This week is very important for us at school as we join the nation in celebrating Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week). This annual celebration is for all New Zealanders to show their support of the Māori language, an official language of this country.
At Sunnynook Primary School, we are committed to our Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Treaty of Waitangi) obligations and Te Ao Māori is an integral part of school life. I am proud of our children's knowledge of te reo Māori across the school. This week is a chance to celebrate what we do well and to learn new words and phrases. I encourage you to learn some new words alongside your child(ren).
Kia kaha te reo Māori!
Ngā mihi
Virginia
Certificates and Banner
At Assembly
Banner: Week 8: The banner went to ESOL for their olympic themed learning, flag themed hands, poems and enthusiasm!
Week 9: The banner went to Ruma tekau ma rua, (Room 12), for their amazing paepae each morning and their enthusiastic singing of their waiata.
Yummy Apples: Congratulations to: Ruma tekau mā iwā (19) Ruma tekau mā whā (14) - Lana Ruma tekau mā iwā (19) - Ishanvi Ruma tekau mā tahi (21) - Mena
Caught Being Good: Rm 6 Cameron - for being a kaitiaki. Rm 10 Ethan - for being a kaitiaki. Rm 7 Hudson - for reading silently in the library.
Sunnynook's Got Talent performance - Lydia playing "Sakura – Cherry Blossoms"
Sunnynook's Got Talent performance Reina Singing "Almost There" (The Princess and the Frog)
Sunnynook's Got Talent performance - Mena playing "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol
Sunnynook's Got Talent performance - Scarlett Pierce playing "Lightly Row"
Birthday Celebrations!
A big Happy Birthday to our tamariki for their recent birthdays
Upcoming Fun Run A-thon
The 2024 Fun Run A-thon
Our Sunnynook Primary School - Fun Run Athon fundraiser has launched and 348 students have signed up so far, raising $14,032 towards our new play equipment!
There will be prizes for the top classes. So far today we have these top classes: R21 $1175
R7 $1171 R1. $932
R9 $900
R14 $852
R4. $812
Well done everyone!
If you haven't already done so, head to https://sunnynookfunrunathon.raiseit.co.nz/ to create a fundraising profile for your child(ren). You can also donate by bringing money into the school office.
A notice will be coming home today and also posted on Hero regarding times and what your child needs to bring.
Thanks for your support!
PIZZA DAY SUCCESS!
Our pizza day last week was a great success with many smiling happy faces and full tummies from the students and I'm sure happy parents with one less day to make lunch!
We also turned this into a learning opportunity with many classes completing ‘Mrs Hosken’s pizza problem’ where they had to use their fractions knowledge to help me order the pizzas.
This day also raised $910- for our kura.
Thanks to all who supported this day.
Kupu Māori
At Sunnynook Primary School, we are strongly committed to upholding the principles of Te tiriti o Waitangi/The treaty of Waitangi and value te reo Māori as well as English as the official languages of New Zealand.
We are proud of the personal commitment to their own professional learning of te reo Māori by our teachers and the positive impact that is having on our learners. Here at Sunnynook, our children have great pronunciation of te reo Māori and an increasing vocabulary.
You may have noticed your child(ren) using more te reo Māori at home as well as more kupu (words) being used interchangeably by us in our communications.
To reflect this, you will notice the appearance of commonly used kupu Māori on our SchoolDocs site and more frequently in our communications. Below is a glossary of terms.
Marau mātauranga - Curriculum
Ake Ake Ake
A FOREVER LANGUAGE
The theme for Te Wiki 2024 is ‘Ake Ake Ake – A Forever Language’. It represents the resilience, adaptability and endurance of our language. It also reflects the commitment New Zealanders have to embracing and learning te reo Māori long into the future.
Under enduring pressure te reo Māori has shown it will adapt and survive. It grows with our people, our culture, and our environment.
At Sunnynook, our children learn te reo Māori each day and are able to integrate te reo Māori kupu (words) in with te reo Pakeha (English) as well as to ask and answer questions.
