week 6 term 1 2025
Kia ora Whaanau
A huge thank you to all the parents and caregivers who attended our Open Night last week. Your involvement in your child’s education makes a real difference, and we appreciate your time and support.
This week, we are fortunate to have students from Makuhari Junior High School in Japan visiting us. While they spend a lot of time exploring the Waikato, our students have enjoyed having them on site. Their itinerary has been full of exciting experiences, including:
- Tuesday – A visit to Maungatautari, where they had the privilege of seeing a kiwi up close.
- Wednesday – They took A trip to Rotorua, where they explored Te Puia Springs, the Redwood Forest, and the Agrodome.
- Thursday – A morning visit to Endeavour School.
A special thank you to the families who have opened their homes to host these students—we deeply appreciate your generosity and hospitality.
Meanwhile, our students have been busy heading off to camp this week. The weather has been fantastic, and the feedback from returning students has been overwhelmingly positive. They are sharing stories of the fantastic activities and memorable experiences they've had. Organising camps of this scale takes incredible effort, and we want to acknowledge our Deputy Principals, Amanda Taylor and Charles Hume, for their outstanding planning and coordination. Their dedication ensures that our students have a smooth and successful camp experience. We have also had fantastic support from parents and caregivers who have braved the bush to support the camps; without them, this camp would not go ahead.
Also on-site this week is the Life Education Bus, where our students engage in valuable learning sessions with Amy. It’s always an excellent opportunity for our students to develop their understanding of well-being, health, and making positive choices.
You can see that things are very busy here at Maeroa Intermediate! Another exciting development is that our students have begun their maths programme using PR1ME Maths. Our teachers have been getting familiar with the new material and are excited to implement this resource in our classrooms. PR1ME Maths provides a structured, research-based approach that supports students in developing strong numeracy skills, and we look forward to seeing the benefits in action.
In addition, a large group of our teachers have been attending structured literacy training on Thursday and Friday this week. This training will be invaluable, further strengthening our approach to literacy instruction. Many of our teachers have already been upskilled in this area over the last five years, and we are fortunate to continue this professional development. A special thanks to our relief teachers, whose support has made this training possible.
Ngaa mihi nui
Susan Wood
Principal
Phones at School
All students must keep their mobile phones switched off and stored in their bags when they enter the school grounds in the morning. They then hand them in for safe keeping at the office until the end of the day at 3:00 p.m.
This policy from 2024 is in line with changes in school laws and aims to reduce distractions, improve focus, and boost academic performance. This expectation has been made clear to all students and is in our enrolment documents.
What You Need to Know:
- Phones must be off and handed in at 8:30 a.m.
- If students need to contact a parent, they can come to the office, or parents can call the school office at 07 8475014.
- If a phone is confiscated, parents can collect it from the school office between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
We appreciate your support in reinforcing this policy at home! Let's work together to create a focused, positive learning environment for all students. 
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!
School Swimming Sports
School Swimming Sports & Water Safety Reminder
Last week, we held our school swimming sports, which was a fantastic event for the whole school to participate in and enjoy. The heats took place in Block 1, and in Block 2, we came together as a school to watch the finals and fun events. It was great to see so many students getting involved—whether by competing in races or cheering from the sidelines.
I want to applaud all the students who entered the swimming sports and participated with enthusiasm, as well as those who demonstrated fantastic sportsmanship as spectators. Your support, encouragement, and respectful behavior helped make the event a great success.
One key observation from the day is that, as a school, we have relatively few strong, confident swimmers. With summer fast approaching, this is something to keep in mind when heading to the beach, lake, or river. Ensuring that children are supervised around water and have opportunities to build their swimming confidence is crucial for their safety.
Thank you to all the students, staff, and families who contributed to making this a memorable event!
Congratulations to Havana and Harper Leilua, who represented our school at the Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools Swimming Sports at Cambridge this week.
Swimming Sports 2025
Japanese students visit to Maungatautari
Our Makuhari students visited Maungatautari during the week. Maungatautari is a breeding sanctuary for kiwi. Our Japanese group was one of the lucky groups to see one of the Kiwis being transferred.
From the Maungatautari Sanctuary Mountain Website:
"New Zealand's largest North Island brown kiwi transfer has started, and we couldn't be prouder! Last year we moved 222 kiwi to other conservation areas around the North Island. This was a world first in terms of scale and complexity. Working alongside Ngaati Koroki Kahukura, Save the Kiwi, recipient sites, and receiving iwi, we're humbled to be partnering on this incredibly significant Kiwi repopulation strategy.
“There were a few groups, including a school, who coincidentally visited Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari at the same time as the translocation happened,” Jellyman said.
“As soon as you see the reaction from people who spontaneously come across it, you realise how valuable this experience is [to conservation]. It’s a wonderful educational opportunity.”
Waikato BOP Schools XC MTB Champs 2025
This week, we had six students race in the Waikato B.O.P XC MTB Champs. Logan Fredrickson, Connor Schou, Thomas Kneebone, Ace Ross, Levi Dibben and Bella McMinn. This is the first time we have entered students; they had a great time. Thanks to the families that supported this event. Next year, we look forward to growing this opportunity. This is a report from Logan Fredrickson one of the competitors.
On Wednesday, March 12th, I woke up at 6 a.m. to pick up my best friend, Thomas, on the way to Te Miro. I was ready to race against 50 other contestants for 12 kilometers. The car ride was about 40 minutes, and we arrived at 7:50. While we waited at the top of the hill for Levi, Connor, Ace, and Bella, we were anxious to start the race even though it was 2 hours away.
Thomas and I went to the registration and got everybody’s number and timing chip. We put them on our bikes, and when the rest of Maeroa’s representatives got there, they put them on, too. At around 8:30, we warmed up on the 4-kilometer track to see where it went.
We were all nervous when they called us to the briefing at 10:00. I was in about the third row of the first wave, and when they told us to go, I didn’t get the best start. Many people passed me, but I got past quite a few at the top of the hill. The race went well, and the top two placings from Maeroa were 18th and 22nd. Overall, the day went very well, and I would recommend it to other people to try it next year.
By Logan Fredrickson
Important dates this term
- 18 March - Sayonara evening for Japanese students and their host families.
- 19 March 2025 - Vision testing for students. Technicians do this from Te Whatu Ora.
- 19 March - Makuhari students depart
- 21 March 2025 - Catch up photos for students who were away at camp or away from school this week.
- 11 April - End of term, school finishes at 3 pm