Mā te huruhuru ka rere te manu

Adorn the bird with feathers so it may fly

Email: office@kereru.school.nz
Website: http://www.kereru.school.nz/
Location: 2306 Kereru Road, RD 1, Hastings 4171

Office Hours: Monday - Thursday - 8:30 am - 3 pm
Phone: 06 876 0923
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084298596659

As I write this panui, we are gearing up to host the Western Rural School Cross Country event. This annual gathering is anticipated by many and offers a fantastic day out for our tamariki to challenge themselves alongside their peers. Such an event doesn't just come together on its own. I’d like to thank our teachers, who have worked hard to balance their teaching programmes to fit in training, and to all our helpers/marshals and the FOKS committee for organising the bake sale. A special thanks goes to the Spall whānau for allowing us to use their farm once again. It truly is a 'cross country,' and we are grateful to be able to host this event there.

We are coming to the end of Week 5 and it is scary to think we only have 15 weeks of school term time left this year! As you may already know, one of the Ministry of Education's targets is that '80% of students will be present for more than 90% of the term'. In Term 2, 74% of Kererū School students were present for more than 90% of the term. We do understand that sickness can't be helped and we do not want bugs at school that spread. However, I ask that you please take this into consideration when booking trips, holidays and non-urgent appointments etc. Sometimes it can be tricky to know when to send your child back to school. Check out the MOH website for more clarity.

For greater context (over a school year - 192 days);

• If your child's attendance is 90% - they will have missed 19 days of learning (114 hours)
• If your child's attendance is 85% - they will have missed 29 days of learning (174 hours)
• If your child's attendance is 80% - they will have missed 38 days of learning (228 hours)
• If your child's attendance is 75% - they will have missed 48 days of learning (288 hours)

You can look at your child's attendance on our Hero app.

As you know, we are right in the thick of production practice. Wow! I’m so proud of the way our students are improving daily as we learn the dances and lines. Seeing them grow in confidence, push themselves out of their comfort zones, and support and encourage each other is just amazing. They are taking on feedback and putting in 100% effort. We look forward to sharing this with you all at the end of Term 3.

Ngā mihi nui,

Kelsie Allen

Principal

Roll: 24

A big Happy Birthday to the following ākonga (learners) and kaiako (staff):

• 27/07 - Mrs Charteris
• 01/08 - Lachie H
• 03/08 - Anthony G
• 25/08 - Sheryn
• 26/09 - Paige VD

Mornings: Please contact Megan on FB Messenger or 027 307 5852 before 7 am if your child is not on the bus. After this time, Megan is on the road and may not check her phone.

Afternoons: Please contact Sheryn (Monday - Thursday) if there is any variation to your termly bus routine. Please message Kelsie on Fridays only. These messages need to come through before 2 pm.

Term 3:

• 22/08 - Cross Country
• 22/08 - Newsletter 2
• 28/08 - Assembly 2
• 30/08 - Daffodil Day
• 12/09 - Tots > Kākano
• 18/09 - Assembly 3
• 18/09 - BOT Meeting
• 24/09 - Birds of a Feather Dress Rehearsal
• 25/09 - Birds of a Feather Production - evening show
• 27/09 - Last day of Term 3

Term 4:

• 14/10 - First day of Term 4
• 23/10 - Pet Day
• 24/10 - Teacher Only Day
• 25/10 - HB Anniversary
• 28/10 - Labour Day
• 30/10 - BOT Meeting
• 08/11 - Cluster Athletics
• 26/11 - 29/11 - Tōtara Camp
• 11/12 - BOT Meeting
• 18/12 - EOY Prizegiving

Exploding colours shoot up into the night sky! Crowds laughing and cheering, waving their countries colourful flags! Do you think the Olympics are awesome? I’m going to tell you about the similarities and differences between the Ancient and Modern Olympics? The Olympics is a massive sports competition. Both the Ancient and Modern games are held every 4 years because they take a long time to prepare. Both have an opening and closing ceremony that include a flaming torch that was carried by the athletes. Boxing is both in the Ancient and Modern Olympics.

Although there are so many things that are the same between the Ancient and Modern Olympics there are still so many differences. For instance ancient athletes competed in the nude but in the Modern Olympics athletes wear a team uniform. In the Ancient Olympics winners got leaf crowns. But in the Modern Olympic games winners get ribbons and medals. 3000 years ago a massive sports contest was held. 128 years ago the Modern Olympics started. In the old olympics girls were not allowed to play however in the Modern Olympics girls are allowed to play. TheAncient Olympics go for 5 days in contrast to the Modern Olympics which go for 16 days.

