Week Nine News

Kaurihohore School Week Nine, Term Two News 

Manaaki te katoa - be kind to all. 

Respect - Empathy - Kindness 

He whakatauki. Ehara tāku toa i te toa takitahi. Engari, he toa takitini.

Success is not the work of one but the work of many.

Kia ora koutou 

We are on the home stretch to the holidays. For some of you it will seem that the holidays have only just

been, however yes, it is week nine and next week is the last week of term. 

It has been a good term, if not a little cold and dreary as you would expect in Winter.  We have a lot

of tired children trying to bounce back from various viruses going around.  We hope they get time to rest and recharge over the holidays.

2022 and Year 2 Places 2021

We are currently reviewing our roll for 2022.  If you know of anyone who may be sending their

child to our school, but may not have let us know, we would really appreciate you giving them a

nudge in the right direction.  A call to the office, or an email to me or Chrissie would be great just to

help with planning.  This helps us know how many actual places we have on offer for 2022,

at this stage there looks to be quite a few out of zone positions on offer for new entrants in 2022,

however we like to be as accurate as possible.  We also have a few places for in

or out of zone Year 2 children at the moment, if you know of anyone looking to move

their child and wanting to enrol with us, get them to make contact. 

At this stage, this is solely for Year 2 children.

Thank you to Croft Poles and Timber

We are very grateful for the continued support of Croft Poles and Timber for our environmental projects. 

They are currently sponsoring trees for our manuka, kanuka planting in support of our bees, bigger

bark for the mulch for these gardens and playground bark that will replace what we currently have

under the small pole hut and monkey bars.  They have also sponsored timber to have these areas

reframed.  This is part of Rūma Piwakawaka’s beautification project.  This totals thousands of dollars

worth of support which we are incredibly grateful for, the playground bark alone is worth $2500.

Their support is making it possible to bring many projects to fruition that we would not have been able

to do for some time.  We are working on a number of these projects on Empty classroom day and

would love your help if you have any time.

Thank You!

Our children have been out and about at many events over the term, from gymnastics to league to

Winter sports,  to chess to science roadshows they have been able to make the most of every

opportunity this term.  We are grateful for the support that you provide by transporting and supervising,

we couldn’t do it without you.

Awards Assembly - Friday 9th July 2.30pm

At the end of Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3 we hold an awards assembly. 

Teachers will recognise three children from their class who have embodied our school values. 

We will also announce the overall Good Citizen as voted by the children at this assembly. 

This will be held on the courts (as long as it is fine) at 2.30pm on the last day of school. 

If it is not fine we will hand the certificates out in class and let you know the assembly is not going

ahead.

Real Time Reporting

At the end of this term teachers will send home a short Term 2 update in your child’s cumulative report. 

For some children, much of the information contained in the term one comment will remain the same,

so there will just be a short update in the Term 2 box.  For others this comment may be a little longer in

regards to dispositions and what may have been worked on, changed or progressed.

Also by the end of this term you will have received a blurb for your child in reading, writing and maths. 

This may have come home via seesaw last term, or your teacher may be sending it out this term. 

Either way, by the end of this term you will have information about where your child is working in maths,

writing and reading and through the report know a little about their dispositions as a learner.

If you are unsure of the curriculum levels and expectations, please have a watch of the video I made

and shared on facebook, this hopefully will clarify expectations for you.

We know that the report will appear very small on your device.  Simply open it and click on the

original version, it will then open as a PDF document.  This is easier to view on a computer or laptop. 

If you are having great difficulty viewing, please ask and we will print a copy out for you.  

Over the next week of school, if there is something you would like to query regarding your child,

please make an appointment to see your child’s teacher.

Tahi Bee Friends Program

We are very lucky to be part of the Tahi Bee Friends Program starting up again in August 2021.

Thank you to Tahi Honey and to Judy Dempster for hosting the bees.