Our Te ao Māori curriculum includes both te reo Māori (Language) and tikanga (customs). Our kaiako (teachers) plan te reo Māori based on the level of the class and as ākonga (students) move through the school, their te reo Māori is built upon and they learn new kupu (words) and increasingly more difficult questions, answers and sentence structures.
Hopefully, you have heard your tamariki use te reo Māori at home also. We encourage you to use as much te reo Māori as you can. Below are some resources to get you started and to enjoy with your child.
Kia Kaha te reo Māori!!!
KIWI TESTS
Each year, we offer our Year 5 & 6 ākonga the chance to sit ‘Kiwi Tests’ in English, Maths and Science. The Centre for Assessment and Monitoring (CAM) run by the University of Canterbury provides the annual KIWI English, Mathematics and Science competitions for Primary and Secondary schools. These competitions are skills-based and closely align with the New Zealand Curriculum. Students must be in years 5-10 to participate. The tests are designed by New Zealand teachers for New Zealand students. All students receive certificates and their attainment level:
Excellence: >90 - 99.5%
Merit: >75 - 90%
Achieved: >50 - 75%
Well done to all students who participated. Congratulations to the following students who attained Achieved, Merit and Excellence.
English
Excellence: Sophie Hanley, Alice Meng, Cynthia Qi
Merit: Ye Ye Li, Irene Sun, Charles Bao, Aria Hung
Achieved: Leon Bettridge, Alfred Chen, Kira Dehe-Dettana, Lewis Hamilton-Anderson, Alexander Maharaj, Eason Wang, Qasim Khan, Jason Kim, Yitang Ma, Lithium Rupasena, Feifei Zhang
Maths
Excellence: Irene Sun, Eason Wang, Jason Kim, Yitang Ma
Merit: Alfred Chen, Ye Ye Li, Cynthia Qi, Alice Shi, Alex Smorodin, Charles Bao, Philip Huang
Achieved: Leon Bettridge, Sophie Hanley, William Kim, Aly Sarhan, Nethu Wijekoon, Filip Golubovich, Aria Hung, Qasim Khan, Grace Kim, Lithium Rupasena, Feifei Zhangm
Science
Excellence: Sophie Hanley, Alexander Maharaj, Jason Kim, Yitang Ma
Merit: Eason Wang, Lithium Rupasena
Achieved: Kira Dehe-Dettana, Ye Ye Li, Irene Sun, Cameron McCracken
Katrina Hosken
Tumuaki tuarua / Deputy Principal
TE WIKI O TE REO MĀORI
As part of te wiki o te reo Māori tamariki have been learning a new pātai (question) to tie in with the recent Olympics and Paralympics.
Tamariki have been practicing in their akomanga (classrooms) and in the playground where they can earn tokens for asking a kaiako (teacher). Caden from Room 20, Ian from Room 20 and Luka from Room 21 were drawn to receive a toi Māori bookmark, ka rawe e tama!
I tenei rā as a kura we joined people from all over the motu (country) at exactly 12 o clock to kōrero Māori (Speak Māori). We all enjoyed singing a favourite waiata “Ngā iwi e” which is about joining together to stand strong and kōrero Māori.
Senior āwhina students leading the Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori assembly
REHU TAI
Last week was the North Shore Principals Association Rehu Tai speech competition, held at Kristin School. Our school was represented by our school speech competition winners in their respective genres;
Meila Coyle - Spoken Word Grace Kim - Flash Talk Cameron McCracken - Traditional Speech
I was extremely proud of these three students who presented their speeches perfectly and with such confidence. Meila and Grace came 2nd in their respective categories.
As I was running the competition on behalf of the North Shore Principals, I was able to take our speech competition runners up as hosts. Hannah Santayana, Lithum Rupasena and Madi Hauraki wrote their script, coordinated with the slideshow and the AV technician, ultimately MCing the whole event. We also had Aria Hung and Ahmed Farooqui as official timekeepers who did a fabulous job.
