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Connect Communication

20 November 2024

Kia ora whānau,

It has been a big few weeks for events at Te Puna o Ararira. Our Year 8 tamariki returned safely from a city camp where they explored Wellington sites. A huge thank you to the teaching team, Meeghan, Michael and Emma and parent helpers Mel, Geoff, Caleb, Jess, Darryl, and David for making this possible.
Last night a large group of Ararira learners | ākonga graduated with hours from the Childrens University at the Town Hall. Cloaked and capped they all crossed the stage to receive a certificate depicting the number of hours they had achieved by visiting learning destinations and completing and recording projects. A big thank you to Andrea for supporting our learners. Over 67,000 learning hours have been accrued by 1300 students across Canterbury. Thanks to Andrea for managing this learning opportunity at Ararira.

It is with sadness that we say goodbye to Andrea at the end of the year. Andrea was a foundation staff member joining us when we opened in 2019. A stunning educator with a desire for challenge and learning, Andrea is moving to the Conductive Education Centre at Addington School.

On Monday we concluded our interviews for our 2025 roles and will join Jamie Gunnby to the Year 5-6 team. Very soon you will be able to see photos and read bios about our new staff by accessing our staff page.
Yesterday a small group of Huarapa456 learners visited the office, excited to share their inquiry learning. Demonstrating our mission of enhancing our world, these learners were concerned about plastic glue sticks being, lids being lost and product wasted. They followed a process, collated their ideas and are now sharing their findings with Qizzle. Tauke tamariki, that is amazing learning and we can’t wait to see if you get a response. I wonder if there are other stationery providers you could email your concerns to?

Finally, our kapa haka ropu will compete in the Tuhono competition on Sunday. Proudly wearing our new kapa haka uniforms they will perform a 7 minute compilation of waiata, action song and haka. A huge thank you to Michael, Sam and Dan for supporting the group and to the tutor, Steve Hira, for working with them. We wish them well.

Ngā mihi nui,
Claire and the team

From the Office

Absences - If your child is going to be absent or late we ask you to please let the school know before 9.00am.
cartoon-children-playing
Mana Ake is offering an online form to arrange a drop-in at a time to suit. If you would like to meet with Shannon our Kaimahi for parenting advice, or to help your child manage emotions for mental well-being feel free to fill in the form via this link.
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Ka kite anō | See you again

Defibrillator Fundraiser

We are excited to announce a special fundraiser to support a cause close to all our hearts: equipping our school and wider community with a life-saving defibrillator, which will be accessible to the Lincoln Community 24-7. This important device can provide critical support in emergencies, making our school and community a safer place for everyone.

To raise the necessary funds, we’ve partnered with Cookie Time, set ourselves an ambitious target and are aiming to sell 1,000 buckets of delicious cookies! Every bucket sold brings us closer to our goal and helps to ensure our school is equipped with this essential medical device which the wider community will have access to.

Here’s how you can help:
  1. Purchase a Cookie Bucket – Treat yourself, your family, and friends to Cookie Time’s famous cookies, and know that every bite helps us reach our goal!
  2. Spread the Word – Share this fundraiser with friends, family, colleagues and local businesses who would love to support our cause.
  3. Make a Donation – If you’re not able to purchase a bucket (or don't like cookies) but still want to contribute, any donations are greatly appreciated to our school bank account: 12-3153-0100145-00, Reference Defibrillator
Cookie Time is also generously donating 5 prize packs for our top sellers!

Order Details:
  • Price per bucket: $22 per 2L bucket or $20 for a 1L Gluten Free bucket. See attached order form for flavours.
  • Order Deadline: 23rd November
  • Pickup/Delivery Date: Approx 6th December
To order: if you want to collect some orders off friends and family, use the order sheet attached and then submit one order from your family via Kindo.

Your support means so much to us, and together, we can achieve this goal and provide an invaluable resource for our school and community. Let’s make a difference – one cookie at a time!

Thank you for your generosity and support.

