Kia ora koutou e te whānau,
A warm welcome back to Term 2, we hope you had an opportunity to spend some time with your children while on school holidays, it has felt extra long with Easter weekend, ANZAC day and our Teacher Only Day.
Teacher Only Day:
The Ministry of Education directed all schools to hold a Teacher only day and it was to be held during this week. Many schools chose Monday to create the least disruption possible. The intention of this day was to give schools an opportunity to begin looking at the new draft copy of the revised New Zealand curriculum and consider ways schools are teaching the Aoterora Histories curriculum. We joined together with our Kāhui ako Schools (Community of Learning) and had a combined professional development day held at Westlake Girls High School. Anne Milne was the keynote speaker, who is a leader in educational innovation for Māori and Pasifika students.
We have received the following information from the Ministry:
Following consultation in mid-March 2023 with the Sector Advisory Group supporting teacher-only days, the time-period for the second day in 2023 has been set for
Term 4: Monday 13 November – Friday 24 November 2023. Takapuna Primary School Board will advise which day this will be once decided.
Takapuna ANZAC Parade and Ceremony:
It was great to see so many families at the Takapuna Community ANZAC service. The students and TPS staff assembled at Sanders Ave and marched along Lake Road to the War Memorial. Our students were highly engaged and respectful during the proceedings and it was a memorable experience. Thanks to Year 6 students, Jordyn and Tom, who were selected to lay the wreath on behalf of our school.
Takapuna Primary School ANZAC Ceremony:
On the first day back at school at 9.30am we held our own commemoration ceremony in front of our school Anzac Gates. It was a lovely way to acknowledge the soliders associated with our school and for our students to learn more about history.
Welcome new staff joining us:
We have two new teachers who are job sharing in our Year 1 classroom, a warm welcome to Audrey and Stephanie. Audrey has been teaching in this space before starting a new entrants classroom last year, and Steph has returned to us after taking maternity leave in a part time capacity this year. We are very excited to have them both with us. Together they are teaching in Room 6B.
School uniform reminder:
As we move closer to some cooler months ahead, please make sure your child’s jersey is clearly named and they are taking responsibility for their uniform. If children are feeling cold, there are winter options with long pants, if children want to wear a long sleeve or tights underneath, please make sure these are either black or navy blue. Sunhats are not compulsory in Term 2 and Term 3 but we encourage children to stay sun smart all year.