week 5 term 1 2023
Kia ora koutou
Well done to all our ākonga who have settled in well to the routines of our school and are committing to their learning. We have awesome students here who are working hard to ensure they make the most of their time here at Maeroa Intermediate and being mindful of our school motto: "I will not cease from mental fight", meaning developing resilience, perseverance and determination to succeed and our school values:
- Manawanui - patience, tolerance, commitment, dedication, strength, courage, persistence.
- Mana Motuhake - confidence, self-belief, initiative, responsibility, self-discipline, modesty, trustworthiness.
- Manaakitanga - empathy, kindness, caring, thoughtfulness, compassion, love.
- Whakamiha - appreciation, enthusiasm, complimentary, dignity, respect.
- Tikanga - contribution, unity, leadership, justice, citizenship, fairness, correctness.
- Mātauranga - understanding, curiosity, knowledge, creativity, wisdom, excellence.
Open Evening
We were very excited to see so many parents/whaanau come to our Open Evening to chat with their child's teacher and observe their child's learning and classroom. Research tells us that when parents are involved in their education, children do better on various measures. These positive effects include Better behaviour. More confidence and greater self-esteem.
Thank you for coming along and supporting your child. If you could not come along or would like an individual meeting with your child's teacher, please do not hesitate to contact the school to organise that with your child's teacher.
Beginning of Year Report
This week you will also receive your child's beginning of the year entry report, where students self-assess and teachers assess students on their start to our school year. Please read this report and discuss it with your child, and if you want further information, please make time to meet with the teacher.
Homework
At Maeroa, our students are given a "Homework Challenges" booklet to complete as their home learning. As part of home learning, we encourage you to ensure your child is reading regularly, for sustained periods, i.e. 20-30 minutes and learning the timetables, which are always important in maths.
Beginning of Year Report
This week you will also receive your child's beginning of the year entry report, where students self-assess, and teachers assess students on their start to our school year. Please read this report and discuss it with your child, and if you want further information, please make time to meet with the teacher.
Mufti Day
Thank you to all students who supported our mufti day by wearing black and white to school today. We know that the people of Gisborne and Hawkes Bay have been through so much in the last few weeks and we feel for them.
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan Wood - Principal
Teacher Only Day - 24 April 2023
On 24 April, our school will be holding a teacher-only day, so our school will be closed for students that day. This is the first day of term 2, and the following day 25 April, is ANZAC Day, so our school and all other schools across New Zealand will be closed for ANZAC Commemorations.
Our school will reopen for students for term 2 on Wednesday, 26 April 2023.
Life Education Van
Over the next four weeks, the Life Education Truck will visit, and classes will visit for 3 lessons. The focus is on decision-making - Choices and Decisions and unpacking the good and bad consequences of our decisions, who influences our decisions, and where we get our information from when making decisions. This is particularly important as students navigate their way through tween life and peer pressure.
Peer Pressure is a significant factor in our student's life as they make decisions about their behaviour and feel the need to fit in with peers. The lessons will also focus on substances and their effect on our bodies, focusing on vaping as a substance that appears to be readily available to our young people even though it is illegal. This focus fits with the focus on peer pressure as some of our students feel pressure to join in on activities they know to be illegal and, more importantly, know that their families would disapprove of.
Harold the Giraffe is a figure that many of the students know well, and they are probably a bit old to really appreciate the dancing and singing giraffe. However, we have requested a surprise appearance for nostalgic sake. This does not mean that the messages and information are not relevant and timely for our students. If you have any questions or your child comes home and asks any questions that you feel are not quite right, don't hesitate to contact the school for clarification.
Swimming Sports
Once again, we are reminded of how very fortunate Maeroa Intermediate is to have an amazing swimming pool at our school. Built in about 1956 it has been meticulously cared for over the last 66 years by the school and its Boards. Our students have the opportunity to swim at least three times a week with their classes. Thank you to all the parents/whaanau that support their children by ensuring that they bring their togs for swimming so their children can take the opportunity to learn water safety skills.
Congratulations to all of our students that took part yesterday in our sports either by swimming or dressing up and supporting their teams. On 13 March we have a team of students going to the Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools Swimming Competition with Mrs Banks and we wish them all the very best.
Maeroa Swimming Sports 2023
Swimming Sports Poem
Swimming Sports - Malaya - Room 24
I see an incandescent banana in a nebula of purple stardust, highlighting a sea of rainbow galaxies.
I hear the dominating chants of Maanuka overpowering the gunshot clap, signalling the beginning of a race.
I taste certain victory and glory for our team’s determined competitors.
I smell the crystalline tears of sweat and chlorinated water dripping down the contestants.
I feel the gallant effort and pride in the stride of Maanuka’s gladiators.
Koru Badges
Congratulations to the following students who have earned their koru badges over the past few weeks. It is great to see so many our students signing up for extra here are Maeroa with our music instrumental lessons starting, sports teams underway, and extension classes beginning. It's a great way to become involved in our school community.
Bronze: Lucy Rouget, Kaia Neil-Sorenson, Kael Whangapirita, Jeremiah Hicks.
Silver: Hudson Hawkes, Emily Taylor-Lamb.