IMPORTANT DATES 2024

  • 23 Nov - Cookie Time order deadline
  • 29 Nov - Hui (Teretere), 9.15am in the Hall
  • 03 Dec - Ararira in the Park, 6-7pm
  • 04 Dec - THT Meeting, 7pm at The Laboratory
  • 06 Dec - Cookie Time approximate delivery date (TBC)
  • 06 Dec - 2025 classes shared with families
  • 10 Dec - Class Swap Day, 9.10am
  • 11 Dec - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom

School Board

Next meeting - 11 December, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffroom

Te Hapori Tautoko (THT)

THT - Te Hapori Tautoko - providing opportunities to tautoko (support) and connect our school community and fundraising for school initiatives and resources.
Our next THT meeting is 04 December at 7pm at The Laboratory.
Please come along and see how you can get involved and support our tamariki.
Support Our School with Style!

Introducing our Mānu e Whakatika: It Starts with Me! reusable tote bag! Crafted from pre-consumer recycled cotton, this eco-friendly bag features reinforced handles for durability and a beautiful design that reinforces our school values.

By purchasing this bag, you’re not only getting a sustainable product but also supporting our school's fundraising efforts!

Orders are to be placed on KINDO, and will be delivered straight to your child's classroom by Friday of the week that you order.

Want to see it before you buy? Drop into the office and check out the one on display.
Make a difference today—because it all starts with us!

Looking for Christmas presents for your little ones? Why not support our school at the same time and check out schoolfundraisingshop.org.nz
They have an incredible range of items from books, games, toys to clothing, homewares, and much more. There is something for everyone on your list!

Enter Ararira Springs Primary School when you check out and 10% of your order will be donated to our school.
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
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

Spaces are available for 2025!
Please contact Katrina at singingdiva222@gmail.com
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Term 4 Week 6
Thank you to all the parents who emailed in pictures of their child’s extracurricular activities. We have put the pictures up in the foyer so make sure to have a look the next time you are here.

Canterbury Athletics Day
On Wednesday, 27th of November 7 or our tamariki will be attending the Canterbury Athletics competition at Ngā Puna Wai. We would like to wish Zoe W, Charlie K, Clarissa, Seth A, Anna M, Thomas H and Oscar C all the best in their events!
Weetbix Tryathlon is now open for registration!
Registrations are now open for the 2025 Weetbix Tryathlon. We have created a school group so you can register your child for the event. Click on this link to register:
Ararira Weetbix School Group

Please note: Race packs WILL NOT be delivered to the school but can be collected on race day.
Don’t forget to check out the What's on offer?page for clubs advertising their sport.

Have a great weekend!

Ngā mihi nui
Meeghan
meeghan.coetzee@ararira.school.nz
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The closing date for Issue 8, 2024 is 06 December 2024, but we recommend you place your order by 22 November to ensure you received it by the end of the term.
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.

For assistance at any stage please contact Scholastic directly on 0800 266 525 or email bookclub@scholastic.co.nz

Dream Big Tutoring is an independent tutoring program started in 2024 by founder and leader Tiffany Zhang. Comprised of talented Year 7 students (including one current and one former ASP student), Dream Big offers
mathematics tutoring to all students in years 2-7, aiming to foster a love for learning and helping students to excel.
At Dream Big Tutoring, we believe that quality education should be accessible to all,
offering our high-quality tutoring services at an affordable rate of just $15 per hour. We are dedicated to creating a supportive, nurturing learning environment that empowers students to reach their full potential in mathematics.

Please contact us via dreambigtutoring@gmail.com for bookings or further information.
Our summer holiday package is here! Get four weeks of speech and language therapy support at a heavily discounted rate over the summer holidays. Includes an individualised plan, 1:1 sessions, access to therapist support, and access to our resources. This opportunity is open to both new and current clients, and we have limited spaces available. You can fill out our intake form on our website, or give us a call or email to register your interest or for further information. We can’t wait to spend the summer with you!

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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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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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HERO Update - Locating historical progress graphs We will be using the new English (Year 0-6) and Maths (Year 0-8) curricula to make our judgements about your child's progress and achievement later this term, and these will appear as new graphs on your child's Reading, Writing and Maths pages. Year 7-8 students will not have a Reading or Writing graph: …