Mahuru 2023
September Newsletter

Mālō e lelei!

 This week is Tongan language week | Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga. This year’s theme is 'E tu'uloa 'a e Lea faka-Tongá 'o ka lea'aki 'i 'api, siasí (lotú), mo e nofo-'a-kāingá’, which means the Tongan Language will be sustainable if used at home, church and in the wider community. There are more than 80,000 people of Tongan descent in Aotearoa and the largest age groups are the youngest – meaning many of our ākonga are enriched with Tongan culture!

It has been a fabulous term for our students as they have delved into the fascinating world of bees. The inquiry-based learning approach has really ignited their curiosity and enthusiasm for understanding these vital pollinators. There has been high student engagement in observations, questions, and learning about bee anatomy and behaviour, pollination and ecosystems. 

We have enjoyed a community approach to our inquiry with the opportunity for our students to also learn from experts in our community and we are thankful to everyone who has dedicated their time this term. 

With so much student enthusiasm generated during our bee inquiry we have decided to carry this over to Term 4. Classes have started to plan for the development of  bee pollination gardens that not only serve as valuable learning experiences but also contribute to the sustainability of our environment for our bees. This project will support the school's commitment to fostering ecological awareness and environmental leadership amongst our students.  A huge thank you to our students and everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts to help develop this area next term! 

The next two weeks of the term are set to be a lot of fun as some of our students prepare for Woodlands Park Has Got Talent showcase! We are all looking forward to this show next week. 

This term a significant amount of work has gone into preparing for our Green-Gold Reflection Day which will be held in Week 10. Many of our students have been preparing with the support of Micah our EFS leader in preparation for this event.Woodlands Park School has been an EFS (Education for Sustainability) school since 2002 - the growth of which is worthy to be celebrated and reflected upon, and of course looking to the future what we can add to continue our amazing journey as a sustainable school. 

A huge thank you to our PTA and also to our sausage sizzle volunteers each fortnight. We are always hugely grateful for your support for the benefit of our kids! 

Nga mihi, 

Nardz 

Enviroschool Reflection

WPS has been an Enviroschool since 2002 and has a rich history of caring for our environment and each other. One of the commitments involved in being an Enviroschool is to reflect on your journey at different points. When we reflect it involves: thinking about what we do and how it fits with what it means to be an Enviroschool, celebrating the successes and looking to the future. Reflecting on these things involves the voices of many, including: our children, our staff, our Board of Trustees and our parents. To help us with this reflection we would love to hear your thoughts which we are collecting via a Google Form.

Please take a moment to fill out the form here.

Hākinakina - Sports and EOTC

Upcoming Inter-school Dates:

• Inter-school Netball (Year 5 &6 teams) - Wed 13th Sept (rain day 15th)

• Inter-school Football
  Girls - Wed 25 Oct
  Boys - Thu 26 Oct

• Inter-school Athletics - Tue 28 Nov