Kia ora koutou,

Welcome back to Term 2, and what a great start it was with our 'meteorite landing' just in time for our Inquiry hook for our Space learning this term.  And yes, the 'To infinity and Beyond' Inquiry name was an intentional extension of Term 1's inquiry 'You've got a friend in me.' We hope your children enjoyed last week's hook and that it began conversations at home as well.  Whether they were 'believers' or not, it is about sparking thinking, questions and emotion.  For our older students, they had to spend a considerable about of time proving why they didn't think it was a legitimate landing.  We have another 8 weeks of exciting learning ahead in relation to this, including a visit from Spaceward Bound New Zealand in Week 3.  The payment for this is made out of the 'School Activities' payment contribution you have made this year.

A reminder that Cameron Burrows, our Deputy Principal is on medical leave, looking after his wife and baby for the first 5 weeks of this term.  Justine Flynn is supporting with his role at school.  Please feel free to email me if you have any queries or are unsure who to contact.

Congratulations to our EPro8 teams who competed throughout last week at Maeroa Intermediate.  Our two Y7/8 teams made it through to the semi-finals which was a great achievement.  A significant number of our Y5-8 students got to be involved in the EPro8 challenge this year which was a fantastic chance for them to explore engineering, mathematics and problem solving in a practical way. 

This term (Week 8) we will be doing a production, this is an opt-in opportunity for our Y5-8 students.  Practices are well underway and more information / tickets for the matinee and evening performances will be available for sale later in the term.

Learning Conferences:
We have our parent / student / teacher meetings next Monday and Tuesday, please see the details below if you haven't yet booked a time to catch up with one of your child's teachers.  This is a great opportunity for your children to share the learning they have been doing, and their successes / next steps.  So far, we have had 81% of our families book! We look forward to seeing you there.

Water Upgrade:
Final funding approval has come through for our upgraded water supply.  The new filtration system has arrived and we will be having this installed next week.  So, for the next week, please continue to send your children with a water bottle.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Ngā mihi
Juliet Dickinson
Principal
principal@tekowhai.school.nz

Our Learning Conferences will be held next week, Week 3 of Term 2 – Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th May. These are 15-minute meetings with one of your child’s teachers to share updates on their learning progress and any other relevant information.

We encourage students to attend the conferences with you, if possible, as it’s a great opportunity for them to be involved in their learning journey.

We’d love to catch up with all whānau, so please book a time that works for you using our HERO booking system.  

You will be able to manage your bookings (make a booking, change a time or cancel) through the School Bookings icon in Hero.

When booking a time to meet with your child/ren's teacher, a timetable will be displayed allowing you to select from available times, such as the example below; 

We appreciate your understanding as we trial a new and updated booking system. 

We have 1,500 tickets available for $10 each. Tickets can be purchased by and won by anyone in New Zealand - they don’t need to be local. 

You can purchase these from LC6 students - they may approach you proactively!  Even in the carpark!
If you want to order your own bundle directly, you can contact LC6 Teachers - Paul Spicer pauls@tekowhai.school.nz or Rebecca Board rebeccab@tekowhai.school.nz.  
If you don't know any LC6 children and you only want to buy a few, you are welcome to go to LC6 before or after school and see Paul Spicer to purchase.  All these sales are to be made with cash.

Thank you for supporting this fundraiser - The goal is to help reduce the costs of both Sports Camp and Activity Week for 2025 LC6 students and their families. 

The delighted winner last year used their prize to take the family overseas... where might you go if you win...???

Also refer to the home page of the school website

Click the link to request Student Leave within School Term

Order School Branded Clothing - next order will be supplied mid 2025

We have had the lines re-marked over the holidays - thank you to Bruce of Accurate Linemarking for this.
We must reiterate that the quick pick up/drop off area is for use only if your children are able to quickly exit the car by themselves or are waiting, ready to safely get into the car, not to park. The image below in some way illustrates that if cars park in this pause zone, it causes a tail back out to the road. This causes a gridlock and disrupts the flow of traffic, causing risk at the patrolled road crossing, obstructing the flow of traffic passing through the village. 

If you need to park, do so in a long-stay park or the hall car park across the road.  In the afternoon.   
Safety and courtesy for all is paramount. Wet winter weather is upon us and we need safe conduct by all.

Our next FoTKS meeting is at 7pm, 27th May 2025. Feel free to put that on your calendar and join us there.

Congratulations to Kim Parkinson who won the Carpark raffle for Terms 2 & 3...  Thank you to everyone who bought tickets.

Please be respectful of their exclusive right to park there at any time.

This raised $400.00 towards LC6 Sports Camp and Activity Week.

LC6:
In LC6 last term, we were using the TIDE structure to write different essays around our inquiry topic, 'You've Got a Friend in Me.'

Values and skills in a team

In a team, values, skills, and teamwork are essential for a team to function as one unit. These are values and skills that are used in life.

There are a lot of values involved in a team, such as admiration, commitment, trust, relationship, and being humble. All of these are key attributes that make a team work as one. Commitment is one of the most important team values to have because if you're not at training, your team is not going to trust you. Being humble is also a big key value in making a team whole. Being humble makes you a better person in every way. As Tom Brady said when his jersey was getting retired, “it's we and us, not me and I.”

