Week Eight News

 

Kaurihohore School Week Eight, Term One News 2022

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,  

In the last couple of weeks COVID has really hit our families and our staff.  We have had six staff impacted so far, with currently four away.  In a school our size, that does have a significant impact and with relievers very light on the ground, we are doing our best to cover the classes impacted.  The next three weeks are likely to be more of the same, so like you, we will continue to do our best, but please be mindful that we are stretched.  We appreciate your patience, kindness and respect.

In the event that we could not cover a class, we would have no option but to switch that class to home learning.  This would mean that just children of critical workers could attend school from that class, but would be placed in another class for that period of time.

Critical services include:

• food production and its supply chain 

• key public services like health and emergency services 

• lifeline utilities such as power and water supplies 

• transport 

• critical financial services 

• news media 

• social welfare 

• human and animal health and welfare.

We are very hopeful that we will not get to this stage, but please be prepared.  In the event that this did happen, it would mean that the classroom teacher was sick themselves, whānau would need to access home learning links via the school blog as the teacher can not be expected to support home learning when they are unwell themselves.

In the event that your child has to be isolated as they are either sick, or a household contact, please do not expect lots of home learning to be supplied, as the teacher will still be providing for their class at school.  If your child is sick, please don’t expect them to do any learning, if they are a household contact, make use of the ideas provided by the link on our school blog site.

http://kaurihohoreschool.blogspot.com/ the link is in the bottom box, top line, in the right corner.  Unfortunately this format will not work on a phone.

If in doubt, stick to working on your child’s learning goals that will have been provided by your child’s teacher, encourage them to read and encourage them to write.  

It is also worth noting that throughout this time our support staff have been hardest hit so far. We have felt the significant impact of this as they do so much for us and our children.  We can not wait to have them back!

With all that said, our school continues to be a happy place to be, with children benefiting from a learning rich environment.

I am grateful for the support you have shown us in following COVID guidelines, we understand that this is a tough time for everyone.

Mā te ngākau 

aroha koe e ārahi

Let a loving heart guide your decisions

Updated Guidelines From MOH

The Ministry of Health has provided further clarity on when household contacts should be isolated.

 

What does it mean if I am a household contact? – Ministry of Health

 

For households where someone has COVID-19, the Ministry of Health recommends you apply the following guidance.

• If someone becomes a confirmed COVID-19 case, then that case and all other people in their household must be isolated for seven days.

• If someone else in the household then tests positive for COVID-19 during those seven days:

• the isolation period for that person only re-sets – that person must isolate for an additional seven days from the day they test positive or symptoms begin

• Other household contacts who do not test positive are still able to leave isolation after the original case has completed their seven days isolation.

• For the next 10 days after a household completes seven days isolation, evidence shows that due to their exposure to COVID-19 they are less likely to catch or transmit the virus. This means: 

• if someone else in the household tests positive within those 10 days, the whole household will not have to re-isolate, only the positive case

• If someone else in the household tests positive and it has been more than 10 days since the household completed isolation, household contacts should re-isolate along with the new case for seven days.

• Any person who has had COVID-19 within the last 90 days/three months will not need to be isolated as a household contact unless they become symptomatic and test positive again. This is because reinfection rates for people who have had COVID-19 are low for the three months after they have the virus.

Remember, Day 0 for isolation is the day symptoms began or the day the positive test was taken (whichever came first). You should then count your seven days from there.

Honey - Still Available For Purchase

There are still 500g tubs of Kaurihohore Bee Friends honey available at the school office!  $10 a tub.

Ngā mihi for your support!

 

Easter Raffle

Raffle tickets have gone home with your child.

We are requesting that every family in the school sell 15 tickets at $2 each.  Please also send in an item that can be put into the raffle.  This does not have to be Easter themed, it can simply be a grocery item (not expired please) that can be added to the hamper.  There will be multiple draws dependent on the amount of hampers we are able to make up.  

As you are probably very aware, fundraising has been tough for everyone.  As a school we are running on a significant shortfall given that we rely heavily on all fundraising efforts to simply cover our day to day costs.  Our community fundraising this year needs to raise 

$26 000 just to cover day to day expenses.

If you do not want to sell these tickets, or are unable to, please send them back to the office ASAP.   All sold tickets and money needs to be back by the 1st of April and the raffle will be drawn on the 11th of April.

