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Connect Communication
28 August 2024
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Spring is in the air this week. As winter arrived early and with a bang it has finished early as well and we are seeing the start of warmer weather.
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I few weeks ago I came across this fabulous YouTube clip about the importance of connection. This resonated with me as I have read more about Generation Alpha (children born between 2010 and 2024) and because of our current focus on belonging. Molly Wright presents a short talk about the brain and belonging. It is well worth watching with your children. She shares that for healthy brain development, young people need:
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- Connection
- Conversation
- Play
- Healthy homes
- Community
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Molly uses the power of simple copycat games to illustrate the significance of connecting with your children. To replicate this with school-age children we all need to put down devices.
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We are working hard behind the scenes to facilitate both community and a sense of belonging at our kura | school. The working group would appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete this 3 question survey to gather your ideas.
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Ararira Springs has a gorgeous uniform. Please encourage your children to wear it with pride. We ask that any non-uniform items are navy and do not have logos. Shoes should be comfortable and great for active play, for this reason, Crocs and jandals are not suitable footwear. Earrings need to be simple and safe, so hoops and dangly earrings are not allowed. In term 4 we wear wide-brimmed navy hats. These can be purchased through Argyle, the office or any local supplier.
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We are now starting our planning for next year. Please let the office team know if you are moving and won’t be at Ararira for the start of 2025. If you know of families shifting into the area, please encourage them to enrol with us.
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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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Activity Donations
Providing authentic learning opportunities is at the heart of Ararira Springs philosophy of learning. Here, students have many wonderful opportunities to engage in education outside the classroom, enjoy visits from performers, participate in our highly popular Curiosity Clubs and science, arts and drama days. All these activities allow students to explore the arts, get crafty and enjoy opportunities beyond what the NZ curriculum funding provides for.
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While we cannot charge for curriculum activities, we ask for a donation of $25 per term to help cover the costs of transport, entry fees, performers, outside instructor fees and extra arts and crafts materials which go beyond our curriculum offerings. These donations are tax-deductible.
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Donations are tax-deductible. You can find out more about claiming tax credits for donations here. You can print donation receipts from Hero for the years 2019-2022 by logging in via a PC/laptop. For 2023 onwards, Kindo will automatically email a donation receipt to you.
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Thank you for your contributions to your child’s education at Ararira Springs. Whether through financial donations or volunteering your time, your support directly impacts the quality of learning and resources we can provide for our children.
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Congratulations to Zoe who has been selected to represent her football club in an international tournament in Australia the Gold Coast Youth International. Zoe also won the Canterbury primary gymnastics competition last term. What a massive achievement Zoe!
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Congratulations to Sam T, who has made the Selwyn United Football Club 11th Grade Development Squad and has been selected for the South Island Tournament Team. The team will travel to Nelson in early October to compete.
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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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IMPORTANT DATES 2024
- 30 Aug - Daffodil Day, wear green/yellow, gold coin for Cancer Society
- 30 Aug - Curiosity Clubs, 1.45-2.45pm
- 03 Sep - Coffee and chat with Claire, 9am in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 06 Sep - Hui (Hikuwai 1/2/3), 9.15am in the Hall
- 06 Sep - Curiosity Clubs, 1.45-2.45pm
- 10 Sep - Hot Dog orders close
- 10 Sep - Tech Open Night, 4.30-5.30pm at Lincoln Primary School (see above)
- 10 Sep - Whanau Hui, 6-7pm
- 11 Sep - THT Meeting, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 13 Sep - THT Hot Dog Lunch (order via Kindo), Subway also available
- 13 Sep - Athletics Day (yr 5-8)
- 17-18 Sep - School photos
- 18 Sep - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom
- 24-26 Sep - Koru Games (Kaunuku)
- 27 Sep - Term 3 ends
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School Board
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Next meeting - 18 September, 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 11 September 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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Thank you to our generous sponsors of Quiz Night 2024 and to all who helped make this event a tremendous success, including those who came along to the Quiz. We couldn't put this event together without you all. We haven't yet finalised the total amount raised, but it looks like it will be our most successful fundraiser ever!
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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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On Wednesday the 21st of August 2024 we took two rugby teams and four netball teams to the zone competition. All our teams represented our school well showing our school values with pride. Our Year 5/6 rugby team came third and one of our Year 7/8 netball teams won all their games except one. Well done to everyone who took part and a very BIG thank you to our coaches and refs on the day. We could not have done it without you!
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Ararira Springs Athletics Day - Years 5-8
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Our annual Athletics Day will be held on the 13th of September 2024 at Brookside Park in Rolleston. I am still looking for volunteers for this event but will pass on more information closer to the time. In the meantime, if you are available please contact me via email.
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Thank you to all our parent volunteers. We are currently looking for just one more volunteer to help at the volleyball from 1pm until the end of the day (3pm) on Thursday. If you are available please contact your child’s ako teacher.
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We have also just been told that Table Tennis has been moved to Rolleston. Because we now have more children needing a bus to get to and from the venue, we will hire a bus for the 3 days. This bus will pick up children from school and drop them back at the end of the day. If your child is based at Lincoln University or Foster Park, they can travel by bus to their venue. Lawn bowls and Netball will take place at the Lincoln Domain and we ask that those taking part there make their way to and from their events.
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If you have any questions or queries please contact your child’s ako teacher.
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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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We recommend you place your order by 6 September to ensure your items are received by the end of the 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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Lincoln Cricket Club has opened registrations for juniors ahead of what’s set to be a fantastic 2024/25 summer season!
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Have a youngster keen on cricket, or not sure what section to play in this summer? Come along to our open day to find out more, and then register by 22 September 2024 on the PlayHQ website.
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The club is also on the lookout for keen parents who can support our teams this summer. If you are coaching your child’s team, then their fees are free. Great support is offered to those taking on this task, all we ask for is enthusiasm!
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All cricket gear is provided by the club including a playing shirt, and a cap for new players to the club.
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Find out more about what’s involved and the difference between the sections on our website.
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Open day - Club Welcome Day will be Sunday 15 September at the High Performance Centre at Lincoln University. Come along and give cricket a try and speak with the team. All welcome!
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Please arrive 15 minutes early to register. If fine, the softball session will be run on the Rec Centre fields.
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Those playing hardball this season will also have the opportunity to attend a second warm up session on Sunday 22 September (10am-12pm) at the High Performance Centre at Lincoln University.
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*Softball is Sections 3-4, hardball is Sections 1-2.
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The season kicks off on 19 October and runs through to 14 December, before starting again on 1 February and finishing on 15 March 2025.
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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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