_edited.png)
Welcome!
Our innovative, country school is one of the best little schools in NZ and we are incredibly proud of it. We are nestled in the picturesque Ahuroa Valley, just a 15 minute drive from Puhoi or Warkworth. We offer a relaxed and peaceful environment where learning is tailored to the individual needs of each student, with a nurturing and caring approach. Families are recognised as being vital and active partners in student’s daily learning, and the entire community is recognised as the learning environment.
Catering for students from Year 1 through to 8, we offer excellent teacher to pupil ratios and significant one to one support. We promote academic excellence in reading, writing and maths, however we believe learning should not be constrained to the four walls of the classroom and we provide our students with many opportunities for real life learning experiences outside of the classroom.
One of the first things that strikes visitors to our school is the welcoming and positive atmosphere. Students are strongly encouraged to acknowledge and celebrate each other’s differences, and support each other’s weaknesses. We have an open door policy; parents and families are welcomed and encouraged to visit and share in their child’s learning at any time.
Give us a call or pop in - we’d love to meet you.
E TIPUTAHI ANA TATOU. TOGETHER WE GROW.
Recent Updates and News
28th February 2024
Tēnā koutou katoa,
At the weekend the school PTFA and Ahuroa Hall Committee held the annual horse trek fundraiser. It was an exceptional community event with 60 riders and others joining in for the evening supper on Sunday.
There were so many hard working volunteers who made this happen and our outstanding PTFA and parents were amongst it. This meant early starts and late finishes on top of the many hours that had already occurred.
Thank you so much for your hard work and contributions, we really appreciate it. It was also good to meet so many new people from the local area.
We have a really active PTFA. Please support them in any way that you can-many hands make light work.
Curriculum News: Within the first few weeks of school the classroom focus across the whole school is establishing routines, appropriate learning habits and positive working relationships-kura kaupapa. This is an essential part of the school year as it sets the right tone for the school.
The next focus for the school is a science and technology unit of learning around waste. We will be monitoring this very carefully to see how we can reduce the quantity of waste we collect. Last year we spent $600 on orange bags alone, and feel that money would be better spent elsewhere.
Our teaching organisation this year is such that we have Whaea Susan able to provide additional science, technology and art lessons with small classes. This has begun already and will give our tamariki a variety of additional learning experiences from a teacher who is passionate in those areas. Please keep your eye out for requests for various things to support this programme.
Homework: If you have a child in Room 4 you will have noticed the development of a homework routine and book. We are introducing this gradually with the aim of making this a regular part of their weekly routine between weeks 3 and 8. I do not want this to be an onerous task as there are often widely varying opinions about the effect of homework. My rationale is to establish study habits in preparation for their move to college. I still expect children to be children, and to enjoy their free time fully.
There will be a few regular tasks around reading, spelling and maths and a weekly task which involves an aspect of something they are currently learning at school. The intention of this latter part is to create a link between home and school and allow you to see practical examples of learning. If you feel strongly about not having homework, I will respect that decision. Please let your child’s teacher know. We will not be enforcing or negatively punishing children if they do not return their homework. You should be seeing regular readers and spelling coming home with the other two classes-this constitutes their homework.
New Bus Stop: If you are visiting school regularly you will have noticed the new bus stop and adjacent pathway. This is proving a lot safer for both arriving and getting children on the bus. Please do not park in the bus stop between the following times - 7.45 to 8.30am and 2.15 & 2.45pm.
Winter Sports
It is that time of year when the winter codes are taking registrations. Please see below and visit their websites for registration details:
Mahurangi Rugby club provides a safe,
and a fun environment for our junior rugby stars.
We offer playing opportunities for all kids from 4 year olds right through to under 13’s
Our little nippers learn the basics of rugby, by playing contact free ripper games on a Thursday afternoon alongside our other grades who are enjoying a training session with their team and learning the ‘Mahu Way’.
Game days are Saturday mornings when our grade J8 and J7 participate in a ripper rugby tournament with Silverdale Rugby Club. From J6 ( First year of tackle rugby) games are held at various grounds on the North Shore.
We hold tackle workshops to help with the transition from Rippa to Tackle, our ‘Mahu way’ ethos teaches the kids respect, sportsmanship and team spirit and we are renowned for our club hospitality on home game days when our families provide visiting teams with ‘after game’ morning tea.
https://www.sporty.co.nz/mahurangirfcjunior/junior-rugby/junior-rugby
Welcome to Warkworth FC!
Based at Shoesmith Domain in Warkworth, Auckland, our club is a community based club run by amazing volunteers who provide football for all ages and ability all year round.
https://www.sporty.co.nz/warkworthfc/
If you belong to a sports club and would like to promote it in our regular newsletter, please email principal@ahuroa.school.nz
A reminder of the dates of our Inter School Sporting Events. Swimming is first at the Mahurangi College Pool. Training will begin this week.
Swimming - Kaipara Flats (14 March)
Tabloids - Ahuroa (Wednesday 27 November)
Ripper Tournament - Nth Harbour Rugby (Wednesday 22 May)
Netball - Horizon. (Wednesday 15 May)
Hockey - Leigh. (Wednesday 31 July)
Soccer - Snells Beach. (Wednesday 29 May)
Cross Country - Matakana (Wednesday 28 August)
Athletics - Warkworth. (Wednesday 13 November)
Ngā mihi nui,
Terry.