See Dianne if you have any questions, or email reception@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz

 

Moosies and Juicies

Friday Moosies and Juicies $2 each

For the next 8 weeks we will be selling moosies and juices.  Orders to the office - please put cash in an envelope with the child's name, room number/name and preference. Orders will be given out on a Friday, except for the last week of this term.

Please get your orders in each week by Wednesday afternoon. Pay per week or prepay for 8 weeks, cash only sorry.

Fundraising

Historically the school has operated two approaches to fundraising, the PSG and local school, staff led fundraising.  After discussions we decided this was not the best approach any longer, for one it is confusing (is it PSG or school account?) as well as not inclusive of our whole community.  Leaving it to a few to do the mahi in a world where we all work now is just not a feasible approach.  

So Friends of Kaurihohore was launched.  You can find the facebook group from our school page and give it a like, so you can keep up with what is going on and find out how you can help.

Currently we are asking you to choose the logo that you prefer, so we can adopt this.  

The purpose of this group is to make use of everyone in our community, so people can help where they can.  Many hands make light work.

It is no longer about being on a committee, coming to meetings or managing a separate group.  It is about putting your hand up to be part of groups that are running specific fundraising approaches when you can.  

This is about our school, our children and our community.  

Currently our goal this year is $26 000, that is what the PSG and the school fundraise each year just to keep our school ticking.  Each year we rely on this amount to keep our budget viable.  Even with this, at times the budget we set is in deficit.

Every large and small fundraiser over the terms contributes to this overall amount, so please support where you can and if you have an idea for a fundraiser that you are happy to organise, please let Dianne know.

On top of this $26 000 we usually have projects we are trying to raise money for.  Currently this is the canopy, and after that it will be for the turf.  

As you can see, fundraising to keep a school ticking is no small feat and every past PSG member is to be applauded for doing just that!

 

Empty Classroom Day

We will be having our empty classroom day on the last day of term.  Thursday the 14th of April.  On this day, children play outside.  Given the weather, it is likely they will get wet and muddy, so several changes of clothes, a bag to put them in and a towel are musts on this day!

Children are welcome to bring along tools (no knives) or other items they would like to use.  Some children choose to bring tents etc that they can easily put up and down.  They come set up for a great day with their friends.

Others like to bring along items to play games with…whatever they do bring, remember it is their responsibility to look after it at school.

You may like to come along on the day, especially if there is a project your child would like help with, I know some are really into building huts at the moment, so it is a good opportunity to get a bit of adult input.

We will have sausages and baking available for sale on this day too.

 

 

Term One- Known Dates

14th of April - Last day of the school term, empty classroom day!

School Bank Account Details

 Account 12-3093-0200709-00

Kaurihohore school board of Trustees

Food for thought... 

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

Leslee Allen

Week Six News

 

Kaurihohore School Week Six, Term One News 2022

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,  

As you will know, COVID has woven its way into our school.  This was to be expected as it was only a matter of time.  At school we are working hard to ensure children feel happy and safe, we are also following recommended hygiene procedures and just doing the best we can.

We understand that for many, this will be a scary time.  We understand that you may wish to keep children at home, but if you choose to do so please understand that while classes are still being taught at school, you will need to make use of the home/school learning links available through our blog and that have been shared via seesaw announcements.  Because this type of absence is not within school policy, it will be marked accordingly.  Please don’t expect teachers to be putting up home learning activities on seesaw.

If you are isolating due to having a vulnerable family member, please let us know.  This absence will be marked as ‘learning from home.’  You will still need to make use of home learning links via the blog, as teachers are still teaching at school.

As you also know, our current cases are amongst staff members.  They can not be expected to provide home learning while they are sick.

We will be using relievers as we are able to, but if it gets difficult to staff classes, or to staff the school, we may have to switch to home learning for either a class, or the school.  If this decision has to be made, we will let you know in advance.  This decision may also be made if we believe it would be beneficial to stop the spread amongst children.  Once again, you will be advised well in advance and where it is possible the school will remain open for critical workers.  We are very hopeful we will not need to use this strategy.

What we ask from you is to closely monitor your child for symptoms, particularly if they have been around a person who has tested positive.  We ask that you err on the side of caution, get your child tested and adhere to the isolation requirements.  This will benefit everyone and help us to reduce the spread as much as possible.

We understand that no one really wants to isolate, that it is an imposition and for some a real financial burden, but we do so for the greater good and to look after those in our community who are vulnerable.

