Heron Herald Term 3, Week 10

Kia ora koutou,

What a time we had last week!  Thank you to everyone who came out and supported our Matua children as they presented the school production ‘Maui the Magnificent’!  We were so proud of the children, who worked hard to put their best performances on the stage – and they nailed it!

I would like to thank our teachers and support staff for the time, effort and care they put into setting kids up for success.  I love the joy and passion our team brings to a very full few weeks, ensuring core teaching and learning happen, while practising dances, leading choirs, and making the event happen.  This just wouldn’t happen without a committed staff team, and we have one of the best.

We are also extremely thankful to parents who got involved and helped out during show week.  From helping with make-up to clearing away the hundreds of pizza boxes we used on the night.  It really does take a village, and we thank you for being part of it.

Patrice and the Gobsmacked team are fantastic.  We appreciate the wonderful way she works with our children and the passion for the performing arts she leaves with them.

Below are a few photos from the show.

Class Placements for 2026

As we head into Term 4, we spend a lot of time working on class placements for 2026.  We appreciate the trust you place in us as we strive to set children, teachers, and classes up for success.  There are many factors taken into account that can include social, academic and personality.  While we don’t consider requests for specific teachers or placement with specific friends, we know that at times parents have information that needs to be considered.

If you would like us to consider something specific regarding your child’s class placement in 2026, please email the principal at marcusn@matua.school.nz

Please don’t approach teachers directly on this topic.  All teachers have been asked to direct any requests to the principal via email.

 

Ngā mihi nui

Marcus Norrish
Principal

SCHOOL CALENDAR

The school calendar is also available in Hero.  Please use this calendar to stay in touch with upcoming events.

 

TŪĪ TALKS – Follow, Like & Subscribe on Spotify!

Have you checked out the latest episodes from Tūī Talks?  Our podcast team were lucky enough to visit The House of Science and interview founder and CEO Chris Duggan!  We also have a quick-fire round with Mr Reid 🙂

Follow the link to listen now.

 

Helen is Matua School’s Premium Sponsor

Want to buy or sell a house?  Give her a call – she’s really nice!

EAST CLUSTER SPEECH FINALS

Our amazing students Vienna (Yr 6) and James (Yr 5) who won the Matua School speech competition went on to represent the school in the East Cluster Speech competition. All of the East Cluster schools were well represented. The topics covered by all students were fantastic, well researched and expertly delivered.
James’s speech was on hunger. He nailed it, made everyone hungry and came in 2nd.
Vienna’s speech on the effects of social media on her brother and teenagers had everyone laughing with the teenagers in the crowd looking guilty – captivating everyones imagination and took out first place! Well done James and Vienna –  you represented yourselves and the school amazingly well!

Sponsorship Opportunity

We have new opportunities to support Matua School through business sponsorship.  If you’d like to know more about joining our sponsorship programme, please email me at marcusn@matua.school.nz

INTRODUCING OUR NEW GOLD SPONSOR

We are Matt and Leah, owner-operators of Smith and Sons Tauranga, based here in Matua.

At Smith and Sons Tauranga, we specialise in a range of services that cater to all your construction needs, including bathrooms, kitchens, and full house renovations.

Our dedicated and reliable construction team is committed to delivering your project on time and within budget, ensuring that your vision comes to life seamlessly.

We pride ourselves on providing open and clear communication throughout the entire process, maintaining professionalism at every step. Our tried and tested systems guarantee quality workmanship that meets and exceeds your expectations.

If you are considering a project in the near future or have any questions about our services, we encourage you to get in touch with us. We would be more than happy to discuss how we can assist you with your renovation needs.

Call or email Matt on 0211678107 matt.winter@smithandsons.co.nz

YOUNG EINSTEIN COMPETITION

The East Cluster Young Einstein Competition was held recently at Bethlehem School, Young Einsteins is a quiz challenge for senior students with a range of topic rounds including “general knowledge”, maths and “name that face”. We entered a Yr 5 team, a Yr 6 team and a mixed Yr 5 & 6 team. The competition got underway after a beautiful mihi whakatau led by Te Paeroa tamariki and rumaki whānau. The students were on their own from that point and were in charge of a computer, their time management and keeping quiet! Our teams did amazingly well with special thanks to all of the parent help transporting and silently cheering the kids on. The Yr 6 team of Teddy, Charles, Carter and Quinn took out 2nd place overall. Amazing! Super well done everyone!

SCHOOL DONATIONS

School donations are an important part of how we can add extra value to our school and learning environment.  We are excited to have opened up a new fitness trail, which is a direct result of donations from last year.  This year, we are working towards extending outdoor play areas for our growing school and would love to see a new play-space developed near the Clivedene boundary.  Your support with donations will enable this to happen.  Full and partial payments of school donations can be paid now through Kindo.
An important note: School Donations are tax-deductible, so if you pay your donation soon, you can claim a one-third rebate from the IRD at the end of the financial year!  Check out the flyer below, which has more information about why we have School Donations.

 

GOBSMACKED HOLIDAY PROGRAMME

Following on from our fabulous production here is a special holiday programme from Patrice for you to continue your theatrical fun.

FUN FIRST FOOTBALL

The extremely popular Fun First Football Programme is back on our Matua Primary sports field on Thursdays after school in Term 4! This is their busiest term so Book early to guarantee a spot for your child as they will fill up very fast!  This is for kids aged 4yrs old – 9yrs old.. Simply go to https://funfirstfootball.co.nz/  for more info or to Book today!

GYMSCHOOL

Term 4 GymSchool information – All Welcome!

LEARN TO SAIL HOLIDAY PROGRAMME

STEELOS SPRING HOLIDAY PROGRAMME

This will be our final programme for 2025, running Sept 30 – Oct 2 at Mt Maunganui Intermediate.

It’s a great sports and active programme perfect for rugby mad kids, but just as awesome for any tamariki who love games, movement, and being outdoors.

ATHLETICS  PROGRAMME

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

Last Day of School – Tuesday 16th December (12:30pm finish)

 

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

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