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

Thank you for your support with our shift to Alert Level 2. We all really appreciate our parents being mindful of signing in, and of staying out of the buildings during our current contact tracing requirements.  Together we can keep everyone safe.  Thanks too, to those who have kept unwell children at home - we acknowledge the past few days may have been very challenging in your workplaces, and possibly your households.  

We have had to postpone two key events this week: our Fun Fitness afternoon, and also our Kahū assembly. We have postponed our Fun Fitness until the weather warms up, this is now likely to be held during Spring, and the Kahū assembly will now be held next Friday, if we return to Level 1. 

Connected Curriculum - Announcing the Muritai School production for 2021!

What a great start we have had to the whole school connected curriculum inquiry this term, called ‘Paperback Patterns’ - which has a science focus in the strand of Physical World. We have had classes beginning to explore heat conductors, cogs, gears, levers, forces, transfer of sound, light and colour and plenty more. The children are really enjoying the class and team challenges, taking part in experiments, and getting hands on whilst growing their understanding of the concepts of the Physical World. 

We are excited to share what we have been learning for this Inquiry in our Muritai School Production later next term. We are in the process of writing the script and thinking about how the classes can share their Physical World learning with you. Please keep week 9 of next term (starting Monday 20th September) free and we will let you know more details early next term about dates, times and the production schedule. 

Staffing Update

Finally today I wish congratulations and farewell to one of our teachers Kelly Williams who has her final day with us today.  Kelly’s fiance Mike has won his first architecture position in Christchurch, and Kelly begins her new role at Christchurch East School  on Monday.  Good luck from us all Kelly and Mike! We welcome Charlotte (Charlie) Parson to join the Muritai staff team who returns to her home town of Wellington after working at Pinehill School in Dunedin. I know you’ll join me in making Charlie feel welcome to our special kura. 

Launching our Strategy - To be the BEST we can be!

As mentioned below in the Board update, we are proud to launch our new Muritai School strategy.  We are producing a short film (2mins) that will bring our new strategy to life and we intend to film in and around the school on Monday the 5th of July.  This film will be featuring some children in speaking roles whose parents will be contacted directly to gain permission to do so.  Other Muritai School students may be spotted in some background shots, some playing outside moments,  or even shots of learning in the classrooms. This video will be published on our school website and also shown at the start of our production each night.  Please let me know, if you would like your child NOT to be captured in this video by emailing me at Principal@Muritai.school.nz

Kia pai tō rā whakatā  - Have a great weekend!

Bec Power, Principal

FROM THE BOARD

Hello Muritai Families

The Muritai School Board of Trustees held its fourth meeting for 2021 recently. It was a very productive meeting and from that, we have a couple of updates to share.

We would like to firstly thank everyone who contributed to our 2021 – 2023 Muritai School Strategy.  As a Board we have spent a lot of time ensuring this reflects all our combined aspirations for our school over the next three years.

Our ultimate outcome for our children: Our school vision is to “Be the best we can be”

We will achieve this through:

• Empowering – improving learner empowerment through our agentic approach

• Partnership - our people will be their best through cohesive partnerships

• Environment – our spaces are linked to enable learners and Kaiako to be their best 

We have included the illustration that communicates this visually: 

Another exciting announcement is around our official launch of our new strategy.  We are producing a short film (2mins) that will bring our new strategy to life and we look forward to showing you this at our production later in Term 3.

We have had a big focus on Maths over the past two years with fantastic outcomes.  Positive changes have been made in classroom practices because of this.  Thank you to the team involved in making this happen.

We will share some of this data with you next month.

Warm wishes 

Muritai School Board of Trustees

Kaye, Andrew, Bec, Jeremy, Kurt, Lisa and Felicity.

FROM THE SCHOOL

Term 2 Policy Review:

We invite parents to assist us in our ongoing review of school policies. This term we invite parent feedback on

Reporting to Parents on Student Progress and Achievement

How to give feedback: 

https://www.muritai.school.nz/copy-of-school-information

1. Visit the website http://muritai.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm

2. Enter the username (muritai) and password (muritaischool).

3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.

4. Read the policy.

5. Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.

