Week 4 term 2 2024
Kia ora Koutou
As we journey through Term 2, I am reminded of the importance of resilience and learning from our mistakes. Mistakes are not failures but opportunities for growth and development.
Our tweens, those vibrant and curious young individuals in our intermediate school, are at a pivotal stage in their lives. They explore new ideas, take on more responsibilities, and face challenges that help shape their character. It's natural for them to make mistakes along the way; through these mistakes, some of the most profound learning occurs.
Mistakes are not setbacks but growth opportunities. They teach resilience, problem-solving, and critical thinking. When our students encounter difficulties or make errors, it’s a chance for them to reflect, understand what went wrong, and find ways to improve. This process builds confidence and the courage to try again, fostering a growth mindset that will benefit them throughout their lives.
As educators and parents, our role is to support our tweens in navigating these experiences. We must create an environment where mistakes are seen as part of the learning journey. Encouraging open communication, providing constructive feedback, and celebrating efforts as much as outcomes are vital to helping our students thrive.
I encourage us to be patient and understanding as our tweens navigate this path. Let’s remind them that making mistakes is a natural and valuable part of learning and that they have the support of their whaanau and school community every step of the way.
Some of our students make mistakes that result in them receiving consequences for their choices. This may be detention, where they can spend time with their teacher unpacking the incident and thinking about better ways of managing themselves, time out at break time, where the young person also gets to reflect with a teacher on their behaviour, a phone call to parents or a stand down. These are all opportunities for our young people to reflect on their behaviour and think about how they would behave differently next time. They need support from the adults around them, discussing what has happened and supporting them to make better choices next time. By incorporating these strategies, we can help students understand the impact of their actions and learn how to make better choices in the future. This approach fosters a supportive environment that encourages personal growth and positive behaviour.
Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Together, we can create an environment where every student feels valued and empowered to learn from their mistakes and achieve their best.
Reminders:
- Our school will be closed on Friday, 31 May, as we are having a Teacher-Only Day for Teachers' Professional Development. Our focus will be on maths on this day.
- Public Holiday: Monday, 3rd June, is a public holiday. The school will be closed due to King's Birthday weekend.
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan Wood - Principal
Pou Blessing Ceremony
We had a beautiful pou blessing ceremony last week. We are very grateful to our Ngaati Mahaanga Kaumatua, who attended our blessing. Simon Te Wheroro, who carved our Pou and Mauri stone, was also present and spoke about the Pou's meaning. This was a powerful reminder of our school’s cultural heritage and the importance of respecting and honouring our traditions.
Unfortunately, the whole school could not be outside for the blessing due to the weather, but they were in the auditorium, so we live-streamed it. Te Puawaitanga, plus representatives from each class, were outside for the blessing. Thank you to all who participated and made it a memorable event.
Please take some time to come in and look at our Pou and stone; they are a beautiful addition to our school.
Term 2 - Learning Update
Healthy Mind, Healthy Body - Pubertal Change
We are heading into the second half of Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Inquiry, where we learn about the emotional, social, and physical changes that occur during puberty. We have covered friendships, online activity, and being an upstander when you know something is wrong. We hope you have heard from your child's classroom teacher this week with an update on what has happened.
For this learning to be implemented, we need support from home, and this can be done by having conversations about what is happening at school. If you have a child who tells you they did 'nothing' or 'not much' at school, please dig a little further as a lot is happening here, and we hope the lessons at school are conversation openers. Every week at school, we try to help students solve the conflict that often happens online, out-of-school hours. Please be vigilant about what your child is doing and who they are 'hanging out with' on their phone, device, PlayStation or Xbox. Please check our school phone policy below.
Careers
The next unit of inquiry we will be studying is Careers, and this will cover the end of this term and the beginning of next. We hope to have a mini careers expo and will ask members of our community if they or someone they know have a spare hour to come and speak about their job, career, and training options. The Maeroa Mini Careers Expo date will be Thursday, 1 August; mark it on the calendar and look out for the signup sheet coming your way in a few weeks.
