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Connect Communication
06 March 2024
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Our current values focus has been on being capable and the precept that we encourage the children to remember is, 'do the right thing, even when no one is watching'. Sometimes this means learning to do the right thing and a perfect example of this is crossing the road safely. If your child walks or scooters to school we would ask for your support with this.
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Children need coaching and reminders of the following;
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- Where is the safest place to cross? The pedestrian island on Southfield Drive, while congested, is the safest place to cross on Southfield Drive.
- How to use a pedestrian island - cars have the right of way. If you are a driver please do not stop for children. It is confusing, giving them a false sense of security and expectations.
We also ask parents to use our crossing and to avoid jaywalking in front of the school with their children. You set the example. Another idea you may consider for older children is to let them stay at school for 5-10 minutes after 3 pm. This will reduce the pressure on the kiss-and-go area and surrounding crossings.
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We have been notified by the NZEI New Zealand Educational Institute and the teachers union that they are holding a series of meetings across the country. Many of our team will be attending a meeting on the afternoon of March 20th. We will be able to provide supervision for children, however, you are welcome to pick your children up at 12:45 pm if you wish. We will send a separate form home early next week.
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Finally, teachers have started the reporting process already. They write and publish learning posts about your child each term. Depending on how you have your Hero account set up, you may receive an email or notification. In the first half of the year, there will be caring, curious, and capable comments, a self-portrait, and some te reo Māori. In term 2 there will be reading, writing, and maths comments. We encourage you to dip into Hero and would LOVE for you to share these with your tamariki | children.
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Claire and the Ararira Team
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School Board
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The school board met on Wednesday 21 February, and approved the appointment of Che Kingi to provide a Māori voice in our decision-making. As it was our first meeting for this year, all portfolios were re-confirmed as follows:
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Presiding member - Andrew McMenamin
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Deputy presiding member - David Fitchett
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Finance - Mia Valerio-Meek
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Hautū/whānau connection - Brie Liberty, Che Kingi
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Health & safety - Karen Andrews, Nicky Harding, Che Kingi
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Policy - Andrew McMenamin
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Property - Claire Howison, David Fitchett, Andrew McMenamin,
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Significant items of discussion included the 'phones away' policy (which is essentially the same as our existing policy); how an hour per day of reading, writing and mathematics is incorporated into normal classroom practice; further investigation of options for installing a solar power system; and progress on our temporary learning spaces (see Claire's separate article on these).
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Policies which are open for review this term are listed below. To review these and provide comments on content and/or implementation, either follow the link from the homepage on Hero or click here (username: ararira // password: russdrive).
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- Te Tiriti ō Waitangi
- Board responsibility
- Documentation and self-review
- Parent involvement
- Communicating with parents
- Community conduct expectations
- School planning and reporting
- Reporting to parents on student progress and achievement
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Presiding Member - Te Puna o Ararira 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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Illness
If your child is absent from school for medical reasons, it is very helpful if you can please give us a bit more information (cough/cold, vomiting, diarrhea, head lice, conjunctivitis, etc.) as this assists us in identifying any outbreaks in certain classes/hubs.
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Also, a reminder that if your child has had a tummy bug, they must stay home for a minimum of 48 hours after the last symptoms.
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Relay for Life
On Saturday 16 March, the Ararira Springs kaimahi (staff) will be walking in the Relay for Life, a remembrance walk and fundraiser for the Cancer Society. We'd love for you to join us at any time between 10am and 10pm with your tamariki. There will be live music and food trucks also. We will be wearing Ararira Springs colours on the day, so feel free to dress up in your blues and orange!
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Please feel free to donate or share via this link.
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Mana Ake Drop-In Sessions
Mana Ake is an organisation working with schools to promote wellbeing and positive mental health for children. The Mana Ake kaimahi (workers) are made up of social workers, occupational therapists, and teachers.
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As a school, we are able to put in requests for service from Mana Ake for individuals and groups of learners to support their well-being and mental health.
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Mana Ake is offering drop-in sessions with Shannon, our liaison kaimahi, at school each Thursday from 8:30-9:15am. This is an opportunity to discuss concerns over your child's wellbeing or mental health or parenting help. You can meet Shannon at the office.
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IMPORTANT DATES 2024
- 07 March - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 07 March - THT meeting, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffrooom
- 14 March - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 15 March Huarapa 1-3 Hui, 9.15am in the Hall
- 16 March - Relay for Life (see above)
- 21 March - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 26-28 March - Year 7 Camp at Glentui
- 28 March - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 27 March - School Board Meeting, 6.30pm in Tahuna | Staffrooom
- 28 March - Huarapa 4-6 Hui, 9.15am in the Hall
- 29 March-02 April - Easter Weekend (school closed)
- 04 April - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 11 April - Mana Ake drop in session 8.30-9.15am
- 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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First meeting of 2024 - 07 March, 7pm in Tahuna | Staffrooom
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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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On Tuesday the 12th of March we have three teams who have volunteered to take part in the Year 5/6 mixed cricket festival at Foster Park. The day will start at 10am and finish at 2pm. We are looking for a couple of volunteers to manage two of our teams. If you are available to help out please contact Whaea Meeghan urgently.
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Zone swim sports will be taking place at Selwyn Aquatic Centre on Monday the 18th of March. Whaea Meeghan will contact those who are taking part via email.
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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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Be sure to wear Silly Socks on Friday for Kelly Club!
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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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Ararira Springs' Balanced Scorecard The Springboard Trust offers a suite of fantastic professional learning for school leaders and late in 2022 we took part in the Balanced Scorecard for Schools in Aotearoa programme. This asks schools to think long-term and develop 10-year objectives that will guide the school through the next phases of strategic planning. These objectives were established by …
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Expectations for Behaviour at Ararira Ararira is a wonderful place to learn and we guide our learners' behaviour with clear expectations that are linked to our values of being caring, curious and capable. These are short, sharp and memorable and might be good to refer to at home as well. Caring is our first value supported by aroha and manaakitanga. …
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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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