6. Select the reviewer type "Board".

7. Enter your name (optional).

8. Submit your ratings and comments.

TERM 2 and 3 CALENDAR DATES

29 June Starting School at 5 meeting - 7pm to 8pm

2 July Whole School assembly hosted by Kahu

5 July Hutt Fest rehearsal at 1pm

6 July Hutt Fest Kapa Haka Performance at 6pm

7 July Starting School at 5 meeting - 10am to 11am

9 July Korora Whole School Assembly

9 July Last day of Term 2 

25 July First day of Term 3

17 Aug BOT meeting at 6.30pm 

17 Aug Wellesley Sport Exchange

20 Aug School Disco starting at 5pm

27 Aug Inter School Swimming Sports

3 Sept Mihi Whakatau

8 Sept Starting School at 5 - 7pm to 8pm

14 Sept BOT meeting at 6.30pm

15 Sept Starting School at 5 - 10am to 11am

21 Sept Ki o rahi Yr 5 - 8

23 Sept PP Ki o rahi Yr 5-8

24 Sept Inter Zone Swimming Sports

1 Oct Last day of Term 3

TERM DATES 2021 

Our Term dates have been agreed for 2021 as follows: 

Term 1 4 February to 16 April

Term 2 3 May to 9 July

Term 3 26 July to 1 October

Term 4 18 October to 16 December

 

Our teacher only days this year are:

Friday 4 June

Friday 22 October

These days line up with HVHS teacher only days which may be of help to you as well as being the Friday prior to Queen’s Birthday holiday and Labour Day enabling a long weekend for everyone.  

Kelly Club will very likely have holiday programmes for these Fridays for people who need care for their children. 

 

COMMUNITY NOTICES - Please  Note the following notices have been requested to be published and are not necessarily  endorsed by us as a school.  In the spirit of community we include these digitally for you to peruse. 

Term 1 Lunch time French at Muritai

• Experience French learning the fun way! Children speak French from the first lesson

• ages 5 to 10, lessons once a week, lots of interactive activities, role play, crafts, active games and music

• Free trial lesson.  

• Includes a membership starter pack of materials to use at home

• For more details contact Stefi on stefi@lcfclubs.co.nz  or 021 178 2099

see website www.lcfclubs.co.nz

Friday 11 June 2021

 

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, 

Thank you for your support with our recent Teacher Only Day. It was a brilliant opportunity for our full staff team to get together and explore the ways where we can ‘Be the BEST we can be’ in regards to meeting our students' needs and keeping up to date with current pedagogy and best practices.  

Thank you to our hard working Home and School team - this small and yet impressive team continually manages to find the means to support the school in many and varied ways. Thank you all as our parent community for supporting these initiatives! Please see an update from the Home and School team later in the newsletter. 

Mihi Whakatau

This morning we had a Mihi Whakatau to welcome all of our new whanau (families), tamariki (children), kaiako (teachers) or kaimahi (staff) to our Kura (school) who have started with us since our Term 1 Mihi Whakatau.  At Muritai School we follow the process of a Pōwhiri but it is less formal due to the nature of our context (being at school and not on a Marae), therefore the Pōwhiri is called a Mihi Whakatau.  

At our Mihi Whakatau our Mayor Campbell Barry was also in attendance,  and he spoke to the whole school about his job (including his recent ‘manu’ off of the Day’s Bay wharf!).  Following the morning tea for all new students and families in the library, the Mayor joined the students for a few games of the always popular court game ‘hand-ball’, and then met with the Head and Deputy students and I to discuss our school, our current annual plan and the Muritai School 3 year strategy, and how we are launching this with our wider community very soon! 

  

Our termly Muritai Mihi Whakatau event continues to be a very positive connection to our new school community members, we really appreciate them taking time out of their day to experience an official Muritai welcome! 

Well done to the whole Muritai team who made today such a success.  Thank you also to Kaye Sherwin, our Board Chair for taking the time to be with us as well. Our staff work hard behind the scenes to ensure the success of the Mihi Whakatau, and to enable the welcoming to be completely student-led - and I believe our students continue to improve in hosting this important welcome every term. 

Hall refurbishment  - What do you think?

Over the past month I have been meeting with and surveying  the Board, the Home and School Team and the staff on what we wish to achieve in the refurbishment of our Muritai School Hall. I now welcome you, our parent community to have your say on the Hall development survey.  The survey closes next Friday 18th June. 

Hall development - https://forms.gle/xifkNEtMDaVTXdCVA

 

Fun Fitness Afternoon

I am looking forward to our upcoming Fun Fitness afternoon where we can expect to have a great deal of fitness fun, and end up quite tired and possibly even quite messy! I know there is much excitement in the build-up for this day amongst the students and the staff! I’ll certainly be packing an extra change of clothes, and like the students, will not be re-entering the buildings and will be going straight home for a shower at the end of the day! Please read the notice included below for the details around how this will all happen. Remember - there will be an alternative internal path that the children can choose to take if they do not want to participate in some of the stations (especially the wet and wild and colour fun run). 

