Kia ora koutou,
What a fabulous day we had for cross country on Tuesday! It was great to see so many of you down at Fergusson Park cheering and celebrating as our hardworking Matua Learners pushed themselves to complete the course. Some noteworthy feedback from parents included how these types of events are always a great opportunity to give the kids, who enjoy running, an opportunity to have their talents shine – and how amazing to see the older students being involved in supporting and helping out the younger students, supporting them to grow as leaders and great for the younger ones to have big kids to look up to. We couldn’t agree more!
We had a special assembly today to farewell Mrs Copeman, celebrating her time with us since 2010, first as a teacher aide, then Sports Coordinator, before moving to the office team. Emma is much loved by staff and students alike – our multi-talented, font of all things Matua and fondly known as the cheeky and generous dispenser of laughter, kindness, and
sticking plasters. Emma and her husband will soon leave on their year-long OE, and we wish them safe travels. It has been a joy working alongside you, Emma.
A warm welcome to our new ‘Mrs Copeman’ Juliet Johnston who joined our team on Wednesday. Some of you may have met her already, as she works alongside the office team to learn all the amazing tasks that Emma has been doing over the past eight years as our wonderful multi-talented front-of-house!
All learning packs for our Geo-a-thon fundraiser should have found their way home by now – please check your child’s school bag if you have not seen it yet. I am learning lots of new NZ geography facts, and I hope your family is too, as you practice them at home with your child/ren, ready for testing in Week 7.
Next week brings an extra-long weekend for your family, with Friday 30th May a TOD where teachers take on more professional learning around the new curriculum, and Monday 2nd June being King’s Birthday.
Look out for our Health & PE Community Survey, coming out via HERO in Week 8.
Drop into the office and give Juliet a warm Matua welcome next time you are at school!
Ngā mihi nui
Angela Barlow
Acting 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.
SPORT
What an incredible day we had for our Cross Country! The sun was shining, the energy was high, and it was truly heartwarming to see our tamariki giving it their absolute best out on the course. From start to finish, the smiles, determination, and sportsmanship were inspiring.
A massive thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success – from setting up, marshalling, encouraging the runners, to packing down. We appreciate every bit of support. Your efforts made everything run smoothly and created a positive, fun environment for our kids to thrive in.
It was also fantastic to see so many whānau out there cheering on our runners. Your presence and encouragement made the day even more special and meant the world to the kids.
SCHOOL DONATIONS
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 is now closed until Term 4.
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/
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
Fletcher Adams and Kayley McMillan, two Te Miro MTB Club Members, are fundraising to race in Europe in five weeks. Fletcher is ranked 35th in the world, and Kayley is the current Oceania Champ.
For fundraising, Fletcher and Kayley are holding a skills clinic on July 5th from 10 am-1 pm at the Te Miro MTB Park. A group ride with Fletcher and Kayley will follow the clinic. It is open to all ages. Some skills that will be covered are cornering, race lines, drop-offs, and bunny hops.
The clinics are free, but Fletcher and Kayley would love a donation on their Give a Little Page: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/europe-here-we-come
To register for the Skills Clinic, please follow the link for the registration page: https://forms.gle/BgzXSaJ85AZbUcyE6
