The weekly update from our Principal

Term 3 Wrap-Up & Looking Ahead

As Term 3 concludes, we thank our school community for embodying Manaakitanga through care and support shown to one another. We hope all families enjoy a well-deserved break as we prepare for our final term.

Attendance Matters

Regular attendance is critical to your tamariki’s learning journey. Akonga with consistent attendance show stronger academic progress and better Whanaungatanga with peers. Every day counts – please help ensure your tamariki is present and ready to learn.

School Uniform – Our Turangawaewae

Our uniform reflects our place of belonging and helps akonga:

• Build school identity and strengthen connection to our Turangawaewae

• Experience Manaakitanga through equality and inclusion

• Develop Rangatiratanga by meeting expectations responsibly

• Focus on learning without distractions

We appreciate your support in ensuring your tamariki arrives in complete, clean uniform daily.

Campus Developments

Our perimeter fence installation is progressing in planned stages and will be completed for 2026, further strengthening our Turangawaewae as our special place of belonging.

Wishing everyone a safe and restful break. We look forward to seeing all akonga back for an outstanding final term!

Mrs Maria Lemalie-Herbert

Principal / Tumuaki

Celebrating Charlotte Williams’ International Achievement

We are bursting with pride to acknowledge one of our Head Students, Charlotte Williams, who recently represented our school and country at the World 8-Ball Pool Championships 2025 in Ennis, Ireland. From August 26th to September 5th, Charlotte competed on the international stage as part of this prestigious tournament organized by the International Eightball Pool Federation.

Charlotte’s participation in this world-class competition exemplifies our core school values in action. Through Manaakitanga, she has shown respect and hospitality as an ambassador for our school community on the global stage. Her Turangawaewae – her sense of belonging and identity – has been strengthened as she proudly carried our school’s reputation internationally. The Whanaungatanga she has built with teammates and competitors alike demonstrates the relationships and connections that extend far beyond our school grounds. Most importantly, Charlotte has displayed true Rangatiratanga – leadership and excellence – by pursuing her passion at the highest level while inspiring fellow students to chase their own dreams.

Charlotte Williams’ achievement reminds us that excellence comes in many forms, and we couldn’t be prouder to have a student who represents our values so brilliantly on the world stage. Congratulations, Charlotte – you’ve made us all incredibly proud!

Celebrating Our Pacific Leaders

We’re proud to acknowledge two of our outstanding students who recently attended the SPACPAC Pacific Leaders Breakfast – an inspiring event that recognises student leaders who have made significant contributions to school life.

PJ Alavisi (Prefect) and Urima/Donna Enosa (one of our Head Students) joined fellow Pasifika student leaders from across Canterbury for this special morning celebrating emerging leadership. The breakfast provided an excellent opportunity for our students to strengthen networks with their peers while being motivated by keynote speakers addressing important issues facing today’s youth.

Both PJ and Urima/Donna exemplify the values and attributes of effective leadership, and their selection for this event reflects their ongoing commitment to making a positive difference in our school community. We congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to seeing how they continue to inspire and lead by example.

Well done to both our representatives – you make us proud!

TOIKUPU: A Celebration of Student Voice and Courage

What an inspiring evening we had at our recent TOIKUPU event on Monday 15 September! The English Learning Area’s spoken word, poetry and writing showcase brought together students, staff, whānau, and community members for an unforgettable celebration of creativity and expression. The evening was beautifully attended, creating a warm and supportive atmosphere that truly celebrated the power of words.

We want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the brave students who stepped up to the microphone during both the kai session and the main showcase. It takes real courage to share your words and creativity with an audience, and every participant demonstrated remarkable confidence and talent that made the evening truly special.

Special thanks must go to Ms Neema Singh, whose vision and dedication made this entire event possible. Her commitment to providing our students with a platform to express themselves has created something wonderful for our Te Aratai College community. Well done to everyone involved – here’s to more opportunities for our students to share their voices with confidence and pride!

Blue Noise – A Resounding Success!

Our final music event of the year, Blue Noise, was a fantastic celebration of musical talent at Te Puna on Thursday, 18th September. The evening showcased outstanding performances from our Year 9-13 music students across two sessions at 4pm and 6:30pm.

A special thanks goes to Cameron Love and his dedicated team for organizing this memorable event. We’re incredibly proud of all our students who took the stage and shared their musical talents with the community. A huge acknowledgment also goes to our talented staff band, who delivered an inspiring performance that added to the evening’s success.

Blue Noise perfectly captured the diverse musical abilities within our college and provided a wonderful finale to our music calendar for the year. Well done to everyone involved!

Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori 2025

Kia ora whānau! We had an amazing week celebrating Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori with our school community. A huge mihi to Whaea Manu, Whaea Sakara, and Matua Piripi for their incredible mahi in organising such an engaging and inclusive week of activities that brought our reo to life.

Last week’s celebrations included:

• Mane/Rāhina: Kēmu Patapātai/Kahoot Quiz in the Whare

• Wenerei/Rāapa: Te Pātai me te Koha

• Paraire/Rāmere: Pāpakū mo tātou katoa

Our kai and kōrero session in the staff room was a wonderful success, providing a fantastic opportunity for our community to share kai, practice te reo Māori in a supportive environment, and connect with whānau.

Ways our community got involved:

• Whakarongo: Enjoyed Māori music with curated Spotify playlists (Waiata Māori, Waiata Reo Māori, Aotearoa Song Book, Waiata Anthems)

• Ako: Expanded reo knowledge with resources like Kupu o te Rā, Tōku Reo, mihi tutorials, Everyday Māori podcast by Hēmi Kelly, and Taringa Podcast

• Mātakitaki: Stayed connected with Whakaata Māori for news, Koroneihana coverage, and the National Manu Kōrero Speech Competitions

Many participated in the Education Perfect Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Competition – continuing our proud tradition following Dacota Van Landuyt’s outstanding achievement as overall winner for all of Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu last year!

Thank you to everyone who participated and made this celebration of te reo Māori so special. Kia kaha koutou ki te kōrero i te reo māori ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea.

Ko te reo te mauri o te mana māori!

Welcome to Our New Te Aratai College Board!

We’re delighted to introduce our newly elected Board of Trustees who will be leading Te Aratai College into an exciting future:

Board Members:

• Isla Gendig

• Emily Caygill

• Jo Bethell

• Irai Weepu

• Jeff Smit

• Ruth Keir (Staff Representative)

• Zach Derham (Student Representative)

This dedicated team brings fresh perspectives, diverse expertise, and a shared commitment to excellence in education. They’ll be working alongside our school leadership to support our students, whānau, and wider school community as we continue to grow and thrive.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the election process and to all candidates who stepped forward to serve our school community.

We look forward to the positive impact this new Board will have on our kura. Here’s to a bright future ahead!

Looking ahead:

• 9 Oct, Thu 7:00pm-9:00pm Rise 2025

• 16 Oct, Thu 4:30pm–6:00pm Hui-ā-Whānau

• 17 Oct, Fri 5:00pm–7:00pm International Awards and Leavers Celebration

• 23 Oct, Thu 4:00pm–6:00pm Board meeting

• 23 Oct, Thu 5:00pm– 7:00pm Sport Awards

• 27 Oct, Mon Labour Day – Public holiday

• 28 Oct, Tue 4:00pm–8:00pm Pasifika Awards and Leavers Celebration 2025

• 29 Oct, Wed 5:00pm–6:30pm Senior Prizegiving

• 30 Oct, Thu 1:20pm Year 13’s finish for the year

• 30 Oct, Thu 5:00pm–8:00pm Year 13 Leavers Dinner

• 31 Oct, Fri 1:20pm Year 11’s that have been given exam leave finish

• 31 Oct, Fri 1:20pm Year 12’s finish for the year

• 4 Nov, Tue NCEA Exams begin

• 10 Nov, Mon 9:00am–11:00am 2026 Year 7 new entrants e-asttle testing

• 12 Nov, Wed 9:00am– 11:00am 2026 Year 9 new entrants e-asttle testing

• 14 Nov, Fri Canterbury Anniversary – Public holiday

• 17 Nov, Mon 11:00am–2:30pm Top Team event

• 27 Nov, Thu 4:00pm–6:00pm Board meeting

• 28 Nov, Fri Last day of NCEA Exams

• 1-3 Dec, Mon-Wed Year 8 Camp

• 4 Dec, Thu 5:30pm–8:00pm Year 9 and 10 Drama production

• 9 Dec, Tue 10:30am–12:00pm Tāhuhu Prizegiving

• 9 Dec, Tue 12:00pm–1:00pm Tāhuhu shared kai and activities with whānau

• 9 Dec, Tue 1:00pm Tāhuhu finish for the year

• 10 Dec, Wed 9:30am–11:00am Year 9&10 Prizegiving

• 10 Dec, Wed 11:00am Year 9 & 10 finish for the year

• 10 Dec, Wed Final day of 2025

2025 School Terms:

• Term 4: 6th October – 10 December