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 Charles Montague and Dylan Holmes to Room 1 as well as Torunn
Clarkson (Room 16) and Sibella Clarkson (Room 13).
FROM
THE PRINCIPAL
Tena
koutou Muritai families,
Reporting
to Parents
Report
writing season is underway with the teachers beginning to create the mid year
progress reports for our learners. This is a large job for teachers and
also a satisfying one, as we get to appreciate just how much each child is
growing and progressing and what their next steps for the second half of the
year will be. These reports will be coming home early next term in week 2.
Board
of Trustees
We
welcomed our new Board of Trustees at a social get together last night along
with our previous Board. I want to congratulate our newly elected
trustees, and certainly want to acknowledge the 12 unsuccessful candidates who had
put themselves forward. I was very pleased with the amount of engagement
our community demonstrated with the many nominees that put themselves forward,
and also with the amount of you who voted. Thank you all.
The
previous Board and I have written an outgoing letter to you all which you can
read below.
Our
first Board meeting is next Thursday the 27th of June, where we will elect our
new Chair who will be in place for the rest of 2019.
Generous
Donation to Muritai School - from last newsletter...still available!
We
have such an amazing community at Muritai school! One of our very generous
families won a laptop in a recent competition. They have decided to
anonymously donate the computer to another family who may be in need of a
laptop and who possibly don’t have the means to purchase one at this time.
If you would like to nominate a school student, school family who may be
in this position (you are welcome to nominate yourself) please email me by the
28th June (extended for another week)
with the details at Principal@Muritai.school.nz
Staffing:
Next week we are farewelling Anton Norman at our Kororā school assembly on Friday. Anton is here through to the end of term before his move to Hong Kong. You are welcome to join us at this assembly next Friday, as always.
Cross Country
This week our fastest runners represented us once again at the Inter Zone Cross Country - we have had some outstanding results and look forward to announcing these once confirmed.
Thank you to our cross country helpers and coaches as well as our teacher supervision and parent supporters who survived the cold and rainy conditions in this mid winter event.
Thanks of course also go to Trish Theobald our sports coordinator for her endless enthusiasm and organisation of these events.
Next week we are farewelling Anton Norman at our Kororā school assembly on Friday. Anton is here through to the end of term before his move to Hong Kong. You are welcome to join us at this assembly next Friday, as always.
Cross Country
This week our fastest runners represented us once again at the Inter Zone Cross Country - we have had some outstanding results and look forward to announcing these once confirmed.
Thank you to our cross country helpers and coaches as well as our teacher supervision and parent supporters who survived the cold and rainy conditions in this mid winter event.
Thanks of course also go to Trish Theobald our sports coordinator for her endless enthusiasm and organisation of these events.
Ngā
manaakitanga,
Bec
Power, Principal
FROM THE BOARD
Farewell
from the Board of Trustees and Announcement of new Board
Reflecting
on the past three years since the current board was elected, it has been a time
of significant change, both in the education sector and at Muritai. We
farewelled long-serving principal Andrew Bird, and welcomed Bec Power to take
up the role in 2017. Shortly after, national standards were removed and a
review of the education system launched.
Our
most important role as a board is to ensure Muritai learners are achieving to
their fullest potential. We have been supported by a strong senior leadership
team which puts learners at the heart of every decision, tracking and reporting
back on the progress of each student. That has seen increasingly targeted
support and extension, individualised learning and more technology in
classrooms.
We
have invested in more professional development for teachers and wellbeing
support for staff and students.
In
property, we have welcomed a spacious new staff room and renovation of the
dental clinic into a multi-purpose space known as the cottage, as well as the demolition
of an ageing playground. Plans for a new play space are underway and, up next,
is a major redevelopment of the senior school.
We
leave the school in a strong financial position, capable of weathering
uncertainty.
We
have moved to SchoolDocs for our school policies, bringing with it best
practice and termly reviews of policies with feedback from staff, board and
parents as well as being available on our website.
Alongside
ongoing community consultation, we have also responded to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
obligations, creating a whanau group for our Maori and Pasifika families with a
regular hui attended by a board member.
