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Connect Communication
31 July 2024
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It is lovely to be back at school and starting term 3 with everyone at the school. A very warm welcome to the new whānau joining us. It was lovely to see so many of you at our mihi whakatau last week. This is one way we welcome you to our school and establish a feeling of connection.
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You may be interested in joining a group of other parents who are thinking about the topic of belonging and how we foster that as the school gets bigger. If you are interested please email principal@ararira.school.nz. You can refer to the email sent last week for more information.
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Our Matariki evening was a wonderful example of our community coming together and building connection and belonging. Thank you to the amazing team of people who made this happen. The night was orchestrated by Anna Kingi, although she will be the first person to thank others. The hangi was the hard work of James McKay and Che Kingi and they coordinated the support of the wonderful Brown whānau. The Browns don't have any children here but they support it as a community event. To these special people and ALL their helpers, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou. You have created something very special and we are grateful.
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Another piece of work, connected to the strategic and annual plan, is the development of a wellbeing curriculum at Ararira. A group of staff are currently working on this and will bring it to the community for feedback later in the year.
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It is important as adults that we look after our personal wellbeing. Building knowledge and implementing a wellbeing model is one approach. At Ararira we use Te Whare Tapa Wha. Another approach is ensuring that you work hard to keep your 'cup full'.
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Our short term roll growth spaces are slowly progressing and should be ready before the end of the term. We have been told that our stage 2 build will not start until 2025. I am continuing to meet with council, other principals and Ministry of Education to champion our cause. On Friday I am meeting with the Deputy Secretary for Education, wish me luck!
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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 please 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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Jumpers and Cardigans - We have finally received fresh stock of jumpers and cardigans. Please pop into the office to try on our samples prior to purchasing to ensure you select the correct size. Please then place your order via Kindo and we will distribute to your child's class.
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Building Resilience - Parent Workshop - 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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Wednesday 31st July at 7pm in the staffroom.
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Guitar, Ukulele, or Singing Lessons - Available this term. Please contact Katrina on 027 202 2309 for further information. Click here for more information.
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(see below or click here for more information)
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Free period products in schools - FREE period products for students can be ordered via Kindo and will be available for collection from the school office.
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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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Selwyn Safe Zone Magazine - Practical advice to keep our tamariki safe. To access this free magazine on your PC please click here, or scan the QR Code from your mobile device.
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Packaging Fundraiser - Kaunuku Year 8 students are raising funds for their upcoming camp to Wellington in November, and we need your support!
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We’re offering high-quality catering foil and baking paper, perfect for your kitchen needs. Orders can be placed conveniently through Kindo.
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Orders close: Friday, 9th August
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Distribution date: Friday, 23rd August
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All orders will be delivered to your child/ren.
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If you'd like to place additional orders for friends and family, please use the following order form to keep a personal track. Once you’ve collected all the orders, you can make a bulk purchase through Kindo under your own name.
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Term 3 is back with Hot Chocolate Thursdays!
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Cost: $2.50 per hot chocolate includes one marshmallow (if wanted)
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Bring: Your own cup in a ziplock bag (to rinse and store it after use without any leaks)
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Order: Via Kindo by Wednesday evening, 5 pm sharp
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Serve Time: 8:30 am - 8:50 am in the school hall
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Thank you for supporting our Year 8’s. We appreciate your support.
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Kaunuku teachers and Year 8 tamariki.
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IMPORTANT DATES 2024
- 31 July - Building Resilience Parent Workshop, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 01 August - Hot chocolate fundraiser
- 02 August - Non-uniform day (see below)
- 05 August - Coffee and chat with Claire, 9am in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 08 August - Hot chocolate fundraiser
- 08 August - THT Meeting, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 09 August - Hui (Kaunuku), 9.15-9.45am in the hall
- 09 August - Curiosity Clubs, 1.45-2.45pm
- 14 August - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 15 August - Hot chocolate fundraiser
- 16 August - Curiosity Clubs, 1.45-2.45pm
- 16 August - THT Junior and Senior Discos (see community calendar for times)
- 19 August - Teacher Only Day, school closed
- 22 August - Hot chocolate fundraiser
- 30 August - Daffodil Day, wear green/yellow, gold coin for Cancer Society
- 03 September - Coffee and chat with Claire, 9am in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 27 September - Term 3 ends
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School Board
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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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Our next THT meeting is Thursday 8 August at 7pm in the Staffroom.
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Please come along and see how you can get involved and support our tamariki.
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This Friday (2nd August) Ararira Springs will have a non-uniform day to help support our annual Quiz Night fundraiser. In lieu of a gold coin, please bring in a non-perishable item suitable for a gift hamper. These will be assembled into raffle prizes.
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We are looking for items like chocolates, crackers, coffee, biscuits, preserves - anything that you would like to receive in a gift hamper. Thank you for your support!
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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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Welcome Back. And so we begin the last of our winter sporting activities as we make our way back to longer and warmer days!
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Upcoming Sports Events for Terms 3 - 2024
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- 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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Rugby/Netball Zones - Our first event is the Rugby/Netball Zones taking place on the 21st of August 2024. Thank you to all the parents who have currently volunteered to manage a team on the day. Please feel free to come down and support our tamariki if you are able to.
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Athletics Day - Our annual Athletics Day will be held on the 13th of September 2024 at Brookside Park in Rolleston. I will be looking for volunteers for this event but will pass on more information closer to the time. In the meantime if you area available please contact me via email.
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Korfball - At the end of last term and the beginning of this term the Year 5-8 students have been taking part in Korfball. Coaches from Mixx Korfball have been coming in and sharing this game with our children. They have had a great time learning about it while they play. Thank you to Torsten and his team for all their coaching.
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Selwyn Hawks Basketball - The Selwyn Hawks Basketball teams are nearing the end of their season with 4 more games for the Year 7/8 teams to play and 8 more for the 5/6 team. This week's Year 7/8 teams had an interesting game as they played against each other. A very physical game from both teams! Well done to all those who played!
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Players of the day were Ava (Ararira Bees) and Seth (Ararira Sky Hornets).
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Don’t forget to check out the “What's on offer?” page for clubs advertising their sport.
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The closing date for Issue 5, 2024 is 20 September. We recommend you place your order by Friday 09 August to ensure your order is despatched before Issue 6 opens.
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In the spirit of celebrating readers this issue, we are creating magic with our FREE BOOKS offer. The more families spend, the more free books they can earn, starting at only $20. This is an exclusive offer available on LOOP only, for Issue 5 and one not to be missed!
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3 FREE BOOKS when you spend $70, 2 FREE BOOKS when you spend $50, 1 FREE BOOK when you spend $20
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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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Learning through play is a key approach in education in today's world. While most common in early childhood education, it also benefits students throughout their school years. This blog post explores the importance of learning through play in a primary school context, drawing on extensive research to highlight its many advantages. The Concept of Learning Through Play Learning through play …
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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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