Nanette Brown will be our Bee Friends Educator delivering the Bee Friends Program on behalf of Tahi.

In the first week of term 3 I will meet with all year 5 students that are interested. We will then select

10 students to be part of this program. They must be year 5 students as the program will run from

August 2021 to April 2022.

We have our honey from last season for sale at the school office for $10 for a 500g pot.

Michelle Douglas

Parking 

We are still noticing people parking on the yellow lines outside school at the beginning and end

of the day.  Parking here is dangerous at these busy times of day.  Please do not do it.  It is also

really unsafe to collect your child from the courtyard and walk up the main exit, while cars are also

trying to exit this area, please don’t do this.

We are also noticing people are still parking out on the main road, blocking visibility for those

exiting our car park.  This is simply not a place we want you parking, it is dangerous and creates a

hazard for everyone, please stop!

Gala Sponsorship

The PSG are currently looking for monetary sponsors and goods sponsors for the gala. If you know

of a business that would be able to sponsor goods or money we would really appreciate it.

Please contact Janet Hammond for more information or let Dianne in the office know and she

will pass this information on.

Empty Classroom Day

This will be held on Thursday the  8th of July.  This is the second to last day of term. 

Children self-direct their play outside and will need warm layers.  They will also need two or

three changes of clothes and a towel in case they get wet or muddy.  We have a number of environmental

projects scheduled for that day as well that we would love your help with if you have any time. 

We will be moving bark, weeding, cleaning up and planting on this day.  If you have time and a

wheelbarrow or spade, we would love your help.  Children can also get involved with these projects

so might like to bring a spade and wheelbarrow along to school.  Every class has environmental

projects on the go and this is a great day to make some headway on these jobs.

PSG Pizza Orders

Order forms will come home today for pizza orders.  This will be for the last day of school. 

Look out for this form if you are wanting to order your child pizza lunch on this day. 

This is a PSG fundraiser and was well received last time.

Term Dates

Please note that all dates and other information are kept as up to date as possible via our school

blog, you can access this at kaurihohoreschool.blogspot.com

Term Two

Ends 9th of July

8th of July - Empty Classroom Day (everyone welcome to come and join in we would love your help)

Term Three

Begins 26th July

Ends 1st October

Within this term will be Cross Country and Sponsored Run (dates yet to be set)

Term Four

Begins 18th of October

Gala - 20th November

Athletics day will also be held within this term (date yet to be set)

Prize giving - 10th December 1pm

Term Ends - 12.00 December 14th

2022 - Return Date 2nd of February

Recommended Reading

Our staff development in terms of working with children with challenges revolves around the work

of Ross Greene.  He is the author of a few books which are recommended reading for all parents,

but particularly parents who have children they would describe as challenging.  

Those children that struggle to manage frustration, transition and problem solving and find it hard to

self-calm and self manage their emotions.  

His work is amazing and as a staff we are currently learning about his collaborative and proactive

solutions.  The books below are worth a read.

Food for thought... 

The way we look at behaviour needs to change.  Children do well if they can.  If they can’t there is a

reason for it, they are lacking the skills to do so and it is these skills that we as adults need to help

them develop.  Time invested now means success later on for everyone.

Noho ora mai - stay well, look after yourself and look out for others!

Leslee Allen

Week Seven News

 

Kaurihohore School Week Seven, Term Two News 

Manaaki te katoa - be kind to all. 

Respect - Empathy - Kindness 

He whakatauki. Ehara tāku toa i te toa takitahi. Engari, he toa takitini.

Success is not the work of one but the work of many.

Kia ora koutou 

It is great to finally see a bit of sun today.  The weather certainly impacts how we are feeling. Children like us are also sensitive to the dark mornings and wet days.. They can feel a bit tired and low at this time of year.  We need to make allowances for this by being more understanding, empathetic and giving them time to process their emotions.  Children often crave more time with us, just being together, spending time rather than spending money is key.  Throw away the devices and spend some time outside.

