A warm welcome to our new students Mustajeeb Ahmad and Kayden Clinton and welcome back to Kenny Matsunami. 

Kia ora koutou, 

You may have seen in the news that the support staff, primary teachers, secondary teachers, and principals’ unions have all rejected the Government’s recent offer of a 1% pay increase per year for the next three years, alongside changes to conditions such as increasing compulsory call-back days during non-contact time. The NZEI Te Riu Roa (primary teachers) described the offer as “insulting,” while the PPTA (secondary teachers) called it “one of the lowest offers ever.” Both unions say the offer does little to make teaching an attractive profession at a time when teacher shortages are being felt nationwide. We also feel these shortages at Puketaha, particularly when staff are unwell. On some days, it has been difficult to find cover, and we have even considered running classrooms with fewer teachers, something we try to avoid. So far, we’ve managed without major disruption, but it is a challenge many schools face. Some of our staff will attend a union meeting on Tuesday, 19th August, to discuss the next steps, which may include strike action. We can cover internally, so there’s no need to keep children at home on Tuesday while the meeting is on. 

In our last newsletter, we shared that the rebuild proposal was with the Ministry of Education’s head office in Wellington. We’re pleased to let you know that this proposal, for the rebuild of the PAC/multi-purpose room as well as Kaakano 0, has now been accepted by National Office, which means funds have been allocated for the rebuild. Although this will still be a long process, this is a positive step forward. The Board will be meeting with the Ministry next week to discuss the next stages, and they will have an important role to play in this work throughout the upcoming year. The Board has worked effectivity in the aftermath of the fire to get important outcomes across the line for our school. It’s essential that our community votes in the upcoming Board elections to ensure you are well-represented in the next stages of the rebuild and in many other important aspects of governing our school.

Miss Jenna Mateni, who has been on maternity leave with her beautiful little boy Tāne, has decided to resign from her full-time permanent position. While we’re not surprised, as she’s taking the opportunity to spend more time at home with her little man, we will miss her hugely as a full-time teacher at Puketaha and for the immense value she brought to our Year 7 and 8 programme. Her resignation won’t have a major impact on our staffing this year, as we have employed staff to cover for the whole year, ensuring no disruption to children’s learning. The good news is that Jenna has agreed to do some occasional relief teaching for us, so we’ll still get to see her in the classroom from time to time.

I hope the sunshine sees us through into the weekend! Enjoy the rest of your week,

Ngaa mihi nui,

Nyree Olliver

Sports team photos will be taken tomorrow morning.  If children could please bring their uniforms, if they have returned them bring shorts shoes & socks and a shirt/ netball dress will be provided. 

Look out for the Invitation to Vote in their email inbox.  If you do not recieve one please get in touch with the Returning Officer returningofficer@myschoolelection.nz

Please ensure that all children are collected promptly after school. The bell goes at 2.55 pm. Children who are still waiting at 3.15 pm will be brought to the school office to wait and will need to be collected from there. There is no staff supervision after this time, so please discourage children from playing on the playground until you arrive. 

If your child is attending an after-school sports training, please ensure someone is actively supervising them until you arrive, ensuring they do not leave until you have picked them up. We discourage you from allowing siblings to wait afterschool without you present, as again, there is no active supervsion at this time. 

Your cooperation helps us keep all children safe and cared for. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Sainsbury Road Crossing & Puketaha Community Hall Carpark

If your child arrives at school before there is an adult on duty at the crossing, please make sure they do not cross the road without you. All children must have an adult with them when crossing.

We have also noticed more children not stopping and waiting to be crossed. Please remind your child about road safety:

• Have an adult with them

• Stop on the yellow bricks

• Wait until an adult says it is safe to cross

• Walk across the road

• No bouncing balls or playing with friends while crossing

This also applies when walking through the Puketaha Community Hall car park. Please ensure children walk with an adult, watch for moving vehicles, and do not run or play in the car park area. When collecting children from the side of the community hall, please exit your vehicle and walk to meet them. Only Year 8 students are permitted to walk to the car themselves — all other children must be accompanied by an adult to their car.

Your support in reinforcing these safety rules helps keep all our tamariki safe.

First, a big thank you to everyone who came along to Quiz Night at The Keg. What a fantastic evening, full of fun, laughter, and friendly competition, and an incredible success as a fundraiser. Together, we raised well over $7,000 for our school!  Special thanks go to Sharyn and Shannon for their hard work, and to our awesome auctioneer, Dylan Harrison, whose unique banter  helped secure top bids for our auction items. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to all our generous sponsors for their ongoing support.

Upcoming events:

Pepper & Me Promotion - 01 September -21^st September.

This is an online promotion where a special discount code will give you savings and earn the school a percentage of total sales. Pepper & Me products are always a hit, so mark your calendars if you’d like to stock up.

Monster Garage Sale - Saturday Sept 13^th – Puketaha Community Hall

We’ll be accepting drop-offs at the hall from Wednesday 10 September. This is a great chance to declutter and support the school at the same time!

Movie Night – Wednesday Sept  17^th  “Paddington In Peru” Event Cinema, Chartwell

Thanks to Sami Ridder for organising this special screening just for us. Tickets are available now on Kindo, first in, first served, so get in quick. Gather your friends and enjoy a night at the movies with the school community!

Any questions, please get in touch.

Kind regards,

Merynn Connors

PTA Chairperson

M: 027 6296820  E: pta@puketaha.school.nz

Puketaha School will hold its annual Agricultural Day on Tuesday 14th October. 

If you have a lamb, kid goat or calf that you would like to enter please complete the Puketaha School Agricultural Day entry

Last day for entries is Friday 5th September

You can also check out the information on the Waikato A & P show website Waikato Show Children's competition

Fun Indoor Bouldering Classes for Kids!
Bouldering is a fun, safe way to learn to rock climb. Local classes are now open for tamariki aged all the way from 5 to 18 years old. No experience is needed, and all equipment is provided. For more info or to book a class, contact Boulder Co. at info@bouldercohamilton.co.nz