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Connect Communication
22 February 2023
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It has been a great few weeks as school as we all adjust to returning to a school week. The fluctuating temperatures can be challenging but we are grateful for heat pumps!
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Further through the newsletter there is a link to the NZEI union meeting and plans for supervision. Please complete this for each child as we need to plan for supervision and may need to employ learning assistants. Kelly Club will be open from 3pm as normal.
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We have been continue to focus on being caring. Last week the children explore the graphic designs for caring and manaakitanga.
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They could see a heart, older and younger and looking after each other in the caring design on the left.
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For the manaakitanga design on the right, they could see hands, working together and helping each other.
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Manaakitanga is a value for Taumutu and is defined as being hospitality, acknowledgment, showing respect, care, sympathy and empathy. Some quotes that help us understand it further are;
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- Whākana ki ō manuhiri i tō kāinga - Mana is upheld through fulfilling roles and responsibilities
- He aroha whakatō, he aroha ka puta mai - If kindness is sown, then kindness is what you shall receive.
We discussed both these ideas in hui through the context of looking after animals at home and how you need to fulfil your role to be a loving pet owner.
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It was a little chaotic in the car park today. As parents, we need to keep these values in mind. It is impossible for everyone to arrive at 3pm and expect to be able to swing in and pick up their child. You simply cannot stop in the driveway. It may be easier to wait until a little after 3 to pick up and get your child to wait either by the kiss and go, or under the cover by the office if it is wet.
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There is also congestion as children all try to exit the single front gate on bikes and scooters. Children now have the option of walking their bike or scooter through the school to leave through the gate by the hall.
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We have a host of exciting things coming up for the children including, an ice rink in the hall, iBike and student teachers from the University of Canterbury.
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On Friday we will be holding a non-uniform day. As Cantabrians, we know what it is like to come back from chaos. We are joining other Canterbury schools to raise funds for the schools in the areas impacted by flooding. Please give if you can.
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Eric - Principal for the day
Hi, I’m Eric Manning and my parents won a prize at the quiz night. The prize was for me to be the principal for a day.
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From 9 -9:30, I was in class and, at hui, I made a speech. We then went around and the classes till 10:15. At hui I made an announcement about five minutes of extra playtime and everyone was super hyped about that.
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After that, we went to Robert Harris for a meeting with Campbell and Michelle. Campbell had a banana milkshake and Michelle had iced chocolate, I had a flat white. I also got to:
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- change the bell to bone
- hand out birthday ice creams ;)
- write this newsletter
If you were thinking of either having a day as Principal or gifting one then I would say, 10 out of 10, recommend it, the day was pretty mint!
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Teacher Stop Work Meeting
On Feb 28th NZEI is hosting another round of paid union meetings for teachers in the area. This time there is only one option for our team to attend and this is at West Melton at 2 pm. We will provide supervision for any families who need it. As there will be minimal staff on site to do this, we ask that if you can, you pick your child up early at 1 pm. Please fill in this form for each child to assist us in our planning. We do appreciate this is less than ideal but need to support our teachers in their quest for better conditions.
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So far we have 275 responses. It is much easier for management purposes if we have this complete for every child in the school.
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From the Office
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Curiosity Clubs are starting in week 5, and we would love some parent helpers. This term they will run on a Friday from 11:15-12:15 starting on March 3rd.
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For our new families, this is a time when children opt into activities such as sewing, sport, chess, dance, biking.... the ideas are endless. Groups are mixed ability and parents can either help a teacher or if you have some expertise or interest you would like to share, you could take a small group yourself.
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In the past parents have taken digital activities, bowls, running groups, and knitting to name a few.
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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 as it's likely they will have missed being marked on the roll and you may receive a notification that your child is absent.
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Absences can be reported via:
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- Hero app
- Phone 03 42 00 888, press 1 and leave your message
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We really appreciate your help in reporting absences prior to 9am as it saves us a lot of time following up via texts and phone calls.
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Welcome bell and children permitted onsite
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Morning tea play time, followed by 15mins eating time
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Lunch play time, followed by 15mins eating time
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School Gates - We ask that you all please be extra vigilant in keeping the gates closed at all times during school hours, as this will help keep children safe within the school grounds.
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School Bus Parking - If we have cones out the front of school, please be respectful of this as it means we are expecting buses.
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If you know of families moving into the area - Please encourage them to fill out our online enrolment form soon as possible.
