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Connect Communication
21 May 2025
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The weather is starting to feel wintery but there is nothing nicer than a beautiful blue-sky day after a chilly morning. It's always good to remind your children of handwashing and sneezing hygiene when the winter ills are around. We are working hard to keep all the bugs at bay!
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The Ministry of Education has attendance high on its agenda and is investing a considerable amount of money in attendance services. We would love to remind you of the importance of regular attendance. This is important not only for learning to progress but also to ensure a sense of belonging and maintain social connections. A day here and there has a cumulative effect. Here is a link to a past 'parent update' outlining our attendance procedures. The following graphic shows you that these days do add up.
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Teachers are currently working hard to consolidate their understanding of the new curriculum in order to provide information to you about reading, writing and mathematics learning. Emma has prepared some reporting 'learning updates' that will be useful and are linked to the bottom of this newsletter.
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While we agree 100% on the importance of core learning and subjects, this should not take our emphasis away from the other areas of education that are also important; the soft skills, key competencies, sciences and creative pursuits. This blog post from NZ educator Derek Wenmouth outlines the need for us to consider an and approach rather than either / or. These skills and attributes are captured in our mission, vision and values and are woven through all classroom programmes.
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The next two classrooms are on track to be ready by the end of the term. As these are bigger classroom spaces it is our plan to move the Year 5/6 classes into these spaces. This will free Pūrei 1 and 2 for our newest and youngest learners. We have everything crossed that tomorrows budget includes funds for our stage 2 development. It will take some time for the funds to be prioritised and we should know the outcome by the end of the term. We will keep you updated.
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If you are new to Ararira Springs, we have the opportunity for you to come and connect with us. On Thursday 29th May, we are running a welcome to Ararira sessions for whānau of have joined us in Year 2-8. This will be a chance to hear about the school, meet the principal and ask any questions you might have. We look forward to seeing you there.
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We would like to remind everyone to please take extra care when driving and walking in and around the school carpark/street. A concerned parent recently informed us that their child was nearly hit by a car while getting into their own vehicle, as another car reversed out at speed from the adjacent space.
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This incident serves as an important reminder that the carpark can be a busy and potentially hazardous area, especially during drop-off and pick-up times. For the safety of all children and families:
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Please drive slowly and remain alert at all times.
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Always check your surroundings carefully before reversing.
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Be patient and considerate of pedestrians, especially young children who may be harder to see.
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Encourage your children to stay close to you and be aware of vehicles when walking through the carpark.
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Thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our school community safe.
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Light the Way | Fluro Friday: 6 June
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We are fundraising towards building ambulance stations for Hato Hone St John. Every dollar raised counts and goes towards repairs and rebuilds of ambulance stations across Aotearoa.
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On Friday 6 June, wear your fluro gear in support! Please bring a gold coin donation. Our fundraising page can also be found here.
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Health and Wellbeing Consultation 2025
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Every two years we are required to share our health teaching and learning plan with parents and whānau. For more information about our curriculum you can read the full document on our school website. There will be a Health Consultation meeting on Thursday 22nd May from 5.30pm-6.15pm in the library. Please follow this link to fill in the consultation survey document and to RSVP if you are attending the meeting. Thank you.
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IMPORTANT DATES
- 21 May - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 22 May - Health Consultation Meeting, 5.30-6.15pm in the Library
- 23 May - Curiosity Clubs, 11.45am-12.45pm
- 28 May - Family Time in Putahi | Library, 8.30-9am
- 29 May - Welcome to Ararira - new families (with Year 2-8 children), 6.30-7.30pm
- 30 May - Hui (Hikuwai), 9.15am in the Hall
- 30 May - Curiosity Clubs, 11.45am-12.45pm
- 02 June - King's Birthday, school closed
- 04 June - Family Time in Putahi | Library, 8.30-9am
- 06 June - Curiosity Clubs, 11.45am-12.45pm
- 06 June - Fluro Friday Fundraiser for Hato Hone St John, gold coin donation
- 11 June - Family Time in Putahi | Library, 8.30-9am
- 12 June - THT Meeting, 7-8pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 13 June - ASP Matariki Celebration, 5.30-7pm
- 18 June - Family Time in Putahi | Library, 8.30-9am
- 20 June - Matariki, school closed
- 23 June - Teacher Only Day, school closed
- 22 August - ASP Quiz Night
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School Board
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Next meeting 21 May, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
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Te Hapori Tautoko (THT)
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Next meeting 12 June, 7-8pm in Tahuna | Staffroom (all welcome)
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THT would like to announce and welcome our new office holders elected at our AGM on May 7th:
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- Chairperson: Liberty Clayton will continue on until the end of the calendar year. We would love to get a co-chair on board for handover, so if you are keen to help out our amazing school please get in touch.