There are many things that are the same and different but the big aim is not to see who is stronger but to create PEACE because people are killing each other to see who is stronger.

Peyton S - Y6

As part of our whakawhānaungatanga focus this term, each newsletter is going to have a spotlight on one of our staff member so our community can get to know us (not just as school staff) a little better.

Name: Kelsie Allen

Job Title: Principal and Kākano Teacher

Spouse: Hamish

Children: Lou (dog), Pepper (cat) & The Girls (chooks)

Where are you from (originally): Tinui - Wairarapa

What is your favourite food: Watermelon & Whittakers chocolate

What is your least favourite food: Cheese

Favourite Movie: Miss Congeniality or any romcom

Dog or cat: I love them equally

Hobbies: Fishing, walking, baking, mustering with Lou (when it goes well...), spending time at the beach and with friends.

Why did you want to work at Kererū School: It was close to home (big tick!) and I wanted to get amongst the community.

What do you love about Kererū School: I love the team we have—such a positive, supportive energy that makes it the best work environment. It’s a joy to lead a staff who always put our kids first, who are reflective, adaptive, and consistently go the extra mile for the children at our school. I love our community and how everyone gets stuck in and helps out. And the kids—they’re just awesome. I love seeing their progress and growth - nothing excites a teacher more. It truly feels like one big family.

We will be having 3 Assemblies each term.

All dates are on the Events Calendar;

• Week 3 - Wednesday @ 2:30 pm
• Week 6 -Wednesday @ 2:30 pm
  
• Week 9 -Wednesday @ 2:30 pm

As you know, we use our Hero Student Management System to report to whānau throughout the year.

This term, you can expect:

• Snapshots: Writing, PE / Health & The Arts
• Reporting: Collaborative Conferences are being held in Week 2. This is great opportunity for whānau to meet and discuss your child's learning and progress this year.

On Friday we had Vickie from Wood is Good to visit our school to talk about safety and wood production.

Wood is Good is a programme delivered to primary students all around New Zealand. This is relevant to Kererū School, with the Gwavas Forest on our doorstep. The programme is based around two main aspects; 'be safe, be seen' and wood as a sustainable product to NZ. We also had a log truck visit so that our tamariki could look inside, ask lots of questions and gain a better understanding of blind spots in vehicles.

Vickie commented on her time at Kererū School saying; "hats off to you and your colleagues, and to the wonderful Kererū students; wonderful in every sense of the word in their engagement, great manners and their enthusiasm for learning." -Feedback we were proud to receive.

We would like to thank everyone who made this visit happen.

Lesley from the Heart Foundation came to Kererū School to support our learning about Food and Nutrition.

Lesley talked about where our food comes from, processed and unprocessed food and how different foods are good for different parts of our bodies.

There were lots of great learning experiences, hands on activities and science experiments on show at the Science Roadshow. This term, we have been focussing on food and nutrition and a lot of the stations were also to do with eating well and looking after our bodies. Anthony was one of the volunteers and they tried to tip some oobleck on him! We finished the day with lunch and a play in the sunshine at Havelock North Park. A big thanks to our staff, Ashley and Emily for transporting our tamariki to this event.

Recently, we've been practicing on Tony and Elva Perkin's driveway and the Spall's farm, challenging ourselves with hill runs and increasing our distance. A big thank you for allowing us to use your land to do so.

On Thursday 8th August, we had mum of our school and three-time Olympian, Emily Gaddum, share her experiences with Kākano and Tōtara students about the Olympic Games.

Emily talked about the importance of dreaming big, working hard and showing sportsmanship and resilience.

Our tamariki had lots of great questions and loved making connections with Paris Games happening at the moment.

A big thank you to Emily for the inspirational messages and sharing your experiences, especially ahead of our upcoming Cross Country.

On Friday's, Tōtara students have been teaching Kākano new maths games they have been learning during the week. These games come from maths guru - Rob Proffitt-White.

Rob Profitt-White’s "Just in Time Maths" model uses multi-layered games that adapt to students' levels, starting with simpler concepts and gradually increasing in difficulty. These games keep students engaged by making learning fun and interactive. They can be adapted to enable learners or extend them too - which we love!

