Week 3, Term 1, 2024
Kia ora koutou
I hope this message finds you all in good spirits as we move towards week 4 of term 1. It has been a pleasure witnessing the enthusiasm and positive energy our students and staff bring to the school daily.
As we settle into the routine of the new term, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible achievements and growth we have already witnessed within our school community. Whether in the classroom, on the sports field, or through various extracurricular activities, our students continue to impress us with their dedication and passion. We have seen many students sign up for basketball, touch, futsal, waterpolo and many other activities at our school. Thank you to all those parents who are supporting our students by coaching or managing teams. We can not do this without your support.
Additionally, I would like to thank the parents and guardians who play a crucial role in our students' educational journey. Your partnership with us is invaluable; we can create an enriching and nurturing environment for our young learners.
This week, our students have been involved in our team-building activities. It has been amazing to see them working together to solve problems and enjoying the success of their achievements. We have been so fortunate to have such beautiful weather for this event. This team building has allowed students to make new friends by working with other students from across their team, showing how they can work in a team, and getting to know other teachers and learning assistants from across our school.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our staff. We are here to support both students and parents in every possible way.
A reminder to join our school facebook page, our daily notices are all posted there each day.
We look forward to seeing you at our Open Evening next Wednesday 21 February 4 - 6 pm. Our Board of Trustees will also run a free sausage sizzle. (More information below.)
Wishing you all a fantastic weekend and week 4 filled with growth, success, and positive experiences.
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan Wood - Principal
Team Building at Maeroa
Attendance
Attendance
The Education Review Office (ERO) has published this article about their research on student attendance and how parents and whanau can support their children attending school.
This article has some good information about why attendance is important, reasons why students may not be attending school, and some strategies for encouraging them to come to school.
Attendance is when learners are at school and in the class they are supposed to be in. If learners miss a week or more of school in a term they have ‘non-regular attendance’.
School attendance is essential because it contributes to higher achievement.
Our attendance rate over the last two weeks has been around 86%. We would like it to be sitting at 90% so we need to work together to make this happen.
Two points that resonated with Maeroa Intermediate are:
- It all adds up - Children who miss a week of school each term will have missed out on a year of schooling by the time they are 16.
- Missing just two days a term is linked to students not doing as well. Regular attendance has a big impact; the more often students attend school, the better they do at school, the happier they are, and the better they are set up for life.
Please remember to notify our attendance clerk every day your child is away from school; otherwise, they will be marked as truants according to Ministry of Education requirements.
If you have concerns about your child’s attendance and need some support or want to discuss further, please get in touch with our attendance clerk or our Principal.
Open Evening Wednesday 21 Feb, 4 -6 pm
You are welcome to come to school next Wednesday, 21 February, between 4 and 6 pm with your child to reconnect with their teacher, let them show you around their school and check in with how they have settled into the year. This is a drop-in evening, so if you feel that you need to make an appointment to discuss your child's situation, then please make an appointment outside of this time, as we anticipate lots of families visiting next Wednesday.
It is also an opportunity to meet some of our Board of Trustee Members; they will be at the free sausage sizzle at the front of the school.
At the end of next week, you will receive via email a brief indication of how well they are settling, so please ensure we have your correct email.
Waikato Intermediates Japan Trip 2024
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. Our school has been doing this for at least 20 years, only interrupted by the Covid pandemic in the last couple of years.
Dates: 16 - 29 September 2024
Cost: $4200 plus spending money of $400-$500
Maeroa has up to seven spaces for students to go to Japan.
Principals from the schools, including myself, accompany the students. Our base is Makuhari Junior High School.
Students are hosted by a Japanese family from Makuhari Junior High for two weeks and immersed in the Japanese way of life. The Japanese families consider it a privilege for their family to host an NZ student. Many of our students stay with the families of students who have been in our school in March.
The cost includes all flights to and from Japan, all entries to places we go (including Disneyland and Disney Sea), all public transport in Japan (we catch a lot of trains), and the homestay fee.
We visit schools in Tokyo, Disneyland, DisneySea, Museums and many 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 21 February 6 - 7 pm in the school library.
Information sheets about the trip to Japan are available at the school office.
Susan Wood - Principal
Japan 2023
Leadership and Adventure Camps - Term 4
We have two outdoor education opportunities in Term 4 this year; limited numbers are available on these camps, and the cost is significantly higher than the average school trip.
We seek students who see themselves as leaders and want to further develop their leadership abilities in a challenging and adventurous environment. Students who attend either camp will develop and enhance their leadership potential through experiences that will explore leadership techniques and assist them in developing and understanding their own leadership style.
The camps are designed to push students outside of their comfort zone, and the activities are challenging on a physical, emotional and social level that many of our students will not have experienced before.
The cost of the camp includes return transport as well as the camp accommodation, activities, food and instructors. We will be going over this information in detail at a parent meeting. We will need minimum numbers for the camp to proceed and be financially viable. Then, the proposals will be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval before confirming the trip with successful applicants.
Students accepted as participants on this trip must understand that their place on the camp remains dependent on ongoing good behaviour and regular school attendance and that ongoing or serious misdemeanours may exclude them from participating. Students who can manage their own behaviour are an asset to the safety and well-being of the group.
Priority will be given in the first instance to Year 8 students. Then consideration will be given to those who have had other opportunities to participate in our other Outdoor Education programmes, including Japan Trip, Sports Camp and AIMS games, to ensure that we can offer a range of extra activities to a range of students. We can provide some spaces to Year 7 students depending on numbers; from there, all spaces will be balloted.
We will have an information evening on Wednesday 21st February, at 6 pm in our school auditorium to discuss these and answer your questions. Please feel free to bring your child along; they must understand what they are signing up for. Even if you are looking at options for 2025, this is an excellent time to discover these opportunities. I have included the websites of both centres below, and we look forward to seeing you at the information evening.
Amanda Taylor
Deputy Principal
Koru Badges
This year, we have an ex-student, Zelda Hosking, now a teacher at our school. Today, for the team building, Zelda dressed up in her team colour, which is blue for Matai.
Zelda wore her Maeroa shirt when she was at Maeroa with her koru flashes sewn on. She also told us she still has the badges she earned at Maeroa as a student.
Congratulations to the following students who have earned their badges over the last two weeks of school:
Bronze: Blake Mason, Maddison Siemonek, Marcus Aschenbrenner-McCall, Phoenix Baird, Ruby Webber, Boston Singh
Silver: Rocco Duncan, Keira Wright-St Clair, Kendyl Astrella
Gold: Keira Wright-St Clair, Tegan Way, Ryan La Roche, Ryder Shilling, Legend Robinson-Martin, Belle Baker,
Platinum: Tyrone Jonson 9/2