week 10 term 4 2023
Tena koutou katoa
I can not believe that we are at the end of term 4, 2023. This year has been the first uninterrupted year since the COVID-19 pandemic, and we have enjoyed having our students back at school for the whole year. We reflect on the triumphs, challenges, and growth that have defined the past months. The absence of COVID-related disruptions has allowed for a more stable and focused academic year, and our students have been focused and achieved across a range of educational, cultural and sporting areas.
Returning to a more typical school year allowed us to reinstate and expand our extracurricular programmes. From sports tournaments to science fairs, academic competitions, amazing Kapahaka and Pasifika performances, camps to Karanagahake Gorge, Great Barrier Island and the Blue Mountains and our trip to Japan. Our students have showcased their talents and passion in diverse fields. We've witnessed the strength of our school spirit and the power of collaboration among students, teachers, and parents.
The absence of COVID restrictions has enabled us to foster a stronger sense of community. We've hosted successful events, including student-led conferences, open houses, and other events involving parents and our community. These occasions have brought our community closer together, creating lasting connections and memories.
We sincerely thank our students, parents, teachers, and staff for their unwavering support and cooperation. Together, we have navigated these uncharted waters, and your resilience has made this year truly remarkable.
Thank you for being an integral part of the Maeroa Intermediate community. Here's to a future filled with continued growth, success, and, most importantly, health and happiness.
Last night, the staff hosted a very successful year 8 social where our year 8 students enjoyed socialising and dancing. Thank you to our year 8 students who came along looking amazing. Thank you to our parent community who supported their children in coming along. All the social dancing lessons we had were worthwhile!
Monday, 18 December, is our last day for 2023. We finish school at 12 midday. Year 7 students, we look forward to seeing you in 2024 when you will be our year 8 students. Year 8 students, we wish you all the best in the next part of your educational journey at secondary school.
Maeroa Intermediate will be open for term 1 2024 on 30 January. We look forward to seeing our year 7s back at school and our new students arriving to begin their Maeroa experience.
Merry Christmas and have a safe happy Holiday to each and every one of you. Enjoy a well-deserved break, and here's to a bright and promising new year ahead!
Meri Kerihimete me nga hararei koa
Susan Wood - Principal
Term Dates 2024
- Term 1: 30 January - 12 April
- Term 2: 29 April - 5 July
- Term 3: 22 July - 27 September
- Term 4: 14 October - 13 December
Some teacher-only days may be held during these terms, but you will be notified well beforehand.
Stationery Lists 2024
Stationery lists will be available on our school website starting Wednesday 20 December. You need to go to the Information drop-down - Beginning at Maer0a , and you will find a link to the welcome information and stationery list for each class. Alternatively, the school office will be open from Monday 22 January.
School Office - 2024
Our school office will be open from 22 January 2024, our normal office hours 8 am to 3.30 pm.
Year 8 Social
Last night, we celebrated our Year 8's with a final dance. It was a great evening, and the students who chose to attend had a fabulous night of dancing and supper. We did take photos of the night, and next week, once we have the file organised, we will send the link to the file so that you can look through and download the photos you would like. The link will only be live for a week, so make sure you don't miss out.
A thank you to our staff that supports the extracurricular opportunities for our students. These are the memories that last forever.
Maeroa's Got Talent
Thank you to Mrs Sasso for organising and running the heats and finals for our Maeroa's Got Talent. So many very, very talented students in our school. Watching the finals last Friday afternoon was a treat for the whole school.
These young people are so courageous to get up in front of the whole school and perform; we are in awe of them. It was a tough job for the judges to decide on the winners. The six finalists were:- Holiday Crew Band- SMEZ Dance Troupe- Evie on the Piano- Benjamin Rubik's Cube- Dance Pocalypse dance pair- Junior soloist singer- Dynamic Duo duet singers
- 1st Place Junior who sang a solo
- 2nd Place Holiday Crew Band - Josh, Zakk and Archie
- 3rd Place Benjamin, the rubik cube master.
We also were treated to our school receptionist, Nicky, singing to us. Nicky is a talented singer, and our students loved listening to her.
Waterpolo
Congratulations to our Maeroa Dolphins team, who achieved third place in division 1 of the competition. We are very proud of this achievement. Our other team has also made huge gains in their knowledge and skill of the game, and we look forward to this continuing in the New Year.
Brooklyn also received the Division 1 Most Valuable Goalie award. Well done Brooklyn!
Thank you to Eva Saxton for coaching the teams and Gillain Saxton for managing the team.
Maanuka Team
MAANUKA TEAM ‘23
This term Maanuka Team has been working on a legacy piece to go in the school gully. Each student and teacher has written their name on the Maanuka sign and it has been placed on a bench seat in the gully surrounded by two different varieties of Maanuka.
A massive thank you to Glenn McLennan and Matua Chris Sands for your vision, enthusiasm, support, and expertise. Without you, this wouldn’t have been possible.
