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Thursday 7th December 2023
Kererū School
Contact Us
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
Phone: 06 876 0923
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084298596659
Tumuaki | Principal Update
Kia ora e te whānau,
It's hard to believe this is our last school newsletter for 2023! The year has certainly flown by and I am looking forward to sharing successes of this year, and some performances at our Prizegiving/Christmas Concert next week.
Due to Cyclone Gabrielle, we have been given some extra MOE funding to employ a teacher to support the 'loss of learning due to the North Island weather events' this year. Alison Marshall has been appointed to the part-time fixed-term position in 2024 and will work with some Totara students one day per week. Alison has been an asset to our team this year, and we feel incredibly lucky to have her continuing great individualised learning programmes next year. We have also appointed a Caretaker. Jo Mayers comes with a wealth of landscaping experience, and I know she will do an incredible job in whipping our school grounds into shape.
A special mention to two wonderful ladies who help to keep things ticking along at Kererū School. Megan and Carlee have this year, again, gone above and beyond for all of our tamariki - doing all of the jobs (big and small) that contribute to the overall success of our school. They have both been active members on the FOKS committee and have dedicated many hours organising, communicating and managing events all for the benefit of students that go to our school. I'd like to thank Megan who has been amazing this year - volunteering Friday's in our Library and in Kākano and to Carlee who is our super mum/cleaner/jack of all trades.
This term, I have been busy bringing our 2024-2026 Strategic Plan together. Thank you to the school whānau and community members who shared their aspirations throughout the consultation process. There were some strong themes such as;
- using our local history and environment as a context for learning
- being involved and giving back to our community
- developing life, social and wellbeing skills
You will be able to clearly see that your collective ideas and aspirations have been reflected in our Strategic Plan throughout 3 goals;
- Our Programme | To mātou wāhi: Implement a rich, responsive localised curriculum that promotes self-directed learning
- Our Community | To tatou hapori: Connect to our people, place and local environment
- Our Wellbeing | To tatou oranga: Strengthen the wellbeing and resilience of ākonga and kaiako
We look forward to catching up with our extended Kererū School whānau as we wind down for the Christmas holidays.
Noho ora mai,
Kelsie Allen
Principal
Roll: 29
From the Office
RA WHĀNAU | HAPPY BIRTHDAY
- Peyton 04/12
- Elsie 12/12
- Arya 25/12
- Pippa 16/01
2024 Information
Staffing Structure
- Principal: Kelsie Allen
- Kākano Teachers: Kelsie Allen & Sally Charteris
- Totara Teacher: Sophie Bazzard
- Office Manager & Teacher Aide: Sheryn Slavin
- Learning Support (Boost) Teacher: Alison Marshall
- Caretaker: Jo Mayers
- Cleaner: TBC
CHANGE to our stationery system
This year we are partnering with Qizzle for ‘Back to School’ Stationery Packs for students.
- Visit www.schoolpacks.co.nz, select ‘Kererū School’ from the drop down, choose the appropriate class pack/year level of your child. All of the required stationery items (including quantities) will appear for you to purchase (these have been carefully chosen by our teachers).
- Selecting full, part or multiple packs is easy, and their pricing is very competitive – we couldn’t find cheaper!
- Orders $69 or more are dispatched freight free, a small freight charge applies to orders under $69.
- Payment is collected at the time of order and can be made via credit card (Visa or Mastercard). If this option doesn’t suit you, chat with Qizzle online or email schoolpacks@qizzle.co.nz and they can sort out a solution for you! Laybuy is also an option through Qizzle.
- With every $25 that you spend on stationery one reward point will be issued to our school. We can then collate and redeem these reward points on products from Qizzle
- The majority of our stationery books have durable covers and a range of features designed by teachers including student reference material. You do not need to laminate these books or purchase book covers.
- When you place your order, it will be delivered to your house. Please do not open the packs to ensure nothing is misplaced over the holidays. Students will need to bring their box with them on Day 1, 2024.
If you have any queries regarding stationery items over the holiday period, please don’t hesitate to email Sheryn on office@kereru.school.nz.
From the Staff
ADORN Value - Organised | Nahanaha
Pool Update
Due to a number of reasons, the pool will not be opening to the Community this summer. There is a lot of work to happen in and around the pool area over the Christmas holidays - not just the painting of the pool. We are hopeful the pool up and running for our students in Term 1, 2024. However, this is not guaranteed.
Thanks for your understanding.
Farewell & Good luck!
Farewell & Good Luck to our Year 8's!
At the end of this year, we say goodbye and good luck to our 4 Year 8 students; Fletcher, Kate, Morgan and Isabel. With Fletcher and Morgan also being the last in their families at Kererū School, the Garnham-Bennett & Perkins families have come to the end of the primary school years. Thank you to all of these families for their support over the last 7-8 years.
Farewell Warner Whānau
At the end of this year, the Warner's will be leaving the Kererū community to move into Havelock North. This is a huge move for Matt, Carlee, Jack, James, Kate, Hugo and Emmie and an even bigger loss to our school and community. Matt and Carlee have given countless hours to our school - going above and beyond and doing all of the little jobs that make a massive difference. We thank Matt for this time on the Board of Trustees, Carlee for her time as our cleaner and Jack for his time as our caretaker. No amount of thank you's will be enough to show our appreciation. We wish them all the very best for the next chapter in their lives.
