FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S LAPTOP
Kia ora and welcome to Term 3. An especially warm welcome to those who are new to our community. I hope you have had a positive start to our beautiful part of Tauranga.
We have a school-wide focus on The Arts this term, culminating in a Art Exhibition on 4-6 September.
Staff engaged in professional learning on Monday, introducing a programme called Pause, Breathe, Smile developed by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. The research-based outcomes of the programme are an increased ability for students to control attention and to regulate emotions.
During the last week of Term 2, I was fortunate to attend a partially sponsored principal’s conference in Melbourne. Melbourne University’s education department is highly regarded by many and it was interesting to hear how current learning from neuroscience and psychology can be applied to learning environments. I’ve attached a small snippet of information in the link below for those who are interested. https://www.slrc.org.au/resources/pen-principles/
As mentioned last term, NZEI (teacher’s union) members have voted to strike on August 15, this will either be a full day or half day strike (to be announced later this week). There is a range of claims including an increase in pay and better support for students with additional needs. A strike will more than likely mean the school will need to close, and alternative arrangements will be made for the care of students.
Otumoetai Intermediate have begun their enrolment process and Year 6 students will receive information packs (these have also been emailed to all Year 6 parents). Please note the dates on the pack.
Next week we will be advertising a vacancy for our school librarian. The position is 15 hours per week and will be advertised on our website and others. Application packs are also available through the school office.
On Monday, we will be sending a survey out to our community to ask for your feedback about our future plans for growth. Please look out for this survey and have your say.
We have heard several reports of incidents within the Otumoetai/Bethlehem area involving unknown adults approaching students. As per our child protection policy, we teach the Keeping Ourselves Safe every two years in conjunction with NZ Police. In addition to the information in this pdf, the advice education officers give concerning stranger danger is to yell loudly, and run to the nearest adult they trust (hopefully having identified houses or shops beforehand with students).
Learner Conferences are coming up on 22 and 23 August. A separate email will come home soon with instructions on how to book a time.
I wish you all a fantastic term ahead.
Ngā mihi
Craig Wallis
Principal
OUR SCHOOL APP
Our School App
We have a new school app to keep you up to date with events and notifications. Click on the button below to check it out.
LIBRARY
SCHOLASTIC
Hi my name is Friederike and my son Alec is in year 5, room 2 of Matua School. Kathy, our lovely librarian, has left Matua School and I have taken over the Scholastic Book Club orders for Matua School from her. I’ll do my very best, to deliver as great a job as Kathy has done in the previous years!
Everyone should now have received this term’s Scholastic catalogue. There are many fantastic titles available at reasonable prices, but please don’t feel pressured by your child to purchase from these.
Our school does receive 20% back to spend on books, which is wonderful, but I also understand this is not possible for everyone. Sometimes I purchase things just to put away as gifts for birthdays or Christmas.
There is an option when ordering online to have this as a gift and I will ring you, when it arrives so your child does not know.
The school does not accept cash. Orders can either be made online with credit card payment, or an order form with cheque may be brought to school. If neither of these is an option, please contact me on fvbultzingslowen@gmail.com or 0274957989 and we will work something out.
Many thanks
Friederika
CHICKEN POX
We have had a few cases of children with Chicken Pox. Early symptoms are a fever and spots with a blister on top of each spot. The time between exposure and sickness is approximately 10-21 days after being exposed.
If your child contracts Chicken Pox please keep them at home for a week from the first appearance of the rash or until all blisters have dried.
SETTING UP KINDO
Setting up with Kindo
Kindo is our new prefered payment and permission system. To help you learn how it works, we’ve added their new help sheet and video. We hope it helps.
KINDO VIDEO HELP
PTA
PTA NEWS
Welcome to Term Three. We hope you all had a lovely break.
The PTA Quiz Night is coming up on the 22nd of September. This event is an extremely popular evening and loads of fun. We offer tables for 10 – 12 people at $25.00 per person. A $100 deposit is required to reserve one of the tables for the night. More information about booking tables will come out soon.
Come dressed in your best costumes as there is a great prize for the Best Dressed team. Previous years have seen some impressive outfits and we look forward to seeing what people have put together this year. On the night there will be amazing auctions which will be advertised before the Quiz so you can choose what you would like to bid on. A cash and eftpos bar will be available. This event is not BYO under any circumstances. Snacks will be available on each table as part of the price of your tickets.
