Week 1 term 4 2025
Welcome Back – Term 4
Kia ora koutou,
Welcome back to Term 4! I hope you were able to enjoy some quality time with your child over the school break and are feeling refreshed for what is always a very full and exciting term.
Term 4 is shaping up to be a busy one, with interviews scheduled for our new students who will be joining Maeroa Intermediate in 2026. We also have several Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools sporting events coming up, including softball, ultimate frisbee, and athletics.
Our bi-annual Market Night, on Thursday, 13 November, is well underway, and it’s always fantastic to see the creativity and teamwork of our students and staff as they plan their stalls and displays. Later in the term, we’ll hold our Meet the Teacher Evening on Tuesday, 9 December, for both new students and our Year 7 students who will be changing classes for 2026.
As we approach the end of the year, we’re also looking forward to celebrating the achievements of our students at our Final Assembly on Wednesday, 10 December and giving our Year 8 students the opportunity to mark their final weeks at Maeroa Intermediate with their much-anticipated Year 8 Social on Thursday, 11 December.
Amid all these exciting events, our most important focus remains unchanged — teaching and learning. Our teachers and students are continuing their work towards strong academic progress and personal growth as we finish the year well.
Ngaa mihi nui,
Susan Wood
Principal
Learning Update: Healthy Mind, Healthy Body
This week, a newsletter was sent home with students about the upcoming Pubertal Change learning, titled "Healthy Mind, Healthy Body." We are holding an information meeting next Wednesday, 15th October, from 5.45 to 6.30 pm in our school library for any families who would like more details about the content of the lessons.
This unit of work, traditionally known as 'Positive Puberty,' aims to achieve the Health and Physical Education objectives outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum.
The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Unit will provide students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills to develop positive attitudes towards the changes they will experience during puberty.
We cover the emotional, social, and physical changes that occur during puberty. The key concepts and understandings of this unit are:
- The physical, mental, emotional, and social growth and development that occur, as well as the new needs that arise during puberty.
- Strategies to manage the changes they will experience
- Factors that influence their choices during puberty (including their families, their peers, the media, social media and religious and cultural beliefs.
- Students' feelings and their rights, and responsibilities;
- How to identify instances of discrimination and take positive action in such cases.
I have attached a copy of the newsletter for families who have not yet received the information. Lessons will begin in Week 3, on Tuesday, 21st October. If you do not want your child to participate in any or some of the Healthy Mind, Healthy Body lessons, please email the class teacher, and we can make alternative arrangements.
Japan Exchange Trip 2025
The nine students from Maeroa Intermediate and I had a fantastic time in Japan this year. Our students were home-hosted by students from Makuhari Junior High School and were completely immersed in Japanese family life. The host families were incredibly generous, ensuring our students were well looked after and had the chance to experience some of Tokyo’s incredible sights.
As part of a group of sixty students from Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools, we visited many fantastic places, including Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea, the Miraikan Museum (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation), Makuhari Elementary School, and Makuhari International School. Students also experienced a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, explored a beautiful Japanese garden, and visited Tokyo Tower, Asakusa, and Ameyoko.
This exchange is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our students, offering them an incredible opportunity to learn, grow, and connect with another culture in a deeply personal way.
If you think your child may be interested in being part of the 2026 Japan Exchange, more information and an expression-of-interest form will be available from the school office before the end of this term.
The cost for the trip is still to be confirmed for 2026, but this year it was $4,500 (excluding spending money). This covered flights, entry fees to attractions, train travel (which was extensive!), and the home-hosting experience.
Students who wish to take part in the 2026 exchange will also be expected to host a student from Makuhari Junior High School when they visit Maeroa Intermediate in March 2026. This is a long-established exchange programme between Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools and Makuhari Junior High School, and we are proud to continue this special connection.
Susan
Japan Exchange Trip 2025
Japan Exchange Trip 2025
Japan Exchange Trip 2025
Japan Exchange Trip 2025
Hosting students from Makuhari 2026
Hosting a Japanese Student – Saturday 7 March to Thursday 19 March 2026 (12 nights)
Are you interested in hosting a Japanese student?
We have another exciting opportunity coming up in Term 1 next year. A group of students from Makuhari Junior High School in Japan, aged 14–15 years, will be visiting us. During the day, they will take part in various activities and day trips arranged by the tour organisers.
This is a wonderful chance for Maeroa families to share in a cultural exchange and learn more about Japanese life and customs.
While we prefer host families to have children attending Maeroa Intermediate, this is not essential — so please feel free to share this opportunity with friends or relatives who may be interested. We are looking for 20–25 host families, and if you have hosted before, we’d love to have you join us again! Sometimes students who have been on this cultural exchange to Japan like to host their student here in NZ.
We expect students who want to apply to go to Japan in 2026 to host a Makuhari student during this time.
Host families receive a payment to help cover costs during the student’s stay. Families are expected to provide meals, including school lunches, general care, and include their student in everyday family life and activities.
If you can assist, please get in touch with me and I will email you the required paperwork, including a Hosting Form and Police Vetting Form for everyone in your household aged 18 or over. Please note that we must sight two forms of identification in person to complete the police vetting process.
As vetting can take some time, it would be appreciated if all forms could be returned by the end of this year. Once the process is complete, I will confirm whether you have been allocated a student.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please email me at rdyer@maeroa.school.nz.
Kind regards,
Rachael Dyer - Coordinator
Maeroa Twilight Market
Mark your calendar - Thursday 13 November, 5.30–6.45 pm
As part of our Financial Literacy Inquiry, students will run stalls at our Twilight Market, supported by a student-led Business Community. They’ve been busy researching, budgeting, pricing, and marketing their ideas, with the goal of learning about profit, loss, and problem-solving. Families are asked to let students take the lead—this is their chance to experience entrepreneurial thinking.
Come along, support our learners, and celebrate their hard work!
Koru Badges
Congratulations to our students who have earned their Koru Badges over the last few weeks. We know you have worked hard to achieve these badges.
Bronze: Grace, Noah, Levi K, Messi, Fox, Marnie, Blake Mc, Linkoln, Tahi, Beau, Psalm, Atawhai, Mahdiya, Holly, Ja'cobey, Ethan.
Silver: Kale, Espoir, Jaxon, Aston, Gypsy, Levi K, Ivy T, Carter G, Torez, Sohail, Jackson, Jordan P, April, Hayley, Kelae, Ethan, Lucas
Gold: Khyshi, Keaton, Lenard, Iyla, Hunter, Skylar, Zara S, Kristen, Imogen, James, Winowa, Caden, Payton
Platinum: Troy, Angel, Lockie P
Star: Levi, Lockie P, David, Blake K,
Super Star: Giselle, David, Khloe, Levi C.
"Success doesn't come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently."
Great Attendance
We had 320 students out of 700 who met the government criteria for excellent regular attendance in term 3 with 90% plus attendance for the term.
We are delighted to recognise five of these students, selected through a lucky draw, who have earned themselves a $20 Kmart voucher for being at school 90% or more of the term.
The students who have won the vouchers for term 3 are:
- Willow H
- Leif
- Aaliaya R
- Kingston R-C
- Levi K
Students going to Fraser High in 2026
Students who have enrolled at Fraser High School for 2026 are invited to attend the Fraser Open Day on 28 November. This is only for students who are actually enrolled there. If your child is not enrolled at a High School and you are zoned for Fraser High then it would be a good idea to enrol them now before the Open Day or they will not be able to attend. More details will be sent out about this event in advance.
