week 8 term 4 2023

Kia ora koutou

Moving towards the end of the school year can bring a mix of emotions and activities.

It's a good time for students and educators to reflect on the achievements and challenges throughout the year. This reflection can be valuable for personal growth and planning for the future.

Some students may feel mixed emotions, including excitement, relief, and perhaps some anxiety about the changes ahead. Providing emotional support and encouragement is essential. Our year 8 students may feel some anxiety about moving on to secondary school. I am really hoping that all of our year 8 students are enrolled in a secondary school for next year. We will be checking, of course, but it is a task up to the child's family. Knowing where they are heading in year 9 helps students to feel less worried about the year ahead. 

Year 9 often involves an increased expectation of personal responsibility, with students owning more of their learning and progress. Students must stay organized, manage their time effectively, and seek support when needed. Parents, teachers, and school staff are crucial in providing guidance and creating a supportive environment for students during this transitional period.

Remember, this period is an opportunity for growth, reflection, and anticipation of what lies ahead. Whether you're a student, educator, or parent, embracing the transitions with a positive mindset can make the end of the school year a meaningful and fulfilling experience.

We look forward to about 350 new students arriving at Maeroa at the beginning of next year. Plans are well underway in the organisation of class placement for next year. New teachers have been appointed, and we are sad to see some of our teachers leaving. 

We farewell the following classroom teachers.

• Marcella Popham, who works in Rm 49, is moving to Australia.
• Antonia Timings, who works in Rm 58, is moving to Waihi.
• Kassey Ridder, who works in Rm 24, is moving to England.
• Deepal Naresh, who works in Rm 50, is moving to Australia.
• Maya Champion, who works in Rm 30, is moving back home to Manawatu.
• Jacone Leslie, who works in Rm 12, is moving to Hamilton Christian School
• Alyssa Evans, who is our visual art teacher, is moving to Rototuna Junior High

Additional Staff Changes for 2024

• Karyn Grey, who works in Rm 38, is staying at Maeroa but will be our new Visual Arts Teacher
• We thank Thomas and Trish, who will leave our Learning Assistant team
• Annalise Hayward will move with Rm 16 to work in Rm 70 and 71 in a combined space 
• Eva Gilchrist will move from Room 71 with the students in Room 71 and work in a single space 

Year 7 students in Rooms 12, 24, 30, 38, 49, 50 and 58 will have a new teacher for next year.  They have been paired with other students from their existing class to move to a new teacher and space based on friendships, work habits and behaviour.  We understand this may cause some students concern, and those new beginnings can be unsettling. However, we are here to guide them through the transition with a positive outlook.

The new teachers appointed to teach the students from these classes for 2024 are

• Jeong Hyun - Tawa Team Leader
• Kaaren Morris - Room 58 Sports Class
• Marie Buchanan - Room 24 Te Poutama - GaTE Class
• Zelda Hosking
• Lyndsay Peers
• Taryn Marck
• Gemma Singleton

All other classes will stay with the same teacher but may move classroom spaces and teams.

Next week, we will be holding our Meet the Teacher evening for students to come in and meet their teacher for 2024. If your child is getting a new teacher for 2024, please bring them along.

Thursday, 7 December, 4 - 6 pm. This is a drop-in session, so you do not need to make an appointment; you can bring your child in, go to the gym area, and we will tell you which teacher and class your child will be in for 2024. One of our student helpers can assist you in finding the classroom. This will probably take about 20 - 30 minutes. 

You do not need to come along if your child has the same teacher in 2024.

Ngaa mihi nui

Susan Wood - Principal

Sports Uniforms

If you have any of our school sports uniforms at home, please return them.  We do not charge for our sports uniforms like many schools; however, to continue with this, we need to ensure that borrowed uniforms are returned.  Please have your child check their sports bags, under beds and anywhere else they might be around. We would love them back - no questions asked.

End-of-Year Final Assembly

Wednesday 13 December

This year, we will have our end-of-year prizegiving on Wednesday, 14th December, commencing at 9 am in our school auditorium. We appreciate that many parents and whaanau would like to attend; however, we have limited capacity in the auditorium, so we have arranged the assembly into halves. The first half starts at 9.00 am, and the second half starts at 9.40, and we are working towards a 10.30 finish time. 

