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Connect Communication
20 March 2024
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I can't believe it is week 8 already and autumn is in the air. Time flies, particularly in education when your days are measured by blocks of time and you watch the weeks slip past. Our thoughts are with the Year 7 students, and Whaea Meeghan and Larissa as they head to camp at Glentui next week. I look forward to joining them on Tuesday and part of Wednesday.
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A few events lately have been a health and safety concern. Of note was the chaos in the carpark on our first very wet day last Friday. Cars were backed back and out onto the road, making operating the pedestrian crossing very difficult. We ask that you consider the following;
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- Never exit your car in the driveway - this stops the flow of cars in and out of the car park.
- If you can't enter the carpark, drive on and find somewhere nearby to park.
- Consider picking up your child at 3:10 pm when the carpark is clear. They can wait outside the office (thank you to the parents who already do this).
Another issue that was flagged by the team was a recent report of a person exhibiting agitated and usual behaviour in the street. The Police were called and the person was known to the Police and needed to be moved on. In addition, there have been reports in the wider Selwyn area of a white van approaching girls on the way home from school. It would be a great time to work with your children on proactive solutions if they feel uncomfortable when out and about;
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- If they are older and have a phone, ensure they can access key numbers quickly.
- Identify the safe houses in the neighbourhood where they can go if needed, and avoid using houses with long driveways.
- Rehearse a script of what to say if approached.
- Think about a 'safe word' to verify the identity of someone unknown.
- Stick together with your friends.
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Last week in hui we talked about being curious and the importance of keeping an open mind. Our visual for curiosity shows the poutama illustrating growth. Asking questions and the thirst for knowledge are important attributes in fostering curiosity.
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In hui we watched and discussed a short animation which illustrated that if you have an open mind you see the world through a different lens. The more you look, notice, and wonder, the more you see.
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Finally, please make sure you read our latest parent information posts about the one hour of reading, writing and maths requirements and a post about our work with the Springboard Trust developing a balanced scorecard for Ararira. Both are linked at the bottom of the newsletter.
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School Board
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Next meeting - 27 March, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffrooom
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From the Office
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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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Your support makes a world of difference! As we strive to maximise our funding and provide added benefits to our students, we ask you to consider making a donation now! By doing so, you can quickly claim your 33% tax rebate from 1 April 2024.
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When you make your donation through myKindo, keep an eye out for the option to "amplify your donation" where you can choose to gift this tax rebate back to the school. Even if you don't typically claim rebates, consider selecting YES. It's a win-win situation. More funding means more resources for students. See more at support.mykindo.co.nz
NOTE: Kindo cannot change the details on your donation receipt, so please ensure your Account Holder name is correct BEFORE paying any donations. Donation receipts will only be issued for items that the school has nominated as ‘donation receipt required’.
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Black Caps National Anthem
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Recently four of our students along with their other team mates were lucky enough to represent Aotearoa by singing the national anthem with the Black Caps at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
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They did an amazing job and even remembered to smile!
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IMPORTANT DATES 2024
- 21 March - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 22 March - Hot Cross Buns delivered to school
- 26-28 March - Year 7 Camp at Glentui
- 27 March - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffrooom
- 28 March - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 28 March - Huarapa 4-6 Hui, 9.15am in the Hall
- 29 March-02 April - Easter Weekend (school closed)
- 03 April - THT Meeting, 7pm in Teretere
- 04 April - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 11 April - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 12 April - Kaunuku Hui, 9.15am in the Hall
- 12 April - Last day of term 1
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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 April, 7pm in Teretere
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All welcome - we'd love to have some new faces join us!
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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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The Year 5/6 and Year 7/8 basketball competition is open for registrations. If your child (boys and girls) would like to be on a team please contact Whaea Meeghan. She will be entering the teams later this term.
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PLEASE NOTE: Although Whaea Meeghan enters the teams she does not coach any teams. This is a parent led activity and requires a parent coach. All games are held on a Monday afternoon/eveing between 3:30pm and 7pm. Game draws are different every week and are not always at the same time.
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Click on the links below for more information:
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For more information contact Whaea Meeghan.
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On Tuesday the 12th of March we had 4 mixed Year 5/6 teams playing cricket against other schools at Foster Park. We would like to thank our parents who volunteered their time to manage the teams and Whaea Sam who got our teams there and back safely. Ngā mihi nui!
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Zone swim sports took place at Selwyn Aquatic Centre on Monday the 18th of March. Whaea Charlotte, Henry, Oscar and Amy represented our school, making us proud. Well done to Henry who placed 2nd in the Year 8 Boys Backstroke and will be representing Ararira at the Canterbury’s later this month. Thank you to all who took part. A very big thank you to Whaea Charlotte for her help and support on the day.
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Below is a table of events taking place in Term 1. If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact us or check out our ASP Sport Page on the school website or click on the link: ASP Sport. Don’t forget to check out the “What's on offer?” page for clubs advertising their sport.
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Upcoming Sports Events for Term 1
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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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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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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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