Muritai School Learning Conversations

Thank you for the fantastic attendance at the Learning Conversations earlier this term.  The teachers have been busy sharing children’s beginning of the year achievements with parents and some children. They have shared their learning next steps and celebrations. This has been a great time to connect with whanau about our children and all the amazing things happening around school to meet their needs. 

Thank you for working with our teachers to build that connection and explore the children's next steps and possible goals for 2021! We really value this time together and hope you got a snapshot of how your children have begun 2021. If you need anything from these conferences, can you please contact your teacher for further information. 

Mid-Year written Reports will be coming out at the beginning of Term 3 and will contain an overall Teacher Judgement (OTJ) of how your child is achieving related to their year levels New Zealand Curriculum expectations for Reading Writing and Maths, celebrations and next steps, connected curriculum comments, general comments and a student reflection of how they have begun this year. 

Term 2 Policy Review:

We invite parents to assist us in our ongoing review of school policies. This term we invite parent feedback on

Reporting to Parents on Student Progress and Achievement

How to give feedback: 

https://www.muritai.school.nz/copy-of-school-information

1. Visit the website http://muritai.schooldocs.co.nz/1893.htm

2. Enter the username (muritai) and password (muritaischool).

3. Follow the link to the relevant policy as listed.

4. Read the policy.

5. Click the Policy Review button at the top right-hand corner of the page.

6. Select the reviewer type "Board".

7. Enter your name (optional).

8. Submit your ratings and comments.

Congratulations

Finally today I wish congratulations to one of our superstar writers Claire Bennett who won the national ‘Brain Bunny - Age 10 and up’, creative writing competition.  Claire received a prize of 4 books which I presented to her at the Kererū assembly on Tuesday.  I have attached Claire’s writing at the end of this newsletter for you all to enjoy.  

Kia pai tō rā whakatā  - Have a great weekend!

 

Bec Power, Principal

FROM THE BOARD

Hello Muritai Families

The Muritai School Board of Trustees held its third meeting for 2021 recently. It was a positive meeting and from that, we have a couple of updates to share.

It was great to have one of our Muritai parents attend the board meeting.  We are sure they enjoyed the conversations and agenda the board worked through. The board would like to remind our Muritai School Community that they are welcome to come along to our board meetings. Board meetings are held in public but are not public meetings. However if you wish to speak at our meetings please email our Board Chair to request a timeslot. As a Board we are always open to listening to, and considering the views and opinions of our community and welcome your participation. All meetings are listed on the school calendar on our website: https://www.muritai.school.nz/calendar 

While we are talking about the school calendar, we would also like to let you know that the “during the year” school holidays have all been entered into the calendar. This will help with planning for 2022. 

Lastly we would like to congratulate the teachers and parents for the success of the recent Learning Conversations. The feedback to the board was the parent / teacher engagements were very positive and the attendance was extremely high.  In fact the attendance rate of parents attending were: year 0-2: 85%, year 3-4: 89%, year 5-6: 92.5%, year 7-8: 91%. It is a privilege that our parents are so invested in their children’s success.

 

Warm wishes 

Muritai School Board of Trustees

Kaye, Andrew, Bec, Jeremy, Kurt, Lisa and Felicity.

FROM THE SCHOOL

Update from the Home & School Committee

The Home & School Committee supports the school by raising funds for extras for the school above what is funded by the Ministry of Education.  In the past year we have contributed $3,600 towards a computer to support the new library system, $20,000 towards the school playground with a further $5,500 pledged for the next phase of the new playground. This year we hope to fund $25,000 of STEM equipment (robotics, computers, lego technics etc) so we will be busy this year fundraising for that and also potentially to top up Ministry funding to ensure we get the result we want for the hall refurbishment.

Last year our fundraising was on hold with the uncertainty of Covid lockdowns, but we are back in business this year with the ever popular Pizza Mondays and Hotdog Fridays which will be back in term 3. We also have the ongoing Entertainment memberships on offer, so please consider purchasing a membership - it’s a win-win - you get great discounts on dining, family activities, travel and accommodation and we get a donation per membership. We will also host the school disco on Friday 20th August so pop the date in your calendar!

We are always looking for new members to help us achieve our fundraising goals so if you can help us out please do get in touch. We meet just once or twice a term and have a healthy committee so it’s not a big commitment. If you have a business and would be willing to donate items or vouchers for an auction or raffle we’d also love to hear from you. Please feel free to call Tots on 021854128 or email totsandrew@gmail.com for more information.

 

Muritai School Fun Fitness

We are excited to share with you the information for the Muritai School Fun Fitness afternoon next Thursday 17th June from 1:30pm - 2:45pm on the Muritai School field. 