• First Half - Arrive 8.45 -  Begins at 9.00 and aims to be finished by 9.40
• Second Half - Arrive 9.30 - Begins at 9.40 and aims to be finished by 10.30

If your child is receiving an award, you will be notified at the beginning of next week, which will indicate which half of the assembly they will be presented with their award, so you can make arrangements to attend. We also ask that you limit the number of attendees to 2 people per awardee; we realise this will be a stretch for some; however, we cannot accommodate more people in the auditorium.

Year 8 Social 2023

Thursday 14th December 

• 6.15 to 8.30
• School gym 
• $15 - includes light supper

Tickets sales will be $15,  the gym foyer from 8:15 am to 8:45 am next week on 

• Wednesday, 6 December
• Thursday, 7 December
• Friday, 8 December

Dress Code:

Students are expected to dress for the occasion but not to go to great expense. We have gone over dress standards with our students in a meeting with them. 

Girls: no strapless dresses, no pointy heels that will ruin the gym floor, no short shorts, no holes in jeans, no hats.

Boys: suitable pants, collar and tie required; no holes in jeans, no hats.

This is a year 8 social, not a school ball, and we do not expect parents to pay for make-up, hair, nails etc. Those sorts of luxuries are for high school balls. 

Your child will receive an invitation and be required to get your permission to attend. They must return the permission slip so they can purchase their ticket. This social is by invitation only for our year 8 students currently attending Maeroa Intermediate who have managed to attend school regularly and manage their behaviour in a positive way. 

Currently, all of our students are learning social dancing in PE classes and with the multi-talented Mrs Taylor so they can join in the dancing on the evening. 

Koru Badges

Congratulations to our students who have earned their Koru Badges over the last few weeks. We are very proud of you and your hard work in achieving your goals. 

“The world’s greatest achievers have been those who have always stayed focused on their goals and have been consistent in their efforts.”                       —Dr. Roopleen

Bronze: Taelyn Watene, Quest Prime, Victor Murray, Tavita Matoa, Edyn Haira, Connor Pennell,           Zakk McDonagh, Mase Elkington, Honor Morgan, Reuben Clear, Acacia Reddy, Olivia Kelly.

Silver: Noah Hickman, Isobel Whittaker, Madi McGregor, Hohepa Henry, Saskia Wightman,                               Angel Perkins, Prince Tomar, Daniel Kelly.

Gold: Jamilla Ganas, Anaya Reddy, Brooklyn Kempson, Eva O'Connor, Stanley Murray, Daniel Kelly,    Eden Kaire-Karauna,

Platinum: Zander Johansen, Yashvinder Singh

Star: Nina Mayo,

Super Star: Hudson Hawkes, Benjamin Gardener, Rishu Kataria, Sadie Mulhmann, Nina Mayo,                         Malaya Guysayko

Great Barrier Island

The Great Barrier Island camp was an enjoyable and exciting experience for everyone. It stretched our comfort zones to try new things that we may not have tried or would try in the future. It gave us a chance to expand the things we love to do. The people at Hillary Outdoors were extremely nice and welcoming, and they guided us if we were unsure where to find places around the camp.  GBI camp consisted of many activities to accomplish and even an overnight camping experience where we had to take everything we needed with us into the bush. 

Matiu and Karl (our instructors) were very lovely and welcoming. They took us on a tour, and one even introduced us to his baby son Manaia. They both reassured us if we felt nervous or unsure.  We learned how to tie knots, belay people climbing on the high ropes, set a zipline to get our team across the estuary, and communicate with each other at all times.

On Wednesday night, Karl hosted a quiz about the sea, sports, random topics, politics and Karl things. The team ‘We Love Karl’ came out on top by 6 points. 

The overnight camp started with a hike over a steep mountain with clothes, food and tents on our backs. We tramped to a lookout at the halfway point - with a fantastic view, and at the campsite there was a beautiful beach. 

The activities were very diverse and challenging. One of the most exciting was the Flying Kiwi, which launched you into the air and swung you metres off the ground. Teamwork was part of most of these challenges, as we had to anchor someone from rock climbing or be patient with our team during morning challenges.

Overall, the trip was an enjoyable experience because it expanded our comfort zone, and now we can try even more things back at home and school. Many of us made new friends, or got to know our friends better.  

