Bray
FOR YOUR CALENDAR
- Tuesday 2oth February – Wainui School Board Meeting – 6:30pm.
- Wednesday 21st February – FOWS Meeting – 7:00pm – Staffroom.
- Friday 23rd February – Whole School Assembly – 2pm.
- Friday 23rd February – Winter Sports Muster & BBQ – 3:15 – 5:30pm.
- Friday 1st March – Welcome Powhiri – 9:15am.
- Wednesday 10th April – Bike-a-thon.
OTHER
- Horse poo
- Worms so we can restart our worm farms
- Any garden tools
- Fruit trees
- Seedlings, both vegetables and flowers
If anyone has access to cheap garden mix to replenish our garden beds please let us know. Any other items you think might be useful. Please contact Leanne Stevenson if you think you have items we may need. lstevenson@wainui.school.nz
Rhythm Interactive – On Monday 4th March all of the students at Wainui School will have the opportunity to attend a show in the school hall. The show is called Rhythm Interactive and is an interactive percussion experience.
Leaving New Zealand in 1996 to go on his big OE, John returned to New Zealand with an exciting idea – to set up an interactive percussion business for the corporate events industry. In 2003 Rhythm Interactive was born, and it has grown to become one of the most innovative, interactive, and entertaining shows.
Since then, John has travelled throughout Australasia and Asia performing for thousands of people of all ages.
The school will be subsidising this experience but It would be fantastic if the children could contribute by way of a gold coin donation.
COMMUNITY
