ORATIA SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

MESSAGE FROM MS LINDA

Mānawatia a Matariki. Welcome to Matariki, the Māori New Year.

Tēnā koutou katoa. Nau mai ki te whānau o te Oratia. Talofa lava. Malo e lelei. Zdravo. Ni hao. Namaste. Kamusta. Greetings Oratia whānau and families.

What a wonderful week we are having here at Oratia kura with all our celebrations for Matariki. If you were able to join us on Wednesday morning for our Hautapu dawn ceremony, I thank you very much. It was heartwarming to see how many of our families and whānau gathered together to celebrate this unique national observance of the arrival of the Matariki stars in our skies, signalling the beginning of the Māori New Year. Deep thanks go to the Auckland Council team from Arataki, who provided the Hautapu part of the ceremony. This was represented by the sharing of steam from the cooking fire up to the stars. We shared karakia and waiata, and were given the time to reflect on those who may have passed away in the past year, as well as consider our hopes and dreams for the upcoming year. We then shared kai. Thank you very much to Attendance West, who provided and cooked hundreds of sausages for us. It was great to have them join our community in such a supportive way, and get to see their faces and meet them all. Thank you Arataki and Attendance West for making our Matariki event even more special.

There were many staff who have been organising everything behind the scenes to make sure that Wednesday morning went smoothly. I am always grateful for how our team step up and work so hard to make everything seem so simple and straightforward! As anyone who has organised a kids birthday party knows - it takes a lot of preparation and hard work to pull it off well. Thank you staff for doing all that you did.

Our Kapa Haka rōpū will be performing at the Oratia Community Church on Saturday evening at 5.00pm, and that will round off our week of Matariki events. Don't forget our disco tonight that the PTA are hosting for our students. We look forward to seeing your children there.

I hope that you enjoy the two weeks of July holidays that start this Friday. After 11 long weeks this term I know the staff are ready for their non-contact break time. We look forward to seeing you all on Monday July 20 for the start of Term 3.

I also wanted to let families know that I will be on sabbatical in the last half of Term 3, until the start of Term 4. The board have graciously given me leave to attend my daughter's wedding in the UK in August, and then have leave for refreshment until Term 4. Kath Goldsmith will be acting principal in my place during my absence. Matt Moncur and Cheryl Hartnell will be supporting Kath during this time. I have been a teacher for 42 years, with the last 11 as principal, and this is the first sabbatical leave that I have had in that time, so I am really looking forward to it.

Enjoy your break with your children.

Take care and stay safe.

Kia kaha, kia atawhai.

Ngā mihi nui, Ms Linda

Interschool Climbing Competion

On Saturday, Beatrix Cowper from Room 24 and Xanthe Dennis from Room 18 represented Oratia School when they took part in the 2026 Interschool Climbing competition at Vertical Adventures.

Both girls did very well with Bea placing 2nd and Xanthe placing 1st in the Junior Girls Grade.

Well done girls!

MATARIKI CELEBRATION

Matariki marks the Māori New Year and is a time to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and look ahead with hope for the future.

Our Oratia School Matariki celebration was a wonderful morning, even with the crisp winter weather. It was fantastic to see so many whānau join us and share in this special occasion, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere despite the chilly conditions.

A huge thank you to Matua Olly for organising such a meaningful event for our school community.

We would also like to thank Attendance West for their generous support with the popular sausage sizzle, and the Auckland Council Arataki team for supporting the Hautapu ceremony and sharing the significance of this special Matariki tradition with our community.

Thank you to everyone who came along and helped make our Matariki celebration such a memorable event.

LONE KAURI MATARIKI

This morning, Lone Kauri School hosted its Matariki celebration. The students played ukelele and sang Ngā iwi e. They read about Rona and the moon and sang about Rona. Marama was looking beautiful in the early dawn sky. Pita Turei told us very special pūrākau that will leave a special mark with us all.

Lone Kauri School would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year!

Mānawatia a Matariki

Here is our wonderful Matariki display in the library.

MENS T-SHIRT SALE

We have been donated a number of quality brand new ascolour black mens t-shirts which we are now selling at the discounted price of just $25 each (recommended retail $41.95)

These will be for sale from the school office until stock runs out.

Hearing and Vision Testing

The NPHS -Northern Region Vision and Hearing Screening team will be visiting our school on 25th August.

This screening is for Years 0-2 students who have not yet completed their B4 School Check, or any required follow-up rescreen. (Further information: B4 School Check – Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora).

If you do not want your child to take part in the vision and hearing screening, please let the school know before the visit.

Your child’s screening results will be sent home with your child. These results may also be shared with the school, including your child’s teacher to support their learning and wellbeing.

POLICY TO REVIEW!

This term, the scheduled review focuses on behaviour management, staff wellbeing and safety. For more information about the review, go to the Current Review tab at the top of your SchoolDocs site. A summary is provided below.

Daily School Bus
School Swimming Pool
Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC)
EOTC Governance Roles and Responsibilities
EOTC Risk Assessment and Management

Follow these instructions to log on to schooldocs to review these.

1. Visit the website https://oratia.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm

2. Enter the username (oratia) and password (0604).

3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.

4. Read the policy.

5. Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.

6. Select the reviewer type "Parent".

7. Enter your name (optional).

8. Submit your ratings and comments.

9. If you don't have internet access, school office staff can provide you with printed copies of the policy and a review form.

Come one, come all to the 2026 Piha Matariki Festival (Friday 10- Sunday 12 July) Join us for a weekend full of free events perfect for people of all ages to celebrate our beautiful community and te Mātahi o te Tau, the beginning of the Māori new year. We'll have kites on the beach, live music, workshops and activities for kids, and so much more! For more details and a full schedule of events, visit our facebook page Piha Matariki Festival, or our website piha.org.nz/matariki. We look forward to celebrating with you!