Connect Communication

20th November 2019

Kia ora Whanau

The end of the year is fast approaching and we all can't help thinking about 2020 and what that might mean for our families. My daughter Eva is approaching the end of the first year at CGHS and Jacob has nearly finished his NCEA level 1 exams.

You are no doubt thinking about your child and the year ahead. You may have heard through the Lincoln grapevine about the new teachers joining us, however, we are not in a position to share their appointments until their current school communities are informed.

It's good to keep in mind that whilst your child is placed with an ako teacher, they will be working with other teachers across the hub. In most cases, this will involve working closely with another teacher. By the end of the year, most of the hubs will work in pairs.

The Ministry of Education has released its education strategy, kōrero mātauranga. It is well worth taking time to have a read and contemplate what this might mean for schools. Here is a link.

Thanks to the Enviro leaders for organising a scavenger hunt on Friday. Children are able to come dressed in an environmental theme or wear their regular uniform. See the information from Sophie, just below.

Have a fabulous week.

Claire and the team

SchoolDocs Review

Our school uses this site to manage its policies and procedures. You are invited to participate in the current review.

As this newsletter is on our website, Trine will email a reminder of the login process to access the site.

Follow the link to each policy in the table above.
Read the policy.
Click the red Policy Review icon at the right-hand top corner of the page. A new screen will appear.
Select your role (board member, staff member, or parent/caregiver) from the drop-down list.
Enter your name (optional).
Submit your ratings and comments.
If you don't have internet access, school office staff can easily provide you with printed copies of the policy and the review form.

Plans for 2020

Term dates

Term 1: Mon 3rd February - Thu 9th April

Term 2: Tue 28th April - Fri 3rd July (TOD 2nd June Kahui Ako)

Term 3: Mon 20th July - Fri 25th September (TOD 21st Aug)

Term 4: Mon 12th October - Wed 17th December (TOD 12th Nov)

Class Structure for 2020

Teretere: Year 3/4, Year 2/3

Kaunuku: Year 4/5, Year 5/6, Year 7/8

Huarapa: Year 1/2, Year 1, Year 1, and Year 0/1 classes as children turn 5 over the year.

It is that time of year when we begin the complex task of placing students into classes for 2020. We would appreciate any special information that should be considered regarding your daughter’s needs and placement for 2020 emailed to Claire by Weds 27th November. Please note, we are not able to action requests for specific teachers.

Red Cross Youth Engagement Survey

We’re hoping to capture the views of 1,000 young people on a diverse range of topics – from what issues matter to them to their views on how the New Zealand Red Cross engages with young people. The results will be used to inform our Youth Engagement Strategy, which is a key outcome of Strategy 2030.

If you are under the age of 30, we want to hear from you!

Head over to our website to answer the survey (it is designed to take just 10 minutes to complete) and to find out about the amazing prize you can win for completing it - https://www.redcross.org.nz/stories/new-zealand/youth-survey/

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the youth team directly on youthstrategy@redcross.org.nz.

What's on in the weeks ahead . .

Te Hapori Tautoko THT

Ararira Springs Disco

When: Friday 29th November

Where: Hikuwai (Beside Kelly Club)

Time: 6-7.30pm

Cost: $3 per child

Dress-up theme is encouraged

We are so excited to be organising our school disco for the learners at Ararira Springs School.

Important information

Tickets will be purchased when you arrive at the disco. Children will be signed in when they arrive and signed out when they leave. For safety reasons all children will need to be picked up by an adult or older sibling.
There is one disco for all year levels this year.
Extra money will not be required at this event. Food snacks and other activities will be included in the $3 cost of the ticket.
Children will need to bring a named water bottle to the disco.
A dress up theme is encouraged if children would like to get dressed up.
Next door to the disco there will be a whanau room for parents and caregivers who would like to stay and have a cuppa and a chat. Everyone is welcome, the more the merrier. Tea/coffee and yummy food will be provided. Please bring your own cup.
We would love volunteers to help with organising and setting up on the day of the disco. The times we need people are between 1.30pm to 4pm. If you can help for all or some of that time, we would really appreciate it. Please email us at tht@ararira.school.nz to let us know if you can help.

We would like to thank Healthy Harvest with sponsoring us by providing fruit for students to eat at the disco

THT Tuesday Morning Get-Togethers

These take place in Putahi (Library) every Tuesday morning once you have dropped your child or children at school. It is a warm welcoming environment where preschoolers are welcome. Please come along for a cuppa and a chat.

From the Office

End of year accounts

If you have stationery or uniform items on your account, could you please ensure that these are settled before the end of the school year. Full year receipts will be sent home early in December. You can claim back any donations (voluntary school donations and camp donations) in your tax return - please visit the IRD website for additional information.

Sunhats

Don't forget to make sure your child has a sunhat in their bag for break-times this term- hats can be purchased in the office for $12.

The Leeston Santa Run is brought to you by the Selwyn Sports Trust in partnership with the Leeston Santa Parade team!

Friday 6th December / 5.30pm / gold coin donation

The Santa Run is a 1km fun run dash which will be held at the beginning of the Leeston Santa Parade. We have five different race categories for the whole family!
- Male
- Female
- Kids Run (13 under)
- Family Run
- & the inaugural Santa Run!

Prizes for first place winners and some spot prizes!
If you would like to enter please click on the link, you can enter on the day!

Starting School Review

Has your child started school with us this year as a five-year-old? We would love to hear from you. We are wanting to make the transition to school as painless and as useful as we can so we want to hear from you.

When? Dec 5th, 9-10:30

Where? Pūtahi | Library

What? A workshop for you to share your ideas, experience and aspirations.

We would love to reward you for your thinking with a wee morning tea. Please RSVP to Trine by the week prior so we know how many to expect!