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Connect Communication
06 September 2023
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The days are getting longer and the weather is warmer as we hard towards spring. We are now beginning to plan for next year so if you know your child will not be returning to Ararira please let us know. Space will be tight until the new building is completed. We hope that visible progress will be made soon.
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The board is still seeking feedback on the draft strategic direction. So far only two people have completed this feedback. A link to the survey is in the board section, directly below.
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From our initial feedback, 88% of whānau feel welcome at Ararira. 93% of respondent stated their children felt safe and 85% were happy at school. 4/5 of families felt their culture is acknowledged and would recommend Ararira as a place of learning. We will be working with our ERO partner to work through the comments to identify trends.
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We carried out a similar survey with 200 of our students | ākonga. Trends were similar with 86% stating they were safe at school, and 83% happy at school. 88% could name one or more adults who believed in them and 92% felt their culture was respected. The children had wonderful suggestions for improvement. These included more trees, a pool, longer maths sessions, more playgrounds and longer time on devices. We will be digging further into the comments to look for trends.
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As the election approaches, the students are gearing up for their own election at school. It will be interesting to see the outcomes of both. It is also the time of the year when we look at the relationship and sexuality content of the health curriculum. Very few people came to our consultation evening but here is a link to a post from Nicky about the content. Teachers will let you know ahead of time what is being covered. If you have any concerns please see your child's ako teacher or the team leader.
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We are very excited to host our annual quiz night on Friday. This is a wonderful event and we offer a huge thanks to the Te Hapori Tautoko organising team. If you aren't able to make it look out for the silent auctions and raffle tickets that are being sold. There are AMAZING prizes to be won!
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School Board
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NEXT MEETING - 06 September (tonight), 6.30 pm in the Staffroom
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Strategic Planning: We are moving to the next stage of consultation with our strategic plan for 2025 and 2026. We thank you for your feedback on our previous survey. The response was overwhelmingly positive and has fed into the direction the board has drafted.
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There are many legislative requirements and documents that also have to be considered when setting the direction for the school. To give your feedback digitally, please use this link. The board will be hosting a workshop on September 11th from 7-8 p.m. for those of you who would like to discuss this face-to-face. Please email office@ararira.school.nz to RSVP.
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Te Kupu o te Wiki - This Week's Kupu:
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Welcome to Ararira Springs Primary!
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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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School Photos - Monday and Tuesday
A reminder our school photos will be on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Please send your children to school in clean and tidy uniforms (no non-uniform items).
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A separate notification will shortly be sent out to families with further information regarding school photos.
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Glass Food and Drink Containers
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We would really appreciate it if parents could please try and avoid sending child/ren to school with food or drink in glass containers. This is due to the risk of breakage, and the potential of injury to tamariki.
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Old Uniform Items
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If you have any 'old school uniform' that you are going to throw out (rather than re-sell), please give this to Nicky or to Justine in the office. Many of our local pre-schools would love our school uniform to use as 'dress-ups'. Thank you.
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Headlice/Nits
We have had cases of Head Lice/Nits in the Huarapa and Teretere spaces.
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Please check your child's hair frequently over the next few weeks. Your child may return to school | kura once they have had their first chemical treatment. The entire family needs to be treated, including adults. Treatment should continue for several weeks by wet combing with cheap conditioner in between chemical treatments. All bedding and towels need to be washed in hot water and changed frequently. Please speak to your local pharmacist or nurse with regards to this.
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More information about head lice and the treatment, can be found here.
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Dyslexia Assessment Research
Dr Mike Sleeman and colleague Dr Amanda Denston are conducting a research study to learn about teachers' experiences accessing dyslexia reports. Their views on the findings and recommendations contained in these reports will help them better understand the challenges whānau face in accessing dyslexia assessments for their children and their perceptions of the usefulness of assessment reports.
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They welcome whānau who have either obtained a dyslexia assessment for their child or are interested in having them assessed for dyslexia to complete this survey.
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The insights of family and whānau will contribute significantly to this research. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. As a token of appreciation, whānau who complete the survey can enter a draw to win one of five gift vouchers worth $50 at a supermarket of their choice.
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IMPORTANT DATES 2023
- 06 September (tonight) - School Board meeting, 6.30pm in the staffroom
- 06-08 September - Quiz raffle tickets on sale outside the office, 3pm (see below)
- 08 September - Quiz night
- 10 September - Online auction bidding closes, 5pm (see below)
- 11-12 September - School photos (see above)
- 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)
- 19-21 September - Koru Games
- 22 September - Hui (Whaea Larissa, Huarapa 5), 9.15am in the hall
- 22 September - Term 3 ends
- 09 October - Term 4 begins
- 10 October - Term 4 mihi whakatau | welcome for new whānau
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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 - 14 September, 7.00pm in the Staffroom. All welcome.
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With your generous support we hope to raise more funds for community events, like our yearly Matariki Celebration, as well as funds to go towards developing an Astro-turf play area for our growing school.
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Please familiarise yourself with the following rules before bidding to ensure the auction runs smoothly and we all have a great time. *Bids must be made in the comment section of each picture. **Bidding must be in increments of a minimum of $5.00. ** By placing a number in the comment section that is considered your bid. You may bid as many times as you wish. Please see the Online Silent Auction Rules on our Facebook page for further details. Happy bidding!!
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For those that can’t make it to Quiz night, in addition to the online silent auctions, we are also selling raffle tickets. They will be available after school this week - $2/ticket or 3 for $5.
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See our lovely Te Hapori Tautoko volunteers who will be outside the main office area or staff room (weather dependent). Cash only please.
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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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The past two weeks have been busy with rugby and netball clubs finishing up for the season and ski competitions taking place as we rapidly head towards the end of term 3.
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If your child borrowed a sports shirt from Whaea Meeghan for any of the sporting events, please return it to her or the office urgently.
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Shirts that are not returned will be charged to your school account.
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Lincoln Zone Rugby/Netball Tournament
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On Thursday of week 6 we had 5 teams representing Ararira Springs at the Rugby/Netball Tournament. We had a junior and senior mixed rugby team, a senior netball team and two junior netball teams.
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Our senior netballers were up against some strong competition but played each game better than the last.
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Our two junior teams also played extremely well with our Orange Team coming third in their division.
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Our senior rugby boys played well, showing rangatiratanga in every game. Our junior team made it to the finals in their division where they placed second overall. Well done to all our teams and a very big thank you to our coaches who supported us on the day.
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Mt Cheeseman Ski Competition
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This year we had four children from our school taking part in this competition. We are very proud of all those who participated and a big thank you to Barry who shared the information we needed and helped coordinate on the day. Ngā mihi nui!
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Weetbix Tryathlon 25th February 2024
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Entries are now open for the Weetbix Tryathlon. We have created a school group. Please click here to enter your child.
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Ararira Springs Athletics Day
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Our annual athletics day will be taking place on the 15th of September at Brookside park. All the tamariki in years 5-8 will be taking part. Selections for the Zones Athletics day held in term 4 will be made from the results of this day. If you are able to help out on the day please contact Whaea Meeghan.
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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 what clubs in our community are offering over the next few months.
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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. If you placed your order after 05 September, your items may not be 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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Bookings are now open for our September/October holiday programme.
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Get in quick to secure your spot!
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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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