New entrant Vita Mayhem-Bullock (5), who was among a group of youngsters welcomed at the school with a mihi whakatau, was accompanied by her mum Mandy Mayhem-Bullock and grandmother Michelle Morrison — both former pupils of Waitati School.
Ms Morrison helped her granddaughter to plant a feijoa tree at the school, which matched a similar tree she planted on her last day at Blueskin Playcentre.
Ms Morrison started at the school in 1958, and her two daughters Mandy and Lani started at the school in 1978 and 1984 respectively.
Ms Mayhem-Bullock has two older children, Rose and Max Mayhem-Haining, who began their primary education at Waitati School in 2008 and 2010.
The arrival of several new entrants this week continues a positive trend for the Waitati School roll, which will swell to 101 pupils by the end of this year.
During the past fortnight, Ms Mayhem-Bullock has worked on Manaaki Wednesday afternoons with Kura pupils at the school to weed and re-paint the ‘‘Waitati’’ stones in front of the school.
The stones, which were created by families attending the school after World War 2, are believed to be about 80 years old.