More
recently, we are focusing on consolidation and settling in after a period of
change. While we continue to attract a high calibre of staff in a competitive
teaching market, we acknowledge concern over turnover. To ensure we
connect with staff, the leadership team gathers feedback at several points
through the year via staff surveys and individual interviews. Furthermore, from
this year, all departing staff are offered an exit interview with the board
chair.
What’s
next? This term you will see our Kapa Haka group representing Muritai in their
smart new uniforms at Hutt Fest (formerly Polyfest). We were delighted to fund
this as we strongly support our school’s bicultural perspective in our
increasingly multicultural Kapa Haka group - and want our students to feel
proud on stage representing Muritai.
As
we hand over to the incoming board, we would like to thank families and the
broader community for the support, both in time and donations. We encourage
your continued support to allow Muritai to be ‘the best it can be’.
We
welcome the new board of trustees for Muritai School - Jeremy Buckley, Deane
McKay (Staff Trustee), Bec Power (Principal), Kurt Renner, Andrew Saunderson,
Kaye Sherwin, Marni Stevenson. The results of voting are published in our
foyer and in the Hutt News.
From
your out-going Board - Nigel Cass, Miki Szikszai, Mary Longmore, Louise
Marsden, Andrew Saunderson, Deane McKay and Bec Power
FROM THE SCHOOL
PINK
SHIRT DAY
The
children supported Pink Shirt Day this year on Friday 17 May, a day that
celebrates diversity and creates environments where all people can feel safe,
valued and respected. Donations of $335 were collected for this very
worthy cause.
YEAR 7/8 BASKETBALL
On
Tuesday June 11th Muritai School had one Year 7/8 Basketball team attend a
local tournament. They were very excited to represent Muritai and play all the
intermediate schools in the area. Quote from Head Coach Brett Fastier
"Hard day in the office, but they hung in there". The students
enjoyed themselves experienced playing some top talent in the Hutt Valley.
Thanks to Brett Fastier for coaching the team!
INTER
ZONE CROSS COUNTRY
This
week we had 35 students attend and compete at the Inter Zone Cross Country
Event. Our students did extremely well with 10 (TBC) going through to the
Regional competition on July 2nd. It was pretty wet and a very cold day but all
the students had a great time. I was really proud of them as they
supported each other and were so pleased at everyone’s achievements. Thanks to
the parents that came and supported on the day.
Many thanks to Jane Lloyd-Evans for helping with training.
ROAD
PATROL - ADULT HELPER NEEDED
I
am looking for an adult who would be able to do road patrol on Muritai Road on
a Thursday afternoon 2.45 - 3.05 p.m. from Term 3. If you are able to do this
please contact Maureen Buckley on buckley@muritai.school.nz
LOOKING
TOWARDS 2020
If
you have a preschool child who will be turning five between now and December
2020 and would like them to attend Muritai School or have any questions
regarding this, please contact our school office on 04 562 8409 or Maureen
Buckley on buckley@muritai.school.nz to ensure their name is on our
list. Please also let your neighbours know especially if their child attends
preschool out of the Eastbourne area.
TERM 2 2019 DATES
|
|
27 June
|
BOT meeting at 6.15pm
|
1 July
|
Hutt Fest Performance
|
2 July
|
Regional Cross Country
|
2 July
|
Walk and Talk with Bec Power (9am)
|
5 July
|
Last day of Term 2
|
22 July
|
First day of Term 3
|
30 July
|
After Drop Off - Walk & Talk
|
15 Aug
|
BOT meeting at 6.15pm
|
16 Aug
|
SE Zone Swimming
|
30 Aug
|
School Disco
|
6 Sept
|
Inter Zone Swimming
|
19 Sept
|
BOT meeting at 6.15pm
|
27 Sept
|
Last Day of Term 3
|
14 Oct
|
Start of Term 4
|
TERM DATES FOR 2019
Term dates for 2019 have been
confirmed by our Board of Trustees as follows:-
Term 1 Monday
4 February to Friday 12 April
Teacher
only day on Friday 15 February
Term 2 Monday
29 April to Friday 5 July
Term 3 Monday
22 July to Friday 27 September
Term 4 Monday
14 October to Thursday 19 December
