Kia ora e te Whānau

I hope you have all survived the wet and windy school holidays.  The weather forecast is promising some sunshine for the weekend - fingers crossed!

End of day routines and buses: You will see that we have made some changes to our end of day routines to keep our tamariki warm and dry as we wait for buses.   There have been some issues with buses this term - I want to assure you that we have been feeding concerns back to Ritchies and also to Easybus who run the bus network.  If you have any feedback re buses please use the Easybus website here.  These concerns go to Easybus who contract Ritchies to run the route.  This is the best way to ensure our voice is heard. 

Changes to pick-up and buses in the afternoon: Last Friday we had a lot of phonecalls with requests to make changes to buses for the afternoon.  This puts a lot of pressure on office staff and can also result in confusion and children going to the wrong busline at the end of the day.  Some schools do not allow changes to buses to avoid this.  We would like to be able to continue to be flexible - please note the guidelines further on in this newsletter re how to make changes.

Hui a-whānau | Parent/teacher meetings:  Our mid-year reports will be sent out on Thursday 19th June.  Our focus for reporting is on showing the progress being made by learners.   The changes being made to the NZ curriculum are not yet reflected in reports - we are waiting until we receive clear advice from the Ministry of Education and new assessment tools that will allow us to assess tamariki progress against the new curriculum phases.  You will receive booking information via email and Seesaw early next week.

Teacher Only Day Thursday May 22nd - all our staff will be joining with OTP, Waipu and BBC for a training day focussed on Maths.  Our Term 3 Teacher Only Day has been set for Monday August 18th.  School will be closed on both of these days. 

Parent Portal: As you may have heard in the media there is a new portal for parents to get information about our NZ Curriculum in both English and Māori medium.  There are some really helpful resources on this portal.

Have a great weekend - as always if you have any feedback, questions or concerns my  door is always open - alternatively you can email at principal@ruakaka.school.nz. 

Ngā mihi

Helen 

Now that we are in to the colder/wetter months, our Bus lines have moved from under the canopy to the following classrooms:

Beach Bus - Library
Springfield Bus - Room 14
Takahiwai/One Tree Point Bus - Room 12
Tamure Bus - Room 13
Village Bus - Room 11
Parent pick up - Under the Canopy

If there are any changes needing to made for how your tamariki goes home, please advise the office by 12 noon the day the change needs to be made. Any requests after 12 noon will not be made.
You can either call/text the office on 4327 503 or 021 432 7503 or email: office@ruakaka.school.nz
You will get a reply from the office to advise we have the change requested.

In another exciting step toward sustainability, our kura has recently installed a brand-new
pest-proof compost system. This initiative brings eco-conscious learning right into the heart
of our school. The system is designed to turn our food scraps, garden trimmings, and dried
plant material into rich, organic compost—with the short-term goal of feeding our school
gardens.
A motivated team of students from Room 13 led the installation during Week 10 of Term 1,
with support from Richard and Tim of Carbon Cycle Co. Students were hands-on
throughout the process, from unloading the materials to setting the lids in place. It was a
morning of teamwork, problem-solving, and practical learning.
This project was made possible thanks to generous funding from the Northern Regional
Council, topped up with proceeds from our 2024 Show Day. We extend a heartfelt thank you
to Jesse Starr for her successful management of the funding application, as well as our
amazing PTA and Enviroschools Northern Regional Council for their ongoing support.
With the compost system now operational, our school is taking real steps to reduce waste
and build a more sustainable future—one compost pile at a time! Keep an eye out: the
Compost Crew is scheduled to make the first turning of materials this week.
Watch this space!
Gillian Roberts
Room 13

Earlier this week, Te Kākano had a special visit to our school māra (garden) with Whaea Chiara as part of their learning about Tupu-ā-Nuku, one of the whetū (star) in Te Kāhui o Matariki, who is associated with food that is grown in the ground. The tamariki harvested (hauhake) some fresh rētihi (lettuce) and helped prepare the garden for new crops. Through this hands-on experience, they showed the value of kaitiakitanga—caring for the land and being guardians of our environment. 

Ka mau te wehi Te Kākano.

Quin Whyte, Beau Chapman, Rehua Martin and Phoenix Lewin giving our Caretaker Jimmy a hand repairing the bikes and replacing the tyre tubes.

Congratulations to our talented Bream Bay Swim Squad who recently competed at the Northland Primary Schools Swimming Sports, held at the Kauri Coast Community Pool in Dargaville.

These Ruakākā students earned their place in the squad after strong performances at the Zone Swimming Championships:
Tangaroa Martin, Liam Jennings, Joe Mulligan, Hunter Davis-Kahui, Jessie Tindali, Isla Mangu, Chloe Slater, Stella Baker, Daisy Matthews, Te Marama Green, and Alessio Costello.

A special mention to Daisy Matthews for placing 1st in freestyle and 2nd in breaststroke, Stella Baker for finishing 1st in breaststroke and 2nd in freestyle, and Alessio Costello for taking 3rd in breaststroke for their age group.

We are extremely proud of all our swimmers for representing Bream Bay with such determination and skill!

Kia Ora! My name is Dennaye and I am the Public Health Nurse for Ruakākā School.

I work with children over 3years to 12years of age; However, our wider team includes the Youth Specialty Nurses and Specialty Ear Nurses.

If you have health concerns for tamariki of any age, please feel free to contact me and we can put you in touch with the right team to support you.

Mahi we do within schools includes:

 

While these are some of the things we do, it is not a definitive list.

Contact me at Dennaye.channings@northlanddhb.org.nz or ask the school staff to make a referral about any health concerns you may have for your tamariki. 

 

 

+64 21 199 0115 | dennaye.channings@northlanddhb.org.nz

16-24 Commerce St Whangarei

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

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  

Please make sure your tamariki has a change of clothes in their bag every day. We only have a small amount of clothes in the office in case of emergencies, so we may need to call you to bring in some clothes for your child. 

We are really fortunate that Helen from Lifewalk will be supporting our kura as a Wellbeing Mentor. She will be available for 4 hours each week to meet with any students who are needing extra support in a low key way to chill or chat. All conversations/sessions will have parent permission prior and no religious aspects will be part of the sessions.  If you would like your tamaiti to be able to talk with Helen please contact the office so that we can set that up.