Mā te ngākau 

aroha koe e ārahi

Let a loving heart guide your decisions

Happiness Survey

Each term we conduct a happiness survey.  Children are asked to indicate if they feel happy and safe at school.  They are also asked to indicate if they feel valued and accepted.  On this form they also indicate if they have a worry or problem they would like to talk to someone about.

Kelly Glasgow who has leadership of wellbeing, then follows up on all of the children that would like to talk.  No worry is too small and she makes sure to listen and to not trivialise any problem or worry, no matter how small it may seem.  Sometimes she can easily solve the problem and other times she will catch up with children on several occaisions.  If more is needed, more will be done.  

Because the children know that their problem will be addressed and followed up, they are only too happy to write down that they need to talk. 

The Happiness Survey is just one of the tools we have in our approach to wellbeing and it is an incredibly important reflection of how children are feeling.

One size does not fit all…a school should be designed with the philosophy one size fits one.  This is our goal.  I did do a post on wellbeing on our blog if this is of interest to you.

Honey - Still Available For Purchase

There are 30x 500g tubs of Kaurihohore Bee Friends honey available at the school office!  $10 a tub.

Ngā mihi for your support!

 

Easter Raffle

Raffle tickets have gone home with your child.

We are requesting that every family in the school sell 15 tickets at $2 each.  Please also send in an item that can be put into the raffle.  This does not have to be Easter themed, it can simply be a grocery item (not expired please) that can be added to the hamper.  There will be multiple draws dependent on the amount of hampers we are able to make up.  

As you are probably very aware, fundraising has been tough for everyone.  As a school we are running on a significant shortfall given that we rely heavily on all fundraising efforts to simply cover our day to day costs.  Our community fundraising this year needs to raise 

$26 000 just to cover day to day expenses.

If you do not want to sell these tickets, or are unable to, please send them back to the office ASAP.   All sold tickets and money needs to be back by the 1st of April and the raffle will be drawn on the 11th of April.

See Dianne if you have any questions, or email reception@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz

Moosies and Juicies

Friday Moosies and Juicies $2 each

For the next 8 weeks we will be selling moosies and juices.  Orders to the office - please put cash in an envelope with the child's name, room number/name and preference. Orders will be given out on a Friday, except for the last week of this term.

Please get your orders in each week by Wednesday afternoon. Pay per week or prepay for 8 weeks, cash only sorry.

Thank you for supporting our fundraising!

Term One- Known Dates

14th of April - Last day of the school term

School Bank Account Details

 Account 12-3093-0200709-00

Kaurihohore school board of Trustees

Food for thought... 

Empathy and Compassion are our most important tools right now

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

Leslee Allen

Ensuring Wellbeing - because right now, it is the most important thing we can do!

 

Just because wellbeing and the awareness of wellbeing is so very important at the moment, I thought I would take a moment to do a special blog post.

Over the last two years, our world has dramatically changed.  Stress levels are high, everyone feels a little out of control.  Every day people go about their days just a little more 'sandpapered' or stressed than they were before.  Out tolerance is low, we are more likely to say or do things that we wouldn't have done before.  We are less regulated and struggling.  This is all to be expected.

Children feel this stress, they are much more anxious than they were before.  They miss the connection they found through all of the extra activities they had before, they are feeling more alone and isolated.  We often like to believe the idea that children are more resilient than adults, that they bounce back.  While this can be true when they are put under 'tolerable' stress, given support from the adults around them and when they feel safe and connected, this is not true when it comes to the amount of stress children are feeling currently.  This is largely due to the fact that the stress is not their own, it is just a sense of the whole world around them being a little more frazzled and unpredictable than it was before.  

Just like adults they have short fuses and they often don't know why.  They are having more difficulty with friends, with learning and with other relationships.  They are having a lot of big feelings that they don't even understand.  They are more quick to react with verbal and physical aggression and once calm, often can't tell you why.  They may appear more tired or moody, or quicker to lose control of their emotions.

Like adults they are frequently being put outside of their window of tolerance.  Their window is narrower than before.

Schools around NZ and the world are feeling and seeing this anxiety manifest in the classroom and playground.  Assisting children to traverse this time and to ensure their overall wellbeing, is the most important work we can all be doing right now.  

You may have noticed our approach based on Te Whare Tapa Whā that is displayed in our admin area.  This includes all of the ways we are working to directly assist the wellbeing of children in a holistic way.

