School Uniform
In terms 2 & 3, students may wear track pants to school. These are to be our school uniform track pants that are available through NZ Uniforms and should be able to be purchased towards the end of the school break. These are the only track pants that can be worn. We organised these track pants in response to parent requests in 2023. They will cost $55.
Trackpants are optional; your child does not have to wear them. They can continue wearing their normal uniform skort or shorts to school. Students may wear black opaque pantyhose under their uniforms if they wish. Not tights but pantyhose.
- Students are expected to wear completely black shoes with white or black socks. However, students may continue to wear black sandals (without socks) if preferred. We have some new shoes and socks available for students if they need them; just let us know.
- NO Crocs, sandals or shoes without back straps.
- Students must wear their school sweatshirt and/or jacket if they are cold. Students can also wear singlets or thermals under their uniforms, but these are not to be visible at the neckline or sleeve line.
- Students are permitted to wear a raincoat or jacket to school if it is raining, but they must take it off in the classroom. Our classrooms are all heated during the colder months.
- Students can wear one pair of studs in their ears; facial piercings are not allowed. Makeup, false eyelashes, and nail polish are not permitted.
- Please name all of your child's uniform, including their footwear.
If your child is wearing an incorrect uniform for a day, including footwear, they need to bring a note to either the DPs or the Principal explaining why they are wearing the incorrect uniform.
We encourage our students to take pride in their appearance at school.
EPRO8 Challenge
This week two teams of Maeroa Intermediate students attended the EPRO8 Challenge.
The EPro8 Challenge is an inter-school science and engineering competition. Every year, over 25,000 students from throughout New Zealand take part. Students participate in a series of events: firstly within their school and then inter-school. These events are designed to promote science, engineering, and problem-solving.
My New Gallery
School Attendance
The Government's target is for 80% of students in New Zealand to have regular attendance by 2030. Regular attendance is defined as being present at school at least 90% of the year. In a term, a child who has less than 5 days away from school for any reason including medical, will be achieving regular attendance. We know it is really important for children to be present at school, it impacts both their learning and the social elements of school.
It does not take much for days away from school to add up over time. For example, for a child averaging 80% attendance over their eight years of primary schooling, the accumulation of days away from school equals a year and a half of missed schooling, which is significant.
We monitor attendance daily at Maeroa Intermediate and collate data weekly, termly, and yearly to identify attendance concerns. Currently, our Term 1 data shows that 58% of our students have achieved regular attendance in Term 1.
We understand that when a child is sick, they must stay home to get well. This is classified as a ‘Medical’ reason and is justified. To support your child's regular attendance, we ask for families to prioritise their child being at school every day if possible and to avoid ‘unjustified’ reasons, such as extended holidays and family reasons.
When your child is away, please contact the school before 8:45 am. This can be done via the text, phone or email. When we don’t hear anything, it does create a workload for our staff to follow up, so thank you for letting us know first and keeping clear communication lines.
Teacher Only Day
Friday 31 May 2024. Our school will not be open for students on this day.
End of term
Today, 12 April, is the last day of term 1 2024.
Term 2 begins on Monday 29 April and we look forward to seeing all of our students back at school.
Have a safe and relaxing break.
Poukai
Our tamariki from Te Puaawaitanga have been very busy in the past two weeks in preparation for the Ngaati Maahanga's 98th Poukai. Poukai for Ngaati Maahanga is held every April 10th to remember when the fourth Maaori King, Kiingi Te Rata, left on a voyage to England.
Poukai, as Whaea Ree has been teaching us at Maeroa, is a traditional annual series event hosted by Marae in allegiance to the Kiingitanga. Kiingi Taawhiao established the Poukai to bring his people back together post-Waikato Land Wars. The first poukai was held in the 1800's. It was also a way to gather those in mourning—the widowed, the orphaned, and the destitute. It also allowed the people to bring their concerns before the King without requesting a special audience.
Te Puaawaitanga, their kura teina Whatawhata Primary School, and their kura tuakana Ngā Taiātea Wharekura collaborated last week to help get Te Papa o Rotu marae ready for Poukai. We had the fortunate opportunity to work alongside hau kainga, and these kura to serve the multitude in the Waikato-Tainui tent, an extension of the main hall for Kawemate, breakfast, and lunch. We helped pack down with the great support of our tuakana from Te Kopuku and then returned today, ready to assist hau kainga in any way needed.
