It’s been fantastic to see everyone back this week. We’ve loved meeting our new families and welcoming back a couple of familiar faces. Our teachers have hit the ground running, with reading, writing, and maths all in full swing.  Classrooms are coming to life with amazing artwork, and our tamariki are fully engaged in their new learning

This term, we’re honing in on our recently refreshed school vision and values.  Literacy programmes across all classes are linking to our Whanaungatanga value—students and teachers are exploring what this value means, what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like at Kuratau School. We’re also working with Quality Print in Taupō on new school signage to ensure our Vision and Values are visible and alive in and around our school every day.

In Week 4, we’re holding our Kai & Kōrero | Meet the Teacher sessions. These are valuable opportunities to hear directly from your child’s teacher about their classroom programmes and learning environment. See more details below!

🏊‍♂️ Swimming Lessons: Our students have been loving their SwimWell lessons this week! A massive thank you to the fantastic swim coaches from Turtle Pools, Tūrangi, for travelling up each day to run these sessions.

🦷 Dental Education: We had a great visit from our Dental Nurse, Zelda, who delivered fantastic sessions on looking after our teeth.

🚣‍♂️ Kārearea Kayaking Adventure: On Thursday, 13th February, our Kārearea students had a fantastic day out on the lake, learning valuable kayaking skills. A huge thank you to our parent volunteers for making this day possible, and to Mrs. Hunt for organising this wonderful opportunity for our senior students to learn in our natural environment.   

👋 Staffing Update: Kārearea will be temporarily farewelling Mrs. Hunt, who is heading off on leave from 26th February. We look forward to welcoming Debbie Miller and Sharon Knight, who will be job-sharing in Kārearea for approximately 10-12 weeks.

🌐 New Look for Our School Website! Our school website has finally had a makeover! With our new logo, vision, and values in place, we’ve been working hard to refresh the site. Although I’m still updating some pages, I encourage you to check it out at kuratau.school.nz.

Well, that’s it for this fortnight!  Be sure to read the rest of the newsletter for more updates on what’s happening at Kuratau School.  Have a fantastic weekend.  I know I'll be enjoying some lovely swims in the lake and maybe a spot of fishing (check out the photo below of my first decent sized fish - caught last weekend).  

Join us for our Kai and Kōrero Evening on Thursday, 27th February. This is a great opportunity for parents and caregivers to meet their child’s teacher, hear about the learning happening in their class, and connect with other whānau.

During these sessions, teachers will introduce themselves, share insights about their classroom routines and programmes, and highlight any unique aspects of their teaching—for example, Technology for Year 7 & 8 students. Little Learners Love Literacy in Pīwakawaka etc.

At the conclusion of both sessions, we warmly invite you to stay and enjoy a whānau picnic. The school will provide a sausage sizzle, and we encourage you to bring along extra picnic kai. Our swimming pool will be open, so bring togs and towels for a refreshing dip! Staff will also be available during this time for informal chats.

📍 Session 1: 5:30pm - 5:50pm
📍 Session 2: 6:00pm - 6:20pm
📍 Picnic & Pool: 6:30pm - 7:30pm

We look forward to seeing you there!  

We recently renewed our Sun Smart accreditation, and our tamariki have been learning the importance of slipping on a shirt, slopping on sunscreen, slapping on a hat, and wrapping on some sunglasses.

To help keep everyone protected, please ensure your child brings a wide-brimmed or bucket hat to school. While caps may be cool and trendy, they don’t provide the same level of sun protection. Let’s work together to keep our tamariki safe in the sun!

Check out some awesomely cute Sun Smart pictures from our Pīwakawaka tamariki below.

Some tips for Whānau

The Resource Teacher of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) service are trained specialist teachers who work with schools and kura so they are able to meet a broad range of learning, wellbeing, and behaviour related needs. The RTLB service is designed to be well connected to schools to make it easier to respond to local needs (Ministry of Education. (n.d.). Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) service. Retrieved from https://www.education.govt.nz ) 

After being a teacher here for nine years ending in 2006, it is so good to be based at Kuratau School with the friendly staff and happy akonga once again. I am looking forward to working with everyone on the staff and learning from them along with providing support for whānau, kaiako, tumuaki and akonga in my role as RTLB. 

Ngā mihi. 

We’re off to a great start this year! Let’s work together to keep attendance strong. Currently, 86% of our tamariki are attending school, but our 'regular' attendance rate (students attending 90% or more) is sitting at just 68%. See the graphs below for more details.

 

If your child is going to be away, please notify the school as soon as possible (prior to 9am where possible). The quickest way to do this is via the Edge App. Alternatively, you can:
📧 Email: ksadmin@kuratau.school.nz
📞 Call: (07) 386 5801
📷 Text: Please reply to the absence text message received (a text advising your child is absent from school will be sent at approximately 9.30am following the school roll being taken for the day; you are able to reply directly to this text advising the reason for absence).

Where possible, please avoid taking your child out of school during the term. We understand that sometimes this can’t be avoided. If you do need to take your child out of school, as per Ministry of Education (MOE) policy, you are required to apply/inform the school. Please email shirleyb@kuratau.school.nz with the details.

📌 Important to note:

✔ Courtesy to the school
✔ Accurate attendance reporting to the Ministry of Education
✔ Helps teachers plan effectively

Under the Education and Training Act (s 244), parents/guardians have a legal obligation to ensure their children attend school. We expect parents to:
✅ Notify the school as soon as possible if their child will be late or absent.
✅ Arrange appointments and trips outside school hours where possible.
✅ Work with the school to manage any attendance concerns.

Let’s keep working together to support strong attendance and ensure the best possible learning outcomes for our tamariki!

Fluoride varnish is a temporary protective coating that is painted on your child’s teeth. It is quick and easy to apply.  Currently, fluoride varnish is usually applied each year at your child’s routine dental examination to prevent decay.  Your child’s school is part of a program in which Te Whatu Ora (Lakes) Oral Health Service is applying fluoride varnish to eligible children in Years 1-8 twice a year at their school. This is an additional service that does not replace your child’s routine dental exam.

The dental team will be visiting Kuratau School on Thursday20th February 2025 to provide this service to those children
who are enrolled with us and have consent to have fluoride treatment.

If you have any questions regarding this service, or you do not want your child to receive fluoride, please phone the Lakes
Oral Health team on 0800 525 378 (0800 Lakes Teeth).

Kia Ora, I would like to introduce myself to your community. My name is Zenda. I am the Oral Health Promoter for the Taupo District. I work in conjunction with the Community Oral Health Service (COHS), educating in schools, preschools and Kohanga. I will be contributing to the newsletters sent to you to keep you updated with tips about Oral Health/Hygiene and about COHS.

For this first contribution, I would like to remind you all to enrol your child/ren for this free dental service. This service is free until your child’s 18th birthday. If your child is needing an appointment, please call 0800 Lakesteeth (0800 525378) to book.

Teeth Tips 1
From Zenda, Oral Health Promoter
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body.  But teeth are the only parts of the body that can’t heal. Teeth are like fingerprints, they are unique to each person.

Bev Campbell, a teacher with the New Zealand Modern School of Music, has been giving private piano/keyboard lessons at the school on Fridays to a number of our students. The 30-minute lessons are given individually and are paid for by the families. She has a couple of openings for this year. There are also a limited number of openings for lessons to be given in her home after school hours. 

Contact Bev at 029 773 8615 for any questions you may have regarding the lessons and the fees.