Friday 27 September
















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 Dune Armstrong to Room 1.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Tena koutou Muritai families, 

WOW! Here we are already at the end of term! We have had another fantastic week at Muritai School, ending the week today with our Wacky Hair day, and the school is especially bright and bubbly. This afternoon we were treated to a wonderful assembly with many performances and great learning shared by our littlest learners - team Kororā.  

Thank you to all of our many parent helpers who have assisted us this term - we have so appreciated your ongoing support whether it has been cheering on the sidelines of the sport fields, helping out in one of our classes,  coaching one of our sports teams, cooking hotdogs, fundraising in the Home and School team, attending Board meetings, doing road patrol, bringing home baking to the staffroom (2 lots today!), or attending one of our school trips, thank you, thank you, thank you! We are so lucky to live in such a connected community.   

You may have heard in the media over the past week about a student at Canterbury University who has passed away.  We learned today that Mason Pendrous was one of our own, a past student of Muritai School.  Mason was at Muritai for over two years from 2010 - 2012, and I have spoken to his past teachers today passing on our condolences.  Our thoughts go out to his family, our wider staff and our community who may have known Mason. We are so sorry for your loss, Kia kaha.  

Have a wonderful holiday break with your nearest and dearest.  Our children (and staff!) are ready for a good rest after a busy term. If you are staying in Eastbourne or travelling further afield, we wish you a great term break.  

See you next term (with your sun hats on), ready for more learning adventures!

Ngā manaakitanga,

Bec Power, Principal


FROM THE BOARD

Hello Muritai Families

The last week of term is upon us and the children seem to be looking forward to a well deserved break after a busy and exciting term. We hope that you all have a safe and fun break.

As a Board we encourage open and transparent communication and thank our school community for being interested and involved in our school.
We would also like to address some issues that have recently come to our attention. As the Board of Trustees we are responsible for the wellbeing of our staff.
Firstly, can we please send a gentle reminder to our school community about the arrival time for our learners. The first bell goes at 8.40am which is when your child should be in their classroom ready for learning.
There are currently children arriving from as early as 7.45am, which is far too early. Whilst many of our teachers arrive at school at that time and are in their classrooms their focus is on preparing for the day. Please respect their time and efforts, they are not there to supervise children before 8.40am.  
If you need to drop your child/children off early then please utilise our amazing Kelly Club, on site in the hall. They are open from 7am and you can book your child on-line as late as 9pm the night before. They can even provide your child with breakfast !   
Please follow this link to check them out:  https://www.muritai.school.nz/kelly-club-at-muritai-school
Secondly, our teachers and staff enjoy receiving communication from parents and the wider school community and as you would expect, the vast majority of communication is in a respectful manner. However, it has come to our attention that some of the communication that our teachers and staff are receiving from a small number of parents is unacceptable.
We have a highly skilled, committed and hard working teaching and support staff at Muritai and we as a Board were disappointed to hear how some staff members are being treated by some of the parents at our school.
As a school we are very open to constructive feedback and want to work in partnership with parents to address any issues as they arise. We encourage parents to discuss any concerns with their child’s classroom teacher and ask that it is done in a way that:
  • treats everyone with respect
  • works together in partnership with staff for the benefit of our Muritai learners and reach a reasonable resolution
  • respects and adheres to our school values
  • sets a good example for students at all times
  • follows school procedures to handle any complaints
If you would like to read more about our policies in relation to conduct then please visit this link:  
There is very useful information in the Parents and Whanau section.
As mentioned earlier most of the communication with teaching and support staff is positive and respectful, and it is only specific instances that are unacceptable. We thank the majority of our wonderful school community for the valuable contribution they make.  
As a Board we encourage a culture of mutual respect, openness and transparency.  
All the best for the holidays
Muritai School Board of Trustees

FROM THE SCHOOL

Water Polo
The year 7/8 water polo season wrapped up yesterday. Most of players were new to the sport, but they learned quickly. It was a really fun season and every player on the team improved heaps. They faced some tough competition but fought hard until the final buzzer every game.




Hats for Term 4
As we move into our summer months, we need to be mindful of the sun and being sun smart.  Please ensure your child comes to school with a hat in Term 4 and Term 1 next year.   It needs to be a bucket hat (no caps please).

Term Dates 2020
Term dates for 2020 have been confirmed by our Board of Trustees as follows:-

Term 1   Wednesday 5 February to Thursday 9 April
Term 2   Tuesday 28 April to Friday 3 July
Term 3   Monday 20 July to Friday 25 September
Term 4   Monday 12 October to Thursday 17 December

Whacky Hair Day
What a wonderful day we have had today with lots of children (and staff) looking whacky hair.  They all look fabulous. We raised $392  towards providing Te Omanga Hospice with a new playground for children visit the Hospice.  
  


Gardening Tools - long handled and short handled pruners, spades and hedge clippers
Taita college and Wainuiomata High School students are clearing blackberry and gorse to restore wetland areas and are looking for old gardening tools.  If you have any of the above, please phone Gary on 021 286 6282 or email: mistletoe1957@gmail.com
  
TERM 3 AND 4 2019 DATES
27 Sept
Whacky Hair Day
27 Sept
Last Day of Term 3 - usual finish time of 2.55pm
27 Sept
Whole school assembly - Kororā led
14 Oct
Start of Term 4
22 Oct
After Drop Off - Walk and Talk with Bec at 9am
1 Nov
Whole school assembly - Tuī led
5 Nov
SE Zone Athletics
7 Nov
 Postponement day for SE Zone Athletics
7 Nov
BOT meeting at 6.15pm
15 Nov
Whole school assembly - Kororā led
19 Nov
Inter Zone Athletics
21 Nov
Postponement day Inter Zone Athletics
29 Nov
Whole school assembly - Kererū led
1 Dec
Abel Tasman camp for year 8’s
3 Dec
Regional Athletics
4 Dec
Postponement day Regional Athletics
10 Dec
Y8 Gardasil vaccination
11 Dec
Kererū Triathlon
11 Dec
BOT meeting at 6.15pm
17 Dec
Year 8 Formal
19 Dec
Leavers Assembly at 11am
19 Dec
School closes at 1pm




COMMUNITY NOTICES

Eastbourne Swim Club will be back in November!
Now is the time we start getting organised behind the scenes before the Eastbourne pool opens in mid-November. The Eastbourne Swim Club runs affordable lessons for children aged 5 - 12 years on Thursdays during the summer terms. It is a local club run by a committee made up of volunteer parents. The volunteers have tasks and roles shared between them.

The club has a is in need of new committee members for the coming 2019/2020 season as previous committee members stand down. We have a fabulous core group of volunteers on the committee but really require a few more. Please get in touch if this sounds like something you would like to do! It is a great part of the community's summer calendar and a wonderful way to enjoy the best of our summer evenings as a community.

We are also on the look out for swimming coaches - both poolside and assisting in the water.

For committee or coaching roles please get in touch via the email: eastbourneswimclub@gmail.com

Tennis Coaching
Tennis Coaching at Point Howard, term four group coaching to start Tuesday 22 October and Friday 25 October. Hotshots session for children 5 to 14 years old, Tennis Xpress for beginner adults and older teenagers. Single court venue with sessions run by Club Professional - internationally qualified Coach. Visit our website for further details and to register www.clubspark.kiwi/CTF alternatively phone Darren 021 870 978

 


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