14th February 2024
Now that we have moved beyond our part weeks and are settling in back to good learning and teaching routines here are a few reminders for the coming weeks:
-
Our first Whānau Time will be Friday 16th February.
-
Swim sports will be held next Friday at 11am.
-
Please ensure that children bring their togs and towel every day
-
Book bags will start to be used regularly from next week so please ensure that your child has one each day
All of our policies and procedures are accessible through our school webpage. Alternatively, you can go directly by googling school docs. The community access is:
Username: ahuroa
Password: explorers
Please visit the site over the next week to familiarise yourself with it. There is a search feature to help you find documents quickly.
Concerns & complaints Policy: We are required to regularly remind you of our concerns and complaints policy. It is extremely important the correct process is followed. This is to protect the natural course of justice. A flow chart of this policy will be sent home with your child today and the full policy can be accessed via school docs.
Bus Travel: For those of you who have children traveling to or from school by one of our two buses, we are sending home a code of conduct. Please read and discuss this with your child(ren), then sign and ask them to return it to their class teacher.
Change of home-time arrangements:
Please phone or email changes to your child's home-time arrangements, preferably before 12.30pm – we can’t hold the buses up and we are unable to make changes on the word of the students or other parents and they will be required to do what is usual for that day. If students need to catch a bus they don’t normally take you will need to check with Christine or Terry first, in case there is not enough room on the bus.
Student absences:
Please email office@ahuroa.school.nz or phone 09 422 5898 all absences before 8:30am, even if you have told your child's teacher. It is a Ministry of Education requirement that "if your child needs to be away from school because they are sick, have an appointment or need to be at a tangi or funeral, phone the school before it starts, letting them know they'll be away, for how long and giving the reason".
Arriving late or leaving early:
In the event of an emergency we need to know who is at school.
If your child is late please remind them to report to the office to let Christine know they have arrived before going to class. If your child is leaving school early please let Christine know when you have collected them.
Catching up with Classroom Teachers
If you would like to talk to your child’s teacher, please make an appointment with them, some days they may need to leave school at 2.30pm. You can email the teacher directly; anna@ahuroa.school.nz, claire@ahuroa.school.nz or becky@ahuroa.school.nz
Contact details:
If any of your contact details have changed, please let Christine know so these can be updated.
Illness:
Colds and Flu please keep your child home if they are unwell with cold and flu symptoms. In order to keep all staff and students safe, any student sent to school unwell or develop symptoms while at school will have caregivers contacted to be collected.
Vomiting and Diarrhoea - students are not permitted to return to school within 24 hours of any vomiting or diarrhoea incidents. When there is a bug going around, by sending your child to school this simply shares the bug around too. It also means that staff are cleaning up mess, which in turn could make them sick.
School Calendar: We try to keep our calendar as up to date as possible. You can access it through our website.
Ngā mihi,
Terry.
NGĀKAUNUI
PASSIONATE
One of the first things we noticed, and have grown to love, about Ahuroa School is the openness and friendliness of the staff and children. There really is a feeling of family and being looked after by the whole school....we have found Ahuroa School to have a huge heart with so much to offer our children in becoming well-rounded individuals and enjoying their childhood in such a happy, secure, and nurturing environment."
...When quizzed on what the best bits of Ahuroa School were, our children said 'it wasn't like any other school, the teachers would have conversations with the children and become quite good friends with them, AND you were allowed to climb trees!' In response to the school's approach to learning; 'we were actually learning and not being force-fed dead facts. A lot of that was down to the teachers'. On being questioned what they from being at Ahuroa School, they replied variously, 'I learnt how to make friends', 'I learnt how to be patient and understanding with little kids', and 'I discovered that school can be fun, interesting, and a bit flexible without compromising our acquisition of knowledge and skills'..."
TŪTURU
AUTHENTIC
MANAWAROA
RESILIENT
Since coming to Ahuroa School, my children have been given the opportunity to grow both socially and educationally. The teachers are so approachable, I feel I can always talk to them and find out how my children are doing and, due to the size of the school and classes, I know that they are always aware of my children as individuals instead of just part of a class. Its small size and unique setting create and ideal environment for children to feel safe and secure in. My children have been supported to find solutions to problems and have been given the tools to deal with situations on their own, and I feel that this has provided an important skill set that my children may not have otherwise learnt..."
...What a fabulous choice it has been. We love watching our son grow in confidence, curiosity, and ability - all of which are undoubtedly supported and encouraged by the wonderful staff and vast experiences provided by Ahuroa School. We truely value how Ahuroa School stretches his thinking and abilities, but also allows him the freedom to just be a child. As for our second child, the Four Year Old Friday visits - we don't know of any other school that does this - have been invaluable in making her already feel very much part of the school, which of course will make the transition to full-time schooling so much easier. The way we see it, teachers that can manage to make their pupils look forward to a day at school are blessed with a true gift, how fortunate for us to have that gift right here in our community."