So get your team together, start organising your costumes, and decide on your Team name for the night.
The PTA is also looking for businesses to donate items or services we can use for prizes on the night. There are also sponsorship opportunities to get your business name out there. You can sponsor a table and/or sponsor a round of questions. If you are interested in any of these options please email matuapta@hotmail.com.
The PTA Christmas Night Market this year is on 8th November so keep the date free to do some Christmas shopping from some amazing stalls.
Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday 7th August in the school Staff Room at 7.00pm, we would love to see you there
Thank you to the all of our families that continue to support our fundraising efforts here at school. If you are interested in being involved in the PTA in some way, please send an email to matuapta@gmail.com.
PUPIL ABSENCE
With the cooler weather and the change in season, there seems to be a lot of coughs and colds and tummy bugs around at the moment. If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason, please could you let us know.
You can phone school on 07 576 9027 and leave a message on the absentee line or you can email the office, office@matua.school.nz to notify us.
This will ensure that a close liaison between home and school is maintained, especially with regard to your child’s safety on the way to and from school. Teachers will be notified of children who will be absent each day.
If your child has had a vomiting bug, please keep them at home for 24 hours to ensure that the stomach bug isn’t spread around the class.
VOLUNTARY DONATION
Thank you to everyone who has paid the voluntary school donation. Donations are set at $110 per student, per year. Reminders about the voluntary donation will be sent out early next week. Payment can be made at the school office or via our school shop – KINDO. www.kindo.co.nz
ART SUPPLIES
Mrs Jenni Scott would love some more bits and pieces brought in from home for her art classes.
She urgently needs small plastic bottles like 1 litre milk bottles, cardboard rolls, PVC piping offcuts and tubes of any size
Donations would be greatly appreciated and can be left at the school office. Thank you.
ORAL LANGUAGE IN OUR COMMUNITY
Toys for Oral Language
Did you know that you already have the best toy for language development in your home? You didn’t buy it at a shop – actually, it doesn’t cost anything. It’s portable, adaptable, and best of all, it’s tons of fun! Your child loves to play with it, more than any other toy. That’s because your child’s best toy is…YOU!
When you and your child play together without toys, you become the toy. We call this type of social play “people games” because these games only involve people, not toys.
SKIDS
TERM DATES 2018
Term 3 – Monday 23rd July – Friday 28th September
Term 4 – Monday 15th October – Tuesday 18th December
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES
23rd July – Teacher Only Day (no school)
24th July – Term 3 begins
24th July – 3rd August – Kids Can Ride (senior children)
31st July – ICAS – English
1st August – Yr 6’s to Otumoetai Intermediate for Showcase
3rd August – International Student Morning Tea at The Raft (10am)
7th August – PTA Meeting. 7pm in the staffroom
8th August – WBOP Rugby League Tournament pp date – 10th
9th August – Festival Choir Practice. 9am – 12.30pm
10th August – Book Character Day
13th August – Wetland Discovery Trip. Carmichael Reserve. 9am – 3pm. Rooms 4 & 5.
14th August – Wetland Discovery Trip. Carmichael Reserve. 9am -3pm. Rooms 1 & 3.
14th August – ICAS Competition. Maths.
15th August – Wetland Discovery Trip. Carmichael Reserve. 9am -3pm. Rooms 2
20th August – International Students Learner Conferences. 10am – 3pm
21st August – Senior School Speech Competition. 11am – 12.30pm
22nd August – Learner Conferences. School finishes at 12.30pm. Learner conferences from 1.15pm – 5.15pm
23rd August – Learner Conferences. School finishes at 12.30pm. Learner conferences from 1.15pm – 7.15pm
30th August – Investigators Art Gallery Trip. 12.45pm – 2.30pm
31st August – East Cluster Winter Tournament (senior school).
ICAS DATES FOR 2018
Parents of children in Year 3, 4, 5 or 6 (2018) please mark in your diary the following dates for the ICAS competitions:
English Tuesday 31 July 2018
Mathematics Tuesday 14 August 2018
We will provide an information pack next year, and opportunities to ask questions. Enrolment for these competitions will take place in February.
Congratulations to all the children who participated in the competitions this year.
Bruce Reid
Matua School ICAS co-ordinator
COMMUNITY NOTICES