Our tamariki learn that every kaupapa requires helping hands before, during, and after every event. We are learning that to do anything, first, a relationship must be built. When we know better, we must do better.
"Ki te kotahi te kaakaho, ka whati, ki te kaapuia e kore e whati"
- Kiingi Taawhiao
When we stand alone, we are vulnerable, but together, we are unbreakable.
Poukai Gallery
Snapchat
It has recently come to our attention that some of our students are misusing social media, including Snapchat. They are using social media to bully other students by making mean, nasty comments and posting inappropriate pictures they have made up. They seem to join chatrooms, invite others to join in, and make mean and nasty comments.
Is Snapchat safe for preteens and teens?
Most kids use Snapchat to goof around and stay in contact with their friends—end of story. Yes, there's some mature content, but it's appropriate for most teens 16 and up. That said, there are three critical risky areas:
The myth of disappearing messages. When Snapchat first started, it was labeled "the sexting app" because people sent intimate photos, assuming they'd self-destruct. Any app can be misused, but many kids mistakenly believe that Snapchat has a built-in safety valve. Teens need to understand that their shared content can be saved and shared and may never go away. It's best to have this conversation before they download Snapchat, but it's never too late. Talk about whether any of their friends have ever pressured them to send a sexy image, and discuss why someone who would do that does not have your best interests at heart. Kids should also ask permission before sharing a picture of someone else.
The time distraction. Snapchat is a ton of fun to use, and there's lots to discover on it. Snapstreaks and Stories add a time-pressure element that makes kids feel like they have to check-in. If it seems like your kid is stressing out and not using the app for fun, it's time to step in.
Privacy and safety. Since it's so easy to add friends on Snapchat, you can end up with lots of people you don't know well on your friends list. And depending on your settings, the app can collect a ton of data about your habits in—and outside of—the app. Snapchat also works with a lot of third parties that they share your data with.
How do I monitor Snapchat and use the settings?
The app's Family Center gives parents and caregivers some visibility of their child's usage, including who their child has been communicating with. Adults have to install the app and link their accounts by adding their child as a friend. Their child then needs to accept an invitation to opt in to the Family Center functionality. You won't be able to see specific content your child has sent or received—just their friend list and whom they've sent messages, photos, or videos in the last seven days.
In January 2024, the app announced some new Family Center features. Parents and caregivers can now view their child's privacy settings. Additionally, families can restrict their kids from using My AI, the app's AI chatbot.
If your kid uses Snapchat, talk with them about the privacy settings. Sit down with your child, and go into the app's settings together. This is a perfect time to chat about using their Snapchat account safely and responsibly. Discuss when and how often you'll check in on how they're using it and how they're feeling about it. Explain that you understand that social media is important to them and that, at the same time, your role is to protect them. Don't forget to ask your teen to show you some of their snaps and cool features they like in the app. That'll make it a little less scary for you—and send the message that you're on the same team.
Do you really know what your child is doing on social media?
Read Common Sense Media's full review of Snapchat to learn more.
Common Sense Media January 12, 2024
School Lunches
The Government school lunch programme aims to provide nutritious and delicious meals to support your child's growth and development throughout the school day.
We understand that dietary preferences and restrictions vary among families, which is why I am reminding families that school lunches are optional for participation:
Opting In: By opting in, your child will automatically receive school lunches on designated days. These lunches are carefully prepared to meet nutritional standards and cater to diverse tastes.
Opting Out: If you prefer to provide your child with home-packed lunches, you can opt out of the school lunch program. Inform your child's teacher via email, stating your decision to opt-out. This will help us ensure that your child's lunchtime experience aligns with your preferences. We can not allow opting in for some days of the week and opting out for others. Your child has to be either in the school lunch system or not.
We believe offering this choice empowers parents to make decisions that best suit their child's needs. We also want to avoid wastage. We aim to foster a supportive and inclusive environment where every student can thrive.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the school lunch program or the opt-in/opt-out process, please don't hesitate to contact us. We value your feedback and are committed to making this program successful for our students and families.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
Talent Time - Term 2
Next term, we begin a block of Talent Time for all students. This will happen twice a week for 5 weeks. There were 27 different activities to choose from: crafting, acting, sporting, baking, and working in the gully.
