Kia ora e te whānau

What a great start to the term!  There was so much energy and enthusiasm at our Show Day yesterday.  Lots of you talked about how Show Day reminds you of your own tamarikitanga | childhood and how much you love the fact that this tradition continues.  We will add some more pictures and a summary of our winners in our next newsletter.

Strike Day
Today, our Board received a notice from NZEI informing them of scheduled to take place from 7:00am to 7:00pm on Thursday 23 October 2025. This action will involve employees who are members of NZEI Te Riu Roa and are covered by the Primary School Teachers', Primary Principals' and Support Staff in Schools Collective Agreements 

As a result of this the Board have made the decision that we do not have enough staff to safely open our kura on Thursday.  Therefore Ruakākā School will be closed on Thursday 23 October. 

Beach Art & Sand Sculpture Day - Labour Weekend
On Sat 25th October from 12.30-3.30pm there will be an opportunity for families to participate in a fun day of sand art - meet in the carpark at Ruakākā Surf Club.  There is a poster below advertising this great event.  Please spread the word and support the Bream Bay Youth Ambassadors.  

Whānau Survey
We always use Show Day to begin our annual whānau survey to get feedback from our community as we begin work on our Strategic Plan 2026.  We ask, "What do you love about Ruakākā School?" "What would you like to improve?"
If you have not yet answered our 2 question survey please click on the link: https://forms.gle/BdG6pbJR14YbAqNB9
Thank you for taking the time to let us know your thoughts.


Ngā mihi

Helen 

At this time of year we always have changes in our staff and we would like to announce that 2 of our valued kaiako have gained positions at other kura in our rohe.

Ash Mudford has been with us since 2024.  It has been a privilege to support her first two years as a new kaiako - she will gain her Full Practising Certificate at the end of the year.  It can be tough as a new teacher to find the first permanent teaching contract and while Ash has been covering for teachers on leave, we have not been able to offer that to her.  We are very proud to say that Ash will be starting 2026 as a permanently employed teacher at One Tree Point - Te Ara Kahika.  He poho kūkupa matou ki a ia!  Ash will be missed - but we also know her wairua and mana wāhine will be an asset to her new kura.

Jacob Rangi is completing his 8th year as a kaiako here at Ruakākā.  For Jacob it has been both a professional journey and a personal journey in connecting to Te Reo Rangatira.  This year Jacob has had a leadership role through the Kāhui Ako,  As that comes to an end he has been looking for other avenues to develop as a professional.  He has gained a position at Bream Bay College within Te Rerenga Kōtuku where he will support both the learning and the pastoral care of rangitahi.  Whilst he will be greatly missed here we also know that our hononga | connection through him will support us to further strengthen our connection to BBC.

Being able to mentor and grow kaiako, kaiāwhina and kaimahi within our kura and then support them to fly is something we are really proud to do.  

Tēnei te mihi nui ki a kōrua, e ai ki te kōrero, "Mā te huruhuru, ka rere ai te manu!"

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If you have any Prizegiving trophies at home, please bring them into the office.

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.