Many of you will know that we have been a restorative practice school since 2018.  This means we choose to work restoratively rather than punitively with behaviour.  Restorative practice focuses on children taking ownership for their actions and learning from these.  Restorative practice has four underlying principles:

• Positive interpersonal relationships are a major influence on behaviour.

• A culture of care supports the mana of all individuals in a society.

• Cultural responsiveness is key to creating learning communities of mutual respect and inclusion.

• A restorative approach leads to individuals taking responsibility for their behaviour.

Through restorative practice, we aim to keep the small things small.

Wrapped up with restorative practice are KiVa anti-bullying, zones of regulation (emotional learning), trauma informed practice, play based learning, use of the arts, environmental learning, relationships first and specific coaching when required.  All of these approaches allow us to cater for individual needs and focus on teaching children social and emotional skills that they will need later in life to be happy human beings.

These practices allow us to give children a sense of ownership and empowerment to be able to solve problems with us collaboratively and learn from their mistakes.  This allows us to genuinely foster respect, empathy, kindness and citizenship.  It is not something we pay lip service to, it is something we truly believe in.  It is a culture of wellbeing that we are building based on a Māori model wellness called Te Whare Tapa Whā, this takes into account the whole person.

If teachers feel they need your support in any of these areas for a child, they will get in touch, but we will work first on empowering the child to make changes for themselves.

The Space Becomes The Nest

Many of you will be aware that over a year ago we took the library away to create another learning space.  The idea of this was to create a nurturing, calming place, where children can go at any time when they are feeling stressed, sad, anxious, upset or angry.  Basically when their emotions may be overwhelming them   A place they can go to before they do or say something that they later regret.  We also want to use this as a transition place, a nurturing, calm place to be, where children can re-join a classroom when they are ready.

Through our work on understanding trauma and its effect on the brain, we now have Shelley working out of this area full time, meaning there is an attuned adult, who can help them calm and listen to them.  We see the nest as a hub, where children can go to calm or access the help that they need.

If you have any furniture that you think would be great to build up the warm, nurturing, comfortable place, please see Shelley Buckton.

We also have plans to create an outside space like this, an outside classroom if you like where we can make the most of the wonderful nurturing capacity of the outside.  We just need the money to make this happen so it is currently on our wish list.

Real Time Reporting

At the end of this term teachers will send home a short Term 2 update in your child’s cumulative report.  For some children, much of the information contained in the term one comment will remain the same, so there will just be a short update in the Term 2 box.  For others this comment may be a little longer in regards to dispositions and what may have been worked on, changed or progressed.

Also by the end of this term you will have received a blurb for your child in reading, writing and maths.  This may have come home via seesaw last term, or your teacher may be sending it out this term.  Either way, by the end of this term you will have information about where your child is working in maths, writing and reading and through the report know a little about their dispositions as a learner.

If you are unsure of the curriculum levels and expectations, please have a watch of the video I made and shared on facebook, this hopefully will clarify expectations for you.

We know that the report will appear very small on your device.  Simply open it and click on the original version, it will then open as a PDF document.  This is easier to view on a computer or laptop.  If you are having great difficulty viewing, please ask and we will print a copy out for you.  

Over the next few weeks of school, if there is something you would like to query regarding your child, please make an appointment to see your child’s teacher.

Parking 

Please please please do not park on the yellow lines outside of school or on the road frontage.  This is incredibly dangerous, it makes it very difficult for people to see when they are pulling out of the exit and it will cause an accident as it has done in the past.  

We realise parking is limited at the end of the day, but these areas are simply not safe.  If you are needing to get in quickly to pick up your child, park behind the first couple of cars in our main car park, quickly come in to get your child, and exit quickly so you don’t hold up those people parked.  Alternatively come slightly after 3.05 and drive into the pick up line.   As a school with the majority of our 200 children being transported in cars, we need to be considerate of one another.