All of these children, those in the competition and those supporting represented Sunnynook School beautifully with perfect uniforms, behaviour and confidence. I was a very proud Tumuaki Tuarua!
Katrina Hosken
Mitey Moments
This week the spotlight is on Room 14 who are continuing with their Mitey learning around positive mental health and wellbeing. Their focus was:
How can I have friendships that are happy and healthy?
They listened to a story called: A Little SPOT Makes Friends: A Story About Friendship By Diane Alber.
Key concepts discussed were how to make friends, being a good listener, respecting personal space, and being kind. They also learnt about ‘magic words’ where bossy words are changed into nice words and how this makes other people feel.
In Room 14 they are all working hard to be a good friend and spotting when others are being good friends too. They have also talked about giving genuine compliments and spotting when we hear others give them to others.
How can you help at home?
Talk with your children about what to do when someone is in their personal space.
Stay calm and talk to them. They might not realise they are in your space.
Take a step back or walk away.
Take a step back and politely tell them they are a little too close. You could say, "You're a little close. Can you please give me some more space?"
Encourage them to stop and think before they speak. Some things do not need to be spoken out loud. Ask:
T - Is it True?
H - Is it Helpful?
I - Is it Inspiring?
N - Is it necessary?
K - Is it Kind?
Sports News and Results
NETBALL - WINTER LEAGUE
Well done to all our year 1-4 Netballers who played their final game at Pinehurst in the KIDZPLAY netball league for the winter season last week. With one of our teams placing FIRST in their grade!
TOUCH RUGBY Term 4 - Eleven Sunnynook teams!
Eleven year 1-6 Sunnynook teams have been registered to compete in Term 4 Local Touch Rugby Module. This is a fantastic number of kids participating in team sports.
We are still looking for coaches and managers for some of the teams, which will be communicated by email to caregivers tomorrow. Please consider volunteering for your kids team.
Entries are open for the
Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon
SUNDAY 30 March 2025
Point England Reserve, Point England Road, Auckland
The Weet-Bix TRYathlon is all about giving it a TRY and is a rewarding and fun day out for you and your child.
7-15 years old on event day, participants can complete the TRYathlon as an individual or in a team of two.
6 years old on event day can complete the Splash&Dash
Our school has created a School Group which you can join when you enter from home. Search for Sunnynook Primary School when prompted. By linking to our school group it will give us the chance to win some great prizes.
If someone you know requires financial assistance to enter the TRYathlon, should it be subsidised entry fees or funding for necessary equipment, then you can apply to the Weet-Bix TRYathlon Foundation for assistance. Visit www.tryathlon.co.nz/foundation for details.
Distances are approximate and are as follows;
6 year olds 50m swim / 1.5km run
7 year olds 50m swim / 4km cycle / 1.5km run
8 – 10 year olds 75 – 100m swim / 4km cycle / 1.5km run
11 – 15 year olds 150 – 200m swim / 8km cycle / 1.5 km run
AFTER SCHOOL SPORTS RESULTS
SPORTS RESULTS : Our latest results from our winter sports teams: WEEKLY SPORT RESULTS Managers, here is the link if you would like to record results for publication in the newsletter: SPORTS RESULTS
TERM 3 SPORT
Sep 24 - Year 5-6 Football Super Cluster
More information about sports available can be found on the Sports page on Sunnynook School Website.
See the photos below taken by Mrs Montague at the netball on Saturday morning, September 7th! Also photos from Mrs Hosken from the netball prizegiving where our 5/1 and 6/2 teams were awarded runners up in their grades - ka rawe!
Calendar Art
Message from the PTA
Kia ora Parents/Caregivers
The student's have created art work in class that can be made into affordable Calendars, Cards, Diaries, Mouse Mats and Sketch Pads.
Each product is made from your own child's art. These make unique Christmas gifts for family and friends and are perfect for posting overseas.
Follow these instructions to place your order online:
The order is open from Friday 6th September until Monday 23rd September.
Payment can be made over the website via credit card or account2account.
Come and share your culture during Language Weeks!
