week 3 term 1 2023

Kia ora Koutou

We have had a great start to the school year with most students attending school regularly.

We have had a great uptake with all of the amazing sporting, musical, cultural, and academic opportunities offered at our school. Thank you so much to all of the parents/whaanau that offered to coach or manage sports teams for term 1. We really appreciate you and the opportunities you are offering for our students to be involved in a sport. 

This week has seen the North Island of New Zealand hit with some dreadful weather. I am hoping that you have all managed to stay safe during this time. We have had some new roofing on our school buildings so this weather has certainly been a test for that! 

We are thinking of all the people and areas of our country who have suffered through this terrible weather event. 

When you come into our main office area you will usually see one of our students sitting there. These people are our office monitors. Students are usually on office monitor for one block and every student in our school gets an opportunity to volunteer for this position. They need to have a good knowledge of the school layout as they run messages all over the school. Office monitors are very important at Maeroa Intermediate. 

A reminder that if your child is sick and unable to come to school then you need to phone/text or email our attendance line - 021847015 or emailing attendance@maeroa.school.nz

Maa te waa 

Susan Wood - Principal

See below: Joshua on office monitor duty

Koru Badges:

Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools Trip to Japan 2023

This is an exciting opportunity for our students to travel to Japan in September as part of our exchange arrangement with Makuhari Junior High School.  This is something that our school has been doing for at least 15 years only interrupted by the Covid pandemic in the last couple of years. 

Dates: 11 - 24 September 2023

Cost: $4200 plus spending money of $400-$500

Maeroa has six spaces for students to go to Japan.

Principals from the schools including myself accompany the students. We spend almost every day with the students taking them places. Our base is Makuhari Junior High School.

Students stay are hosted by a Japanese family from Makuhari Junior High for two weeks and immersed in the Japanese way of life. The Japanese families look at this as a privilege for their family to host a NZ student. 

The cost includes all flights to and from Japan, all entries to places we go,(including Disneyland and Disney Sea) and all public transport in Japan (we catch a lot of trains), the homestay fee.

We visit schools, Disneyland, DisneySea, Museums and lots of other wonderful places in and around Tokyo. 

If you are interested in your child going to Japan this year, we are holding a meeting for interested families on 1 March 6 - 7 pm in the school library.  

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Open Evening 28 February 4 - 6 pm

On 28th February we are holding an Open Evening at Maeroa where parents/whaanau can come in with their child to meet their child's teacher and have a look at what they have been doing in the first few weeks of school. You do not need to make an appointment just come along at any time between 4 - 6 pm and your child will take you to their classroom.  We look forward to seeing you on this evening. 

Every family that attends will go in the draw to win  one of several $50 grocery vouchers.

Attendance at School

Every school day counts in a child's academic life...

A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn. 

Chronic student absence reduces even the best teacher's ability to provide learning opportunities. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance. This relationship between attendance and achievement may appear early in a child's school career.

When children are absent from school, they miss out on consistent instruction that is needed to develop basic skills. Children in the early years of schooling  are particularly susceptible to falling behind in fundamental reading skills, which can have a snowball effect that impacts future learning.

Poor attendance can also have a negative effect on social and emotional development. For example, students who are chronically absent in the early years of their education may not learn crucial school readiness skills (abilities such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative thinking), and can fall behind their peers in social-emotional development. 

Please ensure your child comes to school regularly. If your child is not able to come to school as they are unwell please contact our absence line via phone call or text 021847015 or emailing attendance@maeroa.school.nz  Students who have regular absences will be referred to the School Attendance Service. 

NZEI Paid Union Meeting

On 1 March teachers have a paid union meeting 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm. We will not be able to cover all classes during this time. Teachers will need to leave school at 1 pm to enable them to attend this meeting. A google form will be shared with you next week to find out whether you are okay for your child to leave school at 1 pm that day or whether you would like them to be supervised at school for the remainder of the day.  Ensure you fill in the form. 

Coming into our School

Entering the school grounds -  We have an open-door policy, however, our Health and Safety Regulations require that if you are visiting our school you must sign in first at Reception. Generally, during school hours, we do not permit visitors including parents to go to classrooms and interrupt the teaching and learning.  You must always come to the school office so we know who is on-site in case of an emergency. 

School Policy on Community Expectations: Community Conduct Expectations

Maeroa Intermediate School is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for students, staff, and visitors.

Our Code of Conduct serves as a reminder to all parents, caregivers, and school visitors that their conduct must support everyone’s emotional and physical wellbeing, and not harm it in any way.

The Code of Conduct applies:

• to all conduct, speech, and action, and includes emails, texts, phone calls, social media, or other communication
• while on school grounds or at another venue where students and/or staff are assembled for school purposes (such as a camp or sports match).

Standards of conduct

Maeroa Intermediate School expects parents, caregivers, and visitors to:

• treat everyone with respect
• work together in partnership with staff for the benefit of students
• respect and adhere to our school values
• set a good example for students at all times
• follow school procedures to handle any complaints
• adhere to school policies and procedures (such as those listed below), and any legal requirements.

