Naumai e te whanau o te kura Muritai
Tena koutou katoa
Welcome to Angus Rennie (3), Isabel Lewis (6) Finlay Lewis (3), Elliott Hallman (3), Natali Daisley (3) and Rafael Barton-Vivian (3) to Muritai School. These are our new children and new families that have started at Muritai School this week. This takes our school roll to 403!
From the Principal -
Another quiet but busy week at Muritai. It is great to see the variety of learning going on across the school and our children being so active at school. Cross country preparations are in full swing and the children are getting some extra fitness work for their Saturday sport. Our school cross country is on Tuesday 24 May. Next week we have science week and Barbara Ryan and her science committee have organised a science flavoured week for the children. These weeks we do annually are always great fun and there are a few parents popping into the school to share their science expertise with the children.
I am pleased to announce that Yasmin Kerr is our new deputy head girl. Yasmin replaces Abigail who left Muritai at the end of last term. Congratulations Yasmin on continuing to show your leadership skills in term one at Muritai, making you a worthy appointment for the rest of the year. You are a wonderful role model.
We welcome Erica Hatcliffe to our staffroom for the next few weeks. Erica is a UK trained teacher and will be working in room 11 with Jess Davidson as part of her NZ registration process.
I sent a memo to classrooms today about the school pedestrian gates. Can you please help us by making sure that the pedestrian gates are closed at all times between 8.50 and 2.50.
Next Friday we are having Pink Shirt Day. No gold coins required - just wear something pink! This is a global day where people stand together and say that bullying is not OK. Starting in Canada in 2007 this movement has grown bigger every year. We at Muritai believe that Pink Day reflects the work we are doing to firstly promote that our children are kind to each other at all time, and secondly that when children are being unkind, or bullying, that we either stand up, or step in for our friends. Bullying is not OK.
Currently we have Entertainment Books for sale. Please return them if you do not want to purchase them. The school gets $12 for each book sold and if you visit the Cobar, Days Bay Cafe, the Pavilion on an annual basis, go to a few movies in Petone and the Hutt and a game of bowling will soon get your money back and save! If we sell 83 we get $1000 to spend on our children! Thank you to Michelle Fisher for taking the time to organise this fundraiser.
Thank you to the team that tidied up the senior school. Many hands make light work and Kate Brownsword together with about 10 parents and teachers got stuck in and filled a skip of debris. Our next working bee will be led by Nick Brownsword and is next Saturday afternoon the 21st May (1pm to 4pm) where we will replace and upgrade the decking on the school fort.
BOARD ELECTIONS
If you are considering standing for the Board of Trustees, nominations close next Friday the 20th May.
Timeline for the Board election events goes like this -
- Supplementary roll close Wednesday 18 May
- Nominations close Friday 20 May
- Voting papers issued by Wednesday 25 May
- Closing poll election at NOON on Friday 3 June
- Votes counted and results declared on Thursday 9 June
Andrew
From the Board of Trustees -
Welcome back to term 2 from the Board. The current Board, as a group, have one last meeting until the Board of Trustees election. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time as the trustees of the school and look forward to welcoming and working with the elected representatives who will take the school forward over the next 3 years.
As you will be aware our principal, Andrew Bird, will be on leave in term 3 while he undertakes the Woolf Fisher Fellowship. The Board is pleased to inform the community that Maureen Buckley will be Acting Principal during term 3.
The Board received the resignation of Hayley Skilton this week. Hayley’s husband Matt has been appointed to the position of principal of Tahatai Coast School in Tauranga and the family is moving north at the end of this term. Hayley has been at Muritai for the last 11 years and has provided excellent service to the school as a classroom teacher and as an Associate Principal. We recognise all that Matt and Hayley have contributed to Muritai over the last decade and wish the Skilton family all the very best for their next steps.
The Board has looked very closely around its responsibilities with the new Health and Safety legislation. A lot of media dialogue has centered around the liability and risk to managers because of the new legislation. This will realistically affect businesses with poor, undeveloped systems. The Board, with the use of an expert, has analysed our processes and systems and understands the responsibility required by the management team. We have a duty of care to provide the safest environment for the people that are on our property and we believe we have thorough systems in place to continually identify hazards and eliminate risks to make the school as safe as possible. We do acknowledge the continual assistance for all our community members to help us maintain this safe environment .