Term Dates

Please note that all dates and other information are kept as up to date as possible via our school blog, you can access this at kaurihohoreschool.blogspot.com

Term Two

Ends 9th of July

8th of July - Empty Classroom Day (everyone welcome to come and join in)

Term Three

Begins 26th July

Ends 1st October

Within this term will be Cross Country and Sponsored Run (dates yet to be set)

Term Four

Begins 18th of October

Gala - 20th November

Athletics day will also be held within this term (date yet to be set)

Prize giving - 10th December 1pm

Term Ends - 12.00 December 14th

2022 - Return Date 2nd of February

Brilliant Podcasts

I urge you to listen to the podcast “I’ve got questions” by Kathryn Berkett and Pio Terei.  Understanding brain development is an important part of what we do at school, but it is also really important for parenting.  These podcasts explore stress and how as parents we can help children to be resilient...how we help children bounce back and cope with things when they don’t quite go the way we want them to and why moments of tolerable stress are important to help children become independent?   Let’s face it, we all have to learn to deal with disappointments. 

They are short, entertaining podcast episodes available on spotify or they can be found on Kathryn’s website https://www.engagetraining.co.nz/podcasts

We are learning a lot from Kathryn’s work and hope you can join in on this journey.

Calendar Art - School Fundraiser

Classes have been working on a piece of art this term that can also be turned into calendars if you wish to order them.  All children will have received an order form.

*Prices are on the order form.

*Over the next few weeks your child will be creating a piece of classroom art in a form that can then be turned into items for purchase.

*To order return the form to the office for each child and please remember to pay at the same time! Every year we have many parents that send the form in but forget to pay which means we have to chase them up and it's a bit of a mission!

* You can pay online to

12 3093 0200 709 00

Kaurihohore Board of Trustees

Please reference your child's name and what the payment is for.

*Cut off date is MONDAY JUNE 28. NO ORDERS WILL BE TAKEN AFTER THIS DATE AS I HAVE TO ORGANISE ALL ORDERS AND ART TO SEND AWAY.

Remember, as with any fundraiser, we appreciate your support, but certainly understand that not everyone is able to purchase. 

 Children’s artworks will be celebrated in their classes regardless of whether they are turned into other items.

 

Chocolate Fundraiser - PSG

All money needs to be returned by 3pm on the 16th of June.

 

Empty Classroom Day

This will be held on Thursday the 8th of July.  On this day, children self-direct their own play all day.  They may like to plan out their day and bring along things that they would like to use on this day.  

We have a number of tasks we want to also get done on this day, barking areas for further planting and planting our manuka and kanuka trees in the area already mulched.  Children often join in on these tasks, it is a good opportunity to put our environmental plans into action.

Please send children with a couple of changes of clothes, warm layers and a towel to clean off any mud.  There are no morning tea or lunch bells on this day, so children eat as and when they are hungry, so you may like to send a little extra.

If the weather is really unpleasant we will call off this event.

Finding our Whakapapa

From past newsletters you may be aware that as a school we are trying to establish a cultural narrative.  We have found this very difficult so far as we have not yet been able to find someone connected to this area (mana whenua) who is able to guide us in our journey.  This is something we want to get right!

After seeking advice we were posed several questions, which may be a good starting point:

1. What does Kaurihohore actually mean?

2. When was the area of Kaurihohore shortened to Kauri and why?

3. What does Apotu mean?  It is one of very few Māori words in our area used to define a place.

If you are able to help us with finding any of these answers, or have someone who may be a bit of a connector for us, we would greatly appreciate your help.

Need to know now… 

• Collect items for the gala as detailed at the start of the notice, think about how you may be able to help.

• Look out for sausage sizzle forms and order by Thursday  if your child wants one

• Get calendar orders in 

• Return your chocolate money to the office now

Food for thought... 

Noho ora mai - stay well, look after yourself and look out for others!

