week 11 term 1 2024
Kia ora koutou,
As we approach the end of Term 1, it's time to reflect on our remarkable journey so far. This week marks the culmination of our efforts as we prepare to bid farewell to the first term of the 2024 school year.
We have several exciting achievements on the sports field, including touch, basketball, water polo, and volleyball. Well done to all the players, coaches, managers, and teachers overseeing the organization of these sports to enable our students to participate. Thank you to the players for your commitment and perseverance and to parents who ensure their students are supported in getting to the playing venues and practices each week.
We look forward to the sporting opportunities for our students beginning again next term.
Mrs Sasso and her production group are working hard, practising for their performance later in Term 2.
Our Te Puawaitanga Kapahaka group are practising in preparation for the Regional competition later this year. Our non-competitive Kapahaka group has been running for the last few weeks and will continue in term 2.
Te Puawaitanga and our Pasifika group performed amazingly at a Nawton Community event last weekend. We are very proud of them and their commitment to their groups.
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated teachers and staff for their unwavering support and commitment to our student's success. Your hard work and passion have undoubtedly made a difference in our students' lives.
As we bid farewell to Term 1, let's take this opportunity to recharge, reflect, and rejuvenate ourselves for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I wish you all a restful and enjoyable break filled with joy, laughter, and quality time with loved ones.
Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child's education journey.
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan Wood - Principal
Te Puawaitanga and our Pasifika Group
New Zealand Biosecurity Kura Award 2024
We were very excited to hear on Monday night that our school gully restoration project had won the 2024 New Zealand Biosecurity Kura Award.
A 0.5 gully at Maeroa Intermediate School is being passionately restored through the Gully Restoration Programme. In 2020, the school community consulted with local experts and established the vision and action plan to regenerate the gully, which had become an overgrown breeding ground for pests and weeds and was out of bounds for the students.
Since the project began, students, whaanau, and the local community have cleared weeds and rubbish, grown over 4,000 eco-sourced plants, replanted native trees, and created a lizard habitat and outdoor classroom.
The students are passionate about their outdoor classroom and take visitors on gully tours, showing firsthand the difference they have made in protecting their community from unwanted pests and diseases.
Our teachers, Julie Yeoman, Oriana Tauranga, Linda McPhail, and Deputy Principal Charles Hume, have been stalwarts of this Gully Restoration Project. We thank them for their strong commitment to it. We also thank our students, past and present, and our Maeroa community for all their hard work.
School Attendance
The Government's target is for 80% of students in New Zealand to have regular attendance by 2030. Regular attendance is defined as being present at school at least 90% of the year. In a term, a child who has less than 5 days away from school for any reason including medical, will be achieving regular attendance. We know it is really important for children to be present at school, it impacts both their learning and the social elements of school.
It does not take much for days away from school to add up over time. For example, for a child averaging 80% attendance over their eight years of primary schooling, the accumulation of days away from school equals a year and a half of missed schooling, which is significant.
We monitor attendance daily at Maeroa Intermediate and collate data weekly, termly, and yearly to identify attendance concerns. Currently, our Term 1 data shows that 58% of our students have achieved regular attendance in Term 1.
We understand that when a child is sick, they must stay home to get well. This is classified as a ‘Medical’ reason and is justified. To support your child's regular attendance, we ask for families to prioritise their child being at school every day if possible and to avoid ‘unjustified’ reasons, such as extended holidays and family reasons.
When your child is away, please contact the school before 8:45 am. This can be done via the text, phone or email. When we don’t hear anything, it does create a workload for our staff to follow up, so thank you for letting us know first and keeping clear communication lines.
School Uniform
In terms 2 & 3, students may wear track pants to school. These are to be our school uniform track pants that are available through NZ Uniforms and should be able to be purchased towards the end of the school break. These are the only track pants that can be worn. We organised these track pants in response to parent requests in 2023. They will cost $55.
