Friday 13 May 2022


FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Kia ora Koutou 

What a busy start we have had to Term 2! 

Lots of wonderful learning opportunities have been occurring right across the school with our students taking part in all areas of curriculum demonstrating our school values of exploring, connecting and contributing. Now that we are at Orange we are beginning to reintroduce some activities that weren’t possible under Red. We are pleased that today we can finally have our first school assembly together in over a year. This is hosted by the Kahu team where they have showcased some of what has been happening over the road.

We have been excited to have everyone meeting their buddies in person (instead of via a screen).This has certainly been a highlight as well as having the Kahu students come from over the road at lunchtimes to reconnect with their peers.

We are delighted that Room 3 has now opened and a warm welcome is extended to our new teacher, Miss Elena Forlong and the six new students and their whanau who have just joined us - Ari Dewilde, Florence Macintosh, Raffie Gould, Annabelle Parker, Jett Grant and Theo Thomsen. Welcome also to Daniel McDonald who has joined us in Room 21 and his family.  We hope your time at Muritai is enjoyable. 

We are also glad to have Molly Schuler join us to do her professional practice towards her Graduate Diploma of Teaching. She is teaching in Room 8 over the next six weeks alongside Miss Dalziell. 

The Kahu leadership groups are underway with lots of projects having been started.  Currently the Sports Ambassadors and Art Ambassadors are working on the Cross Country and Buddy Fun Run while the Charity Ambassadors are preparing for the Pink Shirt Day. The Year 7 Lunch leaders are supporting the junior school students while they eat their lunch and our Year 8 leaders added the poppies to the fence for ANZAC Day.

The Kereru Leaders and Peer Mediators are out and about in the playground at lunchtimes organising sports games and the P.E. trolley for all our students. The goal posts and basketball hoops have been well used already as has the sandpit. 

It has been great to see that Kapa Haka for our older students has started on Wednesday mornings and the winter sports teams are already practicing and having games. 

Learning grids continue to come home each week to support your child’s learning either through your child’s Seesaw or Google classroom accounts. These complement what is occurring in the classroom currently.

As you know Covid remains present in our community so we are continuing to follow protection measures for our students and staff. We strongly encourage face masks to be worn indoors as we have been advised that this is a key health measure that slows the spread of COVID-19. We practice the handwashing techniques and hand sanitizing, cough/sneeze into the elbow, suitable distancing, ensure all windows and doors are open to keep classrooms well ventilated and we continue to do a lot of our learning outside throughout the day. Thank you for supporting these measures especially by keeping your child at home if they are unwell. 

This year the Muritai School staff is participating in professional learning around Structured Literacy. As a result of this professional development, our teaching practices will transition over time to align with this teaching approach in spelling, reading and writing. Please read further information about Structured Literacy in this newsletter. 

Thank you for supplying your favourite recipes for the Home and School Recipe book and supporting their first fundraising project for this year. I have had a sneak peek and there certainly are some delicious recipes that have been sent in. The next stage is for the students to decorate their page to complement their recipe and this will be made into a book available for purchase later in the year. 

I am looking forward to seeing you dressed up at the Cross Country and Buddy Fun Run next week supporting the efforts of every child participating. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Ngā mihi kia koutou,

Maureen Buckley 

Deputy Principal


FROM THE SCHOOL

Learning Conversations 

Thank you to those parents and caregivers who have already booked a time to meet with their child’s teacher on either Tuesday May 24th or Thursday May 26th between 3.10 pm and 5.50 pm.  If you have not yet done so, please book a time by going to the School Interview website www.schoolinterviews.co.nz  insert the code SE5BS and follow the instructions.  We are looking forward to seeing you and sharing the learning that your child has done so far this year.


Cross Country

You may have seen the children out practicing their running for the Muritai School Cross Country/ Buddy Fun Run which is in our calendar for Thursday 19 May at HW Shortt Recreation Grounds (postponement date Friday 20 May for competitive runners only.)  Please make sure your child/ren come to school with comfortable shoes for running.  


Our competitive Year 4-8 runners will have the opportunity to compete to be selected to represent Muritai School at the Year 4-8 Inter-school Cross Country competition on 24 May.  Alongside this we will be running a whole school event challenging all children in years 0-8 to take part in a fun circuit of activities.  

Times are as follows (approximately):

Welcome 9.30am

Y8 Girls and Y8 Boys 9.40am

Y7 Girls and Y7 Boys 10.05am

Y6 Girls and Y6 Boys 10.30 am

Y5 Girls and Y5 Boys 10.50am

Y4 Girls and Y4 Boys 11.10am

Buddy Fun Run Y0-8 11.30am

Finish                         12.30pm

We are really wanting to celebrate coming together for the first Muritai whole school event for 2022 and are encouraging children to dress up in their house colours, get motivated to take part and support our runners and challenge themselves in the Buddy Fun Run activities.  

If you would like to help, either as a marshall or helping staff with the Buddy Fun Run activities, please contact Trish Theobald on theobald@muritai.school.nz.  