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Missing Uniform Samples - We are missing the following items from our uniform samples. If you have borrowed or have spare items, we would gratefully receive them.
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Ararira Springs Whanau Facebook Page - Keep up to date with what is happening at school by joining our whanau Facebook page.
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A friendly reminder about being Sun Smart - It is compulsory to wear a navy blue full-brim sunhat in terms 4 and 1 (no caps please). No hat = no play (tamariki will sit in a shady area instead).
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IMPORTANT DATES - 2023
- 22 February (tonight) - THT meeting (tonight), 7pm in the staffroom
- 24 February - Non-uniform day, cyclone relief fundraiser (gold coin donation)
- 24 February - Hui, 9.15am in the hall
- 28 February - Paid Union Meeting, pick up at 1pm if you can
- 03 March - Hui, 9.15am in the hall
- 03 March - Curiosity Clubs begin, 11.15am-12.15pm
- 13 March - Ice Rink at School
- 22 March - Board of Trustees Meeting, 6.30pm in the staffroom
TERM DATES - 2023
These are confirmed dates however they do not include the second teacher only days from the MOE or other days which would be subject to settlement of the Primary Teachers’ Collective.
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Term 1: Monday 30th January - Thursday 6th April 2023
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Term 2: Weds 26th April - Friday 30th June 2023
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(Teacher only days: Monday 24th April & Tuesday 6th June)
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Term 3: Monday 17th July - Friday 22nd September 2023
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Term 4: Monday 9th October - Friday 15th December 2023
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Full list of New Zealand Public Holidays including regional anniversary days
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School Board News
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The school board met for the first time on 15 February. Several members were unable to attend, and although more than the minimum number was present, the board deferred some significant decisions. As a result, until the next meeting the board's committees and portfolios have been rolled over and Andrew McMenamin will continue as the presiding member.
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Growth in our roll flattened off over the summer holidays, and this will not affect our staffing entitlement or expansion. Tenders for designing and constructing our new building closed with the Ministry of Education on 10 February, and we should know the outcome soon. The board and senior staff have begun researching other schools' expansion experiences so that they can be discussed with the architects.
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The board also reviewed the draft budget for the year and received assurances from Whaea Claire about the implementation of our policies.
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NEXT MEETING - 22 March, 6.30 pm in the Staffroom
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Te Hapori Tautoko (THT) News
Te Hapori Tautoko (THT) - providing opportunities to tautoko (support) and connect our school community and fundraising for school initiatives and resources.
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NEXT MEETING - 22nd February (tonight) 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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We would like to provide some clarification on the use of the Kiss and Go area. This is designed for you to pull in and out of rather than park. For it to flow we try and encourage you to come a little later so the children can be waiting for you to pick them up. Here is a video provided by the Selwyn District Council as our carpark was their design.
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Our challenge arises when trying to access the kiss-and-go area when it is filled with cars. We can't have you waiting and blocking the entrance to the car park at the top of the drive. If this occurs we ask you to circle around and enter the driveway again.
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Please be patient, our staff are trying to help this area flow. If you have grandparents picking up your children we ask you to remind them not to park in this area. Do consider coming a little later. The car park is virtually empty by 3:10 pm.
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New Sports Page on our website
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If you haven’t had a chance to look at our new sports web page please click on this LINK and check it out. You can also go onto our website and find it under the communications tab, sports information. This is your one stop shop for all sporting information!
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If you are looking for ideas of what your child can participate in click on the ‘What’s on offer?’ page for any additional activities that have been sent to us to advertise.
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It is finally happening! This Sunday! We wish all our participants the best!!
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Tuesday saw Mitch and his team from Selwyn Sports Trust hosting a Whakatipu Kaihautū training day for our Year 6-8 volunteers. We also had akonga join us from Halswell, Knightsteam, Springston and South Bridge Primary schools. Although the temperatures soared, our tamariki gave their best, learning a lot which they will start to implement in our kura over the next few weeks. We wish them all the best for the coming year. Well done team!
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Please see the table below for more information on upcoming events. If you have any questions or queries please feel free to contact Whaea Meeghan on
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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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What's Been Happening?
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Bit of a wild theme at school last Friday.... we don't think any of the tamariki noticed!
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Bike ramps at connect time was lots of fun last week. Thanks Matua Blair for organising this.
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Our year 7 and 8 tamariki are enjoying their new space in what was the library last year, flowing through into Teretere.