Examples of unsuitable conduct include:

• threats, bullying, harassment
• profanity/offensive language
• insulting, abusing, or intimidating behaviour
• racism or discrimination (e.g. based on ethnicity, or religion)
• physical aggression
• deception/fraud
• damaging school property
• smoking, vaping, possessing, or using alcohol/drugs/other harmful substances on school premises or at another venue where students and/or staff are assembled for school purposes (except possession or use of alcohol in accordance with school policy)
• placing unreasonable and excessive expectations on staff time or resources
• pursuing a complaint or campaign, or making defamatory, offensive, or derogatory comments, regarding the school, its board, or any staff or students on social media or other public forums
• wearing gang insignia on the school grounds. (This is not allowed under the Prohibition of Gang Insignia legislation, and anyone wearing it will be asked to leave.)

Dealing with breaches of the Code of Conduct

How Maeroa Intermediate School deals with breaches of our Code of Conduct depends on the nature of the incident and its seriousness, and the process any witness or victim of the behaviour feels most comfortable with. Examples include:

• documenting each instance of behaviour, including the date, time, place, who was present, what was said (verbatim if possible), how any witness or victim felt and/or responded
• holding a meeting with the relevant person, the principal, and/or board chair (or their delegate) or appropriate staff member to discuss the problem and possible resolution
• issuing a warning letter that outlines the problem and required resolution, and reminds them of the possible outcomes of repeated conduct
• arranging a meeting, which may include restorative practices, as an alternative or in addition to the processes above.

Outcomes of breaching the Code of Conduct

If a parent, caregiver, or visitor acts or speaks in a way that contravenes the Code of Conduct, possible outcomes may include:

• The school (principal, board member, or staff member) may ask a person to leave the school premises by revoking their permission to be on the school grounds, and then asking them to leave under section 3 of the Trespass Act 1980.
• Unacceptable behaviour of a criminal nature may result in the police being informed. For example, under section 241 of the Education and Training Act 2020, it is a criminal offence to insult, abuse, or intimidate a staff member within the presence or hearing of any student while on school premises or in any other place where students are assembled for school purposes. Other instances of criminal offending may occur where drugs are involved, an assault has occurred, or a person persists after being trespassed off school grounds.
• In the case of behaviour amounting to harassment, a restraining order may be sought.
• In some instances, it may be appropriate to refer behaviour to a third party for resolution. For example, a Facebook comment that contravenes this policy may result in a report to Facebook. If unacceptable behaviour occurs at a sports event or sports venue, then it may be appropriate to involve the governing body of that sport, event, or venue.

School Uniform

Uniform: The correct school uniform is required to be worn at all times during the school day.  Jewellery - Only the following may be worn: • Single small gold or silver stud in each ear lobe. • One wristwatch. • One plain light chain or bone carving that has cultural or religious significance only. Please note that the uniform includes completely black shoes, not black with white soles shoes or black sandals.  Hair that is shoulder length must be tied up from the neck. 

We would also like to remind you that make-up is not to be worn at school (this includes nail polish) and that plain hair ties or headbands (blue, white or black) only are to be worn. Students are also to have natural hair colour and long hair is to be tied back. Mufti gear is not to be worn with the uniform (e.g., mufti beanies, coloured tops under school shirts, etc). Please see our school prospectus for more detailed information regarding uniforms. All families agreed to follow our uniform expectations when they enrolled their child at Maeroa. 

If your child requires a temporary uniform pass for a valid reason, they need to see Mr Hume, Mrs Taylor or Ms Wood with a note explaining the reason. If your child is wearing the incorrect uniform, a letter will be sent home informing parents/caregivers and we will require your child to be in the correct uniform from then on. 

Our School Uniform

Correct addresses/email addresses/phone numbers

We have sent out a number of emails and texts over the last couple of weeks regarding sports, camps and the cyclone. If you have not received those then please phone the school office to check we have the correct details for contacting you. This is extremely important in the event of an emergency or your child is injured or unwell.  We have had several instances where we have needed to get hold of someone urgently as their child is unwell and not one of the numbers on our enrolment card is valid. 

We also post on our school Facebook page so keep an eye on that as well. 

Payment for School Activities

If you are making payments into our school bank account please make sure you put the reference details in - your child's name and room number and what the payment is for. If these details are not there then we may not be able to match up your child with the payment made.

Please also do not make payments until your child is definitely in a team or activity. Some children have trialled for teams or put their names down for activities but have either not made the team or are on a waiting list. 

Sickness

We have noticed that there are cases of covid in our school. Please keep your child at home if they are unwell and test them for covid. Please let us know if your child has tested positive for covid. 

If your child is vomiting keep them home and ensure they are kept at home for 24 hours after the last time they vomited. 

We are trying really hard at school to limit the spread of illness and we appreciate you keeping your child home if they are unwell. 

Gully Working Bee

Maeroa Intermediate Gully Working Bee on Saturday 25 February

We are restoring our school gully and need your help!  We have made amazing progress but still have lots to do like clearing large weeds, weeding around trees we have planted, removing dumped rubbish, and working on access paths.

We are hoping many families will be able to join us on Saturday 25 February, 9-12pm. It is a great opportunity to meet new people and become involved in a project that will make our environment a better place! There are certainly lots of tasks that students and younger siblings can do, so the whole family can be involved. Morning tea will be provided and the school swimming pool will be available at the end of the working bee.  If you would like to help out please email Julie Yeoman at   jyeoman@maeroa.school.nz

Many thanks

Julie Yeoman