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Connect Communication
23 August 2023
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It has been another great week of learning at Ararira. Children have taken part in trips to plant out at the wetlands, visit the eco waste site and to our mara, Te Pa o Moki. Monday was the last day of the basketball competition with our Year 8 team taking the title. Tonight we have our very first representation in the Cantamaths competition.
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Our recent consultation highlighted how many people are happy with the current direction of the school. Our vision for learning is "enhancing our world". This was selected to reflect the importance of the environment and personal actions to the Lincoln community.
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Comments to these questions talked about the need to teach children about positive behaviour and the need for greater awareness of learning that positively impacts the world.
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The next section talked about children having a say in their learning. The comments supported our curiosity clubs and play-based learning. However, there were a range of comments from parents saying that children did not have a say through to too much say, and a need to focus on the basics.
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Finally, for this newsletter, parents through that our values were well reflected in the school. The ten comments mentioned support for this approach, a need for great focus on being capable and reference to Hero reporting on these areas.
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We will continue to feedback on our findings and look forward to inviting you to further consultation before the end of the term.
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You may have heard your children mention our 'token' system. This is for us to focus on changing a particular behaviour. Our current focus has been on getting equipment packed up. Children voted on a particular reward if given a token. The winning choice was to bring a toy to school. Children will be invited to bring a toy to school on Monday.
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Our next focus is on manners and being polite. This might look like saying hello and using people's names or holding doors open for others. Children noticed doing these things will be given a token and can vote for the new choices in the office.
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Te Kupu o te Wiki - This Week's Kupu:
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Kei te whiti te rā - the sun is shining.
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Welcome to Ararira Springs Primary!
This week we welcome Jiaxuan, Dev and Siena to Huarapa, and Amélie to Hikuwai. We hope you love Ararira Springs Primary as much as we do!
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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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Uniforms
A friendly reminder that all students need to be sent to school in the correct Ararira Springs Primary uniform. Non-uniform items are only permitted with permission. Full uniform requirements and where to order replacement new or second-hand items are listed here.
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Please also ensure all items are named as we are finding many items in our lost property are un-named.
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Covid Update
Public health officials have advised risk from COVID-19 is now considered low compared to other stages of the pandemic and it is safe to remove the final requirements.
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As with any other illness, it is recommended that students | ākonga and staff stay at home if they are feeling unwell.
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RAT kits are still available free of charge via Kindo.
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Change in circumstance or need to split the bill?
Don’t forget to update your contact details (address and phone number if you have moved)
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Please let us know if you require your child’s school account to be split between parents/caregivers. Kindo has now upgraded its split bill options and these can be set to 50:50, 60:40 or any other ratio you choose.
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Health Consultation
Please read the slides from our Health Consultation held on Wednesday 16th August that was sent out on Friday 18th on Hero. More information on our school curriculum can be found on the school website. A summary of what we teach is on these slides. Information regarding the Sexuality Education unit we teach, can be found in your child's akomanga class. Please speak to your child's teacher to view this.
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If you wish to give feedback, please fill in the Google form survey no later than Thursday 31st August 2023. Thank you.
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IMPORTANT DATES 2023
- 24-25 August - Kawakawa Balm Sales, from 3pm each day (see below)
- 25 August - Non Uniform Day (bring a gift hamper item for quiz - see below)
- 01 September - Hui (Whaea Danielle, T1), 9.15am in the hall
- 06 September - School Board meeting, 6.30pm in the staffroom
- 08 September - Quiz Night (tickets on sale now - see below)
- 11-12 September - School photos
- 11-17 September - Maori Language Week | Te Wiki o te reo Māori
- 14 September - THT meeting in the staffroom 7- 8 pm
- 15 September - Athletics Day (yrs 5-8), Liam from Canterbury Cricket (yrs 1-4)
- 22 September - Term 3 ends
- 09 October - Term 4 begins
- 10 October - Term 4 mihi whakatau | welcome for new whānau
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School Board
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The school board is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mia Valerio-Meek to replace Jayde Wilkinson as a parent representative. We were lucky to have several very good candidates and we thank them for putting themselves forward.
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Mia joins the board as an experienced finance professional having held commercial accounting roles in the last 14 years. She is also passionate about holistic systems and change management.
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The skills and experience Mia brings are varied and broad. She believes in having a strong vision and being able to execute the details; that a community working together toward a vision will achieve a great outcome for the school.