It will be a fun afternoon where all Muritai children will make their way around the outside of the field walking or running through some fun stations. The children can make their way around the stations at their own pace and speed. Children will be encouraged to run with their buddies and give all the stations a go. There is an alternative internal path that the children can select if they do not want to participate in some of the stations. 

The stations will be

1. Wet and Wild - Make your way across the slippery tarp while dodging water pistol fire

2. Army Run - Moving through tires, under obstacles, and more! 

3. Colour Run - Running down a channel while being covered in powdered paint

4. Obstacle Course - Make you way over and under a range of obstacles 

5. Spider Web - Careful not to be caught up in the tangle of ropes 

6. Noodle Gauntlet - Bounce your way through the path of pool noodles 

Can all children please wear their house colours and clothes that they can get dirty, slightly wet and possibly covered in powdered paint!!

The purpose of this Fun Fitness afternoon is to develop children's fitness, engagement in physical activity and to have some fun as a whole school! Please come and watch and encourage the children to take part in the Muritai School Fun Fitness afternoon! 

SPORTS

Cross Country Inter Zones - Tuesday 15th 

Next week we have 43 children competing in the Inter-zone event at Trentham Memorial Park. These students qualified by running at the Inter School event last week and finishing top 15 in the South East Zone. They should be very proud of themselves.  Students will be catching a bus there and back and we wish them all luck in the next stage of the competition.

 

Basketball

We are half-way through an exciting season of playing basketball. The students are showing a huge improvement from the beginning of the year.

 

Netball

The students are really enjoying the games and the trainings that they take part in. Thanks to all the coaches and managers that keep this ticking along so smoothly/

Scholastic Lucky Book Club

Issue four of the Scholastic Lucky Book Club, for 2021, is now available. This is the fourth issue for the year. Orders will be closing on Wednesday the 16th June. Your order can be done on the following website https://my bookclub.scholastic.co.nz/Parent/Login.aspx. 

The whole school order is processed on the closing date and it usually takes approximately a week for orders to be delivered. 

We greatly appreciate your support as the school is able to gain rewards through purchases you make which enables us to add books to our school library collection and also get sets of books for novel studies. 

TERM 2 CALENDAR DATES

14 June Pizza Monday

15 June Interzones Cross Country

17 June Muritai School Fun Fitness

22 June Inter Zone Cross Country 

22 June BOT meeting at 6.30pm

24 June Muritai School Fun Fitness postponement day

24 June PP Inter Zone Cross Country 

25 June Kahu Whole school assembly

5 July Hutt Fest rehearsal at 1pm

6 July Regional Cross Country

6 July Hutt Fest Kapa Haka Performance at 6pm

8 July PP Regional Cross Country

8 July Celebrations of Learning for whole school

9 July Korora Whole School Assembly

9 July Last day of Term 2 

TERM DATES 2021 

Our Term dates have been agreed for 2021 as follows: 

Term 1 4 February to 16 April

Term 2 3 May to 9 July

Term 3 26 July to 1 October

Term 4 18 October to 16 December

 

Our teacher only days this year are:

Friday 4 June

Friday 22 October

 

These days line up with HVHS teacher only days which may be of help to you as well as being the Friday prior to Queen’s Birthday holiday and Labour Day enabling a long weekend for everyone.  

 

Kelly Club will very likely have holiday programmes for these Fridays for people who need care for their children.  Please check their website:  https://www.kellyclub.co.nz/muritai

Under the Bed - Claire, Age 10

I’d like to thank my friend Siena M for the Mexican inspiration and my teacher; Miss Holli Williams, for encouraging me to give it a go and giving me lots of good ideas.

• Claire B

“Charlotte! Dinner!” her mothers piercing voice rang through the house.

“Coming mum”... mumbled 11 year old Charlotte.

Down stairs her mum; Guadalupe, was busy with preparations for dia de los muertos: a mexican celebration. Her mum had been doing nothing else for the last three weeks. Charlotte's rickety, old traditional house had been transformed; it was now laden with beautiful flowers adorning the ceiling and door ways, the wonderful smell of cooking food wafted through the peeling rooms. Her family had lived in this house for generations, Charlotte had  never felt her mum's connection to the house; she hated sleeping under a leaky roof.

To Guadalupe, dia de los muertos was the most important time of the year! And with it only 2 days away Guadalupe was working hard to keep the tradition alive, Charlotte received a daily lecture about how important it is to remember her ancestors and celebrate their lives; otherwise their memories would fade from existence: their whole lives gone. Charlotte, however, felt quite the opposite about dia de los muertos; she would much rather hang out with her friends.

