Tena koutou katoa

I trust that you are all keeping well and have managed to get through some very wet and windy days this week.  Although the weather was much improved on Thursday, our field was far too boggy and waterlogged as a result of so much rain leading up to the School Colour Fun Run taht the decision was made to postpone this event to a later date. Thank you so much for your understanding and all of the efforts from our students and whanau in supporting this annual fundraiser.  We are now aiming to have the School Colour Fun Run in the last week of term, week 10 - Monday 4th July or Tuesday 5th July.  Last day of Term 2 will be Friday 8th July.

SUPPORT STAFF:  We have a wonderful team of support staff at Manurewa West Primary School who are an integral part of our kaupapa and mahi. Our support staff team is made up of:

Learning assistants:  Krystal Hereora, Uputaua Eti, Rita Devi, Pepe Tuiasau, Petriece Nimot, Shayla Whare, Daena Savage, Jaspreet Kaur, Anna Mafi, Amanda Nanai, Leah Oti and Odette Henare. 

Office Staff: Christine Rose and Lei-Ana Kingi and Grounds Staff: Joseph Unasa and Rick Eastham.

We had a special morning tea to say THANK YOU and how much we appreciate all that they do for our students, staff and school hapori.

Have a safe and restful weekend. There are three weeks until the end of this term. We love having your child/children at school everyday unless they are unwell. Thank you for supporting your child/children in attending school regularly and on time.

Ngā mihi maioha

Kogie Naidoo

Principal

It is pleasing to announce another two groups of student leaders who were awarded their badges at last Friday’s assembly. The Enviro Group (Tiaki Leaders) will work alongside the Principal as Tiaki (guardians) of our whole school environment. This will involve regular playground equipment checks and promoting and overseeing sustainable practices across the school.  Congratulations to :

Prescilla TW2, Faafetai TW2, Atwinna TW2, Sally TW2, Margailey TW2, Sonya TW5, Star TW6, Mayuri TW5

Congratulations to the Library Leaders:

Peyton TW3, Mysha TW5, Kimoirali TW2, Melleave TW2, Junior TW2, Margaret TW2

The library leaders will be assisting Ms Tuiasau to keep our library neat and tidy, oversee borrowing and return of books and helping at lunchtimes with keeping the library open for avid readers.

We thank you in advance for your service and mahi to our school.

On Wednesday 15th June, the MWPS Student leaders attended the annual GRIP Conference in Mt Wellington.

The purpose of the GRIP conference is to teach students fun ways to encourage leadership and help grow confidence to lead others.

The students took part in a day full of fun activities, met other student leaders from school's around Auckland, and even partook in a few competitions on stage - being brave and giving it a go!

We are incredibly proud of how well our students continually represent MWPS! Well done!

As we conclude this week and we approach the observation of our first Matariki public holiday next Friday 24th June, teachers are busy planning rich and engaging teaching and learning experiences to support what our tamariki bring with them about Matariki. This provides a wonderful opportunity for all of us who are not Maori, both staff and students to learn lots from Maori tamariki and community about the narratives, the science and the customs and traditions of Matariki. 

Matariki is a star cluster which appears in the night sky during mid-winter.  According to the Maramataka Māori lunar calendar the reappearance of Matariki brings the old lunar year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year. Hence, Matariki is associated with the Māori New Year.

Ka puta Matariki ka rere Whānui.

Ko te tohu tēnā o te tau e!

Matariki reappears, Vega starts its flight. 

The new year begins!

The twinkling of the Matariki stars in the pre-dawn sky heralds a special celebration for young and old.  Across New Zealand, people come together to remember their ancestors, share food, sing, tell stories, and play music. Matariki festivities highlight the tangata whenua tangata view of the world. They remind us of the cycle of life and natural ways of marking the passing of time. 

Families gather together during the long, cold nights of Matariki for learning and entertainment. Whare tapere, which included tākaro (games) and haka, is an important part of Matariki celebrations. (Source: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa).  Amongst many rich learning tasks related to Matariki all classes will be inquiring into Maori kite making, with a kite flying afternoon planned for next Thursday. Mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori'