Kia ora e te whānau

What an amazing year it has been!  Myself and Shaun (our Board Presiding Member) decided we are not fans of long (and boring!?!) speeches at Prizegiving - so instead here is a summary of 2025 - the year that was!

Property updates
Earlier this year we opened our brand new playground.  Everybody loves it!  It has also been great to settle into our new offices.  Our old Admin area has been turned into new classrooms for our Nest classes and we will soon have an outdoor play space there too. 

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This week, Guyco and Robinsons will begin the base for a basketball/netball/tennis artificial turf which will provide an all weather sports surface.  At the start of 2026 we will then begin planning the upgrade to our bike track with funding from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s Bike Ready programme.

We are proud to have a staff who love their jobs and work together to create the positive, fun learning environment that is summed up by our SHINE values. This year we have been focussing on learning how to better support neurodiverse and trauma impacted tamariki as well as training on our new Literacy and Mathematics curricula.

Our talented Food in Schools staff provide free healthy lunches to all tamariki through the Ka ora: Ka ako programme.Although our current government have committed to cutting the budget to $4 per child in 2026 - we have made plans to allow us to continue (with a few changes) next year - we hope the budget for this important programme will carry on for 2027.

This year we have continued to invest in Chromebooks and Activboards in our classrooms so that our kaiako can 

use technology for learning without whānau needing to purchase devices as we know that can have many wider implications for family life.

We are fortunate to have buses to transport tamariki to our kura.  In the past when we asked for feedback from whānau, bus concerns often come top of the list. This year out of 80 responses to our survey only 2 had concerns about buses - this tells me our bus service is going well and the Easy Bus system for raising concerns is working as it should.   

Earlier this year all of our tamariki visited Takahiwai Marae.  During the visit we videoed Whaea Hanna Pirihi Carrington as she talked about and demonstrated her expertise in raranga - weaving harakeke.  Before the start of 2026 we will name all of our classrooms after stages in the weaving  process.  Ngā mihi nui ki a Patuharakeke - we are privileged to have a relationship embodied by manaakitanga with mana whenua.   

We greatly appreciate Bream Bay College who hosted the Matariki Festival this year.  We were so proud to share the stage with Kapa Haka from local Early Childhood Centres, Waipu and One Tree Point Schools.  It is wonderful for all our children to see Bream Bay College perform as this builds their aspirations for the future.  

Although we have grown, we are still a rural school at heart and Show Day is a great opportunity for children to demonstrate their lamb, calf and goat handling skills.  Everyone loves the other traditional challenges of 

creating decorations, sand saucers and flower arrangements that many of our grandparents might remember from their school days. We appreciate how many of our whānau come out to support.

We celebrated the many talents of our tamariki in our “Ruakākā’s got talent” show.  This year’s winner was Hiku Aperahama with his Frank Sinatra inspired performance of “My way.”  We also sent a group of musicians to Bream Bay College to be mentored as band members in the School of Rock.

Garden to Table is still going strong.  This year all of our tamariki have tried G2T.  Tamariki have kept  the gardens looking amazing and have been using the ingredients they harvest to create delicious kai.  

This year our SHINE leaders have been: 

Piroa: Amelie Kenobi, Aubree Kelly Towns, Kora George

Taranga: London Wells, Phoenix Lewin, Chloe Slagter

Te Whara: Hiku Aperahama, Daz Huband, Tanya Patel

Manaia: Rehua Epiha Martin, Evie Webb, Naiome Hurihanganui

Pukekauri: Georgia Allen, Lincoln Trofimczuk, Macy Erihe

These wonderful Year 6 tuakana have been inspiring role models for our teina.  We know that as they head off to Year 7 they have leadership skills that will set them up for a bright, shiny future!  Last Friday - we announced our SHINE leaders for 2026.  

We have 15 places available to whānau who are not in our zone for 2026.  Please enquire at the school office.  We will update the number of places which remain available on our school FB page at the start of the year.

As it says on my door: Mā tou rourou, mā toku rourou ka puawai te kura.  With your resources and my resources the kura will flourish!

We wish you all a Meri Kirihimete and a safe and relaxing break.  We look forward to welcoming you back with our Hui ā-whanau day on Monday 9th February 2026.  We will be organising bookings through our new app.  Please look our for details of how to sign up for the app which were shared on Monday.  

Ngā mihi

Helen 

We are so proud of all of our tamariki for how SHINEy they were during prizegiving. A huge acknowledgement to those who received tohu (awards). We also acknowledge those who were nominated. Attached are the slides from the day, including all nominations. Well done to every single one of our students. Not all tamariki receive awards during prizegiving, but we think you are all amazing and a proud of the way you SHINE.

Slides can be found here
Photos for the day can be found at this link

If you have any feedback on our Prizegiving - either the event or what we choose to give awards for please give us your feedback on this brief 2 question survey.  We will use the results to inform next year's prizegiving.  Click here for the survey.

Following our ERO review earlier this year, we have now received our ERO report.  This is a summary of the comments around learner success which indicates that there have been progress and improvements made since our previous ERO report back in 2019.  The full report can be found here and will be placed on our website.

Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou - we value your feedback. 

The survey results here have been shared with our Board and are being used to inform our 2026 Action Plan.  

It was a real privilege to be able to head along with the Pukekauri Dam pest trappers for their final trip of the year. What a great group of knowledgeable kaitiaki we have at Ruakākā! It is both unfortunate and fortunate that we didn’t have any rats, stoats, possums, or cats in the traps - hopefully, it means our efforts have been paying off, and pest numbers are down!

We did, however, get to see some Weweia/Dabchicks diving for food across the lake. We found some putoko ropiropi or native leaf-veined slugs, which were really cool to see. As well as that, we were hunting for the toropapa or mimic plant, which copies the leaves of other plants around it, and were lucky to find a bunch of them.  What a very unique defence mechanism. Isn’t Aotearoa’s bush amazing! 

A special mention to Tommy White, who blew me away with his knowledge and keen sense of environmentalism that he displayed. All the students got stuck in, and I was really impressed and assured that our unique flora and fauna have great guardians for the future. Thanks, everyone involved.  I had a great day out!

 

Mr Proud

 Ngā mihi nui to Steve Johnson and Ari Carrington, who have made this experience possible for our tamariki. 

What a buzz we've had this term! Bee Group is having an incredible time with our friends from Tāhī Honey, learning all about beekeeping and the magic of the hive.

The tamariki dress up in bee suits, and don't just watch the busy bees at work, they get hands- on with the tools, tending the hives and understanding how crucial these little creatures are for our environment. They are helping to check the frames and even spotting the queen bee!

A huge thank you to the Tāhī Honey team for sharing their knowledge and passion with us. This is a wonderful hands-on experience that connects our tamariki with nature and teaches them kaitiakitanga. The Bee Group is excited to carry on next term!

Noho ora mai,

We are delighted to share an exciting update from our dedicated Composting Crew—the students who are working tirelessly behind the scenes to make our school an even greener place!

Thanks to the hard work of these committed children, our school's hot composting system is successfully diverting all school food scraps away from the landfill. This is a massive achievement, and it directly supports our goal of creating a more sustainable environment.

This project offers the children far more than just a task; it's a profound, real-world, hands-on learning experience. The dedication shown by this team is truly commendable. They have contributed many hours of physical labour—turning, monitoring, and transferring the bins in all kinds of weather—to ensure the process is followed carefully and successfully. The project has also been a fantastic lesson in collaboration, with our students demonstrating:  teamwork, commitment and leadership.

Alongside the development of these essential life skills, our crew is learning scientific principles first-hand:

- The Carbon Cycle: Witnessing the transformation of organic waste into valuable, soil-building material.
- Thermodynamics: Understanding how proper mixing and moisture create the intense heat required for true 'hot' composting.

A huge thank you and congratulations to our Composting Crew! You are making a vital difference to our school and our planet.

Every day, without fail, another committed team ensures the litter in our kura is collected and taken to the correct destination.

This essential service covers all areas, including classroom litter, the staffroom and office waste, and of course, Whaea Helen’s little pile too!  

These quietly reliable tamariki demonstrate outstanding consistency and responsibility. A huge ngā mihi nui to them!

You are appreciated (especially by Jimmy)!

We extend our very best wishes to Jane Norman, our tireless Enviroschools Facilitator, as she leaves to retire.

Jane has been an incredible force for positive change, supporting and encouraging us on so many journeys within environmental learning and sustainability—both at our kura and in the community beyond.

We will miss your big smile and wonderful 'get stuck in' attitude, Jane, not to mention your wealth of wisdom, experience, and fantastic ideas.

Please do not be a stranger!

Ngā mihi nui for everything.

Gillian Roberts

This term we’ve been running a Golf Club at school to introduce students to the game and keep them busy during break times. It’s been fantastic seeing students learn to chip, drive, and putt, and we’re excited to continue the club next year. A special acknowledgement goes to the Waipū Golf Club for generously lending us their clubs, and to Dave Cave from TorchWorks for getting behind the project — even donating free memberships to a couple of very deserving students. A huge thank you also to Beau C, Lachie, Beau S, Quin, and Caretaker Jimmy for all their help setting up and running stations. Mr T couldn’t have done it without you!  

Handball has become the sport of choice during play times, with courts full every break. This week we ran a school-wide tournament to find our top handballers — the turnout was amazing and the competition was fierce! A huge thank you to the referees from Room 19 for donating their time to run each game. Refer to the results below.

Handball Tournament Results

Rehua Epiha Martin and Phoenix Lewin working on and completing their long term project, a see saw obstacle for the bike track.

Amalia Chamberlain, Ivy Hamilton and Stella Baker putting up sign on pool gate and putting a rope edge on the planted corner by the playground.

They also planted a row of native plants along the edge of the new playground.

This year’s S.H.I.N.E leaders went to flip and lunch in Whangarei. These fabulous students have done a wonderful job supporting kaiako and tamariki in their various leadership roles around the kura. Thank you for your hard work we appreciate you all so much.

The Nest, Rooms 9 and 10 had a fabulous day at the beach last week. Activities included: Surf Club Tour, picking up rubbish off the beach, water activities and beach games and sand castles! We couldn’t have done it without such amazing whānau support. A big thank you to the team- Amber, Scott and Mike from the Ruakāka Surf Club who gave up their time to run the activities for us. Our tamarik had such a great time! If your child would like more experiences like this- Surf Club runs over the summer on Sundays!

Our Year 3 and 4 students had an unforgettable few days at Marsden Bay Christian Camp this week, filled with adventure, laughter, and plenty of new experiences. From racing down the water slide and launching H₂O rockets to mastering archery, frisbee golf, and confidence courses. The children threw themselves into every challenge with enthusiasm. An evening around the campfire was a great way to end the day. 

The true highlights were the moments of friendship, resilience, and the growing confidence we saw in our tamariki. It was wonderful to watch them encourage one another, try new things, and discover what they’re capable of. We are so proud of the way they represented our school and our SHINE values, especially Papahueke/Never giving up!

We are so grateful to all our amazing parents who helped make this special camp experience possible! We could not have achieved this without you. A huge Nga Mihi to you all. 

Whaea Elly, Whaea Gillian and Whaea Cherie. 

If your tamariki would like to learn an instrument in Term 1 - guitar, piano, ukelele, recorder, music therapy or keyboard, please give Alexis Westlake a call on 09 4330298 or 0273419535.

Ruakākā School hoodies and tees, Whānau t-shirts and Te Whānau Harakeke hoodies and tees can be ordered online here. These are not being done as a fundraiser and are being sold at the lowest possible price for you all.
Happy shopping.
Any questions, please get in touch with Emma, info@designbyem.co.nz