Charlotte reached out to some delicious looking food.

“No”! Her mum exclaimed and quickly pulled her arm away.

“Those are for your aboulo! Pozole was always her favourite.”

Charlotte huffed. What good was food to dead people?

Charlotte had her dinner; it wasn't nearly as nice as the pozole.

Then she got ready for bed, after brushing her teeth she popped the question: “ you look very pretty tonight mama”

“Thank you my hija, but get to the point.”

Charlotte sighed her mother knew her too well. “All right. I was… well… I was wondering if I could skip dia de los muertos this year?”…

Guadalupe stared at her daughter as if she had just suggested pigs could fly! “But querida… dia de los muertos is about family, it is a trad-”

“A tradition I know”. Charlotte stammered “but i want to hang out with-”

“Enough Charlotte!” her mothers tone Quickly became angry. “Us mexicanas have had this tradition for over 500 years. I will not break it for you to play with your friends!” Charlotte's eyes welled up and tears rolled down her cheeks. She ran upstairs to her bedroom, she buried her head in her pillow and wept.

When suddenly from under Charlotte’s bed sprung a silky black cat…

Just then her mum burst into the room, she opened her mouth to speak, her face flushing red but before she spoke Charlotte fled the room…

Charlotte had no were to go to. she ran and ran until she reached a cemetery; she collapsed on a cold stone bench and cried....

She had no clue why she was so upset over stupid dia de los muretos, then it hit her. She was just upset at her mother, angry, annoyed…

What had she done? She cried even harder. There was a chill in the air. Charlotte shivered in the cold.

“Don’t cry dear” a soft voice called from behind her

Charlotte was too shocked to scream! Standing right behind her was a figure of a person, not quite alive but fading softly, the shell of the person she; whoever she was, once was. She had grey hair and wrinkles, dimples appeared on her cheeks when she smiled.

She had warm almond shaped eyes,which somehow seemed familiar.

Charlotte stumbled backwards into the tree.

“Wh… who are you?” muttered Charlotte 

The ghost studied her. “Why I am your aboula, carino.”

Charlotte now knew where she had seen those eyes before; she saw the staring right back at her every time she looked in the mirror.

Just then Charlotte saw the silkey black cat slink by completely unaffected by the ghost. Her grandmother nelt down to pat the cat.

“Good gata”. The cat purred “Alma is very faithful, she led you here after all.”

Charlotte began to trust the old lady…

She explained all her problems and answered all her aboulas questions about the future and what had happened to her family after she left.

As they talked Charlotte forgot about being miserable.

The more time they spent together the more color came back to her aboulo. The color came back to her milky brown eyes.

 They talked for hours until Charlotte looked at her watch.

I have to get  back! She thought desperately, her mama would be worried sick!

“Aboula I have to go!” exclaimed Charlotte

“All right neita. But I want you to go back and celebrate dia de los muertos with your familia. Remember me… if there is nobody in the world left who does I will simply fade from existence.”

So that was why you were fading thought Charlotte.

“I will aboula I won't let you die twice.” but something else was on her mind… “will I ever see you again?” Charlotte asked “I never left you” replied her grandmother. Charlotte sighed “I’ll miss you all the same.”

“Goodbye carino.”

“Goodbye Aboula”. And with that Charlotte turned and left.

She glanced behind her waving; expecting to see her grandmother's cheerful face waving back… but she had disappeared into thin air.

Charlotte broke into a run.

There was so much to think about. If this was possible what else was? The spooky stories she and her friend told at sleepovers? The thought gave her shudders.

By the time Charlotte got home to her rickety old house her mum was on the phone with the police.

“Querida!!!!!” Guadalupe squealed as she hung up. Her mother grabbed her and pulled Charlotte into an enormous, bone breaking bear hug “I was so worried!”

“I’m so sorry mama! I should have listened to you!”

Charlotte would have said something else but her words were drowned out by her mothers tight embrace.

So Charlotte celebrated dia de los muertos with her familia but something was on her mind…

Just then a silky black cat slunk past, Charlotte could have sworn it winked at her...

 

COMMUNITY NOTICES - Please  Note the following notices have been requested to be published and are not necessarily  endorsed by us as a school.  In the spirit of community we include these digitally for you to peruse. 

Eatnibbles

Feeding kids healthy and convenient options is not always easy. Nibbles provides great lunchbox fillers or snacks on the go to help nourish your kids. Check it out today by visiting www.eatnibbles.co.nz

Thank you for supporting local. If you have any questions, please reach out to us on our social media pages or send us an email.