Leslee Allen

Week Five News

 

Kaurihohore School Week Five, Term Two News 

Manaaki te katoa - be kind to all. 

Respect - Empathy - Kindness 

He whakatauki. Ehara tāku toa i te toa takitahi. Engari, he toa takitini.

Success is not the work of one but the work of many.

Kia ora koutou 

This term is ticking away very quickly, so quickly in fact that I thought this week was week four and hence forgot to get the newsletter done last week...my apologies.  

At least with seesaw and facebook we have lots of other ways to keep you up to date with what is going on. Please if you are ever in doubt, message your child’s teacher through seesaw and we will do our best to get back to you.

What I would really like to focus on briefly is the concept of mutual respect and empathy.  As part of a school (or any group) it is important that we all realise we have a part to play.  How we act and what we do impact on others, we can either have a positive impact, or a negative impact.  I know which one I prefer.   Our impact on others in a school is often felt at the beginning and end of the day, when we have the most people on site at once.

Too often we are seeing people block the car pick up line, park in the moving line,  park in dangerous places on the main road blocking vision and walk children across the car park instead of using the crossing.  What you are doing may make your life easier, but it has a negative impact on others.  Please be considerate.  

For a team to function in a happy, healthy way it requires everyone to follow the rules and act in a way that respects the needs and feelings of others.  How can we teach these things to our children, if we ourselves are not willing to actively model them?

Remember to ask yourself - “what if everyone did this?”

Winter Sports - Year 4 -6 

Winter Sports Day, 2nd June - Kensington Park - if you have offered to transport, help supervise children or help on the sausage sizzle - thank you for your offers of help and we will be using each of you. Thank you for your continued support, looking forward to a great day! 

Meet at 8.30am ready to leave at 9.00am.

Gala 2021

Yes, the gala is going ahead this year.  Our fabulous parent support group is working on this, and would love any help you could offer.  Many hands make light work and with people taking responsibility for different areas, it makes the process a little less daunting.

However this event can not go ahead without your support  and there will be many small ways you can help to make this day a fabulous one!

Set aside the date now: 20th of November, we will need a lot of helpers on the day!

What you can do now:

• Save small wrapped lollies and little toys for our ever popular jolly jars, the more we can make of these, the better.  Send these into school when you can.

• Save any items at home that you may be thinking of donating for the White Elephant.  Items need to be in good condition in order to sell, so please don’t save junk.  Please note, these items can not be sent in yet and we will let you know when you can start sending them in.

• Talk to Lena Newport if you think you can start growing plants for the day.

Money raised from the gala will be put towards the all weather canopy that we are building, this is a massive project and we urge you to support the PSG in any way that you can!

Term Dates

Please note that all dates and other information are kept as up to date as possible via our school blog, you can access this at kaurihohoreschool.blogspot.com

Term Two

Ends 9th of July

2nd of June - Winter Sports Year 4-6

7th of June - Queen's Birthday

8th of July - Empty Classroom Day (everyone welcome to come and join in)

Term Three

Begins 26th July

Ends 1st October

Within this term will be Cross Country and Sponsored Run (dates yet to be set)

Term Four

Begins 18th of October

Gala - 20th November

Athletics day will also be held within this term (date yet to be set)

Prize giving - 10th December 1pm

Term Ends - 12.00 December 14th

2022 - Return Date 2nd of February

Our Environment - Our Community

Kaurihohore has been a zero waste school for many many years.  We are noticing a lot of plastic waste slipping back into lunch boxes.  Please think about ways you can eliminate this waste from your child’s lunch box, it is one way we can have a big impact on the amount of rubbish in our environment.  