Catching Tradescantia Leaf Beetles
On 2 March, the students from Room 60 spent a morning in the gully with Adrienne and Hamish from Enviro schools and Rachel from Greening Taupo.
A school in Taupo have a gully like ours and with the same weeds to get rid of. We have beetles that can help rid the gullies of the weed (Tradescantia). So, we made pooters to catch the beetles (tradescantia leaf beetles) and went into the gully to catch them. We had help from Adrienne bringing nets, so we had extra help catching the beetles. We went down into the gully with our pooters and nets. We caught lots of the leaf beetles with the pooters by sucking on the straw so it stayed in the bottle, like this.
The tradescantia leaf beetles are 4-5mm in size, and that is how it fits in the straw. We have a piece of cloth on one of the ends we blow in, so we don’t eat the beetle up. They were imported into New Zealand to kill the tradescantia weed that can choke plant growth on our forest and gully floors. As the beetle is so prolific in our gully, we were asked to catch the beetles so they could be placed in the Taupo gully and hopefully start to eat their tradescantia plants.
We look forward to catching up via video call with the students from Taupo to see how successful our project has been.
Catching Beetles
Gully Working Bee
We had a fantastic response for our Gully Working Bee last Saturday. Thank you so much to all the students and whaanau that came along. If you are keen to support with our Gully Project please contact Julie Yeoman - jyeoman@maeroa.school.nz
Gully Working Bee 25 February 2023
From the Ministry of Education
Are you and your whānau protected from measles?
With people travelling overseas again, there’s a risk that someone with measles could unknowingly bring the disease back to Aotearoa.
Measles spreads easily and quickly, usually between unimmunised or only partially immunised people. It can be serious and life-threatening. In the 2019 measles outbreak in Aotearoa more than 30% of the people infected had to be admitted to hospital.
The best protection against measles is the free MMR vaccine. It will protect you and your whānau, and prevent the virus from spreading.
You will be protected against measles if you:
- had 2 doses of the MMR vaccine
- had measles before
- were born before 1 Jan 1969.
If you’re unsure if you or your tamariki have had any or both doses of the MMR vaccine, check by calling your GP or hauora provider. Alternatively, check your Plunket Well Child Tamariki Ora book. If you’re unsure, be safe and get immunised – there are no safety concerns with having an extra dose. MMR vaccines are free at your local health provider and many pharmacies.
As measles still occurs in many countries, if you’re travelling overseas these holidays it’s especially important to be immunised to prevent the risk of being unknowingly infected and causing an outbreak in Aotearoa on your return.
More information about the measles vaccination can be found here:
Attendance and Engagement
Attendance and Engagement Strategy (MoE, 2022): You can google the full report.
The Government has developed a strategy for tackling the decade-long decline in regular attendance and engagement in schools, based on what we have heard from the sector through Kōrero Mātauranga and the Education and Workforce Select Committee Inquiry into school attendance.
The Strategy has three key parts: clear expectations for everyone involved, ambitious targets for attendance levels, and bold actions.
To increase attendance and engagement, we must focus on ākonga being present, participating and progressing. We all have our roles to play.
Present:
- Parents, caregivers and whānau are responsible for making sure their ākonga (students/learners) are enrolled in school and attend every day
- Schools must set this expectation and communicate to parents, caregivers and whānau when their ākonga are absent. They also need to know when they have a more serious attendance problem
- Te Mahau (MoE) needs to prioritise attendance and engagement in its work with schools, whānau and communities
- Te Mahau needs to bring social services and government agencies together to work with whānau and communities that need help with the wider problems that are barriers to attendance
Participating: Schools need to:
- Provide a welcoming environment where ākonga feel safe
- Provide engaging learning that reflects the identity, language and culture of their ākonga
- Develop educationally powerful connections with ākonga and whānau and employ teachers who can connect with their ākonga
Progressing:
- When the above factors are present, ākonga will attend, participate, and progress in their learning. This will, in turn, improve their well-being and their engagement with the school.
Justified v Explained Absences:
As a school, we must code any absences as either Justified or Explained. To clarify this we have compiled a list below to help you understand the acceptable reasons for absences.:
Justified Absences | Unjustified Absences |
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Our annual attendance and engagement target is based on achieving at least 90% daily attendance rates and reducing unjustified absences. We look forward to you supporting us with this goal to ensure our tamariki thrive at intermediate school and are well-prepared for their college years.
Snapchat
Snapchat:
Snapchat is a very popular social media platform designed for children 13 years or older. It has been brought to our attention that several students are downloading Snapchat and have joined all sorts of groups that may not be suitable for your child. As you will be aware, social media can cause numerous issues among users. We spend a lot of time sorting out "dramas" caused by students having unsupervised access to social media. They do not have access to social media at school so they are doing this at home and with their friends. Students at this age are simply not mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions on social media sites.
As young people use more digital technology, parents must teach them about online safety. While there might be a gap between what your child knows and how much you know about technology, you don’t have to be a tech expert to help. You can offer life skills, maturity and experience your child hasn’t developed yet. Netsafe is a good place to start for resources and helpful tips.
Our school facebook site has some information about snapchat.