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Connect Communication
03 July 2024
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The weather is freezing, the shortest day has passed, and term two is nearly done and dusted. We look forward to you joining us on Friday evening to celebrate Matariki as a school community. Celebrated and acknowledged every year since opening, it is a calendar highlight. A HUGE thanks to Anna Kingi and James McKay in leading the teams that come together to make this event so special.
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A wee reminder that if you are coming, head to Kindo to purchase your free tickets. There are also a few hangi taster packs for sale. We hope the weather atua (gods) play the game and everything can proceed as planned.
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Last night our kapa haka rōpū performed at Lincoln High School. Our group is 100 students, from Year 4 and above - nearly a quarter of our school! They were amazing and you will be lucky to see their performance on Friday at our Matariki event.
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On Friday all learning comments and graphs will be visible for your children on Hero. There are pros and cons of digital reporting. However, one advantage is the ability to give feedback to your child as a comment on the post. Some of the comments written by parents are beautiful and serve the dual purpose of acknowledging the kaiako | teacher's hard work. You will always have access to this site for your children.
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Finally, belonging is an important part of our strategic and annual plan. We would like to form a working group to focus on this. We will consider ways to ensure new families, children and staff feel like they belong at Ararira. If you would like to be part of this group please email me, principal@ararira.school.nz. We are likely to meet twice in both terms 3 and 4.
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Have a wonderful two weeks with your families!
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An Important Message Regarding Road Safety
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One of our students was hit by a car on their way to school this morning, and whilst they are okay, it's a timely reminder that all children must wear a high vis vest when travelling to and from school. This is especially important on these dull winter mornings.
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In New Zealand you must also wear a helmet when riding a bike. Your helmet must fit properly and be designed for use as a bike helmet.
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A bike helmet will only protect your head once. If it is dropped or involved in a crash, inspect it for small cracks, inside and out. Damaged helmets should be replaced.
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As the driver, you’re legally responsible for making sure passengers under the age of 15 are using an approved child restraint or seatbelt.
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The child restraint or seatbelt must be worn correctly and kept securely fastened while the vehicle is in motion on the road. Please click here for further information.
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From the Office
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Absences - If your child is going to be absent or late we ask you to let the school know by 9.00am.
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You can do this by any of the following methods:
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- Hero app (if your child is going to be away for more than one day, you can provide details in the notes area so you don't have to check in every day),
- Phone 03 420 0888 and leave a message on our 24 hour absence line.
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*Please note, if your child has had vomiting or diarrhoea they are required to stay away from school for 48 hours following their last symptoms.
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Free period products in schools - FREE period products for students can be ordered on Kindo and will be available for collection from the school office.
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Mana Ake Building Resilience - Parent Workshop - Wednesday 31st July at 7pm in the staffroom.
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An evening presented by Mana Ake for parents who would like to build and support their child’s resilience. Resilience is the ability to manage your reactions to stress and to function well even when bad things happen. When you are raising children, resilience is about finding a way to be the parent you want to be, no matter what else is going on around you.
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Community Dental Service - During the school holiday period the Community Dental Service will be providing limited dental care at some of their clinics.
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The Community Dental Service will be closed for the upcoming school holidays.
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If your child is experiencing any dental pain/discomfort, you can call the Community Dental Service on 0800 846 983 and/or email: commdental@cdhb.health.nz and one of their clinicians will contact you.
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Winter Wellbeing for Students and Families
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- Free weekly online course from 24 June to 29 July, 630-7:30pm
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Join the Mental Health Education & Resource Centre (MHERC), weekly one-hour sessions to learn and gain skills around mental health.
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Grant Cooper is a mental health professional who is experienced in delivering online learning and working with people who access support for their mental health.
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While sharing and active participation (via video or audio) is encouraged, participants may attend with their camera off and listen without involvement if they choose.
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Sessions and registration details are private and confidential. By attending, participants must agree to keep attendee's details and storied that are shared confidential. Participants can remain anonymous if they choose.
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- Week 1. What’s Going On? Stress to Distress - This week's discussion will provide you with some ideas around how to manage the common stressors in our lives.
- Week 2. All of Me: Thinking Holistically - This week's discussion explores the notion of whole self, looking at how each aspect of our lives is important to good emotional health.
- Week 3. The Mind Does Matter: The Impact of Thoughts - This week's discussion will help you understand how our thoughts impact our emotions and how you can respond.
- Week 4. Speaking Up: An Assertive Self - This week's discussion provides you with some ideas around how to be assertive to ensure you can meet your own needs.
- Week 5. Action Planning: Wellness Recovery - This week's discussion looks at a model of self-care that focuses on strategies for seeking and maintaining wellness.
- Week 6. What If? Future Focused - This week's discussion considers the possibility of relapse or setbacks with a focus on preparation to minimise the impacts.
Prerequisites - you will need minimum system requirements:
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- Headset and Microphone
- Built-in laptop camera or attachable webcam device (for laptop or PC)
- Stable broadband connection
- As a guide, if you are able to Skype or watch online videos (e.g.: YouTube) from your device, your system requirements should be capable.
Listening to Families Attendance Episodes:
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- 12 short episodes of three to eight minutes each
- Each episode answers a common attendance related question
- Questions asked by parents and answered by a panel
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Coffee with Claire will generally be held on the first Tuesday of the month, but please check the school community calendar for exact dates as this may be subject to change.
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New Enrolments - If you know of families moving into the area or with preschoolers, please encourage them to fill out our online enrolment form soon as possible. This allows us to plan ahead and recruit the teachers we might need!
