Kia ora koutou,
On Tuesday morning, we officially opened our new classrooms with a blessing led by kaumatua from Ngāti Ranginui Iwi. Gathering at 7:00am, teachers, students, iwi and the Ministry of Education came together to formally open the new building. The families of Rooms 22 and 23 were invited to join the ceremony, and thank you to those who were able to make it along. We look forward to seeing the tamariki from Rooms 22 and 23 start Term 2 in the new classrooms.
The construction fencing will remain around the building, and access from Audrey Place will be closed off until the end of the school holidays. We hope this will allow the new grass to get established.
Kelme Sports Gear!
We are so thankful to a couple of our wonderful Matua parents! Jo and Anna Dixon are passionate supporters of Sport at Matua, and also run Kelme, a sports gear and apparel company. This term, Jo and Anna have provided $2000 worth of sports gear to the school! We are thrilled to have this new gear added to our PE equipment as we continue to encourage a strong physical education programme. If you are looking for sports gear, please consider support Jo and Anna. You can find them at www.kelme.nz
Term 2 Sabbatical
This is my last newsletter for a little while as I am away on sabbatical in Term 2. The school will be in good hands with Angela Barlow taking on the Acting Principal role. I look forward to seeing you all again in Term 3!
Ngā mihi nui
Marcus Norrish
Principal
SCHOOL CALENDAR
WHOOPING COUGH
Whooping Cough Update
Aotearoa New Zealand remains in a whooping cough (pertussis) epidemic, with cases and hospitalisations continuing across the country.
Whooping cough causes breathing difficulties and severe coughing fits. It can be spread easily between people, usually by coughing and sneezing. It is particularly serious for pçpi (babies), tamariki (children) and older adults, and in some cases, can be fatal.
Symptoms start like a cold before developing into a persistent cough. If you or a family member develop symptoms, stay home and contact your GP for further advice. Immunisation is the best protection and is free for children aged under 18, pregnant people, and some adults. Good hygiene also helps reduce the spread. For more information, phone 0800mynurse (0800 696 8773).
Designgroup Stapleton Elliott (DGSE) is an award-winning architect practice with studios spread across Aotearoa. Formed by a large team with diverse backgrounds and skill sets, their services include Architecture, Interior Architecture, Master Planning, and Landscape Architecture. Acknowledging the weight of their responsibility as architects, a deep understanding of people, place, and culture are at the heart of their design processes.
RĀKAU TEAM
GARDEN TO TABLE
Rooms 11,12,13 and 14 have had some amazing weeks participating in Garden to Table this term. We have been enjoying using the produce grown over the summer to make some delicious healthy food. We have harvested pumpkins, rhubarb, beans, watermelons, tomatoes and popcorn. Thanks to Bruce Reid for the delicious Ballarat apples. A big thank you to Mitre 10 who donated prizes for the sunflower competition and also a big thank you to New World who provide a voucher each term to help with our needed pantry items.
LANDSCAPING SUPPLIES
SCHOOL DONATIONS
SPORT
We had 23 swimmers representing Matua in the East Cluster swimming sports In March. There were some fantastics performances and our tamariki represented themselves and the school so well! We had nine students place high enough to secure spots at the Western Bay Swimming champs.
Holiday Camps are the perfect opportunity to practice basketball fundamentals by participating in fun drills and small games.
Come along and enjoy the days of basketball. Lots of fun, lots of new friends to be made.
To register please click below https://
All questions with regards to registration should be directed to the Admin Team, dev.admin@tauranga.basketball,
TAURANGA CITY BASKETBALL PRESENTS GIRLS GOT GAME HOLIDAY PROGRAMME
Come join us for a fun-filled Girls Basketball Event! Whether you’re a total beginner or have some skills to show off, this is your chance to learn, play, and make new friends on the court.
Wednesday 16 April 2025
9.00am – 12.00pm
Venue: Mercury Bay Park
$25.00 or FREE with this voucher – see flyer for more details.
LIBRARY
MOBILE DENTAL CLINIC
The mobile dental unit will be onsite from Monday 28th April to Friday 27th June
Our dental team will be seeing the most overdue tamariki/children during this visit. As the clinic will be prioritising all their appointments, it may not be possible for the dental staff to see all students during this visit.
Our dental team will notify the whanau and families prior to their tamariki’s dental appointment.
When you receive this notification, please contact the team to update any contact details, confirm medical details or renew permissions for examination and dental x-rays.
Current service demands and delays weigh heavily on our teams and your kindness and support is appreciated.
If you have any queries or urgent dental concerns, contact (07 576 6752) or 0800 TALK TEETH for further help and advice.
SCHOOL POOL
The school pool will be closing at the end of Term 1.
Don’t forget to return your pool key to the school office and collect your $25 key bond.
ROLL GROWTH CLASS
We are in the process of looking at our roll growth classes.
If you have a child who is turning 5 within the next 12 months, please can you complete an Intention To Enrol Form by clicking on the following link.
https://www.matua.school.nz/enrolment/
ART SUPPLIES NEEDED
Our wonderful Art Teacher, Mrs Jenni Scott is on the look out for supplies for the art room.
If you have any of the following, please can you drop them into the school office.
- An old sewing machine – In Good Working Order
- Old Pieces of felt
- Baking paper or kitchen towel cardboard rolls
- Wooden cotton reels
- Newspaper – without staples
SCHOOL HOURS
A friendly reminder that school is not open until 8.30am. If you require childcare before these hours, please contact SKIDS either by email – matua@skids.co.nz, phone – 027 586 0408, or book online – www.skids.co.nz/Matua.
SCHOOL INFORMATION
LUNCH ORDERS – EVERY FRIDAY
Lunch orders are available for delivery to Matua School each Friday.
SUBWAY
Simply order your SUBWAY lunch online through you myKindo account by CLICKING HERE
Order (or cancel) any time before 9:00am on the day or schedule in advance.
Help? Visit support.mykindo.co.nz or call 09-869 5200 Mon-Fri, 8:00am to 4:00pm.
TERM DATES 2025
Term 1, 2025 – Monday 3rd February – Friday 11th April
Waitangi Day – Thursday 6th February
Teacher Only Day – Monday 17th March
Term 2 – Monday 28th April – Friday 27th June
Teacher Only Day – Friday 30th May
Kings Birthday – Monday 2nd June
Matariki – Friday 20th June
Term 3 – Monday 14th July – Friday 19th September
Term 4 – Monday 6th October – Tuesday 16th December
Labour Day – Monday 27th October
SETTING UP KINDO
Setting up with Kindo
Kindo is our prefered payments system. To help you learn how it works, we’ve added their new help sheet and video. We hope it helps.
KINDO VIDEO HELP
COMMUNITY NOTICES
HIBISCUS SURF SCHOOL
Price: $99 per day or $395 per week (Save $100!).
We will be running kid-specific surf camps during the Easter Holidays. Kids are taught water safety and great foundational surfing skills from our internationally qualified instructors. Instructors also have lifeguard and first aid qualifications. These camps are very popular and we recommend booking in advance. Students will be in a small group of just 4-6 kids per instructor to ensure personalized instruction.
Parents, you are welcome to stay and watch your child surf, cheer and take photos, or feel free to take advantage of this time to grab a coffee with friends, check out the shops in town, or relax on the beach. Your kids will be well looked after, burn off some energy, have lots of fun and learn valuable ocean and surfing skills.
Cheers,
Matty and the Hibiscus Team