There are many great benefits to this model of learning which includes;

• Teaching younger students reinforces the older students' understanding of maths concepts, solidifying their knowledge.
  
• Older students gain confidence and improve their communication skills by explaining math in simpler terms.
  
• Younger students feel comfortable and supported, leading to a positive learning experience in maths.
  

Try this game at home - it is a favourite at school!

Greedy Pig

Materials: paper, dice

Maths Concepts: addition, probability

Aim: get the highest final score after a number of rounds.

1. Everyone in the class stands up.

2. Adult (or delegate) rolls the dice and everyone records the score in the table on the dice.

3. You choose to bank the score or continue for another roll of the dice.

4. If a 'one' comes up on the dice and you haven't banked your score, your total is zero and this round is over.

5. You need to do a running total - so adding up the nice rolls as you go.

6. A final score is the sum of the five scores from each of the rounds.

Extend:

• Play more rounds

• Roll 2 dice or 3 dice

• 10-sided dice, spinner

• Multiply the dice

• Explore concepts of probability

Enable:

• Use materials/drawings to assist with adding

• Use six as the “bad” number (so add with numbers 1-5 only)

We are super proud of Thea, Elsie, Elly and Jack who represented Kererū School at the Hawke's Bay District Interschool Teams Chess Tournament. They played many different schools and students, winning the Intermediate B Grade competition. Ka rawe tamariki ma! What an amazing achievement.

Brebner Print was where we went first, to discuss with Sarah Bicknell - the person who we (Mrs Marshall and I) emailed - the different options of publishing my book, Cyclone Gabrielle.

First of all, she showed us some different ways of presenting it, such as a glossy cover, or matte cover. A square stitch binding (stapling it but it’s sort of folded to be squarer) or having the pages glued. As well as that, we also talked about how we could get the pictures scanned so that they could be transferred into the book. They had been hand drawn, so we didn’t have PDF copies. A few other things to consider were 1. An ISBN number - if we wanted the book in the national library - and a copyright, especially for the pictures.

Once we had finished with the meeting, she gave Mrs Marshall and me a tour of the building, and what they did to print everything. Did you know that Brebner Print is one of the three top stamp printing companies in the world? They have special people who personally check the stamps by hand - even with a magnifying glass - to make sure there are no flaws. The further we went the more amazing machines there were. And before you start thinking about flashy modern devices that you press a button and walk away; these machines were better. They were huge metal machines that sucked up paper, chopped it (the guillotine), or stamped it (the embossing machine - don’t put your hands in there!), or coloured it (it sucked up the ink and rolled it out onto the paper, but it has to be careful not to have too much ink on it, or it would roll out too far on the paper), or cut out shapes (the stamp and box templates both did this). One of the only digital things I saw were the designers on their computers; the rest of it was gigantic, beautiful, moving metal machines.

When it was time to go and meet the mayor, we went into the Hastings District Council Building, and walked up a flight of stairs to the mayor's office. Mrs Marshall and I explained the process of making the book, and then I read a section of the book. I think that the meeting was a success, because both Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst and Marcus Buddo seemed to like the book, and it seems that we will be getting some support with it.

I would just like to thank again, Mrs Marshall, Mrs Allen and Ms Bazzard, who made all of this possible, by supporting me and extending me in my learning.

Written By Eleanor

• Trevor (newsreader) - Elly
• Jemma-Lee (reporter) - Elsie

Baddies:

• Andy - Lucia
• Mandy - Violet
• Brandy - Pippa
• Sandy - Bruno

DOC Ranger - Thea

Rat - Ted

Dancers/birds:

• Kaka - Jack, Paige, Ziggy
• Tui - Peyton, Autumn
• Kereru - Anthony, Tiahuia, Arya
• Riroriro - Rylee, SJ , William
• Tauhou - Izzy, Isabella
• Korimako - George, Lachie, Immy

If you'd like to see a sneak peek of our Production - head over to our Kererū School Facebook page!

A huge thank you to everyone who added their names to the helpers list for Cross Country. All baking can be dropped at the Hall today and put into the fridge, or brought in the morning to the stall by 9am for set up. Don't forget that each family is expected to provide 2 batches of baking for the stall. Thank you so much for you amazing help.

We have Ka Pai Cuppa Waka (normally at Bridge Pa) attending this year, so please support him.

At our recent FOKS meeting, Emily Hunter stepped down as Chairperson and has taken on the treasurer role. We’re grateful for all her mahi as Chair.

