A warm welcome to Hadlee-Mae Young, Jakahn Cox, Maksim Tkachuk and Hudson Bell.

Kia ora koutou,

I was recently showing a new whaanau around and sharing how we approach social-emotional education through our Zones of Regulation programme. We ended up talking about the challenges of managing children’s emotions as parents. Reflecting on my own parenting journey, I’ve realised that at every stage, whether with toddlers, school-aged children, or teenagers, navigating emotions and teaching self-regulation is something that is part of each of these stages.

When my children were toddlers, I would do just about anything to avoid an emotional meltdown, mostly for my own sanity. I became very good at preempting situations that could spark an outburst. For example, I avoided saying "no" in the supermarket to prevent a public scene. Over time, though, as I’ve learnt more about the brain and child development, especially with school-aged children, I’ve come to understand the importance of teaching children about emotions and normalising them.

It’s tempting to swoop in and shield our tamariki from uncomfortable emotions, such as disappointment or anger, particularly because it often means pausing what we’re doing and sitting with our own discomfort while they process their feelings in whatever ways they do. However, helping them build emotional intelligence and self-regulation skills is so valuable.

Here are a few simple strategies that can support children in developing emotional intelligence and self-regulation:

• Teach children about emotions before they happen. Help them recognise what emotions look like and feel like, and what situations might trigger certain feelings. Teach them to name their emotions.
• Normalise emotions. Let tamariki know that it’s normal to experience big feelings—they’re part of being human. And as parents, we shouldn’t fear or avoid these emotions either. Instead, we can guide them on how to express their emotions in appropriate ways.
• Talk about self-regulation strategies. Work with your child to come up with ways they can calm themselves by taking a timeout, going for a walk, breathing deeply, asking for a hug, or using positive self-talk.
• Validate their feelings. Children can’t access logical thinking when they’re dysregulated. Listening and acknowledging their emotions can help them feel understood and supported, allowing them to settle.
• Bring perspective after the emotions have passed. Once they’ve calmed down, help them reflect on the situation. Discuss what they might do differently next time and explore strategies they can try in future.
• Resist the urge to "fix" everything. Let tamariki experience challenges and problem-solve for themselves—with your guidance.

These strategies can help build resilience over time, even though it’s easier said than done. I often refer to reminders like this infographic to stay on track.

And if I’m honest, I still have to work on regulating myself—especially now that I have a teenager in the house. I hope they never read this, but the real test of my self-regulation is when I open their bedroom door and can’t find the floor under the piles of clothes and rubbish… but can clearly see all the missing dishes...

We also welcome Mr Phil Greig to the world of parenting. He and his wife have just had their firstborn girl arrive into the world, and they have called her Devon. Congratulations Phil and Hayley. 

Have a great rest of your week everyone,

Ngaa mihi,

Nyree Olliver

Thanks so much to all those who attended our first PTA meeting and even though we have just started there was a lot to get through to kick-start Term One’s fundraising initiatives.

Upcoming events:

Try Challenge:   Thurs 27 February. We will need help with donations of baked goods to sell, and helpers on the barbeque and stall.

Golf Day: Sunday 16^th March Hukanui Golf Club.  We are looking for hole sponsors ($100 per hole), and team entries ($160 per team.) This is a fun community event. See the poster attached.

Puketaha Community Hall Fundraiser: Saturday 22 March.  The PTA has decided to support the Hall fundraiser to get a defibrillator, plus make some money for the school by way of a book sale. Book donations are required. Can be dropped off at the office. Helpers on the day are required.

Colour Run:  Wednesday 26^th March 1.50 pm.  This will be launched on the first Monday in March. We are seeking colour station sponsors to cover the cost of paint. ($200 per station).  This is a fun event that we hold every second year. Other family members can join in the madness, tickets will be available on KINDO closer to the time. We will need help with setup/cleanup and squirting water.  

For those who weren’t around in 2023 please check out the YouTube link from our last one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSU4WNr4Xu8

Please let me know via the PTA email or the WhatsApp group if you can help with any of the above.

Many thanks & kind regards,

Merynn Connors

PTA Chairperson

E: pta@puketaha.school.nz  M: 027 629 6820

The Education Review Office (ERO) is a New Zealand government agency responsible for evaluating and reporting on the quality of education and care in schools and early learning services. Their reviews focus on how well schools are achieving positive outcomes for learners, including student well-being, achievement, and progress. ERO's findings provide valuable insights to support schools, families, and communities in fostering ongoing improvement.

The Puketaha leadership team and staff took part in the final evaluation process late last year and the final reports have now been published. The reports show that Puketaha School has achieved all regulatory and legislative requirements, including board administration, curriculum delivery, management of health, safety and welfare, personnel management, finance, and asset management. The school has also attested to full compliance with all aspects of the Code of Practice and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation. The report also includes the Evaluation Report, which evaluates the school’s leadership, teaching quality, student outcomes, inclusivity, community engagement, and self-review processes. It highlights areas of strength and recommendations for improvement.

Wastewater System Upgrade
The Wastewater System Upgrade is now in its final stages. Over the next month, the AES underground irrigation lines will be installed in a large raised bed where the Little Kids Playground used to be. This area will then be grassed, and additional planting will be carried out later. At the far end of the raised bed, a fenced-off section will house the air vents.

Little Kids Playground
Once the Wastewater Upgrade is complete, we will begin reinstating the playground. The new playground will be located in the same vicinity, near the pool area. At Monday night's Board of Trustees meeting, plans to upgrade the playground for our tamariki were discussed, including redesigning some features based on what the children enjoy most.

Kaakano 1
Minor remediation work is ongoing in Kaakano 1. These works should not disrupt children working in the space.

Rebuilding of Kaakano 0 and the PAC
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is managing the rebuilding process for Kaakano 0 and the Performing Arts Centre (PAC). Currently, the MOE is preparing a business plan submission for the National Office to secure approval for the rebuild. Once approved, the design phase will begin.
The rebuild of Kaakano 0 is likely to be prioritised over the PAC due to the urgent need for classroom space. Unfortunately, it is unlikely a new classroom will be ready before Christmas. If necessary, the library will be repurposed as a classroom space during Term 3 to accommodate the Year 0 students starting later this year.

Puketaha Community Hall
The MOE has hired the Puketaha Community Hall to help meet our space needs during the week. We are very grateful for the recent addition of air conditioning in the hall. The hall is open for public hire on some afternoons and weekends, so we can not use this space as storage as we did with our own PAC which had approx 30sqm of storage behind the stage. 

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Please support us to ensure children are entering and leaving the school grounds safely. Sainsbury Road is a busy road and we are unable to have a pedestrian crossing or reduce the speed limit further on this road. Please do not park on the yellow lines on Sainsbury Road outside of Kaakano 1. There are no yellow lines further up on the road outside Maahuri, if you park there please make sure children are entering and exiting vehicles on the school side, and walking along the school fence line. Children need to be supervised during these times and should avoid being on the roadside where they are at increased risk of moving traffic. You are welcome to slightly stagger pick-up times at the end of the day to help with parking. There is someone at the gate until 3.15 pm. Thank you for your support with this. 

Picture of road outside Kaakano 1...

AA is running a competition for a deserving school to win a $10,000 sports grant. This would be an amazing prize for a school to win.

If you would like to nominate your favourite school (aka...Puketaha), please go to this website.

https://www.aainsurance.co.nz/big-little

Thank you!

At Puketaha School, we enjoy a strong sense of community, working together respectfully to create a safe environment for all. Here is our School Community Conduct policy for your reference.