Term 1, Week 5
Thursday 29th Februrary 2024
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
Office Hours: Monday - Thursday - 8:30 am - 3 pm
Phone: 06 876 0923
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084298596659
Principal's Panui
Kia ora e te whānau,
I always love this time of year. The sun is shining, and our kids have been spending lots of time outside; being active, playing and learning. Our teachers are working hard to establish relationships, and set up independent routines, class expectations, systems, and learning programmes. Thank you to Sophie, Sally & Alison for putting lots of thought, consideration and hours into developing classroom programmes.
Thank you to everyone who booked in meeting with your child's teacher last week during our Whānau Aspiration Hui times. This is an important time of the year for teachers to get to build relationships with families and to set goals for the remainder of the year.
There has been a hive of activity at Kererū School since we returned back to this year. We are proud to provide our students with rich learning experiences to promote wellbeing and resilience. Beach Ed was a great day of learning; how to be safe at the beach, being more confident around waves and how to look after each other while swimming. The NH90 visit was a lesson in the power of giving which filtered back into classroom discussions and learning as we talking about; gratitude, empathy, sharing & kindness. We have been able to use this experience to produce some amazing writing, art and letters of thanks. Along with lots of other schools, Totara had the opportunity to participate in a great cultural day at the Junior Gatsby Picnic.
We are so grateful for the love, support and kindness displayed from Havelock North Primary School. Thank you to Annie, the staff, students and families from Havelock North Primary School. We are so grateful for your friendship, care and thoughtfulness, not to mention your generous donation of goodies. Thank you to Lachie and the RNZAF team - while the 14th of Feb is a day that we remember Cyclone Gabrielle, it is so special for our kids to have a new memory of your visit on this date.
Noho ora mai,
Kelsie Allen
Principal
Roll: 25
From the Office
RA WHĀNAU | HAPPY BIRTHDAY
- Mrs Allen - 04/02
- Bruno - 11/02
- Rylee - 16/02
Bus Communications
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.
Upcoming Events
Term 1:
- 08/03 - Assembly 2 @ 2:30 pm
- 14/03 - Crutching Bee
- 14/03 - Year 7 & 8 Grip Leadership Course
- 19/03 - Tots Visit to Kākano
- 29/03 - Good Friday (School Closed)
- 01/04 - Easter Monday (School Closed)
- 02/04 - Easter Tuesday (School Closed)
- 03/04 - BOT Meeting
- 04/04 - Swimming Sports Waipukurau (TBC)
- 05/04 - Assembly 3 @ 2:30 pm
- 12/04 - Last day of Term 1
Holidays:
- 18/04 - Pies Delivered (@ Hall)
Term 2:
- 29/04 - First day of Term 2
- 16/05 - Support Staff Day
- 23/05 - Ki o Rahi
- 27/05 - Teacher Only Day
- 30/05 - Tough Guy Gal Challenge
Writer of the week!
George H
George wrote this amazing 'explode the moment' for writing this week. Totara used a fruit burst as a writing prompt, and planned their writing by carefully describing; what happened in slow motion, thoughts and feelings and senory details. Ka pai, George! We are so proud of you.
A snapshot from George's writing:
"... Then I chew, a wave of amazing taste washes down my throat, a shiver of amazement trickles down my spine as I swallow a bomb explodes in my stomach."
From the Staff
Staff Spotlight: Sheryn Slavin
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: Sheryn Slavin
Job Title: Office Manager & Teacher Aide
Spouse: Callum
Children: Wal (15) & Murphy (13)
Where are you from (originally): Bryon Bay - Australia
What is your favourite food: Roast lamb
What is your least favourite food: Peas
Favourite Movie: Love Actually
Dog or cat: Cat
Hobbies: Netflix
Why did you want to work at Kererū School: I needed a job
What do you love about Kererū School: The people and the community are awesome
Pool Update
In the interim, we are very grateful to be able to have 1 morning session and 1 afternoon session where we can use the Tikokino School pool to prepare for the upcoming Swimming Sports.
1 hour of Reading, Writing and Maths
As you will have seen in the media, the National Government now have a requirement for all schools to be teaching on average 1 hour of reading, writing and maths per day. This isn't anything new for Kererū School.
Our curriculum prioritses the core learning areas of Reading, Writing and Maths. We have 5 hours a week timetabled for specific teaching in these areas, and additional time is provided through integration with our other curriculum areas.
How will special events, sports days, EOTC or cultural days be impacted?
- Special events are enriching for students, and the intent of the "one hour a day" policy is not to detract from or limit these events. The policy allows schools to manage the average amount of reading, writing, and maths teaching time through a week. This provides the flexibility required to accommodate days where students may spend time out of the classroom.
