Kia Ora, Talofa Lava, Greetings, Malo e Lelei, Kia Orana, Bonjour, Nǐ hǎo, Hallo, Hola, Kon'nichiwa, Namaste, As-salāmu ʿalaykum
A
warm welcome to Soraya Farndale and Xavier Adsett-Gibson to Room 1 and Emma
Kitchen to Room 9.
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Tena
koutou Muritai families, this is our final newsletter for 2019.
The
final term of each year is always one of energy, excitement and events - we
have had a feast of events over the past two weeks with our many and varied
syndicate EOTC activities, senior camps and outdoor challenges as well as
our Kororā Christmas Concert, our Tūī cookbook creation and collection, our
Kererū talent quest and Masterchef evening,
and our Year 8 Formal. It’s no
wonder that some of our children are looking a little weary and ready for a
well deserved rest!
Today
is our final day of the school year and with our final day, we annually
farewell some of our students who are graduating Muritai school, and leaving us
for their next educational journey at High School.
We
farewell this week 50 of our Year 8 learners, and with them many parents and
families too. Many of these families
have been a part of our school
community for over a decade, and I must mention the Bird family who together
with Andrew’s time serving as our previous principal, today end their formal
connection to the school after 18 years, wow!
We
thank you all for your support and for being an important part of our school
community. If your child is the first to graduate from your family we
congratulate you, and if the last from your household we sadly farewell our
formal association, however as we have heard many times over the past week -
once you’ve joined us at Muritai, you're forever a part of our Muritai
school family.
The
Year 8 formal was an incredible evening with so much joy and celebration -
amongst the odd sniffle of nostalgia and pride (from parents and teachers
alike!) A special mention must go to the staff and parents who made this
evening such a phenomenal success - especially our Kahū teachers for the
organisation, our volunteer parent ‘formal committee’ who decorated the hall so
beautifully, and also our year 7 parent volunteers who continue the ‘pass it
on’ tradition running the kitchen for the Formal dinner each year.
As
part of the evening we presented the following Year 8 awards - these awards
will be re-awarded as we traditionally do in front of the whole school at our
final leavers assembly today starting at 11am.
Cup
|
Recipient
|
Class of 61 Cup
~ “Outstanding Contribution to Muritai School”
Awarded to that pupil who has consistently excelled in a variety
of activities and challenges during their time within Muritai School
|
Theo Thompson
|
Kirsty and Isabella Clarke Cup
~ “Positive Contribution to Muritai School”
Awarded to the child who has consistently made a positive
contribution to the peer group to ensure a positive environment at Muritai
School.
|
Scarlet Tito
|
Abel Tasman Cup
~ “Awarded to that pupil who has risen to the challenge of
the Abel Tasman Experience and made the most of the opportunity to show
teamwork, optimism, enthusiasm, and to be inspired by the challenge
|
Fraser Neilson
|
Booth Family Cup
~ “The Student’s Student”
Awarded to that pupil who the year 8 students group feel has
displayed outstanding qualities in leadership, academics and school culture
as well as playing a major role in contributing to the success of the peer
group as a whole.
|
Theo Thompson
|
Newton family Cup
Service to the School
Awarded to the pupil who in their time at Muritai School has
continuously served the school to the highest quality – taken on challenges,
volunteered their time, helped others, been noticed for their quality conduct
and used their initiative.
|
Petra Wilson
|
Beck Family Cup – Leadership and contribution to sport &
Sporting Successes
Acknowledging sporting success throughout the year.
|
Issie van der Wilt
|
The Mills Cup for Contribution to the Arts
Awarded to the student who has shown commitment and dedication
to involvement across all areas of the arts including, visual, music, Kapa
haka, movement/dance, singing and throughout their integrated studies.
|
Clara Maxwell - Lamb
|
Swain Family Cup for Leadership and Contribution to Sport
|
James Littlefair
|
Debbie Bertaud Memorial Cup for Commitment to Science and
Technology
A cup and book voucher in memory of Debbie Bertaud, pupil,
parent, tutor, mentor, awarded to the student who has made the greatest
commitment to science and technology during her or his time at Muritai
School.
|
Sage Pettus
|
Stotter Family Cup.
