Greetings to you all, our school whānau

I hope that all of our Mothers had a wonderful Mother's Day at the weekend. It's been lovely seeing the many creations that were made by our tamariki for their mums, such as poems, artistic flowers, wooden carvings and pictures. We hope you've all enjoyed some well deserved family/whānau time. Thank you to Room 17 for designing, creating and sharing the love with my own acrostic poem on a wooden coaster too - ka pai! 

Last week, our Year 3-6 students were invited to attend a chess taster session. We are pleased to share that there is a chess coach available to start this term on Wednesday lunchtimes in the library.  Please see the separate article for more information about signing up for this great activity. 

We are looking forward to seeing many parents/whānau on our school site tomorrow to cheer on our students for the annual cross country event. Our Tuakanā Team (Y4-6) are running at 10:45am and our Tēina team (Y0-3) are running at 1:20pm.  Please note that the car park will be closed for the safety of our students. 

Today, I have shared a request from ERO (Education Review Office) about your thoughts and opinions on attendance. Please complete this before 23 May - ngā mihi nui. 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

We have advocated for counselling in primary schools and one of the recent initiatives we have been part of for the past two years is the SALT Program. Despite, this service being of great need for many students, there is limited funding for this term and the company are unable to operate their "Change Up" program this term. We are hopeful that the Estuary Challenge will boost funds so that Ashleigh and Liz can join schools again to support and assist our tamariki.  Please refer to the separate article to support this worthwhile cause.  

This session is intended for parents and caregivers of Nukumea and Orewa Primary Schools. We are also offering free childcare as we really want to keep this session for adults.  Please use the link below to find out more and book a place.

-  Navigating technology at home

-  How to best choose the right tool for the right job and ensure active over passive use

-  Strategies and ideas to support effective and safe online habits

-  What to do if something goes wrong - who to contact, and how to guide and support our children 
    in an increasingly connected world

Nāku noa, nā

Principal/Tumuaki of Orewa Primary School

As we approach the wet winter season, please be advised that our school grounds, including play areas and fields, may be muddy and slippery. While we do our best to maintain these spaces, children may get wet or dirty during outdoor activities.

We kindly ask that you pack an extra set of clothes in your child’s school bag each day to ensure they remain comfortable and dry throughout the school day. 

Parents/caregivers have been emailed their children's unique Key Codes to go online, to view and purchase 2025 School Photos.  Please keep an eye out for the email as it may go to your spam folder.                            
***FREE DELIVERY EXPIRES Midnight Sunday 25 MAY 2025*** 

This community walk/run event is a fantastic opportunity to get active, connect, and raise funds for the work we do in your school. We'd love your support in helping promote it - whether that's encouraging individual sign-ups, sharing it with whānau, or creating a school team to take on the challenge together! I've attached a flyer that you can distribute to your families, and you can find out more information and register on the Estuary Challenge website - https://estuarychallenge2025.salttrust.org.nz/

Event Date: 8am-2pm Sunday 25 May - our run club team will be kicking things off at 8am, but you can join us at whatever time works best for you

Location: Start/Finish location is Metro Park in Millwater, near the toilets

More Info & Registration: estuarychallenge2025.salttrust.org.nz

Thanks so much for considering getting involved - we’d love to see your school represented on the day! Feel free to get in touch with me if you'd like any further information.

Ngā mihi nui,

A Big Welcome!
Welcome to our new PTA Co-Chairs.
We’re excited to announce Kayla Cumiskey and Alex Fenton as the new Co-Chairs of the PTA. They will be taking over from Natasha Rice, who is stepping down from the role. A huge thank-you to Kayla and Alex for stepping up! We're also excited to have Jackie Pharo, who is taking on the PTA Treasurer role. Thank you all for your commitments. 

We’d also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Tash for all her dedication, hard work, and passion during her time as Chair. She’s been instrumental in raising the funds for the junior turf and has introduced some great new events to the PTA calendar. 

Are you in need of toilet paper? You can order more paper and support our school while doing so: https://shop.myfundraiser.co.nz/support/orewaprimary  
The cartons and rolls are plastic free, and they have free shipping! 

When you order your toilet paper through My Fundraiser, Orewa Primary receives 10% of the full purchase price - that’s $5 for every box sold! (We get an extra $5 if you opt to pay for shipping).

PLEASE SHARE with your friends and families - My Fundraiser ship all over Northland, Auckland, BOP & Waikato!