The wind may have made an appearance on our recent volunteer day at Newtown School, but that didn’t hold us and our corporate volunteer team back from getting stuck into mahi.

We were so grateful to Randstad for spending the day with us and getting their hands dirty to make a difference for our tamariki.

Sarah, a Team Manager from Randstad, shared the day brought forth positive memories from when her children were in primary school, “When my son was small we went into schools for helping days, doing things like gardening and shifting mulch. A bit like this.”

Reconnecting with our past selves reminds us that caring for ourselves and others is beneficial to both us and our communities. Throughout our day at Newtown School, you could feel the atmosphere of community and care as everyone worked together to benefit tamariki and the school.

Newtown is well-known for its community heart, with the annual Newtown Festival a testament to this.

As the day began, our Operations Manager - Leigh Keown, took charge, with our Do Some Good team initially splitting into two - one group working in the grove of trees next to Newtown School’s sports field and the other filling the school’s new sandpit.

The sandpit team carried wheelbarrows and bucket loads of sand filled by one of Newtown’s hard-working teachers, the school’s caretaker, and one of the students, up the concrete path between schoolbuildings and the vegetable gardens tamariki and school staff have been working hard on throughout the year.

Tamariki were a huge part in helping us to get the job done too - on top of filling wheelbarrows and buckets of sand with one of their teachers and the school’s caretaker, they acted as ‘site supervisors’, giving us directions while standing in the sandpit, raking and levelling sand, and encouraging the team.

On the upper level of the school, the weeding team got busy pulling out weeds threatening the trees and native plants, an act of kindness and care to support their growth.

Once the sandpit was filled, it was time for the team to take a break. Sitting in the school’s staffroom, we enjoyed morning tea and a chance to come together before moving on to the next task.

Grabbing buckets of paint and rollers, we gave the dark green cricket-wall mural on the school’s lower sports court a quick makeover. Once a coat of fresh paint was laid, we knew our work would be providing space for tamariki to enjoy practicing sports at school and the opportunity to grow and learn together through play.

Next up, it was back to the grove of trees and native plants, finishing off the weeding and laying down mulch before we finished up for the day, our Do Some Good team heading home just before the school bell rang.