An all round student who is committed and dedicated to
contribute and perform with excellence to new challenges in the environment,
sporting and cultural life of Muritai School with a smile and positive
attitude.
|
Emily Ebskamp
|
Jacobsen Cup for excellence in Mathematics Girls & Boys
Awarded to that pupil who has consistently excelled in the area
of Mathematics.
|
Luke Barlow
Rio Salisbury-Metcalfe
|
The Broadbent Cup for excellence in Literacy. Awarded to that pupil
who has consistently excelled in the area of Literacy ~
|
Phoebe Tait
|
Boy / Girl Endeavour award
Awarded to those students who have tried their best in
everything they have done at their time at Muritai School – academic, sports,
the arts, conduct
|
Anna Jamieson
Lochie Cook
|
Kyle Sturgess Cup - Music
Awarded to that pupil who has consistently excelled in the area
of Music, both in exhibition and leadership.
|
Shared
Theo Thompson
Ned Sykes
|
Academic Prize
Awarded to those students who worked hard in their academic
studies and have consistently shown academic excellence across a wide range
of subject areas
|
Sage Pettus
Fraser Neilson
|
Nicholas Bahler Award Empathy
Given to the student who has shown care, empathy, consideration
and kindness to other students who have physical, mental or social
challenges.
|
Emma Burke
|
The Malama Cup –
The inspiring Visionary
This award acknowledges someone who is a true asset to Muritai
School. A person who strives to be the best person they can be through hard
work and determination.
|
Reihan Kusnadi
|
Kapa haka- for inspirational leadership
of Kapa haka.
|
Maisie Stock
|
Pointin Cup -
For speeches or debating
|
Maisie Stock
|
Alistair Blair Trust:
We are so fortunate at Muritai
School to be the holders of the Alistair Blair Trust. Alistair was a past
pupil of Muritai School who sadly passed away in a tragic accident after
completing his schooling at Muritai School. His family keep his memory
alive annually by supporting the children and families of Muritai school who
may be facing financial hardship. The
Trust Account is managed by our Board of Trustees and all recipients are highly
confidential. If you or someone you know are unable to take part in a
school opportunity due to financial constraints, you may like to be considered
as a recipient. Please direct all
queries to myself by emailing me at Principal@Muritai.school.nz
In 2019 the Alistair Blair Trust
donated $200 to enable a child to attend the Abel Tasman camp, and $200 for a
child to join the Makahika Camp. We as a school community once again
thank the Blair family for their ongoing generosity to the children of Muritai
School.
PlaySpace Judging
Five
winners were selected by our judges - Kaye from the Board, Tots from our Home
and School, Kate Males a playground designer from Wraight and Associates
(designer of Waitangi Park play space in Wellington) and myself, selected an
aspect of the below designs to be put forward to the Playground design company,
to be included in our final play-space.
We
acknowledged these winners in our last whole school assembly in week 8.
Congratulations to our winning designs!
These
will continue to be displayed in the foyer in term 1, so feel free to pop in
and take a look anytime.
Syndicate
Bird images/names
 |
Sounds
of Native Birds & the Taniwha ideas
 |
Tree
Designs - Dendroglyphs, also the koru designed pathway
  |
Large
orbs (to sit on)
 |
The
Pencarrow lighthouse and slide
 |
GOTCHA’s!
This term we have been focussed
on our new behaviour values B E S T in our playground - which are of course
linked to our school vision - ‘Be the BEST that we can be’. Teachers have
been aiming to hand out 2000 Gotcha tickets over the term, for the students to
earn a school wide PB4L ‘fun event’ which was held yesterday afternoon. These
tickets are tracked and analysed by the House Captains and when a child earns a
Gotcha for all four behaviour values, they have also received a certificate in
our whole school assembly.
