31 May 2019



Kia Ora, Talofa Lava, Greetings, Malo e Lelei, Kia Orana, Bonjour, Nǐ hǎo, Hallo, Hola, Kon'nichiwa, Namaste, As-salāmu ʿalaykum

FROM THE PRINCIPAL
  
Tena koutou Muritai families,

NZEI Teachers Strike
Thank you all for your support on Wednesday for the primary and secondary school  teachers’ and principals’ nationwide strike.  The teaching staff met at Civic Square then joined our teaching colleagues from around Wellington to march on Parliament.  

We realise that striking was an inconvenience for you all, and of course the biggest concern is that the strike action takes us away from what we love - working with and for your children.  

I wish to extend a thank you and appreciation to our teaching staff who through taking industrial action will all have a much lighter pay packet next week.  We do this to represent our complete frustration in not having our voices and needs heard and addressed. We have been battling and negotiating for a year,  It has personally cost teachers thousands of dollars - and we seem to have made little headway. We know it’s frustrating for you parents too. Please believe me that we are fighting for the education of your children. We have come too far to give up now.

I continue to be hopeful that the government will be courageous enough to invest properly in education, in funding for special needs, in funding for behaviour support, in funding for class sizes, in funding to enable teachers to have time to teach and time to lead. To fund us so that we can be world leaders. To fund us so every student can get the best education possible. To fund us so that New Zealand schools can attract and retain world class teachers.

We need your support now more than ever as we continue to await further negotiations and offers from the government, in the hope we can settle this bargaining very soon.

Board of Trustee Elections 2019
Thank you for the incredible response to our plea last week for nominations! We have a record 17 nominees who have all put themselves forward to serve on our next Board of Trustees.  Although just 5 will be elected, it is certainly heartening to note the support of our community and their desire to have a positive impact in the direction of our school.
Remember to get your votes into the Election box in the school office by noon on the 7th of June.  

Social Media for students: Instagram
Over the past week we have seen a few instances of Instagram becoming a hive of digital activity for our older students out of school, that at times creates concerns or issues that carryover into our school time.  Students do not have access to Instagram or other social media here at school when using our network.

I attach the netsafe guide for parents and a blurb below so that you can make sure you are ‘Instagram ready’, and have the ability to keep one eye on the social media traffic that may be entering your home.

Interestingly, I always also head to Common Sense Media to get some clarity on students use of  Apps and websites, and I attach a screenshot below with their review of the ages they recommend for Instagram. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Netsafe:
Although young people are often digitally savvy, they’re still developing. They may need your guidance on appropriate online behaviours and how to navigate challenges. Netsafe’s research shows that when young people do reach out for help, parents are still a place that many turn to for support. As a parent you don’t need to be an expert in technology, but being familiar with the technology that young people are using and the challenges that they may experience is a great start. This guide will give you that insight and prepare you to give your kids the guidance when they need it.


WOW Week - Weird Science!
This week we have had a WOW week - a week to inspire and excite children and staff about a schoolwide focus.  This week we had a week about weird and wonderful science.  I know there was plenty of fun shared in our Kererū assembly today, and here is a wee peek into a special experiment held in team Tūī today...sometimes science gives us a great surprise!

Tui Team Elephant Toothpaste Experiment

Lost Property
Here are some photos of a very small selection of the growing lost property  pile. Please come  and collect any items that belong at your house before it has our mid term clean out to FosterHope at the end of next week.



Additional Mobility Parking at Muritai School
On your most recent trip past Muritai school you may have noticed an additional mobility park right outside our front office. Please be aware of the two parks we have for the use of parents and visitors who hold mobility parking permits, and avoid parking in these areas at all times.  