While there are many ways we can assist this development in small ways in the classroom, there are more specific ways too, these include:

*Pause, Breathe, Smile - a mindfulness programme that each class is working on

*Play, the outdoors and lots of physical activity - recognised widely as being the best way to promote healthy relationships and to feel connected and positive

*Zones of regulation - a programme that helps children to understand, recognise and regulate their feelings

*Restorative practice - when issues arise we want children to own it, fix it and learn from it

*Exploring perspectives through drama and the arts - this is a focus for all classes this year as we have noticed children have difficulty taking the perspectives of others

*Promoting our values of kindness, respect and empathy at every chance we get in the classroom and wider school community

*Termly happiness surveys - children can identify how they are feeling and if they would like to talk to our wellbeing leader Kelly.

*KiVa - can be used if cases of bullying arise and run by our KiVa team

*Mcleery, our little doggy friend that works with Chelsea at school every day, animals are great for bringing calm to a situation

*Te Kōhanga (the nest) - a nurture based space where children can take themselves when they are having big feelings.  Staffed by our lovely TA Savannah.  

*Wellbeing specific plans for those individuals that need a little extra support, these are put in place by Kelly, children meet with her once a week and on most occaisions we follow a Plan B approach when a relationship has been established.

*Plan B in the classroom, a collaborative problem solving approach that can be used for groups or individuals when a problem is identified.  This encourages ownership of the problem and an opportunity to solve it.

*Trauma informed and developmentally responsive- all staff are working towards being able to take a trauma informed, developmentally responsive approach to how they work with children.  This is based on an understanding of the brain and how we process stress.

If you think your child is struggling with wellbeing, touch base with their teacher as it is likely we will be able to help in some way, if we can not help at school, we may be able to point you in the right direction.

Below are some great ideas!

Week Four News

Kaurihohore School Week Four, Term One News 2022

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 be a few weeks into the school year and see how settled the children are.  I am grateful for your support as a community in this trying time and for all of the hard work staff are putting into making school a stable place to be in what is otherwise a bit of a topsy turvy world.

I am also grateful for your trust at this time and for your vigilance in keeping children home if they are unwell.  This will not be forever, but for now, caution is required.  We are a team, and together we are doing the best we can for our children and our wider community.

We are endeavouring to ensure you have the most up to date information in terms of our plans for COVID, the ground however keeps changing, in terms of requirements and expectations, but we will continue to communicate with you, information that you need to know going forward.

In the meantime, let’s focus on the things we can control, maintaining a sense of calm for our children.

While most events have been postponed or cancelled this term, what has not been cancelled is all the fantastic learning and fun that is going on in and out of classrooms, something to be very grateful for!

Pai ake te iti i

te kore rawātu

Little is better than nothing at all.

Pause, Breathe, Smile

Our whole staff took part in this mindfulness training at the end of the holidays.  It was fantastic, the pause, breathe, smile programme will be taught in classrooms and is another tool we can offer children as they learn about their emotions and how to regulate and relate to others.  You can find out more by searching Pause, Breathe, Smile online.  We also use the zones of regulation programme in classrooms, the restorative practice approach school wide, Te Kōhanga (the nest) and specific individual wellbeing approaches if needed to ensure children are developing the skills they need to have an understanding of themselves and how to relate to others.

I really recommend reading these books if your child is having challenges at home and you are not quite sure what to do. I wish I had read them many years ago.

Problems At School

Any school is not being completely truthful if they claim children have zero problems with mean behaviour at school.  Children are human beings, learning to relate to others.  It is inevitable that there will be instances from time to time when they are on the end of mean behaviour, or display mean behaviour towards others.  As a school we take our role very seriously in helping children notice, name and regulate their feelings, so they can relate positively with others.  Many adults are yet to learn how to do this.

When your child experiences mean behaviour at school and is not sure how to deal with it, please let their teacher know.  Sometimes it will be as simple as a conversation that will help.  Sometimes we may need to instigate other approaches, like KiVa (anti-bullying) or a specific wellbeing approach for your child, tailored to their needs.

The key is, we all have to be part of this process and problem solve together.  There are always several sides to a story.

Sports

Lots of opportunities for children to get involved with sport have been recently advertised on our school facebook page.  I have been blown away by the members of our community who take on the responsibility for organising and running sport teams so that all of our children can get involved.  These sports are all parent initiated and parent run so please support them where you can.  A huge thank you for those parents who have chosen to take on these responsibilities, it is often a very thankless task with a huge amount of responsibility.

Toys and Collector Cards

Please remind children not to bring toys to school, this includes cards such as pokemon cards.  Toys cause massive disruptions when they are lost or broken, they also cause arguments when ownership is hard to identify.  

