ECS Update Term 2, Week 4 – Friday 19th May 2023

ECS Update Term 2, Week 4 – Friday 19th May 2023

Kia ora Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to the Term 2, Week 4 Newsletter.

This newsletter contains information on the following:

• Important Dates
• Ahi Ora Performing Arts sessions and Evening Performance
• Traffic Safety – Papanui Club Carpark
• School App

Important Dates

Monday 5th June – King’s Birthday Public Holiday

Thursday 22nd June – School Photos

Wednesday 28th June – Final Day of classes for Term 2 

Ahi Ora Performing Arts sessions and Evening Performance

Kia ora koutou everyone,

Next week we have the amazing opportunity of having  Ahi Ora at our school.  It will involve the tutors teaching our children in the Maori art  of Mā Rākau (long stick movement).  Have a look at the video links provided to see the sorts of things we will be learning.  As a physical art form, it boosts confidence, control, self esteem and teamwork so is really valuable as an experience for our children.

Everyone will have a half hour of tutoring on both Thursday 25th and Friday 26th during school time…but wait!  There’s more!!! After school each day there is an optional “evening performance” from 4:30 – 6:30. This is where things start getting REALLY fun.  Ahi means Fire in Te Reo and Ora means Life so Ahi Ora means Living Fire. In the after school presentations the tutors will guide the students on how to SAFELY manipulate the rakau while the ends of the sticks are on fire. Here is a video link to show you some of what we will be doing.

This will be an exciting experience that our children will remember for the rest of their lives.  I cant wait to see their responses to what they learn.  Attached you can find a form that lets you know all the requirements –  especially for safety. Please read them as the team is very professional and will not allow children who are not safe to participate;  appropriate clothing is an especially important part of this. Also – obviously children need to be supervised.

Ngā mihi,
Brett Hitchens

Please note:  The evening performance time is 4:30 – 6:30pm (not 6-8pm as stated in the notice in the link below as this was a bit too late for young families).

Traffic Safety – Papanui Club Carpark

If you use the Papanui Club carpark to drop off and pick up your children we urge you to be mindful when exiting the carpark driveway onto Sawyers Arms Road.

Vehicles must give way to pedestrians on the footpath before pulling up to Sawyers Arms Road and exiting the driveway.
Also please bear in mind that a lot of children walk and scooter along this path to and from their schools (not just Emmanuel but Cotswold and others) and the footpath to the left of the driveway is partially obscured by bushes so it can be hard to see children coming until they are suddently on the footpath crossing the driveway so please advance slowly to the footpath and pause before continuing across the footpath and out onto Sawyers Arms Road.
Thank you.

School App