This allows students to learn and participate in something else with new peers and teachers in our school. Talent Time also gives students the opportunity to choose what they would like to do. It is also a chance to learn how to make choices—do they select because their friends have chosen that activity, or do they be brave and choose an activity they want to try? Learning to make good choices for yourself is all part of growing up.
Health Mind, Health Body
On Wednesday evening, we held our Parent Information Meeting, and we were pleased to meet with several parents who came along to ask questions and clarify what we were doing. Thank you to those parents.
The newsletter sent home this week provides an overview of the unit is attached. The lesson schedule outlines a holistic approach to children's emotional, social, and physical changes as they grow through puberty.
If you do not want your child to participate in particular lessons, please email their classroom teacher the lesson number from which you want your child removed.
New Zealand Biosecurity Kura Award 2024
We were very excited to hear on Monday night that our school gully restoration project had won the 2024 New Zealand Biosecurity Kura Award.
A 0.5 gully at Maeroa Intermediate School is being passionately restored through the Gully Restoration Programme. In 2020, the school community consulted with local experts and established the vision and action plan to regenerate the gully, which had become an overgrown breeding ground for pests and weeds and was out of bounds for the students.
Since the project began, students, whaanau, and the local community have cleared weeds and rubbish, grown over 4,000 eco-sourced plants, replanted native trees, and created a lizard habitat and outdoor classroom.
The students are passionate about their outdoor classroom and take visitors on gully tours, showing firsthand the difference they have made in protecting their community from unwanted pests and diseases.
Our teachers, Julie Yeoman, Oriana Tauranga, Linda McPhail, and Deputy Principal Charles Hume, have been stalwarts of this Gully Restoration Project. We thank them for their strong commitment to it. We also thank our students, past and present, and our Maeroa community for all their hard work.
Kia ora koutou,
As we approach the end of Term 1, it's time to reflect on our remarkable journey so far. This week marks the culmination of our efforts as we prepare to bid farewell to the first term of the 2024 school year.
We have several exciting achievements on the sports field, including touch, basketball, water polo, and volleyball. Well done to all the players, coaches, managers, and teachers overseeing the organization of these sports to enable our students to participate. Thank you to the players for your commitment and perseverance and to parents who ensure their students are supported in getting to the playing venues and practices each week.
We look forward to the sporting opportunities for our students beginning again next term.
Mrs Sasso and her production group are working hard, practising for their performance later in Term 2.
Our Te Puawaitanga Kapahaka group are practising in preparation for the Regional competition later this year. Our non-competitive Kapahaka group has been running for the last few weeks and will continue in term 2.
Te Puawaitanga and our Pasifika group performed amazingly at a Nawton Community event last weekend. We are very proud of them and their commitment to their groups.
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated teachers and staff for their unwavering support and commitment to our student's success. Your hard work and passion have undoubtedly made a difference in our students' lives.
As we bid farewell to Term 1, let's take this opportunity to recharge, reflect, and rejuvenate ourselves for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I wish you all a restful and enjoyable break filled with joy, laughter, and quality time with loved ones.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child's education journey.
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan Wood - Principal
Te Puawaitanga and our Pasifika Group
Term Dates 2024
Term One finishes on 12 April
Term two: 29 April - 5 July
Term Three: 22 July - 27 September
Term Four: 14 October - 13 December
A reminder about our Teacher Only Day
Our Teacher Only Day is planned for 31 May 2024.
Our school will not be open for students on this day.
New Zealand Biosecurity Awards
The New Zealand Biosecurity Awards are the Ministry of Primary Industry's way of celebrating people and organisations across the country who are contributing to New Zealand's biosecurity.
A 0.5-hectare gully at Maeroa Intermediate School had been neglected for decades. It had become a dumping ground for rubbish and a breeding ground for pest weeds and animals and was out of bounds to students.
To rectify the situation, the school set up the Maeroa Intermediate Gully Restoration Programme in 2020. After consultation with local experts and the school community, the gully restoration vision and action plan were established, with the initial clearing and planting phase expected to take 12 years.
Since the project began, the students, whānau and local community have cleared weeds and rubbish, grown over 4,000 eco-sourced plants, replanted native trees, and created a lizard habitat and outdoor classroom.
The students are passionate about their outdoor classroom and take visitors on gully tours, showing first-hand the differences they have made to protect their community from unwanted pests and diseases.
