Tena Koutou katoa
Naumai e te whanau o te kura Muritai
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
We have had another week where our students have participated in lots of fun and exciting learning opportunities. On Monday afternoon, our Year 6 students went over the road to visit and take part in a range of activities involving art, technology, sports and drama with the Year 7 and 8 students. It was a great opportunity for our younger pupils to build relationships with our senior students and the Year 7 and 8 teachers as well as familiarise themselves in preparation for their move next year. They really enjoyed the activities and were able to have their questions answered.
What a fantastic night the students had last Friday! Thank you to everyone who attended the discos and a huge thank you to the Home and School members who worked tirelessly for this event.
On Thursday Vane visited the Junior School. He delivered an exciting programme about Financial Literacy and the importance of saving and become clever Cash Kiwis. He visited Year 7 and 8 last week and will return in the next few weeks for years 3 to 6.
We welcomed Daniel Peacock who has been coaching some of our Year 5 and 6 students in golf.
Four of our students, Dan Walker, Tai van de Bar, Elodie Bain and Imogen Chappell met other students from around the Hutt Valley when they attended the ‘Sustainability Hui.’ Thank you Sally Bain for accompanying them.
Our Year 5 to 8 students attended a performance by 'Perform' Educational Musicals. The performance was named 'Myfriends.com' and covered the following key learning points:
• What is cyber bullying?
• Cyber bullying is a criminal offence in NZ.
• What to do if you’re cyber bullied.
• Bystanders – their choices and the implications of their choices.
• Keeping personal details to yourself.
• The risks of ‘friending’ strangers online.
• The risks of assuming a fake identity online.
• Cyber bullies can’t hide – how cyber activity can be traced.
• Cyber bullying is never your ‘fault’.
• Self esteem
• Communication
• Peer pressure
• Kindness
• Supportive friendships
Please discuss this with your child and ask them what they learnt.
Warmest congratulations to the following students who recently participated in the International Competitions and Assessment for Schools (ICAS) in spelling and earned high scores. Fraser Neilson in Year 5 got a High Distinction while Isabella Carroll, Jessica Park, Sage Pettus, Luke Tait, Scarlett Tito (all Year 5) Alexandra Irvine, George Walker (both Year 6) Leon Medcalf (Year 7) and Joshua Toomath (Year 8) received Distinction.
We are also delighted to congratulate Fergus Gloag and Eli Wylie from Room 1 for completing the Reading Word Wall. A great effort by them both. We also congratulate Bodhi Kane for completing his spelling rocket to become a super speller. Well done Bodhi!
Teaching staff have also been learning. On Monday, Michelle Ducat who facilitates the Enviroschools programme in the Hutt Valley came and discussed Sustainability and our Green Gold status.
Two staff members attended a wonderful music workshop involving intercultural songs from Madagascar, West Africa, South America and the Pacific on Wednesday. We know that oral language underpins all learning so on Thursday evening twelve staff attended a workshop on strategies to enhance oral language development in our classrooms.
Congratulations to Mila Emerson who is this week’s winner from the ‘Golden Box’ for students and Mrs Allen from the staff.
Well done to Room 4 who are our Schoolgen award winners this week.
There will be a ‘Starting School at Five’ information evening in room 3 for parents of preschool children on Wednesday September 7th at 7 p.m. This evening is to answer parent and caregiver questions to ensure the transition from preschool to school is a smooth one for everyone.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION - You may already know about the upcoming paid union meetings for teachers, principals and support staff. The reason for these meetings is to discuss the concerns held within the profession about the proposals being put to Cabinet for consideration in reviewing the way in which funding is delivered to schools.
N.Z.E.I. and P.P.T.A. are the unions that represent more than 60,000 teachers and support staff from preschool to Year 13. They have asked all members to attend meetings in September to hear more about the funding proposal and help determine the education sector’s response.
All union members are entitled to attend two paid union meetings per year. N.Z.E.I. do not hold meetings in school time unless the issue is highly significant. Our teaching and support staff will be attending a meeting on Thursday September 8th 2016 at Walter Nash Stadium from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Staff will be leaving school by 12.30 p.m. on that day. You are welcome to collect your child by 12.20 p.m. if you wish (please let your child’s teacher know if you are going to do this). Otherwise students will be supervised for the afternoon and can be collected from the school hall at the usual time.