Thank You
Thank you to all of you -
to our parents and whānau who are all so dedicated and supportive of the joint
educational relationship for your children. This support and connection
is an important and key factor in what makes Muritai such an outstanding place
to learn and to work.
I’d
like to especially acknowledge our Home and School team who drive all of our
fundraising. They are a small yet dynamic and highly effective group of
Super-parents! Thank you to the whole H & S team for all you have done in
2019.
Thanks
also to all of you who have supported our many fundraising events over the year
and thanks also to the generous donations we receive from parents - financially
and in time donated to the school.
We
hosted our parent helpers morning tea yesterday , and it was difficult to
acknowledge just how many things you our parents had helped us all out with -
assisting in classes, fundraising, class trips, overnight stays, road patrol,
returning learning resources and books to shelves, volunteering time in
classrooms, EOTC helpers and much much more!
Farewell also to our staff who
move on from Muritai - our Kahū teacher Steph Lamborn, and two support staff,
Brenda and Steffi - all the best for your new adventures, and we all thank you
for your hard work, and the support you have brought to the students of Muritai
School.
Finally to our whole Muritai
staff - congratulations on another outstanding year at Muritai school. Thank
you for your never ending energy, efforts, and for the dedication you bring as a member of
our Muritai School team.
I always feel so proud to work
alongside these brilliant educators and thank each of our staff for their
commitment to our school, our students and our wider school community - in many
and varied ways. A very well deserved school holiday break is just around the
corner!
I wish each and every one of you
all a fantastic holiday break and look forward to seeing you all back rejuvenated
and relaxed in 2019. School begins again on Wednesday 5th February in
2020.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays
to you all,
Ngā
manaakitanga,
Bec
Power, Principal
FROM THE BOARD
Trustee Vacancy
The results are in and we are
going to a by-election to fill the current board vacancy.
The process will begin just prior
to the start of the new school year (unfortunately we are subject to quite
tight time constraints in order to comply with the legislation so much of this
is out of our control) with the election being held at the end of
February. The following is our timeline:
30th January call for nominations
13th February nominations close
18th February voting papers sent
27th February voting day
4th March voting papers counted
5th March new Trustee takes office
Any parent or guardian of a
student at Muritai is eligible to become an elected member of the board.
We encourage you to consider this fantastic opportunity to help shape the
direction of the school.
Education Review Office (ERO)
The
Board are delighted to announce we have received our final report from the
Education Review Office (ERO). We are very pleased to share our recent
review with you, our school community.
We are very proud of this comprehensive review into our school and wish
to share in the celebrations with you.
We
would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding work
our entire staff have put in over the last year and their hard work and
commitment is clearly reflected in our excellent ERO review. To this effect, the
board look forward to hosting a BBQ for all our wonderful staff early in the
new 2020 school year to say well done and keep up the good work.
This
very positive report did have one item in the "Areas for improved
compliance practice" which the board can confirm the policy & practice
has been reviewed as recommended.
We
have selected some key statements that we felt particularly proud of, however
there are certainly many more examples of outstanding statements within our
report that you can read in its entirety here:
· In 2018, almost
all students achieved at or above expectations in reading, and the majority
achieved at expected levels in mathematics.
· The school is
effectively responding to the small group of targeted students whose learning
and achievement need accelerating. Information for 2018 and mid-year 2019 shows
that many students, including Māori and the school’s targeted students, made
accelerated progress.
· Each student’s progress
and achievement is carefully tracked, monitored and responded to.
· Trustees are well
informed and carefully scrutinise data to support decision-making about
strategic priorities, programmes and resourcing.
· School leaders work
collaboratively with staff to create a positive learning environment that is
inclusive, values diversity and promotes wellbeing.