We celebrate our school as we have been nominated and are in the finalists for the Biosecurity New Zealand Kura (School) Award.
We are very proud of our enviro and gully restoration group led with huge enthusiasm by teachers: Julie Yeoman, Oriana Tauranga and Linda McPhail as well as the many, many students and families who have supported with our gully over the last few years.
Our Gully Restoration Project
School Attendance Policy
Student Attendance
At Maeroa Intermediate School, our attendance procedures ensure students are accounted for during school hours and activities as well as emergency events. This allows school staff to identify and respond to student attendance concerns. We recognise the importance of regular attendance to support student welfare and help students achieve their educational potential.
As required by the Education and Training Act 2020 (s 35), students between six and sixteen years old must be enrolled at school. Once enrolled, it is compulsory to attend 
regularly, unless a specific exemption has been approved by the school and the Ministry of Education. The board takes all reasonable steps to ensure all students enrolled at Maeroa Intermediate School attend school when it is open (Education and Training Act, s 36).
Maeroa Intermediate School records and monitors attendance using set attendance procedures. We have annual targets for student attendance, and work with students, parents and caregivers, staff, and external agencies where necessary to improve our levels of student attendance. We share our attendance information with the Ministry of Education, which ensures we receive correct funding and staffing entitlements. We keep our attendance registers for seven years from the date of last entry.
Parent/Guardian and student responsibilities
Parents and guardians have legal obligations to ensure their children attend school (Education and Training Act, s 244). We expect parents/guardians to:
- notify the school as soon as possible if their child is going to be late or absent
- arrange appointments and trips outside school hours or during school holidays where possible
- work with the school to manage attendance concerns.
We share attendance expectations with students and their parents and caregivers, and require students to be present and attend classes on time. Parents/Guardians may ask for their child to be excused from certain areas of the curriculum for religious or cultural reasons. The principal reviews these requests and considers the preferences of the student. The school provides supervision for any students who do not participate in certain areas of the curriculum.
School hours and supervision
Maeroa Intermediate School staff comply with our schedule and release students at set times. For information about supervision outside of school hours, see Before and After School Supervision.
Students are not allowed to leave the school during school hours unless permission is requested by parents/caregivers and given by the school. The student must sign out at the office.
If a student is ill or injured at the school or a school-related activity and needs to be taken elsewhere (e.g. home or a medical facility), we follow our procedures for Managing Injuries and Illness.
Production
Production Practices Term 1 and 2
We started with auditions, then progressed to Production practices with the Main Cast in the latter half of Term 1. Thank you to those students who have been so organised with turning up, learning their lines. and bringing their enthusiasm with them.
I look forward to working with your child next term. Just a reminder that practices will commence Mondays Block 4 and After School 3-4pm in the Auditorium for Main Cast and Extra's on Monday 29th April.
Dionne Sasso (Dance/ Drama Teacher)
Koru Badges
Congratulations to the following students who have earned their koru badges over the last two weeks:
Star: Stanley Murray
We look forward to seeing many more students earning their koru badges over the next couple of weeks as students earn their attendance koru, sports koru, cultural koru, enviro koru, etc
School Uniform
As we move into the cooler months of the year, students are permitted to wear school trackpants. These are the only trackpants that our students can wear. Our school trackpants are completely black with Maeroa in royal blue written on one side. The school trackpants are available from NZ Uniforms.
Students can also wear thick, opaque black pantyhose under their shorts/skorts through the winter. These are not leggings they are to be thick pantyhose. These are available from supermarkets, Farmers etc.
Shoes must be completely black with black or white socks. We do not permit socks and sandals at Maeroa. If your child wishes to wear sandals throughout the cooler months (any many do) they are worn without socks. No crocs, jandals, slides are permitted.
If your child is not able to wear the correct uniform on a day then they must bring a note from their parent explaining the issue. This note is brought to the Principal or DPs for signing so the student has a dispensation for that day.
Please ensure every item of uniform is named, including shoes/sandals. Students take their sweatshirt, shoes or jacket off and leave them lying around the school, it is so helpful when uniform items are named and we can return them to the owner.
Bike Safety Training
Thank you to the Hamilton City Council Safe Travel team for working with some of our students who bike to and from school on bike safety. This was a very beneficial programme for the students who took part.