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Easy, informative current news, student work and activities from Wairakei Primary School.
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| Wairakei Primary School Newsletter
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| December 14, 2021 |
| Tīhema 14, 2021 |
| Week 9 Term 4, 2021 |
Issue Contents:
- Principal's News
- Board of Trustees Chair News
- Lake Taupō Harbourmaster summer
- Sponsors
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| Principal's News
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Dear Parents and Caregivers
Another year ends for us here at Wairakei Primary School. We are currently saying goodbye to our Year 6 students as they get ready to head off to Intermediate and beyond. Teachers and support staff who have worked with these students acknowledge the personal growth each one of these students has shown during their time at the school.
They have climbed ropes at MERC, enjoyed three years of water days, been hosts at assemblies, learnt to read, and write and do word problems in their head — then, explain them to their teachers. School productions at the end of the year were a highlight. Races have been competed by friends. Readers were taken home and found under beds before being returned to school. Teachers came and went, and friends were made to be kept.
This group of Year 6 students have been a support to many. Their leadership across the school has been exemplary. They have worked all year with the junior school on learning basic sight words, managing this task by themselves. Then, there is my personal favourite — the Road Patrollers. In the sun, the wind and rain (and it rains a lot at 3p.m in Taupo), they come out and stand on the crossing showcasing Wairakei POWER. We laugh, giggle and tell the same jokes most days with the group of parents who wait for their children to join them. You allowed me to have “Proud Principal” moments every day of the year.
End of year reports are written, the classes are emptying of their work and books are making their way home in bags. This means that our teachers will get some down-time to rest and recuperate before the next year begins.
Our stationery lists are available on the website. I have identified them by room and team. Ordering details and school prices will be found in the January newsletter.
I would like to thank everyone for their hard work during the year. Our support staff do a fantastic job working with students, and they make all the teaching staff feel supported and valued.
Our teachers come to work to ensure that our students are educated, academically and socially. In turn, they work alongside the support staff to make our school a great place to be.
Our Board and PTA combine to support our staff, students and the wider community, acting as a conduit for communication and praise for our school.
I take a lot of visitors around the school on a regular basis. I get to hear the lovely comments they make about our grounds and our learning that is visible on the walls of the classrooms. Visitors talk about the way students greet me as I walk around, and how everyone says hello and is made to feel welcome. This is what makes Wairakei Primary a great place to be.
I have had two students who have paid for the privilege to be a Principal for an afternoon. As part of their role, a Principal, they came out on road patrol, gave out POWER awards at lunch and managed some paperwork. I also asked them to write to the community in this week's newsletter.
Laila - It’s been a tricky year for all students and teachers because of the pandemic. I think that the community has done a great effort to keep learning going and to make sure that our students have the education they need. Thank you to the PTA for the extra activities like the sausage sizzle and wheels day. I am looking forward to playing on the new playground when it is installed. I hope that all the teachers take a break and have a good holiday.
Emma – I would like to thank all our teachers and especially my teacher Whaea Angel for always helping me when I get stuck and making my learning activities fun and exciting. Thank you to the PTA for having a great idea with the raffle and collecting all the prizes. The Festival of Fun at the end of the year was a great way to finish. The Water day was very popular with the teachers and the students. Mr Kidd hid in the gully and Whaea Angel ran the dunking machine. Merry Christmas to everyone in our school community.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a great start to the New Year. Stay safe and enjoy the time with family and friends.
Paula
Our final message is from our Board of Trustees
Chair Report 2021
Kia ora koutou - greetings to you all
In another year when COVID-19 has played a role in everybody's lives we have been fortunate at Wairakei Primary School to be able to continue students learning journeys as best we can. This has been an effort for everyone involved and my thanks to our staff for providing home-based learning when needed and parents and caregivers for implementing it. As always, we must recognise the resilience of our tamariki who have taken most of this in their stride.
Mrs Farquhar took a sabbatical in Term 2 to look at ways of developing leaders, and the school was ably run by Mrs Foley during this time.
With our two new classrooms being finished and Rooms 1-4 being renovated, our school is looking in good shape. Students are enjoying the learning spaces, and it is hoped that Rooms 1-4 will return to completed classrooms at the start of 2022. Rooms 13 and 14 will begin their renovation next year, and our new court area will start in March 2022.
2021has also seen the PTA being re-energized, despite fundraising opportunities like our Fun Run and Pet Day being postponed, the PTA have set themselves a goal of fundraising for a new playground and are chipping away at building a fund to contribute towards this. Thanks to all those whanau who have joined the PTA and the school community for supporting these events.
Community consultation was done via ZOOM meeting hosted by an outside facilitator, and I wish to thank all those who took part and gave feedback. This has given us information to help move the school forward in developing our school charter and revisit what our POWER values mean and to check that they reflect what we want for our school community moving forward.
Thanks must go to everyone involved in our school space - my fellow Board of Trustee members, Paula and our senior management team, our teachers, our office staff, our support staff and teacher aides, our green-fingered caretaker and our school whanau who all help make up Wairakei Primary School unique.
In 2022 our tri-yearly Board of Trustee elections will be held. If you are interested in being a trustee, which is about governance, not day to day management, please talk to one of our current board members. In my experience, it is a team effort focusing on keeping our school moving forward and is a most rewarding appointment.
Nga mihi
Chris Te Whare
Wairakei Primary School Board of Trustees
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| Upcoming Events
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February 1, 2022
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| Teacher Only Day |
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February 1, 2022
1.30p.m. to 3p.m. |
| Meet the Teachers |
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February 2, 2022
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| First day of the school year |
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View our upcoming calendar events
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| Taupo Harbour Master presents |
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| Lake Taupō Harbourmaster Team, want to make sure our tamariki all have a safe and enjoyable summer |
We can achieve this by helping them understand how to identify that there are safe place and not so safe places to cool off in our pristine waters.
The Taupō Harbourmaster Team assist police with emergencies on the lake and river. Every year, there are near misses and fatalities in the Waikato river which are totally preventable with better understanding and a greater respect for our waters.
Below we have identified some of the ‘hot spots’ for cooling off in the Taupō district and best practice in these areas.
Great Lake Taupō
Safe
- Lake Taupō has six designated areas for swimming only. These areas are marked with white and black banded posts ashore and white buoys with black writing in the water.
- No vessels are allowed to enter these areas.
Taupō Boat Harbour – Navigational Channel
Not Safe – Prohibited No Swimming
- Swimming is prohibited in the entire area for good reason, the same reason you do not play on roads. Vessels navigate up and down the entire area.
- Please read and obey the warning signage. It is there for one reason, safety. (Refer to map below identifying the Taupō Boat Harbour Navigation Channel*).
Waikato river – North of Control Gates to Huka Falls
Caution Advised
- A basic understanding of rivers and a healthy respect for the power of moving water can help keep you and your friends safe.
- When swimming in a river, always check for hazards (such as floating timber) up and down stream and avoid pools that run out into a stretch of rapidly moving water.
- Never jump or dive into a river without being sure of what’s below the surface, to avoid spinal or head injuries.
- If you get caught in the current, don’t fight it, but head downstream to a suitable landing area.
- Always tell someone where you are going, go with friends and take at least two waterproof forms of communication with you.
- Please read and obey the warning signage. Again, It is there for one reason, safety.
Let’s make this summer and all subsequent summers safe. |
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