Posted on 7 June 2025
Following our earlier email we are pleased to confirm details for our special Matariki Celebration on Thursday 19th June at 7:00a.m.
Our celebration will begin at 7.15 with an opening ceremony and feature the Boys Music Group and waiata.
To ensure everyone's safety, all children must be accompanied by a supervising adult. A light breakfast of a muffin and drink will be provided after the ceremony.
If your child is unable to attend with an adult they should arrive at the normal time.
Student Leaders, House leaders and the Boys Music Group are expected to attend and will meet with teachers beforehand to mark off attendance for safety.
Children can dress for a Be Yourself Day on the day. School uniform is not required
Your child will bring home an attendance slip in a couple of weeks. Please keep an eye out for it, and complete and return it to their teacher as soon as possible indicating:
Whether your child will attend the celebration with an adult, and
Muffin choice for breakfast for all children and whanau attending
Thank you for your support - we look forward to celebrating this occasion together.
Posted Term 2 Week 1:
The rise of Matariki in the winter skies above Aotearoa is an important time in the Māori calendar, as it signifies the start of the Māori New Year.
For Māori, astronomy was interwoven into all facets of life. Experts would observe the night sky, charting star and planet movements, the relationship of the stars and planets to the moon and sun, while also noting what was happening on the whenua (land) and in the moana (ocean), lakes and awa (rivers). All these celestial star beings were attributed qualities and named accordingly, and their stories were woven into the history of the people.
Historically, new year celebrations provided the opportunity for whānau to come together to acknowledge the year gone by, prepare and plan for the year ahead; to celebrate with kai, kōrero, ceremony and entertainment.
On Thursday 19 June we will be holding a special event at St Heliers School to celebrate Matariki. Families will be invited to gather on the school turf at 7am before the sun rises at 7.33am. We will be celebrating with a special ceremony with waiata and story telling under the night sky. Afterwards we will be providing a breakfast. Children may also choose to arrive to school at the normal time. The day will be filled with activities for the children around the theme of Matariki which connects with our school vision-’Navigating Success Together’ - ‘Kia mahi tahi ai te waihoe’.
Due to the early start school will finish at 2pm on 19 June.
The following day, Friday 20 June is a public holiday to mark Matariki, and the start of the long weekend.
