Week 3, Term 4 - 2024
Kia ora koutou
As we enter Week 3 of Term 4, I would like to take a moment to discuss an important aspect of our students' lives: their engagement with social media. In today's digital age, parents must be aware of what their children do online. Social media can be an excellent tool for connection and creativity but can pose challenges. I encourage you to have open conversations with your children about their online activities, ensuring they understand the importance of treating others with respect and kindness in person and the digital world.
With the arrival of better weather, it’s a great time to remind everyone about the importance of wearing our correct school uniform. Our uniform fosters a sense of belonging and pride in our school and reinforces our commitment to a respectful learning environment. A reminder about students wearing sun hats out in the sun.
This week, our Kapahaka group participated in the Waikato Intermediate Kapahaka Festival at Rototuna High School. Our students performed enthusiastically and with great pride, and it was a pleasure to watch them. Next week, they take the stage at the Tainui Waka Regional Kapahaka Competition, and we wish them all the best. They have been practising all year, spending weekends at Noho at the marae or school, preparing for this important Tainui event. The students involved have shown huge commitment, perseverance and a willingness to work hard to reach their goals. A big thank you to their teachers, tutors, and the fantastic parents who have supported them by ensuring they are well fed and looked after all weekend. Some of these parents do not even have children in the group currently; they are just committed to supporting our Maeroa group.
Thank you for your ongoing support in nurturing a positive and respectful community for our students.
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan Wood Principal
Attendance
Last week, we were thrilled to have 87.5% of our students attending every day!
We are hoping for 90% this week!
All these students were entered into a lucky draw to win a $20 Rebel Sport voucher. We will continue these lucky draws every week until the end of the year. Additionally, we’ll have a special lucky draw at the end of the year for all students who maintain 95% attendance for the entire year. There will also be a draw for students who achieve 95% attendance in Term 4.
When students do not miss school often, their learning levels and reading skills continually improve—even among those struggling in school. Students who are not in school miss out on what is being taught. When absences become a pattern or chronic issue, students can fall behind and experience academic struggles with lower academic performance as well as experience challenges beyond the classroom.
Students who frequently attend school feel more connected to their community and develop strong social skills and friendships, which are important life skills.
We know that every now and then, students will be absent from school. However, we ask that parents and students make every effort to attend school daily. Should your student miss school, parents/guardians should call the school before the start of the day to let the school know your student will be absent. We are committed to engaging students and families in positive ways, understanding their unique needs, and providing solutions to any challenges.
WIMS Speech Competition
Berkley Normal Middle School hosted the WIMS Speech Finals this morning, where students who had won their school speech competition competed for the regional title. Logan Fredrickson represented Maeroa at the competition with his speech on the benefits of learning a musical instrument. Congratulations to Logam, who represented our school with confidence, poise and insightful consideration of the art of speech writing and delivery. It is a difficult and daunting task for those afraid of public speaking. Congratulations to Thomas Hill from Peachgrove Intermediate School, who took top honours for his highly informative and thought-provoking speech on Microplastics.
School Athletics
Over the past few weeks, all classes have been practising track and field athletics. From these PE sessions, students who made qualifying times in running, throwing, and jumping could compete against each other to compete in our school finals. From these finals, students eligible for the broader Waikato competition will compete in late November;
We are just completing the team selection, but we have some super athletes here at Maeroa. Some can throw the cricket ball over 50 metres, leap over 1.3 metres in high jumps and extend over 4m in the long jump. We had the sprint finals and team relays on Friday, and our students ran as fast as they could. Our visiting Japanese students also formed a team; little did we know that we had a junior Japanese youth Olympian in their team whose personal best is 10.7 seconds over 100 metres; our students were astounded to watch him run.
Congratulations to all our students who tried something new, dared to run and compete in front of their peers, as well as those who excelled in their personal bests. We will update you with the results once they are collated.
Teacher Only Days - Next Week
A reminder that we have Teacher Only Days, and the school will not be open for students on these days.