2017 - I am looking ahead and planning has begun for next year. If you have a child who is turning five and will be joining our Junior School could you please contact Jo in the school office and let her know name, date of birth and your contact details. If you have a child/ren who is leaving at the end of this year could you please email me and let me know.
We wish our Rippa Rugby team (Rosa Blair, Jack Roche, Elodie Bain, Ben Drummond, Barney Cass, Greta Woolloff, Lola and Mia Campbell, Tom and Daniel Brownsword all the best in the Air NZ Rippa Rugby Championship next week. I know that they will try their best.
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Maureen Buckley
FROM THE BOARD
Many thanks to all those who took the time to do the online survey about what you valued at Muritai and would like to see improved, as we embark on the search for a new principal. We had more than 200 responses which is terrific and some clear themes have already informed our person specification. These will be further discussed by the Board and shared with the school community in the near future.
As we further analyse the responses, alongside the face to face consultation, key points will be considered as part of our shortlisting and interview process over the next two months or so.
Advertising for the position is beginning today online, and will follow in the Education Gazette hard copy early next month.
Nga mihi - your Board of Trustees
FROM THE SCHOOL
SENIOR SCHOOL
Here are our teams enjoying their Art, Tech challenge, Sports and Drama when the Year 6s came to visit.
Put the Eastbourne Carnival date in your diaries. This is the school’s biggest fundraising event and we need all families to help in some way. We will be advertising in the newsletter and sending out requests via email for assistance.
A number of popular stalls will be back in force this year. Once again students from the senior school will be taking the lead (with parent help!) of the Toys and Adopt a Bear Stall. This was hugely successful last carnival with all proceeds being donated to Kidscan. Other stalls in need of donations from the schooling community are the Book stall, Smash Palace, Plants and Clothes Stalls.
Spring is around the corner so a good time to sort through those cupboards and elsewhere around the home. The following donations are needed:
- books
- toys and sporting equipment
- clothes (includes shoes, bags and blankets)
- old crockery (chipped bowls and plates)
- plants and pots (drop off 7 Rona Street-leave on doorstep). September is a good time to start potting up seedlings - get the kids involved, it’s their carnival! All plant types welcomed and ceramic or plastic pots (not the plastic kind plants come in from the nursery though)
It is super important please that all donations are of good quality and are clean and complete (i.e. all pieces). Items that are not do not sell and need to be disposed of, this created a lot of extra work last carnival. We will let you know where to take all your items in the next newsletter.
It is also super duper important that any items which involve pieces (e.g. board games, jigsaw puzzles, sporting items etc…) are placed in sealable zip-lock type bags (many pieces became homeless last carnival when boxes were picked up and pieces fell out!).
A crowd carnival favorite is the face painting stall-as yet we have no one to run this. If you can face paint, or know of someone who can please let Jo or Carole in the office know asap.
Lastly, if you have an idea and you’d like to run with it we’d love to hear it!! Please speak to Jo or Carole in the office.
DIARY DATES (staff may contact you with more details about these events)
Thur 25 Aug Otago Problem Solving
Mathswell
Wed 31 Aug Artsplash Choir Evening Show
Thur 1 Sept Y7-8 NIWA Science fair
Fri 2 Sept Assembly
Y3-6 Zone Basketball
Wed 7 Sept ‘Starting School at Five’ information evening
Mon 12 Sept Production Rehearsal
Tues 13 - Production - Matinee on Tuesday
Thur 15 Sept Production - Evenings
Mon 19 Sept Y1-2 Parent Conferences
Tues 20 Sept Y1-2 Parent Conferences
Y1-2 Jump Rope for Heart ‘Jump Off’
Y5-6 Zone hockey
Wed 21 Sept Room 5 Parent Conferences
Thur 22 Sept PP Y5/6 Zone Hockey
Fri 23 Sept Assembly
LAST DAY OF TERM 3
TERM DATES FOR 2016
Term 3 = Monday 25 July - Friday 23 September
Term 4 = Monday 10 October - Friday 16 December
We have a teacher only day at Labour weekend.
Teacher only day two = Tuesday 25 October
COMMUNITY NOTICES
TENNIS
Play tennis this season at Muritai Tennis Club
Registration for interclub is 4th September 11.00 - 12.00
bring your racket and some friends and come for a hit
or email michelle.fisher@outlook.co.nz
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