Benjamin, Liam and Jessie

Year 8 camp participants

Great Barrier Island

Blue Mountain Adventure Camp

Recently, 20 students embarked on a trip to the Blue Mountain Adventure Camp at Tongariro National Park.

This was the beginning of a three-day outdoor education experience.

 Day one involved us splitting into two groups, one group participating on the “High Ropes Course.”

This involved climbing up to a large beam suspended several metres in the air, walking along the beam, manoeuvring your way past the person coming in the opposite direction, and jumping from one platform to another before facing your opponent for a bit of gladiatorial combat using long plastic foam noodles as your weapon.

This was followed by a huge swing out over the river before being lowered down to the safety of the ground.

The other group made their way to the indoor rock wall. It is a massive complex where students attempt to climb the many courses up to the top of the wall with the support of their team belaying below. This proved very challenging, mainly as the courses varied in difficulty.

Day 2 saw us all head out to the Tongariro River to spend the day rafting.

We were rigged out in wetsuits, booties, thermals and life jackets. Just getting set up was a real challenge in itself.

After going through a quick instructional briefing, we climbed into 3 large rafts, each accompanied by an instructor. We were now prepared for any eventuality, which could include hitting the river wall, falling out of the raft or what to do when the rapids turned our raft sideways and we lost control. 

For the next 4 hours, we made our way through a variety of watercourses each more challenging than the next and yes, we did, at times, hit the river wall, fall out of the raft and lose control of the direction we were traveling in. Fortunately, we had been well prepared, and we all managed each episode safely and successfully, reaching the end very exhilarated and a little wet. 

After a short stop at the hot pools, we returned to camp.

The final day was us back at the High Ropes and rock wall.

It was an action-packed three days, which all the students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed. 

It is an experience strongly recommended for anyone who would love a thrilling outdoor adventure. 

Colour Run

Last week, our students enjoyed participating in our Colour Run.  After postponing it the previous week, we had a great day to hold it. 

Thank you to our students who participated and had a wonderful time. Special mention to all those students and their whaanau who helped raise funds for our school by getting sponsorship for the Colour Run. We appreciate your efforts very much.

The Colour Run

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Makuhari Exchange 2024

We are very excited to look forward to our annual exchange visit with Makuhari Junior High School in Japan in March 2024.

Traditionally, we host a group of students from our sister school in Japan each year. Later in the year (September), six Maeroa students will have the opportunity to visit Makuhari.

Maeroa will host 20 Makuhari students from Thursday, 7 March - Tuesday, 20 March 2024.  We will require families to host these students during this time.   A homestay payment will be paid to the host family of $370. 

Please give this consideration. Feedback from previous host families is that this is a valuable cultural experience, and lifetime friendships can be made. We have students who hosted or went to Japan and remain in contact after many years. 

For more information, please get in touch with Susan Wood, Principal,  Rachael Dyer, our Learning Support Coordinator and Japan groups liaison person - rdyer@maeroa.school.nz

Our students have the option to travel to Japan in September of 2024. Six places are available, and preference will be given to those hosting students from Makuhari. The cost of our students travelling to Japan next year will be around $4500 - $5000; this cost will be confirmed once bookings etc, are made. 

We will meet early in 2024 for students and parents interested in travelling to Japan in 2024. I have been with our students several times; it is a unique life-changing and wonderful experience for them. 

Maeroa Twilight Market

This was a huge success for our students in their learning during this inquiry and on the night and the reflection after the night about what they had learned. We are very proud of the work our students and our staff for all of the time and energy that they put into this event. 

Thank you for supporting our Twilight Market. 

Maeroa Twilight Market

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Pasifika Event

A couple of weeks ago our Pasifika group performed over at St Paul's Collegiate at a Pasifika competition. Our group has been practicing for many weeks for this and they were amazing! We felt extremely proud of them and all their hard work. Their enthusiasm on the day was contagious.

Pasifika Performance

Welcoming our new 2024 students

Last week we welcomed our new 2024 students to our school with a Powhiri. It is an exciting time of the year when we meet our new students. They spent some time with us in our tech/arts rooms. 

We look forward to them joining us at Maeroa Intermediate in 2024. 

Poetry from Room 24

Te Ara Poutama has been learning all about poetry and figurative language this term. Recently Room 24 wrote Remembrance poems about a significant person, place or event in their lives.