Talent Time
The first round of talent time is ending, with the 9 sessions finishing next week. Talent time has a dual purpose. Not only do they choose a talent time and develop a skill, but it is also about making a choice, thinking about who influences those choices, filling in a form, making and meeting new people - students and teachers, asking for help and showing perseverance and commitment. All students got one of their first 3 choices and had to go twice before asking for a change. Then they could come and talk with me about a change, and I could let them know if that was possible; some have been, and others the options were full.
We will have talent time again in Term 3, and I have spoken with the students so that they can think about how they made their decision, who influenced them and what they would do differently the next time they need to make a choice. The skills involved in decision-making, asking for help, working with new people, moving around the school and managing themselves are great practice opportunities for when they move on to high school.
Kapa Haka Festival
As talent time finishes, we will learn and practise for our school-wide Kapa Haka Festival, which will be included in our Matariki Celebrations and support of the Oomaero Marae Visit early in Term 3.
Mid Year Reporting
Students will soon begin to prepare for the 3-way conferences in the first week of Term 3. You will receive your child's mid-year reports in the first week of Term 3, which we realise some of you will need for your high school applications. Along with the mid-year reports, we invite every family to attend a 3-way conference on either Thursday 25th July or Friday 26th July. This is when your child presents their learning, and then the teacher talks about the progress made and the next steps in learning. Booking sheets will be sent out in Week 7 with further details of how this works.
School Production - 'Believe In Me'
Save the Date
- Tuesday 25 June - Evening Performance
- Wednesday, 26 June - Matinee and Evening Performance
- Maeroa Auditorium
TICKET SALES OPEN MONDAY, 10th JUNE
Adults - $5 School Aged Children - $3 Families 2 Adults and 3 children - $15
Who is the mysterious benefactor with rolls of cash who is set to save Ferguson Middle School? Will a liar be revealed, and can the kids save the day again? No one knows, but you might find out in our 2024 ‘Believe in Me’ School production!
Pink Shirt Day
Last Friday, a dedicated group of students, supported by Mr Hume, organised a Pink Shirt Day. Pink Shirt Day is about working together to stop bullying by celebrating diversity and promoting kindness and inclusiveness. It's about creating a community where everyone feels safe, valued, and respected. We donated approximately $700 to the foundation, and we thank everyone for their support.
Our School Art
This year, our school has a new art teacher, Karyn Grey. Karyn is not new to Maeroa, just new to the art room. She has been teaching at Maeroa for several years and has always had a passion for art.
Whaea Karyn, as our students call her, has been creating amazing art with them. We love the new displays of their artwork around our school. Our students can be very proud of their very creative pieces of art.
Koru Badges
Congratulations to our recent Koru Badge recipients. These students have worked hard on their goals and achieved their badges.
"Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come." —Dwayne Johnson
Bronze: Arlette Phillips-Frankhouser, Xavier Hitchens, Maihi Phillips, Tayte Vinnicombe, Ella Jepson, Monique Oakes-Buisson, Aradhya Nautiyal, Cleave Hall, Tevita Lile, Ella Westrupp, Morné Haarhoff, Layne Gardner, Alex Hunt, Connor Schou, Azaria Woods, Kensie Anderson, Sidney Alexander, Ruby Oakes, Alexei Govind, Finn Stahlschmit, Emily Immink.
Silver: Jeevika Gounder, Akisha Alcon, Marcus Aschenbrenner-McCall, Aiden Moyes, Erik Graham.
Gold: Maddie Siemonek, Shanaya Chand, Kryselle Raerino, Tanisha Yerupalli, Navtaj Singh, Phoenix Baird, Boston Singh, Jayden Rigdway, Aaliyah Bisschops.
Platinum: Rickaya Coleman, Chelsea Hattingh, Ella Hugill, Jamilla Ganas, Madison Simonek, Eden Kaire-Karauna.
