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Connect Communication
03 May 2023
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I'm back on board this week after spending last week at home with Covid round two. Thankfully my symptoms were mild and I was just tired. However, it is a reminder that COVId is still out there and should it strike, you need to stay home for 7 days from the first symptoms, your positive test or until you feel better.
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Before that I was able to spend some magical time with my family in Wanaka over the break. It was simply beautiful and wonderful to hang out with my teenagers and their grandparents. Tomorrow, I am taking the afternoon to celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday. One of my sisters and my niece have arrived from Australia and will join my family in celebrating Dad's 90 years.
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Our current focus is caring and manaakitanga. These are positive values and behaviours we are trying to instil and recognise in our students. We are so lucky to have some pretty amazing children.
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Manaakitanga is a Maori concept that emphasizes hospitality, generosity, and kindness towards others. It is a concept that we embrace at Ararira, as we believe that nurturing these qualities in our students is essential for building a better world.
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It's easy to focus on negative news and events, but it's important to remember that children are capable of incredible acts of kindness and empathy.
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Whether it's donating to charity, volunteering in the community, or simply being a good friend to someone who needs it, children are capable of making a positive impact in the world. Studies have shown that acts of kindness not only benefit the person on the receiving end but also have positive effects on the mental health of the person performing the action. It can increase feelings of happiness and reduce stress and anxiety. Let's encourage them to continue spreading love and positivity in their communities and work together to create a better world for all.
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You may notice on Kindo that we have added the chance for you to donate to others. For many families, COVID was a financial hardship and fluctuating interest rates mean many families may find things tough. If you are feeling grateful and are in a position to help others who cannot manage to pay activity fees, swimming or camp costs then we would love you to make a donation to help others out. This is 'maku e whakatika - it starts with me', our mission in action!
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Te Kupu o te Wiki - This Week's Kupu:
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Student Absence Notifications/Late Arrivals - When late for school, please come and sign your child in at the office before heading to class. This is a safety check for both parents and the school as to a child's whereabouts. If you do not make contact you will receive a text and/or call from school enquiring about your child.
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Absences can be reported via either:
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Call 03 42 00 888, press 1 and leave a message
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Welcome to Ararira Springs Primary!
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This week we welcome Alex, Savya, Harry, Eknoor and Ava to Huarapa, Jasmine to Hikuwai, and Aurora to Kaunuku.
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We hope you have all settled in, have made some new friends and that you will soon love Ararira as much as we do!
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Tummy Bugs and COVID-19
We have a spike in tummy bugs at the moment, so just a reminder as per the MoH guidelines to please keep your child home for a minimum of 48 hours after the most recent episode of vomiting or diarrhoea so as to limit the spread of the virus.
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Also, a reminder the MoH advice is that you must self-isolate for 7 days while you recover from COVID-19. This includes if you have had COVID-19 before. Day 0 is the day your symptoms started or when you tested positive, whichever came first. You cannot end your self-isolation early, even if you later test negative during the 7 days. Your child may come back to school on Day 8 providing they are symptom-free.
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School Gates
We have had to remove the bricks which hold the gates open at the start and end of the school day as it damages the springs if the gates are held open for long periods of time. We know it's a pain but thank you for your understanding.
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ASP Jerseys and Cardigans
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We are currently out of stock in some sizes of our school jerseys and cardigans. This is due to the factory in Auckland suffering major damage in the recent flooding which destroyed all their equipment. Production is due to recommence in late May, so we should be able to re-stock our current supplies then.
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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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With our school numbers growing and more parents coming to pick up children before and after school please think before you park to make sure driveways of our neighbours are clear and you are not parking on yellow lines, to keep our tamariki safe.
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IMPORTANT DATES - 2023
- 03 May (tonight) - THT meeting, 7pm in the staffroom (all welcome)
- 08-12 May - NZ Sign Language Week
- 10 May - Board of Trustees meeting, 6.30pm in the staffroom
- 18 May - Lincoln High School Open Afternoon 2-4pm (presentations by Principal and students at 2pm and 3.40pm)
- 05 June - King's Birthday public holiday
- 06 June - Teacher only day
- 30 June - Term 2 ends
- 08 September - Quiz Night (save the date/sponsorship request - more info below)
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Board of Trustees
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NEXT MEETING - 10 May, 6.30 pm in the Staffroom
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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 - 03 May (tonight), 7.00pm in the Staffroom. All welcome.
