Friday 27 September

Kia ora koutou,

Naumai e te whanau o te kura Muritai 

Tena koutou katoa

Welcome to Sofia Johnson in Room 6, Connor Gatward in Room 5, Macy Bodden, Ava Walker, Jemima Tito, Elizabeth Bourke and Clementine Kircher in Room 16 who have all joined the Muritai School community. We end the term with our roll sitting at 459.

We finish Term 3 with the holidays coming at just the right time. The children and staff are in good during the holiday break!

The last 2 weeks have been very busy. Those of you who attended the Wearable Arts shows last week will have been amazed at how this journey finished up.  The trials and tribulations in putting the show together came together superbly for what was a wonderful exhibition of Muritai talent and performance.  I am constantly amazed at the quality of the Muritai show every year and the school community should be very proud of the quality that the team produces annually.  A huge effort is required and once again thanks to Kirsten and the teaching staff for shaping the show, the home and school for their support, and parents and families for taking so much time to help our children be their best.

As we head into term 4, staff are prepared and organised for an exciting term ahead. Again we have lots of learning to do and plenty of extra events to keep the variety as part of our school environment. Term 4 passes quickly with a very full schedule but always reflective of the fun and highly engaged environment that we strive for at Muritai.

YEAR 5/6 SPEECHES

The Year 5/6 syndicate have been working on speeches this term.  The quality of speeches this year has been superb, with many students spending a lot of time crafting and practising their speeches.  It was great for those students who made it to the finals to stand so confidently in front of the class and in front of parents and judges.  With such a great variety of speeches it was a hard choice to pick students to advance through to the finals. 

The final results were:

Y5 Winner – Evie Richardson (Blue Footed Boobies… the bird)

Y5 Runner Up – Cameron Skilton (Gaming)

Y6 Winner – Phoebe Evans (Are teachers real people?)

Y6 Runner up – Andrew Sutcliffe (Punctuation)

The overall winner was Phoebe Evans

SPELLATHON 

This has been an amazing success. We have raised over $16,000 for resources in the school through this fundraiser and we are so grateful for your support.  We are hugely grateful to the Home and School committee for their energy, enthusiasm and time commitment to put this together. Their hard work has really benefitted our school financially.  In addition, just about every Eastbourne business has made a contribution so your continued support of them would be most appreciated.

Many children and their families have got right into this and raised substantial sums of money. We acknowledge that some people had extra contacts through workplaces but every dollar counts when it comes to raising money for the school and we appreciated every dollar raised. Our special assembly and prize draw is this Friday at 11.00. 

TEACHER TRAINEES 

Today we say goodbye to our 6 teacher trainees who have been at Muritai this term.  Emma, Aimee, Rob, Polina, Belinda and Julie have very quickly become part of our school culture and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work within Muritai School. We have benefitted so much from their input and I am sure the children have been very grateful for their teaching this term.  We wish them all the best of luck with the final phase of their studies and success finding work

STAFF FAREWELLS

Rebecca heads off today on maternity leave and is expecting her baby in the next month. We would like to congratulate Mikaela on the birth of her lovely baby girl Zara, who was born yesterday!  We wish them both a safe time in the next wee while and hope that everything goes to plan. Their replacements Hayden Ray and Karen Houghton have been in the classrooms recently familiarising themselves with the class to ensure a smooth transition.

HOLIDAYS

Although the holidays are often viewed by children as time off school, please try and keep the learning going.  Regular reading, or reading to, games and outside activities and mathletics just help keep the momentum moving in the right direction.  Remember you can take out as many books as you like from the community libraries and a variety of reading material - fiction and non-fiction, comics and magazines is preferable to retain interest.

TEACHER ONLY DAY - FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER
A reminder that school will be closed on Friday 25 October (the Friday of Labour weekend). Staff are attending a whole day professional development session on Inquiry learning with Kath Murdoch.

2014

With the roll so strong it is helpful to let for us to know if your children will not be returning in 2014.  We will be shortly be completing the preparation for our 2014 organisation and so this information is crucial for planning how many staff we might require.

NATONE PARK SCHOOL FUNDRAISER

Thank you for supporting our friends Natone Park School with their sausage sizzle. This is part of the charity group’s 'Pay it Forward' programme and will help assist the children from Natone Park to compete in a Waka Ama regatta they have qualified for.

KEEPING OURSELVES SAFE

The junior school has worked hard this term looking at ways to keep themselves safe. We have really appreciated having Constable Julie Orr in the school assisting the teachers with the programme. The Police Education programme is an excellent resource and Julie has such a great way with the children.

HOT DOGS

The Home and School Committee would like to sincerely thank all the parent helpers who served on Hot Dog Duty throughout Terms 2 and 3.  The children really enjoyed getting their hot lunches every Wednesday, and the hot dogs were a weekly treat.  As you may know, this fundraiser helps Muritai School in many ways which benefit all of our children.  It cannot occur without your help, so thank you again.  Have a great holiday.

Gwyn Morphew on behalf of the Home and School Committee.

WONDERFUL DYSLEXIA WEBSITE

Today's Dominion Post has an interesting article which explains how Matt Strawbridge, a year 10 dyslexic student from Scots College has taken the initiative to pass on his positive attitude about his learning difference. You can read the article by clicking here.