Trackpants are optional; your child does not have to wear them. They can continue wearing their normal uniform skort or shorts to school. Students may wear black opaque pantyhose under their uniforms if they wish. Not tights but pantyhose.
- Students are expected to wear completely black shoes with white or black socks. However, students may continue to wear black sandals (without socks) if preferred. We have some new shoes and socks available for students if they need them; just let us know.
- NO Crocs, sandals or shoes without back straps.
- Students must wear their school sweatshirt and/or jacket if they are cold. Students can also wear singlets or thermals under their uniforms, but these are not to be visible at the neckline or sleeve line.
- Students are permitted to wear a raincoat or jacket to school if it is raining, but they must take it off in the classroom. Our classrooms are all heated during the colder months.
- Students can wear one pair of studs in their ears; facial piercings are not allowed. Makeup, false eyelashes, and nail polish are not permitted.
- Please name all of your child's uniform, including their footwear.
If your child is wearing an incorrect uniform for a day, including footwear, they need to bring a note to either the DPs or the Principal explaining why they are wearing the incorrect uniform.
We encourage our students to take pride in their appearance at school.
Health Mind, Health Body
On Wednesday evening, we held our Parent Information Meeting, and we were pleased to meet with several parents who came along to ask questions and clarify what we were doing. Thank you to those parents.
The newsletter sent home this week provides an overview of the unit is attached. The lesson schedule outlines a holistic approach to children's emotional, social, and physical changes as they grow through puberty.
If you do not want your child to participate in particular lessons, please email their classroom teacher the lesson number from which you want your child removed.
Talent Time - Term 2
Next term, we begin a block of Talent Time for all students. This will happen twice a week for 5 weeks. There were 27 different activities to choose from: crafting, acting, sporting, baking, and working in the gully.
This allows students to learn and participate in something else with new peers and teachers in our school. Talent Time also gives students the opportunity to choose what they would like to do. It is also a chance to learn how to make choices—do they select because their friends have chosen that activity, or do they be brave and choose an activity they want to try? Learning to make good choices for yourself is all part of growing up.
School Lunches
The Government school lunch programme aims to provide nutritious and delicious meals to support your child's growth and development throughout the school day.
We understand that dietary preferences and restrictions vary among families, which is why I am reminding families that school lunches are optional for participation:
Opting In: By opting in, your child will automatically receive school lunches on designated days. These lunches are carefully prepared to meet nutritional standards and cater to diverse tastes.
Opting Out: If you prefer to provide your child with home-packed lunches, you can opt out of the school lunch program. Inform your child's teacher via email, stating your decision to opt-out. This will help us ensure that your child's lunchtime experience aligns with your preferences. We can not allow opting in for some days of the week and opting out for others. Your child has to be either in the school lunch system or not.
We believe offering this choice empowers parents to make decisions that best suit their child's needs. We also want to avoid wastage. We aim to foster a supportive and inclusive environment where every student can thrive.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the school lunch program or the opt-in/opt-out process, please don't hesitate to contact us. We value your feedback and are committed to making this program successful for our students and families.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
Poukai
Our tamariki from Te Puaawaitanga have been very busy in the past two weeks in preparation for the Ngaati Maahanga's 98th Poukai. Poukai for Ngaati Maahanga is held every April 10th to remember when the fourth Maaori King, Kiingi Te Rata, left on a voyage to England.
Poukai, as Whaea Ree has been teaching us at Maeroa, is a traditional annual series event hosted by Marae in allegiance to the Kiingitanga. Kiingi Taawhiao established the Poukai to bring his people back together post-Waikato Land Wars. The first poukai was held in the 1800's. It was also a way to gather those in mourning—the widowed, the orphaned, and the destitute. It also allowed the people to bring their concerns before the King without requesting a special audience.