Honey - Still Available For Purchase

There are 30x 500g tubs of Kaurihohore Bee Friends honey available at the school office!  $10 a tub.

Ngā mihi for your support!

 

Breakfast Club

This is now running, four children at a time to meet COVID guidelines.  Breakfast club is being run by our wonderful Rūma Huia volunteers Marara, Isla, Mya and Ruby, they are doing a splendid job running this!  Thank you girls!

 

Easter Raffle

Raffle tickets have gone home with your child.

We are requesting that every family in the school sell 15 tickets at $2 each.  Please also send in an item that can be put into the raffle.  This does not have to be Easter themed, it can simply be a grocery item (not expired please) that can be added to the hamper.  There will be multiple draws dependent on the amount of hampers we are able to make up.  

As you are probably very aware, fundraising has been tough for everyone.  As a school we are running on a significant shortfall given that we rely heavily on all fundraising efforts to simply cover our day to day costs.  Any help you can give with this raffle is greatly appreciated.

If you do not want to sell these tickets, or are unable to, please send them back to the office ASAP.

See Dianne if you have any questions, or email reception@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz

 

 

Moosies and Juicies

Friday Moosies and Juicies $2 each

For the next 8 weeks the Parents Support Group will be selling Moosies and Juicies. Orders to the office - please put cash in an envelope with the child's name, room number/name and preference. Orders will be given out on a Friday, except for the last week of this term.

Please get your orders in each week by Wednesday afternoon. Pay per week or prepay for 8 weeks, cash only sorry.

Thank you for supporting our fundraising!

Term One- Known Dates

14th of April - Last day of the school term

School Bank Account Details

 Account 12-3093-0200709-00

Kaurihohore school board of Trustees

Food for thought... 

He aroha whakatō,

he aroha ka puta mai.

If kindness is sown, then kindness is what you shall receive. 

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

Leslee Allen

 

Week One News

 

Kaurihohore School Week One, Term One 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,  

Welcome to a new year.  We were excited to have children back at school this week and it is great to hear their voices and laughter fill the place once again.

Teachers have been busy planning and preparing over the last few weeks and are very ready for an exciting year.

At the beginning of the year, our priority over everything else is relationships.  Relationships are the foundation of happiness and wellbeing.  Please message your child’s teacher and make a time to meet if you have questions or anything you would like to share.  

We aim for real time reporting, part of this process is simply making an appointment at any time that you need to to discuss your child’s learning or wellbeing at school.  You can do this by messaging your child’s teacher.

Obviously we are facing the impact of a pandemic on the procedures here at school.  These were sent out via seesaw, email and facebook.  Please take time to read them.

Our ultimate aim is to make school as normal and fun as possible.  

I am very grateful to our school community for your ongoing support. Together we will get through this strange time…with kindness, empathy and respect.

Here’s to an interesting term!

Hats/Bottles/Togs/Wheels

Please ensure children wear a sun safe hat (not a cap) to school.  They also need a bottle full of water, while the water fountains are on, we would rather children were bringing their own drink bottle.  Togs are required for swimming, please refer to the swimming timetable that was sent via seesaw as classes do not swim every day.  Children are welcome to bring bikes, scooters and skateboards from home.  

Beach Trip

Sadly this can not happen within the red light setting.  We are sad to see this happen as it is a great way to get together as a community.  We will try to hold this at the end of the year if we are able to.

 

Honey - Still Available For Purchase

Don't forget our Bee Friends honey is still available from the office!  $10 for a 500g tub. 

This would make a great Christmas gift.

This is the honey collected from our hives by our BeeFriends 2020/2021 group.

Thanks for supporting us and thank you to Tahi Honey!

Just come along to the school office with payment and they will be able to help you out.

 

Strategic Plan 2022-24

This is available for viewing via our blog site.  www.kaurihohoreschool.blogspot.com

 

Annual Report - 2021

This is also available for viewing via our blog site.

 

Breakfast Club

This is not yet up and running.  We are currently thinking of ways this can run while we are in the red setting.  Please ensure children have a great breakfast at home before they come to school.

 

School Bank Account Details

 Account 12-3093-0200709-00

Kaurihohore school board of Trustees

Term One- Known Dates

7th of February - Waitangi Day Observed

14th of April - Last day of the school term

Food for thought... 

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

Leslee Allen

Our strategic Plan

Strategic Plan - 2024

This plan sets out our direction for the next three years.  We are excited about the goals that have been set.