Kia ora whānau,
We would like to create a space for parents/caregivers and or extended families to share something from your culture - such as stories, legends, artefacts, history, art, dance, songs.
The following language week is coming up in Term 3:
Chinese Language Week 10
It would be amazing if whānau can come and share during the language weeks. Please contact Sei Tereora seit@sunnynookschool.nz or Bedelia Matthee bedeliam@sunnynookschool.nz to arrange a date and time or to answer any questions.
Tēnā koutou e te whānau.
Paying by Kindo
It is easy to pay your school account via Kindo and there are no fees to do this unless using your credit or debit card. Please see the link from Kindo on how to top up your account: Payment methods for topping up
Ways to top up your Kindo Account and pay for items:
POLi No fees. Instant transfer.
Online Eftpos No fees. Instant transfer.
Online Bank Transfer Allow 2 days for processing. No fees.
Hero School App In 2024 our main form of communication with you - our school community, is via Hero. On the Hero app, the little bell icon at the top right of your screen shows whether you have any new notifications. At times if the post is a longer one you may need to click ‘read more’ to view the whole message. We would appreciate it if you could also use Hero to report absences.
Any parents/caregivers who haven't yet signed up for the Hero App can do so by clicking on this link.
Important Information
Contact Details, School Hours, Late Students and Absences
If any of your details have changed, please let the office know via email. This is particularly important for new phone numbers and emails in order for us to contact you in an emergency.
School Hours Our school day is structured as follows:
Class hours are 8.50 am - 3.00 pm each day.
Classrooms open at 8.30 am.
Morning interval is from 10.35 am - 11.00 am.
Lunch is from 12.30 pm - 1.25 pm.
School finishes at 3.00 pm.
Late - Students who arrive after 8:50 am need to report to the office via the student entrance for their late pass before going to class. It is important that your child arrives on time.
Absences - If your child is going to be absent from school, please inform the school office every day that your child is going to be absent by either phoning 410 6534 option 1, via the Hero app or via our website. If possible, please inform the school office before 9:00 am.
Important Dates
TERM DATES for 2024
All Day
Term 3:
Monday, 22 July - Friday, 27 September
Term 4:
Monday, 14 October - Tuesday, 17 December (finish at 12.00 midday)
Chinese Language Week
All Day
R6 Water Safety
-
Calendar Art orders close
All Day
Athon
All Day
Rm 6 Water Safety
-
Football Super Cluster Save Day
All Day
REHU Tai Finals
-
Rm 6 Last swim
-
Last Day of Term - Mufti Day
All Day
Community Notices
Playball is back at Sunnynook Primary School for Term 4 2024! Playball is a sport and movement program for children between the ages of five and nine. All of the programs are taught in a fun-filled, energetic and positive environment.
Playball programs are age specific, with each of our programs taking into account the difference in the cognitive, emotional, social and motor development of the children in each age group.
Our Playball North Harbour coaches are dedicated to providing the best learning environment for children by using physical activity as a vehicle.
Some examples of sports we focus on in schools are; Hockey, Football, Tennis, Basketball and many more! We also bring in competition and more team elements to our 5-8 year old program to prepare the children for sport in the future. Each week will be different, to build on the skills and movements learnt in previous lessons.
Classes at Sunnynook Primary School will be held on:
Classes will be held at the covered netball courts. If a class is postponed, parents will be notified ahead of class time.
Please let me know your child's classroom.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Coach Reuben on 0277674060 or reuben@playball.co.nz
sKids School Holiday Programme - Curiosity, Design & Engineering!
A program intentionally designed with specifically curated resources for hands on Experiential Discovery Learning that provides the fertile soil for young minds & bodies to thrive!
Join us for a journey to a future designed by your child. Sustainable living spaces, Accessibility for All, Music, Water Supply, Food and more! Bring all your Design and Engineering ideas to build a better world! Create Makerspace Magic testing your skills, learning physics through games, and come along on an exciting excursion! Every day is an adventure for the mind and body!
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