Te Puaawaitanga, their kura teina Whatawhata Primary School, and their kura tuakana Ngā Taiātea Wharekura collaborated last week to help get Te Papa o Rotu marae ready for Poukai. We had the fortunate opportunity to work alongside hau kainga, and these kura to serve the multitude in the Waikato-Tainui tent, an extension of the main hall for Kawemate, breakfast, and lunch. We helped pack down with the great support of our tuakana from Te Kopuku and then returned today, ready to assist hau kainga in any way needed.
Our tamariki learn that every kaupapa requires helping hands before, during, and after every event. We are learning that to do anything, first, a relationship must be built. When we know better, we must do better.
"Ki te kotahi te kaakaho, ka whati, ki te kaapuia e kore e whati"
- Kiingi Taawhiao
When we stand alone, we are vulnerable, but together, we are unbreakable.
Poukai Gallery
EPRO8 Challenge
This week two teams of Maeroa Intermediate students attended the EPRO8 Challenge.
The EPro8 Challenge is an inter-school science and engineering competition. Every year, over 25,000 students from throughout New Zealand take part. Students participate in a series of events: firstly within their school and then inter-school. These events are designed to promote science, engineering, and problem-solving.
My New Gallery
Snapchat
It has recently come to our attention that some of our students are misusing social media, including Snapchat. They are using social media to bully other students by making mean, nasty comments and posting inappropriate pictures they have made up. They seem to join chatrooms, invite others to join in, and make mean and nasty comments.
Is Snapchat safe for preteens and teens?
Most kids use Snapchat to goof around and stay in contact with their friends—end of story. Yes, there's some mature content, but it's appropriate for most teens 16 and up. That said, there are three critical risky areas:
The myth of disappearing messages. When Snapchat first started, it was labeled "the sexting app" because people sent intimate photos, assuming they'd self-destruct. Any app can be misused, but many kids mistakenly believe that Snapchat has a built-in safety valve. Teens need to understand that their shared content can be saved and shared and may never go away. It's best to have this conversation before they download Snapchat, but it's never too late. Talk about whether any of their friends have ever pressured them to send a sexy image, and discuss why someone who would do that does not have your best interests at heart. Kids should also ask permission before sharing a picture of someone else.
The time distraction. Snapchat is a ton of fun to use, and there's lots to discover on it. Snapstreaks and Stories add a time-pressure element that makes kids feel like they have to check-in. If it seems like your kid is stressing out and not using the app for fun, it's time to step in.
Privacy and safety. Since it's so easy to add friends on Snapchat, you can end up with lots of people you don't know well on your friends list. And depending on your settings, the app can collect a ton of data about your habits in—and outside of—the app. Snapchat also works with a lot of third parties that they share your data with.
How do I monitor Snapchat and use the settings?
The app's Family Center gives parents and caregivers some visibility of their child's usage, including who their child has been communicating with. Adults have to install the app and link their accounts by adding their child as a friend. Their child then needs to accept an invitation to opt in to the Family Center functionality. You won't be able to see specific content your child has sent or received—just their friend list and whom they've sent messages, photos, or videos in the last seven days.
In January 2024, the app announced some new Family Center features. Parents and caregivers can now view their child's privacy settings. Additionally, families can restrict their kids from using My AI, the app's AI chatbot.
If your kid uses Snapchat, talk with them about the privacy settings. Sit down with your child, and go into the app's settings together. This is a perfect time to chat about using their Snapchat account safely and responsibly. Discuss when and how often you'll check in on how they're using it and how they're feeling about it. Explain that you understand that social media is important to them and that, at the same time, your role is to protect them. Don't forget to ask your teen to show you some of their snaps and cool features they like in the app. That'll make it a little less scary for you—and send the message that you're on the same team.
Do you really know what your child is doing on social media?
Read Common Sense Media's full review of Snapchat to learn more.
Common Sense Media January 12, 2024
End of term
Today, 12 April, is the last day of term 1 2024.
Term 2 begins on Monday 29 April and we look forward to seeing all of our students back at school.
Have a safe and relaxing break.
Teacher Only Day
Friday 31 May 2024. Our school will not be open for students on this day.
