week 6 term 2 2024
Kia ora Koutou
Welcome to Week 6! We are now over halfway through the term, and seeing the continuous growth and enthusiasm in our school community is wonderful.
This week, Amanda Taylor, Charles Hume and I were fortunate enough to attend the Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools Conference for 2024. Several inspiring speakers gave us something to listen to, think about, and learn from, and we interacted with intermediate and middle school principals from all over New Zealand.
One speaker spoke briefly about finding joy in everyday moments, which I think we often forget about in the busyness of our lives, especially when we are parents and trying to juggle everything that comes with that responsibility. Finding joy in our lives can enhance overall well-being. Here are some ways we may be able to do that:
- Practice Gratitude: think about the things we are grateful for each day.
- Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate small achievements or progress, no matter how minor they seem.
- Nature Walks: Spend time in nature, noticing the beauty and tranquillity around you.
- Connect with Others: Spend quality time with family, friends, or colleagues, and cherish those moments of connection.
- Enjoy Simple Pleasures: Enjoy simple activities like reading a book, enjoying a coffee, or listening to your favourite music.
- Be Kind to Yourself and Others: Acts of kindness, whether to yourself or others, can bring immense joy.
“Let your joy be in your journey—not in some distant goal.” —Tim Cook
Attendance
Everyday Matters - school attendance is essential because:
- Positive Habits: Encouraging regular attendance helps parents instil positive habits and a sense of responsibility in their children.
- Preparation for the Future: Consistent school attendance prepares children for future responsibilities, such as attending work or higher education.
- Future Success: Students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate and contribute positively to society.
Please ensure you phone our school absence line to let us know when your child is away from school. Then, we can mark your child with the correct absence code rather than the code "unexplained" or "truant". I want to thank all of those parents who phone or text us everytime their child is absent from school, this makes things so much easier for our attendance person and our attendance records.
We understand that winter illnesses are upon us, with many students and teachers succumbing to coughs and colds. COVID-19 also affects our school, so please let us know why your child is away from school.
Student Led Conferences
These will be held on 25 and 26 July. You are invited to come along to hear about your child's learning, progress and achievement. It is an essential part of the learning cycle, and everyone has a valuable part to play. Next week you will receive information about student led conferences and a booking sheet to fill in and send back to your child's teacher. This will come home as a separate paper copy so please check your child's bag.
On 25 July, students will be sent home from school at 1:15 p.m., and student conferences will begin. If you would like your child supervised at school until 3 p.m., please fill in the form that is being sent to you to let us know.
On 26 July, students will only come to school if they have a conference scheduled for that day. If you need your child to be at school that day, we can provide supervision, but you must fill in the form to let us know in advance.
I look forward to seeing you come in and participate in your child's student-led conference.
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan Wood - Principal
High School visits
Last week Hamilton Boys' High School visited our school to speak with our students who are interested in attending HBHS in 2025. This was just a meeting for our boys, and they were all given information to take home about HBHS Open Days.
Next week, Hamilton Girls' High School is visiting, so if your daughter is interested in attending HGHS, then encourage them to attend the meeting at school; this is just for students. HGHS will hold meetings for parents.
Please note that Maeroa Intermediate staff do not organise these meetings. The high schools contact us to ask if they can come out and speak to our students. Parents can also visit the individual school websites to learn about enrolments, zones, etc.
HBHS and HBHS have zones, and enrollments for HBHS have opened, and they close on 30 August. If they are out of the zone, having your child's enrolment in by then is essential. All out-of-zone enrolments go into a ballot for limited spaces.
Enrolments for Hamilton Girls' High School have also opened. The open day is 26 June, and enrolments close on 23 August. All out-of-zone enrolments are placed on a ballot for limited spaces.
Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools Art Day
On Thursday, 30th May, eight Maeroa students spent the day at St Andrew's Middle School. There were five amazing art teachers ready to teach them something new. Workshops to attend were; Mixed Media - Maori Art, Card Making, Word Art, Decoupage and Printmaking. Everyone had an awesome time and was happy to bring something back.
Whaea Karyn
Netball
Our students are showing great skill and enthusiasm at their netball competition on Saturday mornings.
Saturday netball
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 Two Adults and three 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!
Maeroa Kapahaka Festival
Our students, in their teams, are preparing for our school's Kapahaka Festival. This is an opportunity for all students to be involved and learn waiata to participate in our in-school festival. It is heart-warming to hear them practising for this.
Benefits of kapa haka, for all, include:
- affirming our unique identity as New Zealanders
- being exposed to Māori values (e.g. whanaungatanga, ako, tuakana:teina)
- gaining confidence through ‘performance.’
- contributing to our holistic well-being (Hauora)
- learning how to communicate meaning using visual language, e.g., action songs and haka
- developing physical stamina, fitness and coordination
- being cognitively challenged due to the demands associated with recitation, repetition and memorisation
- being part of a team and gaining strength from being in a collective
- demonstrating discipline and commitment
- facilitating opportunities for leadership through a tuakana:teina approach
- promoting personal growth and development.