Sportsmanship, commitment, respect, and leading by example. They are all the skills included for a team to function as one. When showing sportsmanship, you're showing respect to your opponents, and when you do this, you get an impeccable feeling of belonging. Also, when leading by example, you show your teammate what to do, and if you're showing respect, others will do. Another quote by Tom Brady is that “happiness begins when selfishness ends”.

Values and skills are really important for a team to work as one unit. They're important because for a team to win, they need to work together. To put their differences aside and use the values and skills the team needs to synchronize and be in perfect harmony. That's why values and skills are important for a team.

In summary, you need values like trust and skills like sportsmanship to make a team work together.
By Isaac

Camp

Camps are an essential part of a Kiwi kid's childhood. They create memories for life, grow social skills, force you to push yourself and try new things, as well as getting a taste of a whole new lifestyle.

Many kids will make memories that will stay with them for life. Some memories that would stay with them could be skits, or funny things that happen in cabins, such as a joke. If an instructor is uniquely funny or witty, then people may be able to remember them for the majority of their lives. Cabins can create memories as well, like if they wake you up early or do something funny.

Another crucial thing about camp is developing your social skills. Social skills are instrumental throughout your whole life. Developing these at a young age is crucial so that you can do things like job interviews and strengthen relationships. Interacting with other schools is vital as well.   Camps are a great way to do this, as you would be spending time with people you don't normally spend time with.

At camps like the YMCA Camp Adair, Kiwi kids will be pushed out of their comfort zone. If you are scared of heights, there are amazing opportunities to vanquish that fear and become an adrenaline junkie. Some of the benefits of pushing yourself are becoming more competent. Another benefit of pushing yourself is that next time you do that thing, you'll be more willing and able to do it.

Trying new things is a big part of everybody's lives because if you never tried new things, you would lead a very boring life. Eating new food is a big part of camp, though it should be noted that some people cannot try new foods because they may have dietary requirements. New games can be fun as well because kids will need to engage different skills at different times, doing different things. One of the most common activities that force you to try new things at camp is the Burma Trail. To some kids, the Burma Trail is the hardest activity because it is so meticulously designed to scare you.

Another aspect of camp is the taste you get of a different lifestyle. When you're at camp, your parents aren't there to tell you what to do, and to quote the text, the absence of parental guidance adds a unique dimension to moments of reflection and adversity. This supports that not having your parents around can be a good thing, so independence plays a big part in being ready for all the amazing things you do at camp. While there is no work at camp, you are still learning things like the life skill of cooking food on a gas cooker.

To conclude this writing, camp is a wonderful experience that every child in New Zealand should be able to enjoy, as it teaches things that a normal school environment cannot teach you.
By Beau

NFL Values

There are important key skills and values you need to show when working as a team. These include skills such as communication, commitment, and respect.

Communication is a key skill in any sport. This includes eye contact, active listening, and clear instructions. Communication is all about working as a team so that everyone knows what they are doing. In the NFL it is also important everyone shares their opinions as this makes everyone feel welcome and part of the team.

Commitment is an important key value when working as a team. This means showing up to every game and being there for every training session. It also means trying your best, doing your all, and showing up even if you're having a bad day.
An example of these skills and values is the NFL team the Patriots. Their quarterback and the defence had to work together to give the quarterback a better chance of making the team successful by communicating with each other. The defence also has to show commitment by trying their hardest to protect the quarterback, respecting each other, making them feel respected and also welcome.

In conclusion, commitment, communication and respect are vital when working together as a team. I recommend these skills to become successful.
By Alex

Researchers at the Education Review Office (ERO) are doing some research about school attendance. They want to hear your thoughts about what makes a difference. Please help by clicking on this survey link: Parent and Whānau survey

This exciting sport is played on roller blades with a puck and an inline hockey stick on an indoor rink with safety barriers and netting affixed. 
School league will run in Term 2, Term 3 & Term 4. Click the link to register for Term 2 2025 Inline Hockey.  
School league is run on Wednesdays after school/evenings.  They have a peewee grade for kids Y0-Y4 and divisions offered for the older or more experienced skaters based on ability.

The Te Kōwhai Tigers (Y3/4 team) roared into their very first field hockey game on Saturday!

Due to a limited number of players, they had definitely used up all of their energy by the end of the game.  If you have an interested player at this year level, please get in touch with Kerry Crossland at school and she can give you the contact details.  kerryc@tekowhai.school.nz.

Click the link to order your child/rens Te Kōwhai School school branded clothing. They are hoping to put an order through within the next week, so please  Feel free to communicate with the team by emailing:    pta@tekowhai.school.nz

New information: You can now purchase clothing labels directly from STUCK ON YOU for our awesome school branded clothing. It’s an easy way to support our school while keeping track of your kids’ gear. Check it out!

Terms 4 and 1 require all Students to wear hats, to protect from the sun during break times.

The 2025 Term Dates are as follows: