Week 9 term 3 2022

Kia ora koutou

We have enjoyed having our students at school for almost a whole term without interruption from Covid-related school closures.

It has been a busy term with many sporting fixtures and learning opportunities including:

• Waikato Intermediate Girls' 7-aside rugby
• Students visiting our contributing schools to talk about Maeroa.
• Sports Camp
• Our Open night for interested whaanau of year 6 students.
• Waikato Intermediate Cross Country
• Waikato Intermediate Netball
• Zespri AIMS Games
• Waikato Intermediate Kapahaka Festival
• Science Night
• Jump Jam Competition
• Winter hockey
• Netball
• Basketball
• Inline hockey
• Waterpolo
• Indoor cricket
• Indoor soccer
• Maeroa's Got Talent
• After school 'clubs' - building, indoor games, art, badminton. 
• Enviro Projects - Gully workshops, Bee Keeping and Gardening

I realise I will have missed some things off this list. Seeing so many of our students participating in the activities and opportunities offered to them is wonderful. They build new skills, gain confidence, build a sense of belonging and make new friends which is what intermediate is all about. 

Te wiki o te Reo Māori took place last week with teachers and students working hard to further extend and embrace their knowledge and skills in Te Reo Māori.  New Zealand has celebrated Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week each year since 1975 to commemorate the presentation of the 1972 Māori language petition on September 14 to parliament.

A reminder that next Monday 26 September is a public holiday as we commemorate the Queen's wonderful reign as Queen of the Commonwealth.

The school will finish term three at the normal time of 3 pm on Friday 30 September.

We wish our students and families all the best for a relaxing and safe break.

We look forward to another amazing term of learning in term 4, remember to check our school calendar on our website for updated event information - dates and times. 

Mā te wā

Susan

Koru Badge Awards

Congratulations to our students who have earned their Koru Badge over the last couple of weeks.

Bronze: Tarin Tootill, Nikquita Herewini

Silver: Jot Johal, Jordan Fletcher, Tarin Toothill

Gold: Siobhan Wallace, Tarin Toothill

Platinum: Methuka Paththinikankanamge, Mya Clarke, Lewis Mayo

2023 Term Dates

• Term 1: Wednesday 1 February to Thursday 6 April
• Term 2: Monday 23 April to Friday 30 June
• Term 3: Monday 17 July to Friday 22 September
• Term 4: Monday 9 October to Tuesday 19 December

WIMS Kapahaka Festival

Our Te Pua Waitanga Kapahaka group represented our school with much pride at the Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools (WIMS) Kapahaka Festival on 13 September over at Rotouna Junior High.  They are a dedicated group of students that are in our Reo Rua class here at school, so Kpa Haka plays an integral part of their curriculum.  Currently, they are practising for the Tainui Regional Competition in November - we wish them well in their preparation.

Zespri AIMS Games 2022

We sent a boys' basketball team, a mixed 3 x 3 basketball team, a netball team and a BMX rider to the AIMS Games earlier this term.

• Our BMX rider, Nicola Mapu won one gold medal and two silver medals.
• Our Boys' basketball team was placed 9th. 
• Our 3 x 3 basketball team was placed 4th.
• Our netball team was placed 6th. 

We are very proud of our students who went to AIMS, their sportspersonship, fair play, school values and competitiveness shone through.

A big thank you to our coaches for all the time, energy and belief you put into our teams. Thank you to the managers and teachers who also spent much time enabling our teams to compete. 

Thank you to the parents/whaanau who worked hard to ensure their child could attend the AIMS Games. 

The AIMS Games are a huge event attracting this year 10,800 intermediate-age students to the competition this year. 

A huge thank you to all sponsors who helped to make this possible for our AIMS participants. Maeroa Intermediate appreciates your kindness and generosity. 

Boys' Basketball 

• The Lookout Bar & Kitchen   
• Wright Civil  
• Nature's Sunshine     
• Lila Jasmine Nutrition

Netball 

• River Radiology
• Laser Eye Centre
• Frankton Park   
• Countdown Nawton 
• Fonterra 
• Saibaba Dairy Nawton 

3 x 3 Basketball 

• Maxine Horscroft 
• Taima Mihinui.