· A robust and meaningful
appraisal process is well implemented. Leaders and teachers are effectively
supported to build their capability through relevant internal and external PLD
( Professional Learning and Development)
· A strong, relentless
focus on improvement effectively supports learners to progress and develop
their potential. Senior leaders work cohesively to create the conditions that
promote the school’s valued outcomes.
For sustained improvement and
future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
· a strong and relentless
focus on improvement that effectively supports learners to progress and develop
their potential
· staff collaboration to
create a positive learning environment that is inclusive, values diversity and
promotes student wellbeing
· positive, respectful
relationships and strong links with the local community that support children’s
sense of belonging.
The
ERO report is a strong acknowledgement of the school and staff, and the Board
look forward to working with Muritai staff and students and continuing to focus
on providing an environment where Muritai students can be the best they can be.
We
know you’ll share in our celebrations and with us, our pride in our great
school.
From your Board - Jeremy, Kurt, Kaye, Andrew, Deane and Bec
From your Board - Jeremy, Kurt, Kaye, Andrew, Deane and Bec
End of Year Board Message
As
the school year comes to a close we wish to finish our final newsletter segment
of 2019 with a few highlights of the year, for several of us - our first on the
Board of Trustees.
We
have really enjoyed getting to know the finer mechanics of governing the
school, and have certainly had a crash course in educational jargon! We have
been impressed with the structures and processes left in place by the previous
trustees, with excellent policies, robust assurances and effective practices
ably led by Bec and undertaken by her and the team at Muritai School.
We
have learned so much about children’s progress and achievement, and are amazed
at just how much goes on behind the scenes with collection of testing and
achievement data, the analysis and the tracking of all students individually,
as groups, and as a whole school in order to ensure our children make progress
and achieve.
At
Muritai School we position the learner at the centre. The growth and
development of the learner is carefully nurtured by those around them. We focus
on what matters most in improving student outcomes. We continue to work towards
achieving excellent outcomes for all students and effectively respond to all
students whose learning and achievement needs accelerating.
Each
child’s progress and achievement is carefully tracked, monitored and responded
to. Our wonderful teachers use a range of assessment tools to gather
achievement data, analyse this and create tailored learning programmes to suit
all learners.
We
are very pleased with the achievement outcomes in 2019. 92% of children are
reading at or above their years curriculum expectations, 80% of children are
writing at and above their years curriculum expectations and 77% of children
are working at or above their years curriculum expectations in maths. We are
seeing growth across all year levels and improved achievement towards our
aspirational school targets.
ERO
identify that Muritai School has a strong and relentless focus on improvement
that effectively supports learners to progress and develop their
potential.
Some
of our overall academic progress and achievement highlights from 2019 are:
- There
was an average improvement of 20% of learners achieving their years
curriculum expectations from our mid year to the end of year overall
teacher judgements.
- There have been improvements in all
cohorts achievement from this time in 2018.
- At the end of 2019 our Maori learners are
now achieving equitable results to their non Māori
peers.
- An average of 38% of our target students
made accelerated progress. This means that these target students' learning
and progress show a noticeably faster movement towards NZ Curriculum
expectations, and made more than one years progress within a year.
It's impressive!
From
your Board - Jeremy, Kaye, Andrew, Kurt, Deane and Bec
FROM THE SCHOOL
Spring Netball
A great end to the year for
Muritai's netball teams.
Tactix and Swifts - Kororā
Netball
We have had lots of enthusiastic
newcomers to the sport this term with two fantastic teams from years 1 and 2
running, dodging, jumping and passing their way to some exciting wins.
Tino pai to mahi !
Year 4s
6 players from year 4 were keen to
take on the challenge of playing in the year 5 and 6 netball
spring competition, a great way to
work on the new skills they will need to apply next year. The team were
undaunted by the size and speed of the opposition. Dedicated to their training,
they quickly developed to finish off an amazing year with three blistering
straight wins.
Great attitude and always with big
smiles.!
Huge thanks to the supportive
parents and caregivers and a special thank you to new coaches Brooke
Davis, Jenn Gellatley and Jo Day as well as Jane Lloyd-Evans who has
co-ordinated so much of our netball this year.
Touch Results:
The
results for the first 6 weeks of Touch competition were:
Finishing
first - The Year 5/6 Boys Stags team!!
Finishing
Second - Black ferns and Hurricanes.
Finishing
Third - Chiefs,Lightning Bolts and Flyers
Finishing
Fourth - Harlequins and Lions
Finishing
Fifth - Highlanders, Storm and Crusaders
Finishing
sixth or seventh - Warriors, Turbos and Speed demons.
Thanks
to all the coaches and managers. We start again in Term One!!
Looking
forward to it!
Term Dates 2020
Term dates for 2020 have been
confirmed by our Board of Trustees as follows:-
Term 1 Wednesday 5
February to Thursday 9 April
Term 2 Tuesday 28 April
to Friday 3 July
Term 3 Monday 20 July to
Friday 25 September
Term 4 Monday 12 October
to Thursday 17 December
Our Teacher Only days in 2020 will
be advised early next year
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Speak Again 2020
Performance Development
classes are run each week at Muritai School. These lessons cover many aspects
of drama as well as a wide range of presentation skills. We focus on confidence
and creativity. Enrolments are now open for Years 4 - 8 in Term 1, 2020.
Classes are half-hour, small group sessions held during the school day at
Muritai. For more information please contact Emily Keddell on 0211885106, emily@speakagain.co.nz or head to our website:
www.speakagain.co.nz
Hutt City Libraries Summer
Reading Challenge 2019-20
· International
research shows the 'summer slide' (where reading gains slip over the long
summer holidays) is a major barrier to ongoing literacy achievement
· Tamariki
who have access to books and learning experiences during the long holidays show
less of a decrease (or even an improvement!) in their reading levels when they
return to kura/school
· The
Big Read motivates tamariki to read books and participate in activities. Our
friendly librarians are always available to provide support
Any child aged 0-12 years can
sign up for the challenge at any of our eight Hutt City Libraries from 1
December.
The entire whānau can join in,
this year we have The Little Read for ages 0-5 years; The Big Read for ages
5-12; and Explore, Read, Relax for rangatahi and adults. It’s a great way to
support your child’s reading and help them maintain the reading achievements
they have made throughout the school year, even while on holiday!
More details at library.huttcity.govt.nz and at all Hutt City Libraries.
Struggling with reading &
spelling….
Is your child struggling to crack
the code for reading and spelling, despite your best efforts to support them at
home?
Holiday help is available
with specialist reading and spelling teacher, Brenda Larkin, who successfully
works with children with dyslexia. This is a great opportunity to get 9 x
45 minute sequential lessons, which is basically a terms worth of lessons, with
one on one tuition. Learn specific
skills and spelling rules in a creative way. Evidence based research
techniques used.
Keep your child moving
forward over the long summer break and, re-ignite their passion for
learning.
“Regan really loves you
and is always keen to do his homework. We've noticed such an improvement
in his confidence and last term he went up 4 spelling groups and 3 reading
groups. I think you might have become his teacher for life!”
Book your place today: Brenda Larkin 0274 546
915
Course Dates: Monday 13th –
Friday 24th January (excluding Mon 20th Wellington
Anniversary Day).
Days Bay Wharf
Please
remember this is still a construction zone. We understand that you (or
your kids) are probably missing jumping off the wharf, but there are some
worrying hazards to consider.
The
site is an active construction area – with many of the beams and piles being
replaced and a number of submerged objects such as rotting wood, nails and
bolts etc. This increases the likelihood that you (or your kids) might have a
serious accident and we don’t want that to happen.
So,
please don't jump! Let's work together to keep our community safe.