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Second-Hand Uniforms - The THT has a small selection of second-hand uniform items available for purchase. We are also looking to increase our selection and would welcome donations of good-quality uniform items. All profits are used by THT to improve our school and provide resources for our tamariki. If you have uniform items to donate or would like to see the selection we have, please contact Charlotte via charlotte.mcmenamin@ararira.school.nz
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Kia Ora Whānau, welcome back to Term 2. We started this term on the run with all our tamariki participating in Primary Sport Canterbury's Top Team Challenge. This was their first event done in whānau groups and we are looking forward to more of these throughout the year. Check out our Sports News by clicking on the link or on the school website under Sports Information for photos and other upcoming sporting events for this term. Have a great term!
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Enviro Group - Friday was a stunning day down at the banks of the Ararira/Lll stream with the celebration of the Ararira catchment management plan and implementation guide handed over to Selwyn District Council. This has been a 10 year project with Fonterra, DOC, Living Waters, EOS Ecology. Our school has played a part with Nature Agent water testing, planting with Te Ara Kākāriki Greenway Canterbury Trust and our connection with our local environment. Our school was invited to attend and showcase why the waterways are important to our school and our students. Seven Enviro leaders represented our school and presented. Thank you Liam, Sienna-Rose, Skye, Tiffany, Seth, Ella and Lacey, you made our school proud! Thank you Matt from Enviro school for supporting us.
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Mana Aka - Tuning in to Kids
There are only a few spaces left on the upcoming Tuning in to Kids programme, so please register now so you don't miss out!
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Anxiety in Children and Teens and School Avoidance - Two great courses on offer to parents which is free and in the evening online. Catherine Gallagher is a well known and respected expert in this field.
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Register via the links below:
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If you have an automatic payment directed to the school account, we would be grateful if you could please change to this an automatic payment to your Kindo account.
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Making regular payments into your myKindo account means you will always have funds available when you need them!
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On the top up account page, you will see the Bank Transfer (allow 2 days) option.
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Your personal details and the Kindo bank account number are listed here.
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These are all the details you need to set up an Automatic Payment with your bank.
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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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Next week is our Mother’s Day theme My Mentor, My Mother! This is going to be an awesome week so make sure to book online via our website!
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The Ministry of Education has refreshed the curriculum and updated how schools report on student progress. As previously mentioned by the MOE, the benchmark for achievement has increased with the new curriculum. You may see a change in your child’s progress or achievement compared to previous years because of this. At Ararira Springs Primary, our staff have been undergoing professional …
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Berry Street Education Model BSEM at Ararira - Nicky Harding and Claire Howison At Ararira Springs, we are committed to fostering a learning environment where every child feels safe, supported, and ready to thrive. To support this, our kura has adopted the Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) - a trauma-informed, strengths-based framework designed to boost student wellbeing, engagement, and academic …
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Attendance Monitoring at Ararira The government has publicly stated that it wishes to lift attendance rates at New Schools so 80% of all children are attending 90% of the time by 2030. We have set this as a target for our kura|school in 2026. All schools are required to have an attendance management plan (AMP) in place that follows stepped …
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2025 End of Year Progress Graphs The end-of-year progress graphs for students (English Year 0-6 and Maths Year 0-8) will be live on Friday, 12 December. English progress in Years 7-8 will be released in a statement at the bottom of Year 7-8 children's reading and writing comments. The Overall Teacher Judgements (OTJs) regarding progress that your child will receive …
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Te Mātaiaho | The New Zealand Curriculum Curriculum Update - English, Term 3, 2025 Kia ora, Earlier this year, we held a successful whānau hui regarding the refreshed Maths curriculum for Phases 1-3 (Year 0-8). We are unfortunately still waiting on Phase 3 (Year 7-8) of the English curriculum, which is due to be released in Term 4 of this …
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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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