Students will experience a range of approaches to support their learning in core areas. Learning will include:
Reading:
- Shared reading (Big Books, Picture Books, Novels, Poetry)
- Small group guided reading / Structured literacy approach
- Independent reading
- Topic based reading
- Reading responses / comprehension
- Buddy reading
- Online tools for literacy practice and extension
Writing:
- Whole class writing sessions
- Independent skills based writing
- Free writing
- Topic based writing
- Encoding, decoding and dictation through Heggerty and Structured Literacy
Maths:
- Knowledge building
- Group workshops
- Maths problem solving
- Equipment & exploration sessions
- STEAM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Arts/Maths) integration
- The use of online tools to support maths consolidation & extension
Assembly Dates
We will be having 3 Assemblies each term. All dates are on the Events Calendar;
- Week 6 - Friday @ 2:30 pm
- Weel 10 - Friday @ 2:30 pm
Emergency Procedures
Each term, we have drills for fire, earthquake, shelter and place & lockdown. Our systems for these procedures work well.
You can find the procedures for fire and earthquakes on our School Docs website. The following information is directly from School Docs (our policy and procedures site) so that you know what happens in case of a Lockdown or Shelter in place emergency.
Lockdown/Shelter in place overview
- If a situation requires the school to start lockdown or shelter in place procedures, or if we are instructed by authorities such as the New Zealand Police, we follow our emergency management plan.
- The principal or their delegate is responsible for alerting everyone on site (including visitors and contractors) of a lockdown/shelter in place. Everyone on site must follow staff instructions. As appropriate to the situation, Kereru School updates parents/caregivers when it can using available communication options.
- Parents/Caregivers must follow any instructions issued by authorities and the school, including not coming to the school to see or collect their children if advised. This is particularly important if the school is in lockdown under police instruction.
Lockdown
- Lockdown is usually used in response to an incident directed at the school (e.g. a dangerous person on school grounds).
- During a lockdown, we stay inside until we receive the "all clear". We follow the direction of authorities and emergency services to minimise the threat to people at the school.
- If we do not receive detailed instructions from authorities and/or emergency services, we follow our standard lockdown procedures until further information is available.
- If we decide the situation does not require a full lockdown, or are advised by authorities that a full lockdown is not required, we may follow a shelter in place response.
Shelter in place
- Shelter in place is usually used in response to an incident near the school, but not directed at the school specifically (e.g. a severe weather event, or an incident in the community that is not in or near the school grounds).
- During a shelter in place, staff move everyone who is on site inside. We close doors and windows and, if necessary, shut down heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems (e.g. if there are airborne hazards in the environment).
- We restrict entry and exit to school buildings and continue normal school activities as much as possible. We do not allow anyone in or out of the grounds and buildings until we receive the "all clear".
Communicating with whānau
- In an emergency, disaster, or crisis the school contacts parents/caregivers/whānau when it can, using the emergency contact details provided, and releases information to the school community as appropriate. Depending on the circumstances, our available communication options may include:
- texting/messaging or phoning parents/caregivers
- updating the school website, any social media accounts, school app, parent portal, or student management system (HERO)
- updating any voice message system with the new status of the school
- putting up signs
- emailing parents/caregivers
- informing local media outlets.
Parents/Caregivers must follow any instructions issued by the school, including not coming to the school to see or collect their children if advised. This is particularly important when the school is in lockdown under police instruction. Our communications with whānau explain how parents/caregivers can be reunited with their children in the event of school closure.
Welcome
What have we been up to?
Great Gatsby Picnic
Totara had a great day out with Ms Bazzard on Thursday 15th Feb at the Great Gatsby Junior Picnic in Napier at the Sound Shell. It was a spectacular day at an awesome event. Great entertainment and and brilliant costumes. All of our tamariki went to the effort of dressing up. This was a free event for school children. Thank you to the Napier Art Deco Festival for including us!
14.02.24 - Marking 1 year since Cyclone Gabrielle.
This was a special time for our school and for our community to come together again to remember 1 year since Cyclone Gabrielle had a significant impact on our community. There were some tears and so much love at our little Community BBQ while we awaited the arrival of the NH90 Helicopter.
We are still completely overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of Havelock North Primary and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Thank you to Annie, the staff, students and families from Havelock North Primary School. We are so grateful for your friendship, care and thoughtfulness, not to mention your generous donation of goodies.
Thank you to Lachie and the RNZAF team - while the 14th of Feb is a day that we remember Cyclone Gabrielle, it is so special for our kids to have a new memory of your visit on this date.
Thank you to all of the community members who came along to be part of this day, who enjoyed a BBQ lunch and to Peter, Beth & Polli for cooking the saussies.
Writing from Kākano:
" The helicopter came to the cricket pitch. When the helicopter came to the cricket pitch we had a sausage sizzle. It was so windy that it blew my hat off. I was on television. We sang a song. Straps held people in. I carried heavy boxes of goodies. - Ziggy M, Y2
Writing from Totara:
"It has been a year since the destruction of Gabrielle.
