FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S LAPTOP
Kia ora and welcome to the latest edition of the Heron Herald. It has been an exciting few weeks at Matua School.
It was wonderful to see many family members over the past few days at learner conferences. These conferences are a great chance to review where students are at in their learning and where to next. Four questions provide a useful frame when asking your students about their learning.
1. What are you learning?
2. Why are you learning it?
3. How will you know when you have learnt it?
4. What do you need to learn next?
Research tells us that positive home-school relationships enhance outcomes for student learning. Joint parent/whanau and teacher interventions that are designed to help support student learning at home and school have the most significant impact of all – a staggering 1.81 effect size (compared to an average effect size of .35). Conversely, poor parent-teacher relationships can have a negative effect on learning (-.26 effect size). To this end, building strong home-school relationships, focused on supporting positive student outcomes, is high on our priority list.
We are counting down to our Art Exhibition on 4 September in the hall. I have had the privilege of viewing many of these art pieces beforehand Please see details in the newsletter below. We look forward to seeing you there.
Also, we have Te Wiki o te Reo Maori coming up in week 8. This is a great week of learning which includes a visit to the Otumoetai Pa site and a hangi among other great learning opportunities. More details will follow.
Enjoy the weekend and go the All Blacks!
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.
NZ Uniforms
We have been very busy in store and we are now conducting a full store stock take. the Tauranga store will be closed on Wednesday the 29th of August and Thursday the 30th of August to complete this project. We will be open on Friday the 31st of August for business as usual.
SPORT
CHICKEN POX
We have had lots 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.
KABOOM PERCUSSION
We are delighted to be able to invite your child to particiapte in the Kaboom Persussion show which is coming to our school on Wednesday 29th August. This interactive show is designed to inspire and amaze, showing the exciting possibilities of music through the fascinating world of percussion. Students will be captivated by their unique brand of music, combined with elements of magic, juggling, and comedy to create an unforgettable experience.
The show is not something to just sit and watch – the audience is an integral part of this interactive performance! It features a wide range of traditional and found percussion instruments, with a focus on creating incredible music with simple and common instruments and objects, and demonstrates how easily students can make music with things in their own environment.
The cost for this experience is $5.50. Juniors and Minis will have a seperate show to the seniors and middles, to ensure all ages are catered for accordingly. Payment is welcome in a named envelope in cash, or by accessing our online payment facility Kindo.
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
The Second Hand Uniform Shop is short on uniforms. If you have any uniforms at home that your children no longer use, please drop them off to the school office. Remember all funds raised go back to the school.
The PTA have been very busy this year and we would love to thank everyone the supports and helps us as we could not do it without the help of the community.
If you are interested in being involved in the PTA in some way, please send an email to matuapta@gmail.com.
DOGS
We have noticed that dogs are being brought into the school grounds again during school hours. If you own a dog, please either arrange to meet your child at the entrance to school or leave them tied up outside while you come and collect your child. Please do not bring dogs into the school gounds.
Thank you for your co operation and understanding.
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.
ART SUPPLIES
Mrs Jenni Scott would love some more bits and pieces brought in from home for her art classes.
Would anyone have some magnetic tape from refrigeration units and old real estate signs.
Donations would be greatly appreciated and can be left at the school office. Thank you.
ORAL LANGUAGE IN OUR COMMUNITY
SKIDS
TERM DATES 2018
Term 3 – Monday 23rd July – Friday 28th September
Term 4 – Monday 15th October – Tuesday 18th December
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES
24th July – Term 3 begins
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).
4th – 6th September – Art Week
4th September – Art Exhibition. 6.30pm – 8pm
7th September – Tauranga Music Festival, Bay Court
10th – 14th September – Te Wiki o te Reo Maori (Maori Language Week)
18th September – Cricket Day
19th September – Room 10 & MPR to Art Gallery
20th September – Room 8 to Art Gallery
22nd September – PTA Quiz Night
26th September – Investigators Poetry Recital
28th September – Last day of term.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
The Affordable Art & Artisan Fair
The Affordable Art & Artisan Fair happens on the last Sunday of every month (and December 15th) from 11am to 3pm at the Black Sheep, Cnr SH2 and Plummer’s Point Road, Whakamarama (just north of Te Puna). We’re on every month; rain, hail or shine as the Black Sheep has large indoor spaces and covered verandah areas. There’s live music, great food and a huge sealed parking area right outside the door. We have a wide range of art, art craft and artisan products on display and for sale. Visual art, woodware, handmade chocolates, flowers, foliage, photographs, container plants, jams and pickles – “something for everyone”. The Fair is on facebook and from there you can access the monthly videos created by one of our organizing team, artist Birgitt Shannon – you’ll soon get an idea of how good our Fairs are! For more information: e: aaafair17@gmail.com or 021 276 7877