Maanuka's Legacy Project
Gully Restoration Project December 2023
Gully Workshops and Saturday Working Bees
This year, we have had 68 after-school workshops on Tuesdays and Thursdays where students have worked in the gully from 3- 4.30pm. During this time students have sown seeds, pricked out seedlings, repotted plants, weeded, planted and carried rubbish out of the gully. Their skill set has increased as has their passion for the environment.
In 2023 a total of 223 people participated in the end of the month Saturday Working Bees. The combined work of all of these volunteers has been instrumental in transforming the gully.
Potting Shed
We were fortunate to receive funding through a WRC EnviroSchools grant to enable us to build a potting Shed beside our nursery. The project is now complete. Special thanks to Chris Benfell, an ex-Maeroa Student who now owns his own building company ‘Creative Construction Builders’, who built our potting shed. A huge thanks to Brad Saxton and the ASB Rural Banking Team, who volunteered daily to support our project. They laid the pavers in the shed, weeded in the gully, and water blasted the Enviro garage. Thanks to our School Caretaker, Dennis Brady, who built benches around the walls of the potting shed, and Doug Yeoman, who helped us get the pavers and stained the posts and bench tops. Finally a special thanks to WRC EnviroSchools for the grant that enabled us to create a potting shed. It has already been used and worked amazingly well!
Funding Grants
This year, the financial support from WCEET and Te Uru Rākau is ending. We are truly grateful for the grant monies from these organisations as they have enabled us to cover the costs of growing trees in the school nursery, purchase mulch and weed matting, provide morning tea at the working bees, and purchase many trees from local nurseries.
We continue to receive fantastic support from our school and the wider community with donations of seeds, plants and pots—special thanks to Craig Lamb, who donated many specimen trees for the gully and school grounds. A special shout-out goes to Ray Spooner and his team at Pūniu River Care, who donated a large trailer load of grasses and trees to our project. We want to make a special mention to Adrienne Grant, our EnviroSchools facilitator, who is always there to support us. The whakatauki below certainly reflects our 2023 year, and we look forward to continuing to work with you all in 2024!
“Ma mahi tahi taatou- mo te oranga o te katoa” We should work together- for the wellbeing of everyone!
Julie Yeoman
Makuhari Exchange 2024
We are 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. 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.
Koru Badges
Congratulations to our last batch of Koru Badge recipients for 2023. These students have worked hard to earn their badges - goal setting and working hard to achieve them.
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, Ben McCall, Rion Western-Arnold, Aaliyah Bisschops, Ariel Dison, Isabella Aylwin, Tegan Way, Matai Lake, Anaru Purutanga, Rocco Duncan, Jake McKee, Macie Durham, Oceanah Apanui, Alisha Intaz, Ella-Rose Edmonds, Krishan Narayan, Marley Butchart, Taylor Mabey, Caitlin Sisterson, Carter Chea, Jaedon Stacey-Keo, Sophie Roa, Dilyn Rapson, Kiran Virk, Max Colville, Marcus Turner, Tama Tamihana, Amelia Callaghan, Hope Fourie, Sabine Veitch, Brodee Marriner, Shaelyn Berry.
Silver:
Noah Hickman, Isobel Whittaker, Madi McGregor, Hohepa Henry, Saskia Wightman, Angel Perkins, Prince Tomar, Daniel Kelly, Ekkam Khaira, Jeremiah Hicks. Navtaj Singh, Tanisha Yerupalli, Sammy Mulipola, Dillon McLeod, Shiloh Bowden, Grace Mounahan, Kayden Marsden, Isaac Chrystall, Maia Laiman, Ryan La Roche, Shanaya Chand, Kryselle Raerino, Reece Fraser, Jadya Rose-Murrya Ofanoa, Tegan Way, Nevaeh Murray, Aaliyah Bisschops, Sabine Veitch, Tyson Tauranga-McKee
Gold:
Xarles Roldan, Jacob Hodges, Ethan Sveistrup, Bella Langworthy, Chelsea Hattingh, Alina Stephens, Jayden Burt, Hadlee Kirkby, Ella Hugill, Leah Ngaronga, Mason Gilchrist, Anahera Beattie, Keiran O’Brien, Ti-J Anderson, Nevaeh Murray, Yaseer Wasel, Sabine Veitch
Platinum:
Yashvinder Singh, Zander Johansen, Amberlei-Jo Sio Lealiifano, Lydia Waldeon, Lucy Winter, Ivy Storer, Hadlee Kirkby, Stanley Murray, Alina Stephens, Lucia Webber, Junior Mulipola, Jake McKee, Harry Matson, Wato Sakai.
Star:
Nina Mayo, Amberlei-Jo Sio Lealiifano, Ethan Trust, Kelly Williams, Zander Johansen, Emily Taylor-Lamb, Rylee George, Taylor Clark, Dayo Temitope, Jessica Chand, Harry Matson, Sasha Hands,
Super Star:
Poppy Pye, Reuben Clear, Taylor Clark, Kimberlee Taylor, Zander Johansen, Japjot Johal.