Week Ten News

 

Kaurihohore School Week Ten, 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,  

Covid continues to work its way through our school.  Basically every class has families impacted now, with the average number in classes being 15.

 

In this newsletter I don’t want to focus on COVID, but instead on our fabulous staff who have really soldiered through.  We recently passed an unwanted milestone in our country, two years of dealing with COVID.  During this time staff have proved themselves to be resilient, flexible and committed.  Like a quality team, they pulled together to support each other and our community and I could never thank them enough.  They have gone above and beyond and responded to each change with unflappable strength. 

 

While the world has been turned on its head, they have done their best to keep school a safe, connected place for children. I  couldn’t have asked for more.

 

We are hopeful that next term we can go back to welcoming you on site, unmasked outside, opening up the office and ensuring all parents are able to volunteer for activities and no longer be impacted by the mandates.  

 

 

E hara taku tao

i te toa takitahi

he toa takitini

My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

Lost Property

This is an ongoing issue that we are becoming really frustrated with.  It is important that children take responsibility for their own property, there is no one staff member with the responsibility of picking up and handing back property.  When it comes down to it, this is not our job.  

As a staff we have deliberated and tried to solve the problem of lost property.   It does not work where it currently is, and just becomes an eyesore for the classrooms it is beside.  Children don’t seem to recognise their clothes anymore and most clothing is not named.  In fact children are more likely to recognise the clothes of others,  than their own.  So we have come up with a new approach that we hope will help.

You can help this approach greatly by naming their clothes!  This means when we hold them up at the end of the day in class, they can not dispute ownership.

Each fortnight a class will take responsibility for the lost property, they will collect it when needed and display it at least twice, all classes will view this (as we currently do) and the teacher will post a video on facebook.  It will be kept in a big container outside of the classroom that is responsible that week.  Please don’t expect clothes to be delivered to owners, instead expect your child to collect their own lost property.

The teacher in that class will ask for a parent volunteer from their classroom to come in and take the lost property away at the end of that fortnight to wash and donate to a charity shop.  We will be disposing of any socks or underwear.  This hopefully will mean children become more accountable, as they only have two weeks to claim it before it is gone.  This week Room 10 are responsible, so the lost property container is currently located outside of their room.

We are hoping that this plan works and helps children take a little more responsibility for their belongings.

Honey

There is still honey available for sale at the office. 

Fundraising

As I detailed last week, every year we raise significant funds to simply keep the school running.  This year we need to raise $26 000.

We are hopeful that throughout the year, everyone will be able to help in some way so that the work does not always fall on the shoulders of a few.

Next term we plan to have a disco, a couple of pizza lunches, sausage sizzles, there will also be items that are for sale, some kindly donated by parents.  Every small amount adds up. 

Through our fundraising page, we will be reaching out for help and to inform you of how we are going.  If you see something you are able to help with, we hope that you will let us know.  Please take the time to like this page, so you see our updates.

We currently need volunteers to help with a BBQ fundraiser, outside of school hours:

We’ve been lucky enough to have been granted use of the BBQ hire at Bunnings Warehouse, Whangarei, Saturday 14th May! All proceeds will go towards the turf for our school

There will be three shifts:

1st - 8.30am till 10.30am

2nd - 10.30am till 12.30pm

3rd - 12.30pm till 2.30pm

We require three helpers per shift:

1x cook

1x cash handler

1x helper

Everything required will be organised & collated ahead of time and supplied to a helper from the first shift on the Friday afternoon prior. A few hours of your time would be much appreciated! Please pop the shift you can help with volunteering below. Thank you

Please reply to Lacey’s post on facebook, or come into the office and let Dianne know you can help.  These are good fundraisers, so it would be a shame not to be able to do it because we couldn’t get the help.  A massive thanks to those that have already volunteered, we really appreciate you!

 

Canopy Project

This project got underway this week.  The project is being paid for by a combination of ministry project money and funds the BOT has set aside for other projects like painting.  Altogether the project is projected to come in at  $192 000, with $50 000 of that coming from our funds.  The original plan was for fundraising through the gala and other activities to be completed early on and the $50 000 paid back quickly so that it could be used for the other projects we need to pay for in the future.  However with COVID this has not been the case and we had to make the decision to go ahead with the project and trust that we could eventually raise $50 000 over and above the $26 000 we need for day to day costs.  So yes, we will be fundraising to cover a canopy well after it is already built.  Then we can move on to raising money to replace the turf.

If fundraising seems like it is never ending…that is because it is.

 

Easter Raffle

The deadline for the raffle has passed.  If you have any tickets/money that need to be entered into the raffle get these in by tomorrow at the absolute latest.  We are so grateful to those families who sold tickets, we know it is not an easy time, but with $26 000 to raise this year we just have to keep trucking on.

 

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 time of year, it may be muddy if we get rain, so several changes of clothes will be needed, a bag to put them in and a towel are musts on this day!  Warm clothing is also a very good idea.

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.

If outside with children, you will not need to be masked on this day.

We will have sausages and baking available for sale on this day too.  A form will be sent home for orders.