Food for thought….if every child has one piece of rubbish in their lunch box and there are 20 children in the class, that is 100 pieces of rubbish in a week.  If all classes have this amount of rubbish, that is 900 pieces of rubbish.  While one piece of rubbish seems like a small amount, it all adds up, but imagine if we could eliminate that quantity of rubbish, if we could instill habits in our children that encourage them to reduce, reuse, recycle, wow they could make a massive difference in their world!  The bonus is, by eliminating waste, we can also make sure children are able to make healthier choices, packaged foods are usually processed foods.

Like everything else, what you choose to do does have an impact.

Winter Term

As we are now in a cooler term, children do not need full brim hats, if they want to bring a cap along to school, they are now most welcome.  Please ensure your child has a change of clothes in their bag, no matter their age.  For this term, gumboots are great footwear, if your child is not yet able to tie their laces, send them along in shoes that they can manage independently.

Brilliant Podcasts

I urge you to listen to the podcast “I’ve got questions” by Kathryn Berkett and Pio Terei.  Understanding brain development is an important part of what we do at school, but it is also really important for parenting.  These podcasts explore stress and how as parents we can help children to be resilient...how we help children bounce back and cope with things when they don’t quite go the way we want them to and why moments of tolerable stress are important to help children become independent?   Let’s face it, we all have to learn to deal with disappointments. 

They are short, entertaining podcast episodes available on spotify or they can be found on Kathryn’s website https://www.engagetraining.co.nz/podcasts

We are learning a lot from Kathryn’s work and hope you can join in on this journey.

Calendar Art - School Fundraiser

Classes have been working on a piece of art this term that can also be turned into calendars if you wish to order them.  All children will have received an order form.

*Prices are on the order form.

*Over the next few weeks your child will be creating a piece of classroom art in a form that can then be turned into items for purchase.

*To order return the form to the office for each child and please remember to pay at the same time! Every year we have many parents that send the form in but forget to pay which means we have to chase them up and it's a bit of a mission!

* You can pay online to

12 3093 0200 709 00

Kaurihohore Board of Trustees

Please reference your child's name and what the payment is for.

*Cut off date is MONDAY JUNE 28. NO ORDERS WILL BE TAKEN AFTER THIS DATE AS I HAVE TO ORGANISE ALL ORDERS AND ART TO SEND AWAY.

Remember, as with any fundraiser, we appreciate your support, but certainly understand that not everyone is able to purchase. 

 Children’s artworks will be celebrated in their classes regardless of whether they are turned into other items.

 

Items For The Office

When you send your child’s money or order forms to the office, please make sure it is in a named envelope.  It is unfair to expect Dianne and Chrissie to be doing this for children.  We have a lot of money sent to the office with no name, this makes it impossible to work out who it belongs to and what it was for.

PSG Pizza Fundraiser

- Pizza Pack Fundraiser -

The PSG are organising yummy pizza packs for lunchtime on Friday 11th June. 

2 slices of pizza, cake and a piece of fruit for $7

OR

3 slices of pizza, cake and a piece of fruit for $9

Payment can be made at the school office or online banking into the PSG account. 

Don't forget to place your orders by this Friday 4th June, before the long weekend and also please don't forget to select your topping when you return the green form

Once again thank you for supporting this fundraiser!

12 3093 0159814 00

Kaurihohore Parent Support Group

 

Chocolate Fundraiser - PSG

Thank you for your feedback in regards to the chocolates . If anyone feels like they have done their dash and are struggling to sell their whole box  please can you bring them back ASAP as we have people who can sell them.

For those that are happy to keep going we ask for all unsold chocolates and money to be handed in by June 16th please.

A massive thank you for everyone’s efforts! From the PSG

Need to know now… 

• Collect items for the gala as detailed at the start of the notice, think about how you may be able to help.

• Look out for sausage sizzle forms and order by Thursday  if your child wants one

• Get Pizza orders in if your child wants to order by June 4th.

• Get calendar orders in 

• Return your chocolate money to the office as soon as you can

Food for thought... 

Noho ora mai - stay well, look after yourself and look out for others!

Leslee Allen