Star: Daniel Kelly, Lydia Waldron, Madison Simonek, Khloe Woodward, Joshua Stevens, Boston Singh.
Superstar: Daniel Kelly, Dayo Temitope, Khloe Woodward.
Our School Policy on Phones
Cellphones and Other Personal Digital Devices
A personal digital device is any privately owned digital device, not part of any school-approved Bring Your Device (BYOD) programme.
Maeroa Intermediate School does not allow students to bring personal digital devices to school.
We discuss the school rules about personal digital devices at the beginning of the year and as needed throughout the year. Any changes to our school rules are communicated to students and our school community.
Parent/Caregiver and student responsibilities
Students should not use smartwatches for communication during school hours. If a parent or caregiver needs to contact their child urgently during the day, they should call the office.
If a student brings a personal digital device to our school, the following guidelines apply:
- The school does not accept responsibility for lost, damaged, or stolen personal digital devices brought to the school but investigates any issues as appropriate.
- Students must hand their devices to the office via plastic pockets, classroom trays, and class monitors. At the start of the day, the class monitor collects them,under teacher supervision, and at the end of the day, the teacher hands them out to students.
- If personal digital devices are used for a learning activity, this is at the teacher's discretion, and their use is supervised by school staff.
Students may be able to take devices to EOTC events, but they should check with the teacher or person in charge before the event starts to ensure that the device is allowed.
Students must follow our Digital Technology and Online Safety policy when using personal digital devices on school property or the school network.
Inappropriate use
If we see a student using a personal digital device inappropriately, we confiscate it. After the student locks the device, we place it in the office to be collected by a parent or caregiver at the end of the day.
Inappropriate use of a personal digital device may include:
- using the device when not permitted
- any sort of bullying, including online bullying
- taking photos or videos of other people without their permission
- forwarding inappropriate messages or content.
Inappropriate use of a personal digital device is managed through the school Behaviour Management, Responding to Digital Incidents, and Surrender and Retention of Personal Digital Devices policies and procedures, as appropriate.
Ginko Trees
We have two beautiful Ginko trees at the front of our school beside our driveway. I know that the female tree has fruit at certain times of the year, and when it drops, the smell can be overpowering for a few weeks. The trees are looking particularly outstanding now with their bright yellow leaves.
I thought you might want to know a little more about the Ginko trees and how special they are.
Ginkgo trees, also known as Ginkgo biloba or maidenhair trees, are unique and ancient with their distinctive fan-shaped leaves. Here are some critical points about ginkgo trees:
Ancient Lineage: Ginkgo trees are often called living fossils because they have remained unchanged for millions of years. They are the only surviving members of the Ginkgoaceae family, which dates back over 200 million years.
Appearance: Ginkgo leaves are easily recognizable by their fan shape, which has a split in the middle. In autumn, they turn bright yellow, creating a striking display.
Hardiness: Ginkgo trees are incredibly hardy and can tolerate various environmental conditions, including urban pollution, poor soil, and drought. This makes them popular choices for city landscaping.
Medicinal Uses: Ginkgo leaves have been used in traditional medicine for centuries. Although scientific evidence is mixed, they are believed to have various health benefits, including improving memory and cognitive function.
Male and Female Trees: Ginkgo trees are dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees. Male trees produce pollen, while female trees produce seeds encased in a fleshy coating. The seeds can be quite smelly when falling to the ground, so male trees are often preferred for ornamental planting.
Cultural Significance: Ginkgo trees hold cultural and spiritual significance in many parts of the world, particularly in East Asia. They are often planted at temples and shrines and are symbols of resilience and longevity.
Lost Property
We have several items in our lost property bin.
There are jackets, sweatshirts, shoes, bags, etc., none of them named or named with a line through the name or the name is illegible. It is so helpful to name your child's uniform, as it makes it so much easier to give it back when the name is on it.
If your child is missing something, ask them to look into the lost property rather than assuming it has been "stolen."
