17 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,

  

Our Board of Trustees elections are coming up fast. Some of you will be very familiar with the role of the Board in New Zealand schools, others won’t be at all and many will fall in the inbetween. We are really keen to gather some momentum and interest as we head towards election date Friday the 7th June. That's just 3 weeks away. Nominations close 24 May - that's only 1 week away!

So, what is the role of the our Board?

"Board members are entrusted by the community to ensure the success of our schools and a bright future for our children. We need an education system where all children are expected to succeed and one where we all take shared responsibility in ensuring this happens. As a member of a school board you can make things happen - you can make a difference."

- Lorraine Kerr, NZSTA President

To find out  in more detail, a good place to look is the New Zealand School Trustees Association website.

We at Muritai School rely heavily on our parent community. There isn't a day that goes by when there isn't parent help somewhere in our school - in the classroom, on trips, coaching/managing sports, fundraising meetings and organisation, lost property preparation and return... and on and on it goes. A lot of these roles we understand the parameters, they seem fairly black and white. The Board always feels like more of a mystery, but it really isn't! A trustee is a role where you can contribute in a different way and, in doing so, deepen your understanding of education as a whole.

I would love to talk with you more about what it's like to be a Board trustee if you are thinking about putting yourself forward or I can put you in touch with another board member if you have a particular interest in an area they take leadership in. The best thing to do is contact myself or Carole Lowe in our office to connect with one of our other trustees, and we can go from there.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Bec Power,

Principal 

FROM THE BOARD

Board of Trustees elections - nominations close NOON next Friday!

The closing date for nominations to Muritai School’s Board of Trustees closes at noon Friday May 24 - that’s next Friday!

So far, we have had one nomination and would love to see more as the deadline fast approaches.

We need five parent or community trustees on the school board, to work with the principal and staff trustee to guide the school for the next three years.  More than five nominations will mean an election with votes finishing on June 7.  If there are five nominations only, they will be accepted onto the board.  We encourage everyone to consider stepping up to this role, and make a positive difference to our school community. A range of skills are welcome.

The Board is responsible for setting the school’s strategic direction and educational goals, then supporting the principal and staff to navigate the school in that direction.  The board also monitors and communicates progress to the school community. It ensures the school is a safe place and oversees management of staff, property, finances, curriculum and administration.

The current board meets on an evening every six weeks or so and divides its workload among members. Boards can also appoint other parents or community members if they need to fill a skill gap.

If you would like to discuss with a current trustee, please let Carole or Jo in the office know.

Check out www.nzsta.org.nz for more details on becoming a trustee.

FROM THE SCHOOL

ABSENCES

If your child is absent from school, please contact the office as soon as possible giving your child’s name, room number and the reason why they are away.  You can contact us by telephone (04 562 8409) to leave a message or talk to a member of staff or you can now text.  Our cellphone number is 027 531 1772.  This phone is not manned so please do not call it.  

We would also ask that you do not email as emails are not always checked before the school attendance registers are completed.  

RIPPA RUGBY TOURNAMENT 

Muritai competed in the Y5/6 Wellington Regional Rippa Rugby tournament on Tuesday. There were 16 teams involved in the competition. The kids played their hearts out for one another and their school. Unfortunately we lost a hard fought final, 🥈place for us this year.

The kids should feel proud of how they did and how they represented the school because I felt proud to be their coach. The kids really bought into the ‘team’ aspect of the journey. They are a FAB team...Kia Kaha!

CROSS COUNTRY ON TUESDAY 21 MAY FROM 9.25AM TO 12.30PM

Our Muritai School Cross Country is coming up next week for Years 0 - 8. Here is all the information about this whole school sporting event.

 Where: HW Shortt Recreational Ground (RSA/ESSC Field)

 Times:

 Leaving school: 9:00am

 Welcome: 9:25am

 First Race: 9:30am Sharp

 Finish Time:  Approximately 12:15pm

 Marshalls/Managers meeting    9.15am

 Y0    300m    9.30am

 Y1    300m    9:45am

 Y2    600m    10:00am

 Y7-8  3km     10.15am    (Championship)

 Y7-8  1km     10:45am

 Y3     800m   11:00am

 Y4     1km     11:15am    (Championship)

 Y5-6  1km     11:30am

 Y5-6  2km     11:45pm    (Championship)

 Finish / Pack up   12:15pm

While we are unable to give exact times of when individual children will be running, this is a general race order and approximate times or year group races.  If you are interested in helping out during the school cross country can you email jpower@muritai.school.nz. We need a few parents to be marshalls positioned around the course.

Runners are to wear comfortable running clothes and dress appropriately for the conditions, e.g. poly-props / tights / beanies, warm tops, house colours etc. They will need to take a drink bottle and a packed morning tea.

NZ MUSIC MONTH
Charles Hazlewood and our guitarists will be performing at the Eastbourne library to celebrate NZ Music Month.  Enjoy the sounds of the Muritai School Guitarists as their music fills the library.  Monday 27 May at 3.45pm.

KELLY CLUB (BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE)

You can find the latest information on Kelly Club, together with their weekly plan, on our Website https://www.muritai.school.nz/kelly-club-at-muritai-school

Before School Care is now available.

We are offering two sessions in the morning. 7.00am - 8.30am (includes breakfast) or 7.45am - 8.30am.  You don't need to enrol for every day during the week, you might like to enrol for 3 mornings a week.

Each morning has a range of activities from craft to cooking to building creations, as well as a chance for the children to come along and enjoy a great start to the day. You can see all our activities on the weekly planner.

Reminder:

Booking is super easy for Kelly Club and everyone can enroll! See below if you have something coming up and need childcare help.  

1.  Online at www.kellyclub.co.nz/muritai (you have until midnight the night before to enroll)

2.  Drop in and see us for an enrollment form

3.  Email us at muritai@kellyclub.co.nz

You do not have to enroll for a full week, you can enroll for one before school care morning and two after school care during the week, once a fortnight, or once a term.

We take casual bookings which means that if you get stuck with childcare arrangements, we are here to assist you. If you have something pop up, we can take your child for that afternoon, please let us know via phone (027 218 4489) or email (muritai@kellyclub.co.nz) as soon as possible so we can ensure we have enough resources and staff onsite to maintain the safety of all children on the programme.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

TERM 2 2019 DATES
21 May	Whole School Cross Country
22 May	Basketball Inter-school
23 May	BOT Meeting 6.15pm
24 May	Y8 Gardasil vaccinations
28 May	Inter-school Cross Country
30 May	PP date for Inter-school Cross Country
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

Community Notices