week 7 term 3 2023
Kia ora koutou
Here we are in week 7 of term 3.
2024 Enrolments
Out-of-zone enrolments close next Friday, 8th September, at 3 pm. Once enrolments have closed, families will hear from the school regarding their enrolment interview and the process for transition to our school.
If your child is currently enrolled, they do not need to re-enrol t0 stay for the two years. If a current student wants to be considered for one of our specialist classes, we will advertise these opportunities in the first week of term 4. They will be able to pick up an application form from the front office, and it will outline the process for consideration.
Online Activity and Behaviour
We have spent significant time working out problems between students who have started online meanness and bullying. Please be vigilant about your child's online activity to keep them and others safe. Now is a time to ensure that children develop healthy habits with their phones and online presence, as when they move into a high school system, the peer pressure to be online and their freedom increases. Scroll below for tips on how Instagram works; Netsafe is a treasure trove of information and a portal for reporting, as they are the only agency that can take down offensive material.
AIMS Games
Next week, our Futsal, Basketball, and Netball teams head away to Tauranga for the AIMS Games. The Zespri AIMS Games is one of Australasia’s most significant junior sporting events, held annually in Tauranga Moana. Celebrating diversity, the Games provides an opportunity for adolescents from all demographics and education contexts to compete in sporting competitions, meet others outside their usual peer group, and learn and build on their social interaction skills. The Zespri AIMS Games is highly regarded by national education and sporting organisations and is considered a leader in its area.
We wish our teams, their coaches and managers all the best for the big week ahead.
Japan Trip
At the end of next week, a group of 7 students plus myself are heading off to Japan for two weeks. This is a fantastic trip for our students, who are home-hosted by a Japanese family while we are there. Our students will be part of 70 students from across Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools and 9 Principals accompanying them. We are based at Makuhari Junior High School, one of the schools we host here in Hamilton when they visit us. A couple of our students who are going are staying with the family of the student who they hosted here in New Zealand.
Pubertal Change
Classes are about halfway through our Pubertal Change unit. This all seems to be going very well. If you have any concerns about the programme, please do not hesitate to call us.
Uniform Reminders:
This is a reminder that in term 4, track pants will not be permitted, and students will need to wear their shorts or skorts to school. Now is an excellent time to find those shorts and skorts to see if they still fit so students are ready with the correct uniform in the first term of term 4. Next year, a uniform pair of track pants will be available from NZ Uniforms for all students who choose to wear track pants in the winter terms (2 & 3). The regulation track pants from NZ Uniforms will be the only option for our students from 2024.
A reminder that students can continue to wear their completely black shoes and socks, or they can wear appropriate black sandals (without socks). Sandals need a black strap. Next year crocs will not be part of our uniform.
Sunhats are also recommended for the summer terms.
Enjoy the lovely weather over the weekend (hopefully).
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan
WIMS Netball 2023
On Tuesday, 22 August, Maeroa hosted the Waikato Intermediate Middles School Netball tournament at Minogue Park.
Maeroa's Year 7 team played well throughout the pool, undefeated with wins against Fairfield, Te Awamutu, Matamata and Morrinsville. This placed them in the semi-final, which they lost to Peachgrve in a closely fought game. They went on to win against Fairfield in the tussle for 3rd and 4th.
Maeroas Year 8 team also played with strength through pool play, winning against Rototuna, Cambridge and Morrinsville and losing by 1 goal against Berkley. This result meant there was a countback for the semi-final position, and Maeroa played Peachgrove and won to play in the final for the day. Maeroa played as a team to win the final against Fairfield and claim the title of Year 8 Wims 2023 winner.
The teams were great role models of sportsmanship on and off the court and pridefully represented our school.
WIMS Netball
Netball Prizegiving 2023
Yesterday, we held the netball prizegiving for 2023. A big thank you goes out to all the parents who supported our students by coaching or managing a team; we would not be able to offer this sporting opportunity without you. We also acknowledge our students who played this season, getting up on cold and wet mornings to get to the netball courts to play their game. We also thank parents who supported their child(ren) to get to netball each week.
Sports and physical activities allow students to learn skills and internalise values important in life - commitment, tolerance, teamwork, patience, and purposefulness.
Studies also show that students participating in extra-curricular sports are more likely to participate actively in their communities.
Netball Prizegiving
Camp Term 4
At the beginning of the year, we cancelled the camp due to health and safety concerns of the forecasted cyclone. This was a good decision as access was cut off, and part of the campsite was damaged. We are now able to offer the experience in Term 4. The new dates are below, and you will have indicated whether your child is attending and if you can support for the night. New health and permission forms will be sent home next week, and payment is due before the beginning of the Term. 4.