- Treasurer: Olivia Thompson
- Secretary: Sulav Paudel
This week we would like to discuss our communication pathways - where you can go to get information about upcoming events, meetings and fundraising drives. We have 5 main channels that we use to disseminate information to the community:
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2) Facebook - Te Hapori Tautoko page and the Ararira Springs Online Whanau group
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5) Flyers posted around the school
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We have found that there is no one size fits all for spreading the word about THT activities, and we use all of the above channels to keep the community as informed as possible. If you use Facebook or Instagram, please follow us there. If not, please ensure you read our section of the newsletter, or keep your eye out for our flyers.
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Major events will be notified through Hero, but this is mainly used by the school staff for communication, so we can not use it every time we have information to share. We have also begun to contribute to the new parent meetings run by Whaea Nicky before each intake of new entrants, so that more new families will know what THT is.
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If you have other suggestions for ways to communicate, we would love to hear them! Please email tht@ararira.school.nz or pop along to our next meeting, which is Thursday 12th June at 7pm in the staff room.
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As you know, we are holding our annual ASP Matariki Celebration on 13 June. Please click the following link for further information Matariki 2025 Information Booklet.
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On Tuesday, 13 May we had 3 basketball teams representing Ararira Springs at the Zones Basketball Competition. Our teams did well on the day, coming second and third in their respective draws. We would like to thank Matua Michael (Year 7/8 girls), Liana (Year 7/8 boys), Wenglin, and David (Year 5/6 boys) for managing and coaching our teams on the day. We could not have done this without you!
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Ararira Springs Cross Country
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Our annual Cross Country took place on the 15th and 16th of May. Thank you to all our parent helpers who volunteered to marshal our route and to all the parents who came to support our athletes.
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The top 6 runners from each year group, boys and girls, have been selected to go to the Zones Cross Country at Ngā Puna Wai on the 4th of June. If you are able to help marshal at this event please contact Whaea Meeghan. Please check the Cross Country (click this link) details on the Sports Page for more information on the day.
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Football and Hockey Competition
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The Zones football and hockey competition will be held at Selwyn Sports Centre on 13 June 2025.
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We will be sending two Year 5/6 teams and two Year 7/8 teams for football. If you are able to help manage and coach on the day, please let Whaea Meeghan know.
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We are hoping to send one Year 5/6 mixed hockey team and one Year 7/8 mixed hockey team. If you are able to help coach and manage on the day please contact Whaea Meeghan.
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Bring along your tamariki, and come and hear from Rob Proffitt-White, an experienced maths practitioner. Rob has been working on the refresh of the New Zealand Curriculum and sharing his knowledge with schools around Australasia.
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Drama and Musical Theatre Classes at Ararira Springs!
Unleash your creativity and build confidence with our Drama and Musical Theatre Classes! Designed for young performers of all skill levels, these sessions are a fun and supportive way to explore acting, singing, and movement.
Details:
• When: Thursdays, 3:15 - 4:15pm
• Duration: 7 weeks
• Cost: $147.50
• Location: Ararira Springs school hall
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Your child can go straight from class at the end of the school day!
Whether your child is new to the stage or looking to develop their talents, our classes encourage self-expression and teamwork while building performance skills.
Join us for a term full of creativity, laughter, and learning!
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Katrina Robinson has been teaching guitar and ukulele now for a number of years at schools and also from her home. She loves to sing too and is a professional musician playing in wineries and cafés as well as weddings and private functions. Katrina likes to make her lessons fun and really enjoys teaching. You can read more information on Katrina at www.thesingingdiva.co.nz
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Spaces are available for 2025!
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The closing date for Issue 3 is 20 June 2025.
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All orders will be delivered to school in batches and distributed to the classrooms as they arrive. Any orders marked as gifts, we will put to one side and contact you when they are ready to be collected.
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Attendance at Ararira
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The Importance of Attendance We all recognise that education is the pathway to the future. The key to educational success relies on being present at school. Consistent routines and practice are a big component of learning. Neurological pathways in our brains require repetitive exposure to strengthen and cement learning and develop mastery. We also create these neural pathways for resilience, …
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New Parent Portal Released The Ministry of Education has released a parent portal to help whānau partner with schools to support their child's education. From Minister Stanford: "Education is a partnership of what happens in the classroom and what happens at home. Parents, caregivers, and whānau play an important role in supporting their child’s learning and development. The new webspace …
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2025 Reporting Update - What it means for your child As 2025 marks the transition to the refreshed English and Maths curricula, both Ararira Springs and the Ministry of Education (MOE) are closely monitoring student progress to ensure a smooth and effective change. Thanks to our ongoing professional development and early use of structured literacy and maths practices, we are …
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At Ararira we hold mihi whakatau to welcome new staff and students at the beginning of each term. Our mihi whakatau are run according to the guidelines of Te Taumutu Rūnanga. These are outlined in this document, and adapted according to our needs, in collaboration with the Taumutu education team. What is a Mihi Whakatau? - link to slideshow of …
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