Term 1 has been busy

Wow!  Hard to believe week 6 has passed already.

We've had a busy term so far with lots of activity and things to learn.  Rooms 11 and 12 have just moved to temporary classrooms as the existing rooms are refurbished.  We hope to post photos of our lovely new classrooms when we move back in during the last week of term.

EOTC has taken a large part of our time and is almost complete for all of Totara Team.  Below you will find a few photos which give a brief glimpse of the activities, challenges and most of all fun, that EOTC brings to everyone.  A big thanks to all the parents who helped with these activities, without your support this would not be possible.

Swim to Survive and Stubbs Farm

Wow!  Hard to believe we are already two weeks into the term.  This week is the start of Totara's EOTC experience with all four classes taking part in our Swim to Survive programme at school, topped off with a day at Te Rapa pools on Friday.

Many thanks to all the parents and caregivers willing to support with this swimming trip and with the Stubbs Farm experience for each class.  Also thank you to all those families who have promptly paid the $90 or have set up automatic payments with our school office.  A reminder that payment must be started prior to these experiences.

We are looking forward to a great week and hope to share many photos so you can see the skills we are learning.  Room 11 is on countdown to their Stubbs Farm experience next Tuesday 24th of February.

Welcome to 2015

A warm welcome to all returning Totara Team students and those students joining us from other teams.  A special welcome to our new students beginning at Maeroa this year.

As teachers, we are looking forward to working with our students, setting goals and improving overall learning.  There will be an opportunity for parents/caregivers to meet in week 5 at our school Meet the Teacher evening.  More information about this will follow nearer the time, however if you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact us or pop into our rooms before or after school.

We have an exciting term ahead of us with our schoolwide EOTC week. It is important that the notices regarding this given out in the first week are read carefully and returned to school as soon as possible.

Our school pool is up and running.  It is part of our school programme and an expectation that all students will have their swimming gear on a regular basis.

Also term one should see major changes to rooms 11 and 12 with some welcome refurbishments.  There has been some delay with this but we are optimistic this will be back on track in the near future.

Finally, please make sure students are prepared for their learning with correct stationery. (Please see the Stationery tab for the full list and how to order online)

Farewell

The singing of our team song at yesterdays farewell assembly was amazing. Totara students stood tall and sang our Totara part with a huge sense of pride. It made us very proud to be part of Totara Team!
We would like to wish all the 2014 Year 8 students a fond farewell and best wishes for their next learning journey at secondary school. We like to follow your achievements so please keep in touch.
Next year will be an exciting time for Totara Team with new Year 7 students and Year 8 students taking on leadership roles. The end of a year always brings change and this year is no exception with many teachers moving to different classes and teams. Ms Parker will remain in Totara Team but will be moving to Room 12. Mrs Yeoman is moving to Room 19/20 which will be part of Tanekaha team and Mrs Scoble is moving to Room 4 which is part of Kahikatea team. 2015 will be a little different for us all but Totara Team will always have a special place in our hearts!
Mrs Yeoman and Mrs Scoble.

Recognition Assemblies

It was wonderful to see a large number of Totara Students receiving awards at our final Recognition Assemblies. Lots of family members attended the assemblies and we were all treated to some fantastic singing and excellent dance and drama performances. We had students being acknowledged for their service roles in duties such as Road Patrol, PE Monitors, Koru Monitors, Staff-room Monitors and School Librarians. We also had many students who were recognised for their sporting and cultural endeavors. Excellence, leadership and citizenship were other areas that Totara students were recognised for. We are very proud of the students who were recognised and are sure their achievements will be inspirations for next years Totara students.

Technology Challenge Winners!

A big congratulations to our Technology Challenge Team!  They won the competition with their fantastic cupcake decorating skills, managing to capture key elements of our team in their designs.  

For their efforts they won a $20 gift voucher from the Sugar Bowl (our local cafe and judges of the competition) which Mrs Johnstone presented at our team assembly.  Lucky Mrs Yeoman gets to accompany them and have a treat too!

Technology Challenge Team

• Room 19 - Angel Taipari 
• Room 20 - Jessica-Ann Linton-Brown 
• Room 21 - Toby Hafliger 

Our Technology Challenge winners - with Mrs Johnstone

Reminder - School Magazine

Just a reminder that this years' school magazine is available for pre-order. To secure your copy, place $10 (cheque or cash) in a named envelope and drop it in the student mailbox.

All orders must be in by this Friday, December 5th. These are very popular so don't miss out!