Farewell Miss Revell
Nat Revell will also be leaving us at the end of this year. Nat has secured a co-team leader position at Te Mata School and will be teaching Year 3 and 4 students. We are thankful for all of Nat's work at Kererū School and know she will be an asset to the Te Mata School team.
Totara (Y4-8) Learning
Writing by Elsie
Healthy Environment
Keeping our environment healthy is so important especially for our native New Zealand birds which rely on many of our amazing native rakau (trees). Our manu (birds) rely on: they rely on Kowhai, Mountain Totara, Titoki, Kawakawa, Rimu, Puriri, Rewarewa and many others.
Rakau (trees) are also a crucial part in human life, we need rakau (trees) so that we can breathe in the clean, fresh and healthy air, the process is called photosynthesis.The Rakau (tree) leaves pull in carbon dioxide and water which uses the energy of the sun to make a chemical reaction of oxygen that is produced and released by the rakau (tree). Rakau are also a never ending playground for kids and adults. Rakau (trees) are also a nice quiet place to sit under or in, some rakau (trees) have scrumptious fruit that you can eat!
Also for Christmas, Aotearoa has a special rakau which is called the Putakawa Rakau (tree) which has these eye-catching bright red beautiful flowers that are very special to our country. It also looks more attractive for the tourists to see our nice green rakau (trees) leaves floating in the breeze.
Kākano (NE-Y3) Learning
Baking up a storm Gruffalo style!
Kākano have been baking Purple Prickle Pancakes and making Toad Stool Pizzas this week. All things for a Gruffalo to eat. We've been working hard practicing our Gruffalo play and getting our costumes ready for next weeks Prizegiving Play. We can't wait for you to see it!
What have we been up to?
Faraday Museum Visit
On Novemeber 22nd the whole school went to the Faraday Museum for a visit. It was great to see Sheryn's old TV from her childhood on display! The telephones were a big hit as was the wire message sender. They loved the typewriters. Learning all about the inventor Nikola Tesla and watching the Tesla coil at work was really interesting. Nikola Tesla was certainly ahead of his time.
Then it was off to Anderson Park for a great lunchtime play in Greenmeadows. Our tamariki are so wonderful to take on school trips. They always appreciate their time out of the classroom.
From the BOT
Uniform Update
Dear Kereru School Whānau,
Thank you for your involvement in the uniform implementation process over the past couple of terms. As a Board, we felt it was important to hear collective school whānau voice through this process before making any decisions.
The most recent survey that went out to families this term shows overwhelming support (see results attached) for a uniform to be implemented in 2024.
As a Board, we have listened to your collective voice, have discussed the results of the survey. We have decided that uniforms will be implemented at Kererū School once we have sourced external funding for the initial roll out (2 x polos and 1 x polar fleece per student). Note: This may not be until mid/end of Term 1. As we stated in the latest proposal, this would look like - uniform Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, with Wednesday being a day to wear what students like (no uniform).
Thank you for your active participation and support,
Kererū School Board
School Working Bee
This info will also be shared on Hero - you will be able to comment your availability on this post.
From the FOKS
Thank you!
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped out over this last year. We can't say that it was an easy year. Good old Gabrielle certainly put a spanner in the works with no Trail Bike Ride. What a resilient community we have with such generosity.
We managed to raise this year in total $19566.91.
To Carlee & Megan who are sadly leaving us at the end of this year. Your unwavering commitment, tireless efforts, and passion for the work we do have not only been noticed but have also left an indelible mark on the entire team. The impact of your hard work is evident in the success and growth we've experienced under your dedicated leadership. Your ability to go above and beyond expectations has been nothing short of inspiring. Whether it was coordinating events, managing logistics, or tackling challenges head-on, your enthusiasm and diligence were always apparent. Your professionalism and positive attitude have set a standard that will be challenging to match.
As you both transition to new endeavour's, we want you to know that your absence will be felt. The void left by your departure is a testament to the significant roles you played within the committee. The friendships forged, the memories created, and the lessons learned will be cherished by all of us who had the privilege of working alongside you.
We look forward to new people joining our team next year!
Community Notices
Farewell to the Angland Family
Saturday 9th December 6:30pm at the Kereru Hall.
Please join us to farewell the Angland Family who will be leaving early in the New Year. Book your babysitters, bring a plate and beverage to celebrate their 17 years as active members of our community and their achievements at Kereru Station.
Kererū School Policies & Procedures
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. We will advise you when policies are up for review and how you can take part in the review.
http://kereru.schooldocs.co.nz
Username is “kereru”
Password is “kereru1912”
Upcoming Events
TERM 4:
13/12 - Prizegiving / Christmas Concert
14/12 - Last Day of Term 4
How to help your child at home
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
Regular Office Reminders
Absences
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.
Bus Communication
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.
Potential Enrolments
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.
Sickness
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/