Science Fair 2023
On the 14th of August, Maeroa Intermediate was one of the schools honoured to be a part of the Waikato NIWA Regional Science Fair. This event was held at the Distinction Hotel in Hamilton and had over a hundred boards entered in the Intermediate and High School bracket. Once we were stationed at our booths, judges went around to interview students about their board and peruse our research and logbooks. Out of our ten boards, we had two boards that won a prize. William Downey-Parish’s board titled “Bags” and a joint board between Eva Wilson and Malaya Guysayko, “Up in the Sky”, won special awards.
We look forward to discovering more about the prizes when they are delivered later this week, as the official prizegiving ceremony has been cancelled.
Eva Wilson Room 24
Science Fair 2023
PCT Challenge 2023
A team from Maeroa Intermediate School took part in the PCT challenge which was held at Claudelands. The team had to compete in different challenges against other Hamilton Intermediate school teams. After pushing the police car in the second fastest time from all teams, completing the fingerprint challenge without mistake and managing the obstacle course without time penalties, we reached a well-deserved 3rd place behind Gordonton School and Rototuna Junior High.
Well done Maeroa students! The team had a great day with the Police.
Sandra Piper - Learning Assistant
PCT Challenge
This week, once again, we have seen what some of our students are involved in on social media, which isn't reassuring. It is very concerning. We urge parents who allow their children to have social media accounts to monitor what their children are signed up for.
If you feel a little guilty about going through your child's social media accounts, remember that you have a duty and a responsibility to keep them safe in the digital realm. By monitoring children's activity, you'll have a better idea of what they're up to, and you'll be able to create appropriate boundaries. Social media access is happening outside of our school hours, but the fallout from what students are posting ends up at school, which disrupts our students' learning and takes teachers time to sort out.
How old should kids be to use Instagram?
According to the terms of service, you have to be 13, but there's no age verification process, so it's straightforward for kids under 13 to sign up. Common Sense rates Instagram for age 15 and up because of mature content, access to strangers, marketing ploys, and data collection.
What kinds of content will my kid see on Instagram?
The kinds of content that kids will see mostly depend on whom they follow: posts by friends, influencers, meme accounts, and so forth. They will also see targeted ads and posts based on the accounts they follow. They'll likely see mature content (including sexy stuff, swearing, and substance use), mean or sexual comments, and hashtags about suicide, anorexia, and other concerning topics.
A Sensitive Content Control lets users choose how much potentially upsetting or offensive content—such as material containing violence or individuals in see-through clothing—you'll see from accounts you don't follow. This setting affects content seen in your feed, as well as the Explore, Search, and Reels areas of the app. According to the app, some of this material will be automatically filtered out if you're under 18.
How can I monitor my kid's activity on Instagram?
The app announced that in December 2022, it would be rolling out new parental controls in the U.S., and then globally. Currently, if both parties opt into the Family Center feature, adults can get updates about who their 13- to 17-year-old kids follow and are followed by, receive notifications if their child reports other users, and set usage limits by day or for specific times of day. They can also view their child's privacy, messaging, and sensitive content settings and get an update if their child changes any of them.
You can also ask your kid to give you a tour of their Instagram account. Ask them to walk you through their account, explain memes and comments, discuss friends, and share whatever comes up. Or try one of these ideas:
Create your own Instagram account and follow your kid. You'll see what they post (unless they block you), but you won't see their DMs (direct messages).
Follow their friends. It's not unusual for parents and caregivers to be friends with their kids' friends online (but you should hold back on comments). If you're close with your kids' friends, you can follow each other and keep tabs on your kid's doings.
Do spot checks. Whether random or scheduled, these check-ins give you time to sit together and review your kid's feed.
Install a third-party monitoring app. Parental controls such as Bark give you a lot of visibility into what kids do online.
Common Sense Media 2023
Term Dates 2024
- Term 1: Tuesday 30 January to Friday 12 April
- Term 2: Monday 29 April to Friday 5 July
- Term 3: Monday 22 July to Friday 27 September
- Term 4: Monday 14 October to Friday 13 December
Upcoming Events
- Enrolments for Maeroa 2024 close 8 September
- AIMS Games 4 - 8 September
- Japan Trip 11 - 24 September
- Ki o Rahi Tournament 12 September
- End of term 3; 22 September
- 12 & 17 October Enrolment Interviews for 2024 students
- WIMS Kapahaka Festival 2 November
Keep watching for news of the Maeroa Market Night coming up in term 4