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Apply Now for Term Three - Applications are easy and available online now.
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Give your gifted and neurodiverse child the space they need to thrive! With just half a day a week, they can push their boundaries, share their passions, and connect with peers who truly understand them.
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IMPORTANT DATES 2024
- 03 July - Hangi Pit Dig, 6pm (see below)
- 04 July - Food Preparation, 5pm (see below)
- 05 July - Dress up bright like a Matariki star! Gold coin donation for Yr8 camp
- 05 July - Huarapa 4/5/6 Hui, 9.15am in the Hall
- 05 July - Matariki School Celebration, 5.30-7pm
- 05 July - Term 2 ends
- 22 July - Term 3 begins
- 31 July - Building Resilience Parent Workshop, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 08 August - THT Meeting, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 14 August - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 30 August - Daffodil Day, dress up in green and yellow
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School Board
The school board met on 26 June. We have collected 78% of our expected school donation income for the year and we thank everyone who has been able to make a contribution. Key agenda items were a change to our policy on absences during term time, and discussion of the board and presiding member reviews.
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The absence policy change requires consultation with the school community, so please keep an eye on Hero and our whānau page for the survey. If we adopt the update, absences of up to a week during term time can be treated as justified when they allow children to maintain connections with their extended family and culture. This is particularly relevant for families from overseas, when limiting trips to school holiday periods does not allow sufficient time and can have significant cost impacts.
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The board and presiding member reviews both highlighted that communication with our whānau could be better, and we resolved to ensure that we provide more timely information. We also discussed succession planning, as the boards’s term will end in May next year; we will be putting together an induction pack for new members and also planning information sessions for interested parents in the run to the election. Our meetings are open to anyone to attend - the next one is on Wednesday 14 August at 6:30 in the staff room.
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Next meeting - 14 August, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffrooom
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Te Hapori Tautoko (THT)
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THT - Te Hapori Tautoko - providing opportunities to tautoko (support) and connect our school community and fundraising for school initiatives and resources.
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Next meeting - 08 August, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
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All welcome - we'd love to have some new faces join us!
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Matariki Celebration - Te Hapori Tautoko is excited to bring you a Matariki Celebration on Friday 5 July 2024. This whānau information booklet provides you with all of the information you need to know and ways you can support! It is set to be a wonderful evening and a highlight in the calendar for many.
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Second-Hand Uniforms - THT has a small selection of second-hand uniform items available for purchase. Click here to view a list of the items we currently have available. If you have uniform items to donate please contact Charlotte via charlotte.mcmenamin@ararira.school.nz
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Congratulations to Oscar, Harrison, Noah and Anna who represented us at Canterbury's Cross Country last week. We are so proud of them all. Special congratulations to Oscar who placed third, we wish him all the best for his running. We would also like to thank Fergus, Oscar’s dad for volunteering to be a marshal at the Canterbury’s.
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The annual Koru Games will be taking place on the 24 - 26th of September 2024. This is a competition for Year 7 and 8 students who would like to participate. This year we have entered teams in the following sporting codes:
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All sports will be played at the following venues:
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If you are able to manage a team on one or all of these days, please let your child’s ako teacher know as soon as possible. More information will be coming out closer to the time.
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Looking forward to Term 3
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Below is the sports timetable for Term 3. If you have any questions please check the Sports Website and click on the tab for the sport you require the information for. If you still do not find what you are looking for please only then contact Whaea Meeghan via email.
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Upcoming Sports Events for Terms 3 - 2024
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PLEASE NOTE: These are Lincoln Zones (LZ) and Primary Schools Canterbury(PSC) tournaments and competitions.
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Dates for Ararira Springs Primary (ASP) sporting events are also included. Reminders will be sent out individually.
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Finally I would like to thank all the parents, grandparents and friends of families who have helped make our sporting events run smoothly. We could not do it without you!
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Have a great break and we look forward to seeing you all next term!
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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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During the last week of term 1 and into the term break I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of an Education Delegation to China. This was organised by Hangzhou University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan and the Confucius Institute University Canterbury (CIUC). The delegation included professors from UC, leaders from High Schools in Christchurch and Dunedin, and …
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As part of the 100-day plan, the new National Government announced the change to mandate an hour of reading, writing and maths every day. In reality, this is not very different from what your child is already experiencing at Ararira. The teaching of reading, writing and maths is an average of one hour a day. It also includes reading, writing …
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Ararira Springs' Balanced Scorecard The Springboard Trust offers a suite of fantastic professional learning for school leaders and late in 2022 we took part in the Balanced Scorecard for Schools in Aotearoa programme. This asks schools to think long-term and develop 10-year objectives that will guide the school through the next phases of strategic planning. These objectives were established by …
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Expectations for Behaviour at Ararira Ararira is a wonderful place to learn and we guide our learners' behaviour with clear expectations that are linked to our values of being caring, curious and capable. These are short, sharp and memorable and might be good to refer to at home as well. Caring is our first value supported by aroha and manaakitanga. …
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School Carpark Expectations Behaviours we want to see: Park in designated car parks including on the road. Carparks have been designed and placed by qualified traffic engineers to optimize visibility for drivers. Always stick to the 10km/hr speed limit. Children come and go from school for a variety of reasons at all times of the day. Merge like a zip …
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Digital Complications and Applications What is digital addiction? Digital addiction among students in New Zealand is a growing concern in the modern era, as technology and digital devices have become an integral part of daily life. While technology offers numerous benefits, excessive and uncontrolled use can lead to addiction and negatively impact students' academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being. …
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