The article explains how Matt has created an excellent website about living with dyslexia ( www.dyslexiapotential.com ) with the help of a website designer. It includes video tutorials, learning exercises and confidence-building content. The website success saw him win both supreme and gold prizes at Karori Youth Awards. Matt   is running a live course for Dyslexic kids at the Karori Community Centre in the school holidays on October 11th from 9am - 12 midday.

MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE 

We have received notification from Regional Public Health that in the last week there have been two people ill with meningococcal disease in the Wellington region, a primary school pupil and a university student.  There is often an increase in meningococcal disease in spring and when there is a lot of respiratory illnesses in the community.  Now is a good time to make sure you are aware of the signs of meningococcal disease and when and how to seek medical help.  The disease may start with a flu like illness and then rapidly progresses to a more serious illness with fever, headache, drowsiness, vomiting, stiff neck, a skin rash like blood spots under the skin and sensitivity to bright lights.

Remember that it can be very hard to tell this disease from other illnesses in its early stages so check on sick people frequently.  If a sick person has the symptoms above or you are worried, call Healthline 0800 611 116 for free health advice from registered nurses, 24 hours a day, or contact your Doctor or an after hours medical centre urgently.  

The following steps will help prevent many types of illnesses from being spread in our community:

• Prevent the spread of germs by making sure everyone covers their mouth and nose with tissues when coughing and sneezing and put used tissues in a covered bin or a plastic bag.  If there are no tissues available, cough or sneeze into your supper sleeve and always wash your hands afterwards.
• Encourage everyone to wash their hands regularly.  

Fact Sheets for Parents and Caregivers are available in the school office.

UPCOMING DATES

Mon 14 Oct                  First day of Term 4

Thurs 17 Oct               Year 7 Boys and Girls Boostrix Immunisation
Fri 18 Oct                     Assembly 1.45
Thurs 24 Oct                BoT mtg 7.30

Fri 25 Oct                    Teachers Only Day - Kath Murdoch workshop

Mon 28 Oct                  Labour Day
Fri 1 Nov                      Assembly 1.45
Mon 4 Nov                   Y3-8 Athletic sports

Wed 6 Nov                  HRSA Touch Tournament

Thur 7 Nov                  Year 8 Testing @ HVHS

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Wellington Youth Choir will be making an appearance at St Alban’s Anglican Church on Sunday October 6^th to present its concert ‘Storytime in Eastbourne’. The concert is a culmination of the year’s work, focusing on songs that tell a story or evoke a strong message. Included in the lineup are English folksongs, contemporary choral works, and film soundtracks, all designed to take our listeners on a unique musical journey.

Concert Details
Venue: St Alban’s Church, Ngaio Street, Eastbourne
Date: Sunday October 6^th
Time: 2.30pm
Adults $10, Students & Senior Citizens $5 (Door Sales)

For more information please email wellingtonyouthchoir@gmail.com or phone Greg Maxted 021 739 575.

Fun Lunch time French

Term 4: Special Advent and Christmas activities: 

Une Fête de Noël, 8 sessions

Classes held on Tuesday or Thursday

Lots of games, fun activities, games crafts, music to help learning.

The best way for kids to learn a language is through play.

For more information or to register ring Stefi Plimmer-Blattner on 562 8211

or email me:  stefi@lcfclubs.co.nz

For Rent - Fantastic Family Home

Excellently presented and spacious Eastbourne home has room for all the family.Four double bedrooms plus fifth bedroom, two bathrooms, two living areas, modern kitchen including dishwasher, gas hob, electric oven. Twoheatpumps, HRV and woodburner. Large garden for the children to play in and  maintained by the Landlord. Single garage with separate laundry room. $795 pw available immediately. http://www.harcourts.co.nz/Property/654934/CHR988/7-Russo-Terrace or call Ken Jones 04 562 6309 or 021 0828 7279

ZUMBA COURSES

Starting Term 4 - October 14th at St Albans Church

Mondays at 7.30pm or Wednesdays at 9.30am 

9 classes for $90 upfront, a 5 trip concession ticket for $60 or casual on the night $13 per class.

Please contact Melissa on 021 253 4499 or email missy.lee62@yahoo.com with queries or to register your interest.

Knack-cessories night market, 6-8pm Friday 20/9 - Sangria, hot drinks, desserts, Italian soups and fresh focaccia, warm salads, great original music by Gillian Henderwood

spring knack 9.30-1.30 21/9 - fresh coffee, baking, genuine handmade Italian pizza, Syrian food, barbecue options, hot and cold drinks

Great gifts, treats and shopping, kids' entertainment, plenty of parking, and we have eftpos! For information: Justine - knack.market@gmail.com,

(04) 972 4099 or 027 381 3409 knack craft market now on Facebook

FENCING – Fun, Fitness and so much more

Don’te get bored in the holidays.  Have a go at fencing with our junior team on Thursday 3 October or Tuesday 8 October, 1-4pm, $20 per session.  Email gandu@clear.net.nz or call/text 022 091 7450.  Spaces are limited.  Suits age 9+