We’re excited to welcome Jane Taylor as our new Chairperson!

The positions on FOKS are;

Chairperson: Jane Taylor

Secretary: Sheryn Slavin

Treasurer: Emily Hunter

Committee Members: Emily Gaddum, Ashley Harris & Meagan Mayers

As previously communicated, following the results of a parent survey that strongly supported the introduction of school uniforms, the Board has been working to move forward with this initiative. We understand that the process has taken some time, and we appreciate your patience as we worked through the necessary steps. We are now pleased to share details on how the uniform roll-out will be implemented at Kererū School.

Each child will receive 2 x polo shirts ($36.00 ea) + 1 x polar fleece ($47.00 ea) fully subsidised by the Board of Trustees. If you want to purchase more, this is at your own expense. Funding by the Board is for 2024 students only. Purchasing uniforms after this year will be at the cost of whānau/families.

Uniform Guidelines:

• School uniform is to be worn daily.
• On Wednesday's uniform will be optional unless we have a school trip or special visitor.

• School uniform will be;
• Green school polo shirt
• Navy or black bottoms
• Polar fleece school jersey or woollen school jersey
• School jackets will be used when we have trips away - these will remain on the loan system we currently have
• Long hair should be tied back to prevent the risk/spread of headlice

Uniform Policy:

• The student uniform policy can be found on our School Docs site.
• Instructions on how to view Kererū School policies and procedures can be found on our website.

What now?

• Sheryn will send an order form home this week for you to fill in and return by Friday 6th September.
• Remember, all current students will have 2 x green polo shirts and 1 x polar fleece funded.
  • If you would like your child to have a woollen jersey, the board will pay up to the cost of a polar fleece and you will need to pay the difference to get the woollen option.
• Please wash and send all blue/white school uniform tops back to the Office by the end of Term 3.

What do I do if I need to purchase more?

• For t-shirts and polar fleeces - you can contact Personalise It directly. Talk to Sheryn if you'd like the order form.
  • In time, this information will also be on Hero & on our school website.
• For woollen jerseys, contact Sheryn.
• Keep an eye out for second-hand options - the Kererū Whānau Page will be a good platform to buy/sell/swap.

Once we have all order forms returned, we will let you know when the uniforms will be ready.

Ngā mihi nui,

Kererū School Board

We have some very exciting landscaping plans that we would love to have ready to enjoy before summer.

To get to this point, we need your help.

On Saturday 14th September we are going to have a Working Bee.

Times to be confirmed closer to the time.

We need to complete the following jobs:

• Digging out steps from by the pool to the playground - digger & driver locked in
• Edging the new steps
• Removing topsoil from new step area - can anyone please bring a tractor and trailer down?
• Remove the current pool over and attach the new one
• Clean the heat pump filters
• Clear the gutters
• Strengthen and/or replace broken junior playground edging
• Branches to be trimmed up in the forest - we will need a chainsaw, please.
• ** A few more jobs will be added in the coming weeks

Please comment on the Hero post if you are available on the date and what tools you can bring.

If you can't make it, we'd still love your help before or after the date. There are plenty of jobs to go around.

We are looking to have a second Working Bee at the beginning of Term 4 to plant our new gardens. The date is TBC.

Thank you for your help and support.

We’ve recently added thousands of dollars worth of new plants to our school grounds, with more on the way. Unfortunately, we’ve had some issues with livestock damaging the new plants. To prevent further issues, please let any member of the Board know if animals are on school grounds. If there’s more damage, we may need to seek compensation. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Thanks to Hamish Allen for fixing up our fence lines last Saturday, and to Jimmy, Jeremy & Grace from Kererū Station for taking our school lawn mower into town and back and for fixing the latch on our field gate. We really appreciate the help!

Thank you for donating 2 new paper recycling bins to our school!

A big thank you to all of the community members and businesses who contribute to our school through Fern Fuels points. We are grateful for your support.

Thank you to;

• Allen Farming Company Limited
• Beeline Limited
• Corson Farming Limited
• Forest Road Farm - NZ Red Deer Ltd
• Freethlands Limited
• Hilltop Spraying Ltd
• HWS Agri Limited
• MD & KA Hinton Partnership
• Ohara Farming Company Limited
• Olrig Limited
• R Haselsteiner T/A Matangi Station
• Rangimoe Farming Limited
• SH Harper
• Simmons Contracting Ltd
• Stephen J Averill
• Summerhill Partnership
• Te Whana Farm Family Trust
• Topaki Limited
• Tuapae Farm Limited
• Tuturo Farm Limited
• Universal Livestock Limited
• Wakarara Farms
• Whenuapapa Limited

Kereru Tots 'n' Dots are still on the lookout for a registered ECE teacher to join them in 2025.