Ngā manaakitanga,

Bec Power, Principal



Positive Behaviour for Learning - PB4L

Muritai School is excited to be part of the PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) School Wide - Tier One initiative offered and funded by the Ministry of Education this year.  PB4L School-Wide looks at behaviour and learning from a whole-of-school as well as an individual child perspective.
The Positive Behaviour for Learning School-Wide framework will help our school continue to build our culture where positive behaviour and learning is a way of life. The framework will be tailored to Muritai’s own environment and cultural needs. It’s not about changing our students; it’s about ensuring our environment, systems and practices we have in place support them to make positive behaviour choices.
PB4L School-Wide is described as a framework because:
· Any school can use this framework to design its own system of behavioural supports for students.
· It’s a process or approach to behaviour that supports data-based decision-making and problem-solving, helps schools select and deliver evidence-based practices that are right for their school and establishes systems to support the effective implementation of these practices.
· While schools across the world share this common framework and will have systems and practices in common, these will be implemented in a way that is context specific and dependent on the culture and values of the school and its community.
As part of the PB4L journey we have established a Muritai team which is led by Deane McKay and Chantel Lyons.  The members of the team are Michelle Hollard (Kororā), Kate McLean (Tui), Felicity Lovell (Kererū) and Steph Lamborn (Kāhu), and Bec Power our Principal.  The team is currently undergoing professional development and is working through the initial stages of the framework. PB4L School-Wide takes 3–5 years to put in place and we look forward to sharing further updates with you about how things are progressing along the way. For further information regarding the PB4L School Wide initiative you can visit the following website: https://pb4l.tki.org.nz/PB4L-School-Wide



FROM THE SCHOOL

CROSS COUNTRY
Last week Muritai School took part in the annual Cross Country. The weather conditions were amazing, with the sun shining and a light breeze! It was great to have all year 0 - 8 children there at HW Shortt Park. All runners gave it their best throughout the day and did Muritai School proud. Here are the official results.

Year 0 Girls
Betty McDonald 1st
Lily Phipps 2nd
Nicole Bradley 3rd

Year 0 Boys
Sam Delaney 1st
Lucas Langlands 2nd
Reban Ackerman 3rd

Year 1 Girls
Frankie Duffy - Searle 1st
Sovann Stewart  2nd
Tessa Hayward  3rd

Year 1 Boys
Keegan Field 1st
Arthur Beck 2nd
Harry Sellars  3rd

Year 2 Girls
Lara Binnie 1st
Xolani Lynskey  2nd
Amandine Oliver 3rd

Year 2 Boys
Hugo Thompson  1st
Alfie Orbell  2nd
Theo Longson 3rd

Year 3 Girls
Hannah Park 1st
Elsie Devenport  2nd
Meila Davis 3rd

Year 3 Boys
Jac Hayes 1st
Zaiden Filemu and Benji Farndale equal 2nd
Cooper Keenan 3rd

Year 4 Girls
Elodie Dent 1st
Mia Oliver 2nd
Lilly Brien 3rd

Year 4 Boys
Lars Meyer - Westfeld 1st
Guy Marshall 2nd
Oscar Beck 3rd

Year 5 Girls
Izzy Lewis 1st
Willa Velvin 2nd
Sabine Woolloff 3rd

Year 5 Boys
Noah Carian 1st
Thomas Keenan 2nd
Ben Park 3rd

Year 6 Girls
Edith Janssen 1st
Luca Marshall 2nd
Izzy Fogerty 3rd

Year 6 Boys
Aubrey Chunga 1st
Kelli Jewell 2nd
Gus Neilson 3rd

Year 7 Girls
Sadie Davenport 1st
India Farndale 2nd
Ishbel Cook 3rd

Year 7 Boys
Ori Hoskin 1st
Oliver Jensen- Marshall 2nd
Leo Languette  3rd

Year 8 Girls
Sage Pettus  1st
Emily Ebskamp  2nd
Izzy Van Der Wilt 3rd

Year 8 Boys
Jack Roche 1st
Fraser Neilson 2nd
Cameron Catchpole 3rd



TERM 2 2019 DATES
4 June
Walk and Talk with Bec Power (9am)
11 June
Year 7/8 Basketball
18 June
Walk and Talk with Bec Power (9am)
18 June
Inter-Zone Cross Country
20 June
PP date for Inter-zone Cross Country
20 June
BOT Meeting 6.15pm
2 July
Regional Cross Country
2 July
Walk and Talk with Bec Power (9am)
5 July
Last day of Term 2
22 July
First day of Term 3


TERM DATES FOR 2019
Please note our term dates for next year - 2019
Term dates for 2019 have been confirmed by our Board of Trustees as follows:-

Term 1 Monday 4 February to Friday 12 April
            Teacher only day on Friday 15 February
Term 2 Monday 29 April to Friday 5 July
Term 3 Monday 22 July to Friday 27 September
Term 4 Monday 14 October to Thursday 19 December






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