 

Swimming

We are so lucky to be able to swim all of Term 1, thanks to our heat pump.  The pool is kept running by a wonderful group of volunteers, without them, running our pool would just not be possible.  Thank you all so much for your time!  

 

EPRO8

On the 23rd and 24th of March a group of Year 5 & 6 students participated in the EPRO8 - Science, Technology and Engineering challenge.  They have had a blast!  We look forward to a lucky 8 people going to the inter-school event early next term.  Thank you to Yvette for initially booking this in and to Cathy Hadfield for taking this over.  Such a fabulous opportunity for our children and another example of how our teachers go above and beyond to provide as many quality opportunities as they can.

 

Art Discovery Days

Last week we had an email for the educator at Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery.  They were offering to run the Hundertwasser art experience at our school for free.  This includes a short lesson on Hundertwasser followed by a fun art activity for our tamariki.  Of course we leapt at the opportunity as the arts are massively important and it is very rare that anything is offered for free.  We are booked in for week two of next term and know that children will love the experience.

 

Seasons For Growth

We are lucky enough to be able to offer the Seasons for Growth program at Kaurihohore school. We would love to get as many children through this program as we can during their time with us. Please have a read through the information and see if you would be interested in your child being part of these sessions. Seasons for Growth is a school-based peer program for children and young people (aged 6 - 18) who may have experienced change or loss in their lives such as a death, separation, divorce, health, relocation, the joining of a new school or any other change or loss no matter how large or small. It aims to strengthen the social and emotional wellbeing of children in a safe learning environment where they can give voice to their experiences, understand and befriend their feelings, learn skills that help them adapt, develop friendships and help them take ownership of their emotions. The program is made up of a small group of up to 6 children with trained facilitators, referred to as ‘companions’ (in this case Kelly Glasgow and Tanya Gwyn) and consists of 8 weekly sessions, 1 celebration session and one follow up session of up to 1 hour per week. It is a safe and engaging child centered program that incorporates a wide range of age appropriate activities involving drawing, role play, stories, discussion, playdough, music and journal activities. Each weekly session explores a concept theme such as, Life is like the Seasons, Change is Part of Life, Valuing My Story, Caring for my Feelings, and Making Good Choices. Seasons for Growth programs help strengthen the building of personal resilience, coping and social skills, and increasing participants' sense of belonging. If you are interested in your child taking part in our sessions in term 2, please let the office know or contact Tanya via email at tanya.gwyn@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz so we can organise a permission form to come home. If you require any more information feel free to make contact also. Our next group starting in Term 2 will be for 4 children, with any children over and above this amount being placed on a waiting list for Term 3. 

Kind regards, Tanya Gwyn Learning Support Coordinator Kaurihohore School.

Pilot Programme - Wellbeing

At Kaurihohore we take our approach to assisting well being and helping children to be happy self-regulated individuals, who embrace emotions and know how to respond when things get tough.  This is important work, and work we have taken on ourselves, because funding or external support for children and whānau is basically non-existent.  

If we don’t do it, who will?

This is where the nurture room was born from, where KiVa, Seasons for growth, zones of regulation, Pause Breathe Smile and other classroom approaches originated.  They were all self-initiated, self-funded and self-sustaining.  You may have noticed approaches like our termly happiness survey for children, from this data we identify those that would benefit from weekly catch ups with our Wellbeing leader (Kelly Glasgow.)  Over time we have formed many strings to our bow, out of necessity and wanting to do the best for our children.

Seasons for growth was a programme piloted here first by Barnardos and then put into other schools.  It continues to be delivered here because our lead teachers are trained in the approach and care enough to ensure it happens.  

We are excited to announce that we are again partnering with Barnardos, together we will be creating our own programme, where we see a real need.  

This pilot will be written and trialled by Barnardos with our key staff.  It will be delivered through cooking and life skills, with a wider purpose.

At the moment we hope to include these topics but will be collaborating together to negotiate these:

1. Right from wrong decision making

2. Anger management

3. Emotional coaching

4. Relationship forming

5. Managing pocket money

Other potential topics

·   Focus and Self-Control.

·   Perspective-Taking.

·   Communication.

·   Making Connections.

·   Critical Thinking.

·   Taking on Challenges.

·   Self-Directed, Engaged Learning.

There will be two to three Barnardos workers delivering the programme, with 8-10 children in the initial group.  Support staff are also likely to be involved.  At the moment we are not sure if this will take place at school, or at Barnardos.  There is no confirmed date for start, but it will be early next term, all going well.

This programme would probably be best for Year 4 up.

If you would like your child to be part of this pilot programme, that then could quite possibly benefit many schools in our area, please email me principal@kaurihohoreschool.co.nz or let Dianne in the office, or your child’s teacher know.   I can not guarantee they will be part of it, but they will be added to the list, and it is likely we will run this more than once.

 

 

Term One- Known Dates

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

Term Two - Known Dates

2nd May - First day back

4th May - Epro8 challenge at KIS for selected group

10th and 11th - Art workshops for classes at school

6th June - Queen's Birthday

24th June - Matariki

School Disco - Date to be confirmed

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 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!