School Donation - thank you for making the contribution to the school through the voluntary donation. This donation allows us to operate around 2 additional classrooms across the school beyond what the MOE entitlement allows. A reminder to keep your receipts as the donation entitles you to a 33% tax rebate.
From the School -
HOT DOGS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We are still looking for helpers to make hog dogs on Wednesdays during Term 2 and 3. It is very simple with detailed instructions. If you would be willing to volunteer helping out at school between 11.30 and 1.30 on Wednesdays, please see Carole or Jo in the school office.
ENVIROSCHOOL PROGRESS FOR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
Muritai School continues to retain its Green/Gold Envorschool status.It has been a busy first term for the Enviro Team. We have initiatives that have carried over from last year as well as new ideas being put forward from the student body and community. Our goal is to continue to highlight environmental issues to our students and create informed and future thinking citizens. We are doing this by focussing both on our local environment, whilst encouraging well rounded New Zealand citizens through awareness of Tikanga Maori and participation in learning Waiata and Haka.
A snapshot of events last term undertaken by the wider Enviroschool team - .
- Powhiri at beginning assembly to welcome new teachers and students.
- Election of Enviro/ Kapa Haka student leaders.
- Regular student meetings following student initiatives
- Concern over student lunch box waste -s tudents wanted to create a healthy, low waste cookbook for sale at the Gala. This is slowly taking shape. Students have been suggesting and testing recipes for inclusion.
- Seaweek beach clean up. - Schoolwide
- Nurturing and repotting of existing Spinifex seedlings and swan plants.
- Growing plants from local seed gathered by students saving both money and reducing carbon footprint.
- Gathering new seeds to continue propagation process.
- Weeding local beach at dune restoration site – With dune society
- Intermediate garden – being revitalised with help from parent community.
- Butterfly tagging and replanting of butterfly gardens.
- Fruit trees in schools – trees growing well and survived the long dry weather. Some even fruited! These have been mapped and documented for future reference.
- Yrs 3-6 Kapa Haka sessions to learn School Haka, and a variety of waiata and rakau.
- Kahikitea leadership group - Yr 6, creating opportunities for students at lunchtimes to promote a happier playground.
- Peer mediators – supporting vertical alignment and promoting decision making for students.
- Community gardeners assisting in preparing the intermediate for spring planting.
DIARY DATES (staff may contact you with more details about these events)
Tues 17 May Y5-6 Zone football
Wed 18 May Young leaders day in Wellington
Fri 20 May Pink Shirt day / Board of Trustee nominations close
Tues 24 May Y3-8 Cross country race
Fri 27 May School assembly
Friday 3 June Board election votes close
Mon 6 June Queen’s Birthday - school closed
Tues 7 June Teacher only day and Central Zone cross country
Wed 8 June Y5-6 Speech finals
Fri 10 June School assembly
Thurs 16 June Board of trustees meeting
Tues 28 June PolyFest
Fri 1 July Mid year reports go out
Wed 6 July Celebration of learning 3pm - 6pm
Fri 8 July Last day of term.
TERM DATES FOR 2016
Term 1 = Monday 1 February - Friday 15 April
Term 2 = Monday 2 May - Friday 8 July
Term 3 = Monday 25 July - Friday 23 September
Term 4 = Monday 10 October - Friday 16 December
We have 2 teacher only days this year at Queen’s Birthday and Labour weekend.
Teacher only day one = Tuesday 7 June
Teacher only day two = Tuesday 25 October
COMMUNITY NOTICES
FROM HUTT VALLEY NETBALL
The Beko Netball League at the Walter Nash Stadium this Sunday 15th May. We are so very fortunate to have this game being played in the Hutt Valley and your support will encourage future games being played here. Entry is a Gold Coin Donation and our U19 Representative team will be manning a sausage sizzle outside the stadium also. It would be good to get as many supporters as possible along to this game.
Kids Cross Country Series - come along and have some fun
Athletics Wellington is again running the Kids Cross Country Series in partnership with Les Mills and the Shoe Clinic over the winter months at various venues around the Wellington region. First up is Karori Park on Sunday 15 May. Other venues are Upper Hutt, Petone, Tawa and Mt Victoria. Races for pre schoolers through to year 8s. This event has grown in the past few years with up to 600 kids taking part, so come along and have some fun. For more information or to enter go to https://www.athleticshub.co.nz/our-programmes#kidsxcountry
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