We have not been forgotten.
Havelock North Primary School did not forget us.
Green grass slightly swaying in the soft breeze.
We were so excited when we heard a thumping sound coming.
The big grey helicopter stuffed with presents for the Kererū Community to pick up.
Big boxes, small boxes full of colour and care.
They did not forget us."
- Peyton S, Y6
Buddy Reading
Every Friday we have whole school buddy reading for 15-20 minutes. This is a special time where our Kākano (NE-Y3) and Totara (Y4-Y8) students read to each other. It fosters a love of reading, tuakana/teina relationships and reading consolidation.
Sport with Macca
This term, we have Macca working back within our school. Macca comes weekly and has been supporting our strategic goal of 'embed the healthy active learning programme through partnerships'. She is helping our Totara students with; developing leadership, sportsmanship and Ki o Rahi skills. Kākano have also been focusing on sportsmanship, fundamental skills and co-operative games.
Totara (Y4-8) Learning
In the Totara classroom I have been focussed on getting to know your children, individually and as a group dynamic. Initially, this has involved finding out about their interests, experiences and their family connections at Kererū School. In addition, I am working on finding out where they are at and what their next steps are for reading, writing and maths. This takes time through close in-class observations and testing.
On Tuesdays, Alison Marshall works with Totara students. She is an expert teacher of writing and supports the whole class and individuals. We are very fortunate to have her as part of our teaching team.
It was very helpful meeting you all in week 4. Your discussions deepened my understanding of your children, reinforcing what I had observed and pointing out aspects that I need to be conscious of.
We are also setting up routines and systems that allow both group workshops, individualised teaching and independent learning.
The children have an excellent understanding of the school ADORN values. They live these each day, it's lovely to observe.
At last we were able to swim, thanks to Tikokino School. The children loved the additional experience of playing "Capture the flag" with the Tikokino children; lots of running, teamwork, strategising and it was fun! Additional support from Macca, Sport HB, has enriched our programme. She is teaching Ki-o-rahi, another game involving ball skills, running and strategising as a team.
I am always happy to chat about how your child is getting on. We are a team, with your child at the centre.
Thank you for making me feel so welcomed, I really appreciate our support.
Nga mihi,
Sophie Bazzard
Kākano (NE-Y3) Learning
Due to Kelsie and I already having a term last year to get to know our kids, we are fully in the swing of things. We have spent the last couple of weeks consolidating routines and expectations, and our tamariki now have got this down packed. We have some great learning going on.
In reading, we have been concentrating on structured literacy and in particular, segmenting words and blending them back together. We have introduced book box reading after morning tea and lunch so that children get plenty of opportunities to practice reading within the school day.
For writing, our children wrote some amazing stories following the Airforce helicopter day. Opportunities like this provide a context for learning and its great to be able to bring these experiences back into the classroom. We painted some wonderful helicopters too that will hang on the wall with our writing and these paintings were made into thank you cards.
For maths, we have been learning about shapes, 2D and 3D and next week moving into position and orientation. After geometry we will be getting into addition and subtraction and working on strategy. This year we want to have a huge focus on basics facts which are really important in the younger years at school.
It was great to have Macca back last Thursday working on Fundamental skills with our students.
In the afternoons we have been creating a visual pepeha and hopefully we will get to present these at some stage and focusing on our social and emotional skills.
Marvin has been an absolute hit with Kākano and he's going on many adventures. The class loves sharing their writing each morning when he returns back to school.
Just a reminder that Kelsie and I are always approachable if you need to know anything or would just like a chat.
Sally and Kelsie
Kupu o te wiki
From the BOT
Farmlands Cricket Fundraiser - Thank You
A huge thank you to Farmlands who organised a great cricket game and donated auction items on Sunday 11th Feb. It was a great community event, to come together and mark one year on from Cyclone Gabrielle.
This fundraiser raised over $10,000 which will be shared between the Hall and the School. Shout out to Roo Holt for doing a fabulous job as auctioneer. To Pete Davis, thank you for donating your time and replacing the kitchen windows at the hall.
From the FOKS
Meeting Dates & Upcoming Events
Firewood Raffle
Thank you to the Perkins Family who have very kindly donated another cord of dry gum firewood for us to raffle. Please make sure all ticket sheets and money are returned and banked by Friday 1st March. The draw is March 4th.
Pie Fundraiser
AGM results
Chairperson: Emily Hunter
Treasurer: Kellie Jolly
Secretary: Sheryn Slavin
Committee: Ashley Harris, Emily Gaddum, Jane Taylor & Meagan Mayers.
Bank Acc Number for FOKS
Kereru School PTA
12-3145-0282292-00
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.
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”
Concerns and Complaints Process
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.
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
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/
After School Hours
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.
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.