Tēnā koutou e te whānau

What an amazing fortnight we have had at Arataki School. Our students have been involved in many extra curricular activities and the school is humming.

Over the past week, I have had the pleasure of watching our students perform at Rā Whakangahau - Kapa Haka at Mount College and Pasifika in the Bay.

To all our students who participated in Kapa Haka and Pasifika, you made our school proud. You have all spent hours learning and practising your routines. 

For our Kapa Haka rōpu (group) you sang loudly and with pride. It was fantastic to see our teina (younger students) performing as well. A big mihi to our Kapa Haka tutors and kaiako from Kopukairoa, and all of our whānau who helped on the day to get our tamariki ready and organised.

For our tamariki that performed at Pasifika in the Bay, you were all in time and you looked amazing. We are incredibly fortunate to have live drums to support our performance. Thank you to Quencie Talagi and Tua Meti for your tutoring of our group. Thank you to Rachel Spencer for being our coordinating teacher. Thank you to the parents and staff who helped sew costumes and who supported on the day.
 

This week all of our Year 5 & 6 students have attended a 3 day 2 night camp at Tui Ridge in Rotorua. Yesterday I had the privilege of joining our students for the afternoon and evening. It was really great to see our children trying new activities that were outside of their comfort zone. I saw children demonstrating courage and resilience in a safe supportive environment. To see the children positively interacting with each other, exploring the environment and  without a screen, TV or device insight was awesome. Thank you to Sherree Clarke for her work in organising the camp and to all of our staff who attended. The camp was a huge success and we look forward to continuing to have this camp every 2 years for our Year 5 & 6 tamariki.

Reminders:

  • Please ensure that your child has a school hat. Hats must be worn at all times when students are outside in Term 1 & 4. If your child does not have a hat, they must play under the sunshade during break times.
  • Our school is a water only school. Please ensure your child has a water bottle at school.
  • Swimming - our school pool is open and classes are beginning to swim. Please keep an eye on HERO for notifications of days when your child is swimming and will need their togs at school.
  • Save the date - Arataki Friends of School Christmas on the Field is fast approaching. We are looking forward to an exciting afternoon on Thursday 4th December. See separate flier for details.

We are currently in the process of finalising our teaching team for next year. In my next newsletter I will inform our whānau of staffing changes.

Thank you to the Horn Whānau for your generous donation and installation of irrigation for our front garden project.

Have an amazing weekend with your whānau and enjoy the sunshine.

Vicki Hiini

Tumuaki / Principal
 

 

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Dates for the Diary

Click here for 2025 - 2026 Term Dates

 

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In this issue:

  • News and Events
  • From the Sports Desk
  • ATK here Everyday
  • Arataki Friends of the School
  • Community Notices
  • After School Care/Programmes
  • Extra Curriculars at Arataki
  • Sponsors Wall

 

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NEWS AND EVENTS

 

 

Rā Whakangahau

Miharo! Loved seeing our two kapa haka rōpu giving their all at the Rā Whakangahau last Friday.

Our teina lit up the stage with their wairua ataahua / beautiful spirit. Ngā mihi to our kaiako, Cheryl, Rae, Tania and Julie for tutoring and supporting our teina.

Our tuakana stood with mana. E poho kererū ana! Filling us with pride! Ngā mihi to Davidia and Gina!

Rā Whakangahau is an amazing event that brings together our local kura - ECE's, Mount Primary, Omanu, Tahatai, Mount Intermediate and the college - to celebrate māoritanga and watch our tamariki perform waiata, haka and poi telling our local stories.

As always thank you to our whānau for supporting with preparations and being the best crowd in the house!

 

 

Pasifika Festival in the Bay

 

Saturday morning was a beautiful morning at Otũmoetai College for the annual Pasifika in the Bay celebration.

Our tamariki were fabulous owning that stage. Meitaki!

A big mihi to Rachel Spencer for her organisation and tutoring of our Pasifika group. We are so fortunate to have the expertise and support from our parents - Quencie and Tua, our kids were again amazing. They looked fantastic. A big thank you to Sue, and other staff & parents for making our costumes and bodices that the girls wore.

 

 

Farm Street/Leander Alleyway Improvements

Tauranga City Council are making it safer and easier for people to move around Farm Street and the Leander-Farm Street alleyway.  

Work is expected to be completed by mid-November and includes:  

  • a new pathway connecting Farm Street (next to the bus hub) to Bayfair Shopping Centre  
  • upgrades to the alleyway between Leander Street and Farm Street, including a smoother pathway, fence repairs, new lighting, and community artwork designed and painted by Mount Maunganui Intermediate students  

 An opening and unveiling of the artwork will take place on Friday, 21 November at 1pm.  

 Further improvements along Farm Street, including widened footpaths, improved street lighting and kerb ramps, and a new raised pedestrian crossing replacing the existing speed bump, will be completed in early 2026.  

 Read more here. 

 

 

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THE SPORTS DESK

 

Arataki Tidal Force Makes a Splash!  

 

On Sunday our flippa ball team the Arataki Tidal Force represente us at the Pāpāmoa Pools competition.

The team dove into action and competed with great spirit and enthusiasm. For many of the students, this was their first time competing in flippa ball, and they demonstrated tremendous teamwork and grit in the pool. Best of all, they had an absolute blast while playing! Every player showed such strong whakahii—a real pride in representing Arataki school.

We wish the Arataki Tidal Force the very best of luck for the rest of the season. Keep up the fantastic effort and the smiles!

 

 

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Friends of the School

 

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ATK here Everyday

How exciting! We are at the end of week 5 and we will have our first winners of our ATK reward cards. They will be getting their rewards on Monday. Can't wait.

In case you missed it, the outline of the ATK here Everyday Weekly Rewards Card is below.

ATK. All Day, Every Day! - Attendance Booklet

 

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COMMUNITY NOTICES

 

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AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

 

Come to Arataki Park after school today for a Free Trial of the fun active Fun First Football Programme. Limited spaces available left for Term 4! Go to https://funfirstfootball.co.nz/ for more info or to Book in! 

 

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Play Time @ Arataki

 

 

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EXTRA CURRICULARS 

@ ARATAKI

 

Ukulele & Singing Lessons with WHERIKO 

Inspiring creativity, building confidence, and sparking a lifelong love of music in students. 

Based in Tauranga, I offer fun, engaging ukulele and singing lessons that help tamariki grow in confidence, develop musical skills, and express themselves in a positive, creative way. My lessons are tailored to suit all levels. I create a focused and fun environment where each child feels supported and excited to learn.  

Whether your tamaiti has dreams of the stage or just want to try something new, these lessons will:

• Build musical foundations in rhythm, pitch, and performance

• Encourage teamwork and listening skills

• Boost self-esteem and resilience through performance

• Give students opportunities to showcase their talents at school events

You may even spot me gigging around Tauranga.

I'm excited to add another creative outlet for kids at Arataki School. 

Wheriko

 

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SPONSORS WALL

 

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PRE LOVED UNIFORMS

 

Have your tamariki grown out of their uniforms? 

Please consider donating them back to the kura.  These uniform donations are:

  • sold to our whanau for donations of $5. The money raised is used for resources for our classrooms. 
  • used for our tamariki who may need them.

These donations are gratefully received at the school office.

We are especially in need of Polo Shirts please if you have any spare.

 

 

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Please remember to enrol your preschoolers as early as you can. This helps us to get prepared for their arrival.

To enrol you can click this link to the online application form or come into the office for an application pack.

For more information on enrolment check out our website www.arataki.school.nz