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A lovely evening for the Huarapa team picnic. It was great to see all our lovely whanau in an informal setting! Special welcome to our new families.
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The Higgins Christchurch team recently helped freshen up the Ararira Springs Primary’s main car park with new markings. Neil Andrews, Christchurch City Council contract engineer (and Ararira Springs Dad), approached the team late last year on this project.
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The Ararira Springs Primary school board thanked Higgins Christchurch for “enhancing the school and making it a safer place for the community”.
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Kindo online school shop – register now
Kindo's school shop means you can pay for all your school costs easily – order lunches, pay school donations/activity fees, and support fundraisers.
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New Users can click here to set up a myKindo account. Enter the email address the school has for you, choose a password and you’re done.
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You can view and make payments on your personalised account, by clicking on the ‘Fees and Donations’ icon. You have the option of paying the amount in full or making a part payment on some items.
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Click here for Kindo's short 3-minute tutorial to guide you through.
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Sushi and Subway lunch orders can be made via the Kindo online school shop and are available on Wednesday (for Sushi) and Fridays (for Subway). Orders close 8.30am on the lunch day for Sushi and 9am for Subway.
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Using Kindo's calendar icon, you can order the same item for a number of different lunch days. When you click on the calendar, it will show you all the dates that particular item is available on. Simply select your lunch dates and proceed to checkout to complete your order.
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If you need to cancel a lunch order made via Kindo, please click here for instructions on how to do so. Orders need to be cancelled prior to the cut-off date/time, otherwise, they will be automatically sent through to the supplier and delivered to school as usual.
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Receive 1 FREE book when you spend over $30
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Receive 2 FREE books when you spend over $50
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Receive 3 FREE books when you spend over $70
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If your item is intended as a gift, tick the gift option when you place your order.
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All orders will be delivered to school and distributed to the classrooms. 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 at Kelly Club our theme is The World's Greatest! Book in quick and join us for this amazing week from making pizzas to getting crafty with painting!
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If you have ever wanted to experience and explore cool traditional crafts in an outdoor bush classroom? Here is an opportunity to give it a go, with your child. Our master craftsman, John Lawry, is down from Auckland (with his 40 years of experience) to explore metal and wood from our outdoor firepit. This will be a fun and exploratory workshop to deepen our learnings in making the bush an exciting place to visit and explore the thrill of fire and sharp edges, within a safe environment.
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Click here for full details or to register.
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Have you got some concerns or wonderings about your child’s wellbeing or parenting that you would like to discuss with a Mana Ake kaimahi?
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Mana Ake kaimahi (workers) support schools and whanau when children are experiencing challenges that impact their wellbeing, such as managing emotions, friendships and conflict, parental separation, grief and loss, as well as big changes in their family life and circumstances.
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Kaimahi (workers) have a diverse range of skills and include psychologists, social workers, counsellors, teachers, occupational therapists and youth workers.
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A Zoom Drop In usually takes from 20-30 minutes and is an opportunity for parents to speak with one or two of our kaimahi (workers) regarding parenting or any wellbeing concerns you have for your child/ren.
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We are offering Zoom sessions on Wednesday 1 March from12:30 to 2:30 (finishing at 3pm). A kaimahi will contact you after you have completed the form.
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To book a zoom drop in please click on the link below: add your booking info here.
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Mana Ake - Tuning In To Kids
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This is a very successful parenting programme facilitated by Mana Ake and is free.
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Following is a link should you wish to find out more about the programme.
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Click here for further information regarding the types of batteries we can accept.
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The structured literacy spelling approach involves explicitly teaching tamariki how to encode (spell) the English language. It connects the reciprocal nature of reading and writing together. English is an Alphabetic Code It uses symbols of the alphabet (letters or graphemes) to represent speech sounds (phonemes). There are 26 letters and 44 speech sounds in the English language however there are …
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At Ararira Springs we use the Family Planning programme ‘Navigating the Journey’ to teach Relationship and Sexuality Education. This is taught appropriately to your child’s age and stage by your child’s ako teacher. Relationships and sexuality education sit within the Health and Physical Education strand of The New Zealand Curriculum and is compulsory for students up to year 10. Parents …
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Mana Ōrite / equal status is founded on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. In our school it is the understanding of mātauranga Māori, Māori approaches to teaching and learning and the Te Ao Māori kete of knowledge, as having an equal value within education. It is also taking action to redress the structural foundations that have previously placed …
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