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Mia also volunteers for the PTA / THT, Te Hapori Tautoko, mostly in marketing and as the THT Secretary. She is excited to contribute further to the Ararira family and its journey to be an even happier and well-resourced school.
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Mia and her husband Scot are proud parents to a thriving and energetic son, Hendrix, who started his Year 1 journey with Ararira in 2022. As a family, the move to Lincoln has been the best choice and they look forward to immersing themselves even more in the community.
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The design of our new building is progressing steadily. A topographic survey (which maps the ground levels) has been completed, the building has been laid out on a site plan and vehicle access has been defined. The design team has considered the size, shape, structure, fire safety, natural lighting, ventilation and internal partitions and is working to draft a set of plans for review by the Ministry of Education’s design review panel.
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NEXT MEETING - 06 September, 6.30 pm in the Staffroom
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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 - 24 August, 7.00pm in the Staffroom. All welcome.
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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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Careers Expo
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Our Careers Expo needs you! In collaboration with Lincoln Primary School we are hosting a Careers Expo for our Year 7&8 students and we would love it if you could be a part of it! Share your great work stories and inspire the tamariki of the future.
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Kawakawa Balm
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This week saw our senior netball team playing against the teachers in a warm up match for their upcoming tournament. Although the final score favoured the teachers, our tamariki gave us a good workout!
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On Monday evening our basketball teams participated in the finals of this season's games. All the teams played very well winning, drawing and losing some of our games but always arriving to play with their best Ararira values.
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We are particularly proud of the Golden Warriors (Year 8’s) who played exceptionally well this season and won the competition. Congratulations to them and their Coach Whaea Ann-Marie.
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I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our coaches, Whaea Hilary (Ararira Eight- Year 7), Matua Geoff (Sky Warriors - Year 7), Whaea Mel (Ararira Warriors - Year 5/6) and Whaea Ann-Marie for all their support and hard work throughout the season. We could not have done this without you. A special thank you to one of our dads, Tommy, who designed and printed some lovely ‘player of the day certificates’ for our year 7 teams. Ka nui te mihi!
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The Mt Cheeseman Ski competition that was to take place on the 20th of August has been postponed to this upcoming Sunday, 27th of August. We wish all our competitors the best of luck.
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Athletics Day - Friday 15 September 2023
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Just a reminder that our annual athletics day is coming up in week 9 of this term! We look forward to seeing you supporting your tamariki!
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If you are looking for information on any upcoming sporting events please check our Sports Corner Page. If you still do not find what you are looking for then please contact Whaea Meeghan.
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Check out our “what’s on offer?” page for sports offered outside of school events.
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Please click on the buttons below for highlights and more information.
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The closing date for Book Club Issue 6, 2023 is 29 September. It is recommended you place your order by 05 September to ensure your order is despatched by the end of Term 3.
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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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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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Digital Complications and Applications What is digital addiction? Digital addiction among students in New Zealand is a growing concern in the modern era, as technology and digital devices have become an integral part of daily life. While technology offers numerous benefits, excessive and uncontrolled use can lead to addiction and negatively impact students' academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being. …
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Coaching is an important part of Ararira learning for our teachers and our older ākonga. We see coaching as an opportunity to sit with a colleague or support person and in the first instance, check in. Secondly, it provides the coachee with the chance to be listened to and supported. The coachee might share an issue, concern or goal. The …
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The Importance of Attendance We all recognise that education is the pathway to the future. The key to educational success relies on being present at school. Consistent routines and mileage is a big component of learning. Neurological pathways in our brains require repetitive exposure to strengthen and cement learning and develop mastery. We also develop these neural pathways for resilience, …
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Neurodiverse Learners Neurodiversity is a term used to describe the range of neurological differences among individuals, including conditions such as autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and others. From a school's perspective, it is essential to acknowledge the diversity in the learning abilities within students and provide support which is reflective of their needs. Children who are neurodivergent can face a number of …
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Peer Mediation Ararira Springs has adopted the peer mediation programme as it fits so strongly with our values of being caring, curious and capable. Peer mediators, selected from Year 7/8 classes, undergo a period of training based on the 'Cool Schools Peer Mediation Programme' prior to being on duty in the playground. Peer mediation is an approach to conflict resolution …
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