Zespri Aims Games 2022

Jump Jam Team

Congratulations to our team, who were placed 3rd in a recent competition. We have two Jump Jam teams who are practising hard for their competition next term. 

Ruud Kleinpaste visiting Maeroa

On the first day of term 4, 17 October, Rudd Kleinpaste will be spending the day here at Maeroa. He will be speaking to the whole school at 9 am. Then he will be working with the enviro group for the remainder of the day. After school, he will be working with our teachers. 

Always happy to share his face with a wētā, entomologist and 'Bug Man' Ruud Kleinpaste is one of the insect world’s best friends. 

"Bugs are fabulously adapted to their environment; over millions of years they’ve evolved to become the fantastic creatures they are. We have an obligation to look after them and every animal on the planet – for science, technology and medicine and for the stability of the Earth’s interconnected ecosystems." Ruud Kleinpaste in North and South, November 2007

Pubertal Change

Next term we will teach our students the topic of Pubertal Change - Healthy Mind, Healthy Body.  We follow a Ministry of Education Resource, and there are about eleven lessons involved. Next week, we will send a separate newsletter outlining the lesson content and overview.

The first week back after the holidays on 19 October 2022 6 - 7 pm in our school library we are holding a parent meeting to discuss the teaching and learning content and teaching will start in Week 2.  All parents/caregivers are welcome to attend.

The Power of Stepping Away

Unfortunately, it’s always the right time to chat about friendship fires…

Teach kids to step away from drama, especially at school.

Adolescents are experimenting with who they are and their social place in the world. So, they have a natural attraction to the social interactions of peers. They are especially attracted to drama. They are learning about power and social dynamics so, of course, they want to be part of what’s going on. They tend to pick a side; there is a powerful sense of belonging in picking a side.

We need to teach them the equal power of not getting involved. 

The power of the person who:

• -Walks away
• -Decides not to send that text
• -Doesn’t comment on Insta or Snapchat
• -Counts to 5 before responding
• -Distracts others from a moment of meanness
• -Chooses to turn on their empathy
• -Includes instead of excludes

If kids could see that power. And if they could show the courage to step away...just imagine.

Linda Slade - Education Writer

Procedures in the event of a major emergency - Maeroa Intermediate

For the safety of people at our school, we wish to inform you that, in the event of a major emergency at school, lockdown or fire in our school community, the following procedures will be followed:

• Information, as available, will be provided to the school's Facebook page.
• We will also provide information via email and text message. This is why it is so important that we have your correct phone number and email address.
• Any visitors to the school during the emergency will comply with Maeroa Intermediate Emergency Procedures.
• If you are notified that the school is ‘in lockdown’ this will be instigated by the NZ Police, and only they can lift the ‘lockdown’. Please do not try to enter the school grounds during a Police initiated ‘lockdown’.
• No student will be dismissed from school unless a parent or guardian designated by a parent requests this.
• No student will be allowed to leave with another person, even a relative or babysitter, unless we have written permission, the person is listed on the student’s enrolment card in our files, or we can contact the parent or guardian.
• All parents or designated guardians who collect students must sign them out at the office following our usual procedure or at the alternative Student Release Station especially set up inside the main entrance to the school.  This will be clearly marked.

Should your son or daughter be injured, we will arrange for them to be cared for and if necessary take them to the nearest available medical/casualty centre.

We have staff with current first aid certificates and the school is prepared to care for the students in a critical situation or if parents cannot reach the school.

YOUR CO-OPERATION IS REQUESTED WITH THE FOLLOWING:

• Please do not call the school. We must have the lines open for emergency calls.
• Following a lockdown or other emergency, do not immediately drive to the school. Streets and access to our school may be shut off by the police or emergency services. The school access route and street entrance areas must remain clear for emergency vehicles.
• Do not be upset if you are not permitted into our school. The police will make those decisions. 
• Please be aware that our information may be limited – we will only be able to tell you what we know.