Tēnā koutou e te whānau,

A warm welcome back to term 2. It has been a joy wandering around the school this week. The sun has been shining, the tamariki are happy and have quickly settled back into classroom routines and learning tasks. I am very proud of our students here at Arataki School. 

ANZAC Day

As we approach April 25th, our tamariki this week have been learning about ANZAC day. ANZAC day is a time for us to step back from our busy daily routines and reflect on the courage, compassion, and camaraderie of those who served and sacrificed in conflict. For our tamariki, it’s an opportunity to learn about the values of service and the importance of working toward a peaceful future.

Why We Remember: Originally marked to honor the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who landed at Gallipoli in 1915, this day has grown to encompass all New Zealanders who have served in overseas conflicts and peacekeeping missions.

In our Arataki School community, we remember:

• The Sacrifice: The brave individuals who left their homes and families.
• The Resilience: The strength shown by those on the home front.
• The Peace: Our shared responsibility to uphold the peace they fought for.

Taking a Moment to Reflect: We encourage our families to take a moment this ANZAC Day to talk with your children about what the day means to you. Whether you attend a Dawn Service at the Cenotaph, wear a poppy, or simply share a quiet moment at home, these acts of remembrance keep the stories of our ancestors alive. "Lest we forget."

Local Commemorations If you are looking to attend a service nearby, please check the local Mount Maunganui and Tauranga council listings for Dawn Service times and locations. It is a moving experience to stand together as the sun rises over our beautiful coast, reflecting on the freedom we enjoy today.

School Production - Poseidon’s tale of the deep blue sea

Over the next 3 weeks, our tamariki are busy learning lines, dances, waiata and practicing for our upcoming production - Poseidon’s tale of the deep blue sea.

Tickets will be on sale from Tuesday 28th April. Tickets will be sold via Eventfinda. 

Tickets prices will be $25.00 per adult and $20.00 per child. Ticket pricing covers the cost of hiring Baycourt theatre, transporting the children from school to Baycourt via buses, professional acting coach - Patrice who is working with all tamariki in Year 2-6 for the first 3 weeks of this term, costume hire and dinner for the tamariki on both nights. All children in Year 2-6 are in the show. All children are expected to attend each performance. 

We will be having 2 rehearsals at Baycourt theatre and performing 3 shows at Baycourt. The dates for our rehearsals are:

• Tuesday 12th May - rehearsal at Baycourt; Children will be bused to and from Baycourt during the school day.
• Wednesday 13th May - Dress rehearsal at Baycourt. Children will be bused to Baycourt. All of our children who are in Year 0 or Year 1 will be transported from school to watch the dress rehearsal then bused back to school.
• Wednesday 13th May - First evening performance. The show starts at 6pm. (The children will be provided with dinner in between the dress rehearsal and first evening performance). Due to the traffic, we plan on keeping the children at Baycourt after the dress rehearsal and to prepare for the evening performance.
• Thursday 14th May - 4:00pm Matinee performance; 6:30pm second evening performance. (Children will be provided with dinner on Thursday evening in between each performance).

Next week, further detailed notices including parental consent will be shared with whanau. This information is to give you a brief overview of the performance week. We are all very excited to be able to give our tamariki an opportunity to perform at a theatre.

Upcoming Whānau hui

• Wednesday 29th April - Kopukairoa Whānau Hui - in the hall at 3pm
• Wednesday 29th April - Reporting to parents curriculum information evening 6pm in the staffroom. This is open to all whānau who want to learn more about the upcoming changes to how we will be reporting to parents at our mid-year reporting.
• Thursday 30th April - Montessori - Parent Information Evening - 6pm - Montessori classroom.
• Thursday 30th April - Arataki Friends of School AGM - 6pm in the Staffroom.

We hope to see you at one of our upcoming hui next week.

Have a great long weekend, 

Ngā mihi nui, Vicki Hiini - Tumuaki

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Dates for the Diary

Click here for  2026 Term Dates

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In this issue:

• Arataki Friends of the School
• After School Care/Programmes
• Community Notices
• Extra Curriculars at Arataki

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Friends of the School

AGM: Save the date!

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AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

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COMMUNITY NOTICES

Girven Road Crossing Upgrade

We’re upgrading the pedestrian crossing on Girven Road, between Hawea and Grenada Streets, to a signalised crossing to make it safer and easier for everyone to get around.

There have been several crashes at the pedestrian crossing, with two of these involving pedestrians and one resulting in a fatality. A signalised crossing will give pedestrians and cyclists dedicated crossing times and provide clear, controlled stopping points for vehicles.

We’re getting in touch to let you know about our plans before any work starts, as many students
use this route to and from school.

What are we doing?

• Upgrading the current unsignalised pedestrian crossing to a signalised pedestrian crossing.
• Widening a section of the pathway on the Bayfair side of the crossing to form a short, shared pathway.
• Building cycle on/oƯ ramps so cyclists can easily join the shared paths and use the crossing.
• Removing two carparks on the Bayfair side near the crossing to improve visibility.

Work is planned to start mid-May, subject to power connection approvals, and will take about four weeks to construct. We’ll be in touch closer to the time with details about the temporary traffic management that will be in place while we complete the work. We’ll do our best to keep any disruption to a minimum.

Stay informed
To learn more and stay updated on these improvements, visit our short-term road safety and maintenance projects web page letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/short-term-projects, or please sign up for our Weekly Bulletin, which we issue every Thursday afternoon via our website, www.tauranga.govt.nz/weeklybulletin.

If you have any questions, please email transportcomms@tauranga.govt.nz.

Thank you for your understanding as we continue to improve safety along
Girven Road.

Hire the Tauranga Moana Cook Islands Culture Group for your next event!
We provide vibrant, authentic Cook Islands entertainment for birthdays, weddings, corporate functions, and community events.

Bringing the Cook Islands to you — with the graceful swaying of the hips, the sharp knocking of the knees and the beats of the drum.

Experience the beauty of our culture — from the graceful swaying of the hips and the sharp knocking of the knees to the beautiful tunes and beating of the drums.

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Play Time @ Arataki

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EXTRA CURRICULARS 

@ ARATAKI

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SCHOOL LUNCH MENU

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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

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SPONSORS WALL