We look forward to seeing you at the Rec, dressed up in your child’s house colours and ready to support/take part in the Buddy Fun Run.  

Pink Shirt Day 

Next Friday May 20th will be ‘Pink Shirt Day’ as we Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora - Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying! On this day, your child can wear items of pink clothing and bring along a koha to support the Mental Health Foundation. Our Year 7 and 8 Charity Ambassadors have been organising this event working together to ensure that everyone feels safe, valued and respected.

Structured Literacy 

Structured Literacy is an evidence-based approach that is grounded in the Science of Reading. As a school, we have partnered with Learning Matters and have been accessing the iDeaL platform to ensure our teachers are well supported with this transition and the approach becomes embedded and sustainable across our school.

The findings from the Science of Reading have taught us some very important lessons that we cannot ignore. This body of research findings has been a welcome addition to the education sector, and we are proud to share with you that we are certainly taking heed of these.

Key takeaways from the Science of Reading include the following:

  • Reading is not a natural process. Previously, we believed that learning to read was as natural as learning to speak.
  • We now know about the skills that good readers implement and the parts of the brain that are involved in the reading process.
  • Likewise, we know what aspects we should assess and teach to students who are not progressing in reading and spelling.
  • We now know that all brains learn to read in the same way and that these areas of the brain can be trained and developed.
  • A Structured Literacy approach to learning to read and spell is necessary for all and crucial for some.
  • A Structured Literacy approach is the most efficient teaching and learning approach for dyslexic children and those with reading difficulties.
  • The teaching of spelling in a systematic and explicit way enables students to become capable readers and writers.

In time, as we are resourced, we will use decodable texts for reading in junior classrooms and catch-up readers with older students.

As a parent, you may wish to learn more about this approach and the Science of Reading. If you have questions, please feel free to find further information at:

Lifting Literacy Aotearoa  https://www.liftingliteracyaotearoa.org.nz/ 

Learning MATTERS https://www.learningmatters.co.nz/ 

iDeaL Approach https://learningmatters.rocketspark.co.nz/ideal-landing-page/

It is important to remember that your child’s teacher and our school are on a learning journey. This transition will take dedicated time and specific resourcing. 

You are possibly wondering how this will affect your child’s home learning. Some key aspects are as follows:

We will be implementing a very explicit approach to the teaching of spelling. You will notice a much more systematic sequence to the practicing of spelling words. Teachers may, in time, send home tips to help you understand and support the learning of the spelling concept that your child is practicing.

The spelling concept may also align with the reading focus for your child and in time, they may bring home what is known as a ‘decodable reader’. In these books, the letter representations relate to the sounds and letters that your child is learning through a set teaching order.

As the year progresses, we will continue to update you via our school newsletters and parent information sessions where relevant.

If you have any specific queries about Structured Literacy, please make email contact with the Structured Literacy Team- 

Brenda Nisbet and Jess Richards 

(bnisbet@muritai.school.nz     jrichards@muritai.school.nz) 

Dental Van

Next week the dental van arrives and will be parked in the school grounds for the next four weeks. Your child will be seen by the dental nurses during this time with notices coming home for your attention if they need any treatment.

SPORT

Netball

Great start to winter netball!! All Muritai's five teams were eager to get on court and get the season underway. Some amazing individual skills and teamwork were on show. 

Welcome to all our new players. Fantastic to have you with us!

Years 7 and 8 were given a special treat on Saturday, getting some top tips from Pulse and Silver Superstars Kelly Jury and Erikana Pedersen.

Good luck to our Year 7s starting their umpiring course this weekend and as always, a huge thank you to Miss Dalziell and all the parent coaches, managers and transport helpers.



Lucky Book Club

Issue three of the Scholastic Lucky Book Club, for 2022, is now available. Orders will be closing on Friday 20th May. 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 both our Resource collection and school library collection.

DIARY DATES:

2 May           First day of Term 2

13 May        Whole School assembly run by Kahu syndicate

19 May        Dental van at Muritai School

19 May        Muritai School Cross Country and Buddy Fun Run 

24 May        Learning Conversations from 3.10pm to 5.50pm

24 May        Inter School Cross Country

25 May        BOT meeting at 6.30pm

26 May        Learning Conversations from 3.10pm to 5.50pm

6 June         Queen’s Birthday Holiday

10 June        Mihi Whakatau

13-17 June    School Photos

14 June         Interzone Cross Country

15 June        Starting School @5 meeting at 7.30pm to 8.30pm

19 June        Muritai School Cross Country

22 June        BOT meeting at 6.30pm

23 June        Whole school assembly hosted by Kororā syndicate

24 June        Matariki Holiday

27 June       Whole school assembly hosted by Tūī syndicate

5 July          Regional Cross Country

8 July         Whole School assembly hosted by Kererū syndicate 

8 July         Last day of Term 2


TERM DATES 2022:

Term 1  2 February to 14 April

Term 2  2 May to 8 July

Term 3  25 July to 30 September

Term 4  17 October to 15 December


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. 




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