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday 8:30-3:30.

Please share for us if you know of anyone. We want to keep this awesome rural centre going as it is so important for our community!

Please get in touch for further info - totschairperson@gmail.com

Franick Outdoor Power Equipment Specialists will donate $100 towards Kererū School with every ride-on purchase made in Aug, Sept or Oct 2024. Just mention seeing this offer!

The school works on a subscription basis with SchoolDocs to maintain, update, and review our policies. SchoolDocs provides us with a comprehensive core set of policies that have been well researched and follow the Ministry of Education National Administration Guidelines. The policies and procedures are tailored to our school, and the school supplies specific information such as our charter, and procedures for behaviour management, reporting to parents, etc.

SchoolDocs updates, modifies, or creates policies in response to changes in legislation or Ministry guidelines, significant events, reviews/requests from schools, and regular reviewing from the SchoolDocs team. Our board of trustees has the opportunity to view changes/additions and comment on them before they are implemented.

Policies are up for review each term. You can access, view & review our policies and procedures anytime.

http://kereru.schooldocs.co.nz

Username is “kereru”

Password is “kereru1912”

If you ever find the need to raise a concern or file a complaint with a member of our staff, we value open communication and encourage you to follow our concerns and complaints process.

We recognise that we can't always please everyone. We appreciate your understanding that we are committed to doing our best. We value diverse perspectives and acknowledge that opinions may differ.

We encourage you to reach out to your child's classroom teacher, who is your first point of contact for any concerns. They play a crucial role in addressing issues promptly and effectively.

These links will give you some ideas on how to help your child's learning at home:

• Ministry of Education Website: https://parents.education.govt.nz/primary-school/learning-and-development-at-home/ideas-to-help-with-reading-writing-and-maths/
• Maths at home: https://nzmaths.co.nz/maths-our-house
  
• Writing prompts and ideas: https://app.pobble.com/auth/
  
• Mindfulness: https://www.smilingmind.com.au/
• Early letter formation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=609NcinTkGI

If your child is unwell, please keep them at home to prevent the spread of the illness.

Gastro

• "People with gastro should not go to work, school and early childhood centres until they have been well (symptom free) for 48 hours. There will be viruses in your poos for several weeks after you become well. You should continue to wash and dry your hands thoroughly after you have been to the toilet."
• Here is the link for a brochure: https://www.rph.org.nz/public-health-topics/early-childhood-centres/current-illnesses/gastroenteritis/gastro-brochure.pdf

Covid-19

• If you or someone in your whānau tests positive for Covid-19, please let Kelsie know ASAP and then follow the MOH guidelines: https://covid19.govt.nz/testing-and-isolation/if-you-have-covid-19/

School is open for students to arrive from 8:15 am - 3:15 pm.

Our staff sometimes arrive late or need to leave straight after school. Please ensure you can pick your children up no later than 3:15 pm, otherwise you will need to make alternative arrangements.

Hero gives you (parents) the opportunity to send through your child's absence with a click of a button. This is a quick, efficient way and gives our staff a notification and message of the reason your child is away.

This is the way we would like you to let us know if your child won't be here. If there is additional information that the school needs to know, please contact Sheryn directly.

You can find out more information about our Student Attendance & Attendance Procedure policies by heading to School Docs and searching the above headings. Link to School Docs - https://kereru.schooldocs.co.nz/

Just a friendly reminder to help us with the end of the day organisation, please ensure you let us know if your child/ren will not be on the bus in the afternoons.

Unless we have heard otherwise, or you put on your sheet at the beginning of the term, we will assume that your child is on.

You need to contact Sheryn (Mon - Thurs) or Kelsie (Fri) before 2 pm with any changes.

We would love to have a better understanding of who will potentially come to Kererū School in the (near or distant) future. This is to ensure that you, as parents, receive information such as transition visits and school information before your child's start date.

We would love to hear from you if your child is between 1 and 4 years old. To make sure we have you on our 'potential enrolments' list.

Please email office@kereru.school.nz or follow the link to our enrolment section on our website to find out more information.