Pukehina School to make its mark at Orange Day parade

Pukehina School are taking part in the Orange Day parade in Tauranga on November 29.

Pupils from the tiny Pukehina School will take their place among those from much larger educational establishments at tomorrow's Orange Parade in Tauranga.

The Orange Day parade celebrates those students who have worked alongside the Tauranga and Western Bay District council's Travel Safe staff and police in promoting road safety and active transport options.

The school, with a roll of 12, has never before taken part in the parade in which schools are encouraged to dress in orange and create banners to walk behind.

Principal Indra Thomas says all the pupils travel by school bus so the school's road safety messages relate to keeping safe on the highway.

''Some of our children have to cross the road to catch the bus,'' she says.

''We have a couple who live on Pukehina Beach Rd which gets very busy.''

As well as teaching safe ways to do that, children have started wearing high vis vests while travelling to and from school.

''It's all about keeping kids safe.''

The issue was highlighted when a logging truck driver told the school bus driver he had had to stop for a Pukehina School pupil who was crossing the road.

The basic idea for the school's banner came from 11-year-old Wayne Brown.

Wayne says the design reflects the school's rural setting with cows, calves, pigs, trucks, houses, the school and marae.

All the children in the school talked about the written message it should contain, and came up with Keeping Ourselves Safe on the Highway, and contributed to its making.
Wayne says he is looking forward to the Orange Day Parade - not so much to the march itself, but definitely the swim and sausage afterwards.

Pupils from Fairhaven and Te Puke Primary schools will also be part of the parade.

Indra started at the school during term 2 this year as acting principal, and was appointed permanent principal during term 3.

In that time the school's roll has doubled and she is keen to see more enrolments.

''The message for the wider community is we are open and, since I first started, we have started to reconnect with the community,'' she says.

There have been DIY days at the school, ongoing work to tidy up the grounds and a recent twilight market.

''We are talking to local people and to step out of our comfort zone a bit to put ourselves out into our community.''

At the start of next year an early education centre is due to open in the school grounds.

''That's another way to bring people back into the school and to enable us to grow the roll,'' says Indra.

During the school holidays the school buildings will be repainted and more work on the grounds will be carried out.