- Friday 8 November
- Monday 11 November
Colour Run Fun Run
We have a colour run, and students have already raised $2000, which is fantastic. We will use the money to purchase equipment for our whole school camp in 2025, including team-building equipment, sit-on kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards. Sun shelters and class PE equipment are also on the shopping list. In the past, the fundraising was used to buy our tents and camping equipment.
Koru Badges
It’s fantastic to see so many of our students setting ambitious goals, working hard, and proudly earning their Koru badges! Their commitment and effort truly bring our school values to life.
Bronze: Charlie Bradburn, Leon Andrews, Kobe Sykes, Alexander Rolton, Maria Moore, Melia Raureti, Kiara White, Marli Vakatini, Lincoln Farnell, Leif Wilson-Diver, Simon Whitmore, Jesse McDonagh, Giselle, Harper Leima, Bella McMinn, Ariki Popham, Lily Dean-Wilson, Cameron Singleton, Zara McKinnon, Lilah Mann, Zac Christiansen, Marshall Ridgway, Danshil Rasy, Joshua, Ashlee, Payton Ginger, Madisyn Hancock, Locky Frederick, Lily Manaia-Hackett, Abhiraj Bhardwaj, Vanya Reddy, Jade, JoJo Turner, Meiah Hull, Khloe McCloughlan, Nimisha Sharma, Nikita Evans, Eli Simpson, Hunter Thorn, Kahu Ferguson, Jasamar Saran, Layla Silbery, Madeleine Schick, Jordan Eckert, Levi Cunningham, Noah Lim-Sun, Ivy Thompson, Tyrone Jonson, Brookelyn Body.
Silver: Lucy Walters, Emily Immink, Danielle Taylor, Ruby Oakes, Edie Long, Kenzie Anderson, Kiana Davis, Finn Stahlischimit, Madison Cusiel, Sidney Alexander, Ella Jepson, Jasper Koch, Georgia Titchener, Maria Moore, Marli Vakatini, Alex Hunt, Alexei Govind, Monique Oakes-Buisson, Thomas Kneebone, Cameron Singleton, Fhiownah Sacriz, Simon Whitmore, Boston Singh, Ella Westrupp,
Gold: Rocco Duncan, Lucy Walters, Kenzie Anderson, William Downey-Parish, Aiden Moyes, Akisha Alcon, Iana Alibarbar, Logan Fredrickson, Yahye Hassan,
Platinum: Ayesha Bombales, Savanna Botha, Leah Ngaronga, Jayden Ridgway, Kayden Marsden, Kryselle Raerino, Isaac Chrystall, Layne Gardner, Elise Carlos,
Star: Leah Ngaronga, Shanaya Chand, Jayden Burt, Annabel Hardie, Mila Faithet, Nevaeh Murray
Superstar: Arya Harish, Chelsea Hattingh, Boston Singh, Ella Hugill, Eden Kaire-Karauna, Annabel Hardie, Mila Faithet,
Secondary School Enrolments
If your child is in year 8, please ensure they are enrolled in secondary school before the end of term 4.
On 29 November, all of our year 8 students enrolled at Fraser High for 2025 will be able to spend the day there, meeting teachers and participating in various other activities.
It is important for your child that they are enrolled at a school for next year, it is pretty unsettling for them to hear about other students and what school they are going to, if they are not enrolled to go somewhere.
Upcoming events
Our calendar has been updated on our website, www.maeroa.school.nz.
- 8 & 11 November - Teacher Only Days
- 8 & 9 November - Waikato Tainui Kapahaka Regionals
- 8 November - Jump Jam Competition
- 22 November - School Colour Fun Run
- 29 November - Fraser Day for Year 8's attending in 2025
- 5 December - Meet the Teacher for 2025, 4 - 6 pm
- 10 December - Final Assembly
- 11 December Year 8 Social
- 13 December, the final day of term, finishing at 12 noon