Newsletter - WE 17/09/21

Tena koutou katoa

Stability! Seems like this was a pretty reasonable thing to ask for just a short time ago but here we are, hoping for nothing more than stability through to the end of the year. Our students are back and going great and teachers are working with them to make sure they are achieving their goals. Exam week for Year 10-13 is now the final week of this term and a schedule has been put out this week. I know many students will feel less anxious once they know they have a derived grade locked in should the situation change again. Our primary school is humming along nicely with great attendance for our first few days back from lockdown. There has been a fair bit in the media around changing school holidays, however, all the information I am receiving from the Ministry of Education suggests this is not the case for us. Never say never with politics, but at this stage it looks like the term break will be as planned. Having just got our students back we certainly do NOT want to send them on an early term break.

The situation does however remain volatile and experience tells us things can change very quickly. If your child has a device with a broken camera or sound for example, NOW is great time to make sure this is working and get it fixed. We can supply a school owned device whilst it is in the repair shop for daily use. We have completed our staff review of our remote provision over lockdown and have spoken to a number of students to make some tweaks IF we ever need to go there again.

Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is celebrated the week 14–20 September and this year’s theme is ‘Kia Kaha te reo Māori’. It’s an opportunity for us all to really celebrate and champion te reo Māori, helping to secure its future as the living, dynamic, and rich language of Aotearoa.

Staffing for 2022
We have made the decision to continue with the split in the current Year FOUR through to 2022. This is a large group and make for very big classes otherwise therefore we have advertised for another fixed term teacher for 2022 to take this Year FIVE class. We will update you as this is resolved. There are some reshuffles occurring for teachers in Year 1-8 for 2022 and once we have this appointment made we will make these public.

Mates and Dates
This programme will run for the next 5 weeks with our Year 10 students working on the important topic of Healthy Relationships. A letter has come home explaining this programme so please chase up your Year 10 child if you have not seen it.

Some Course Additions in 2022
As the school grows one of the advantages is the ability to increase the options we can provide on site to compliment our externally provided options. Next year we will be introducing Maori language as an option in Year 10, continuing Performing Arts in Year 9 and 10 and our technology rotation for Year 7 and 8 will include digital art with claymation and movie making. Students in Year 11 have the option of taking a traditional Science course or one more linked to Agriculture and our Narrative Arts programme will continue for Year 11 and extend to Year 13.

Transition
Letters have gone out this week to our incoming students for 2022 and Mrs Habgood and I have visited Hanmer and Waiau schools to start the transition process, with the Rotherham visit to come. 1-1 interview with student and families will follow during Term Four and the usual transition day. During 2021 we trialled having the Year 7 and 8 students coming from Hanmer School for technology taking these classes with our Amuri students as part of the transition process and we have found this to be very successful and should make coming to High School a much better experience for these incoming students. We will continue this into 2022.

Kia Kitea Toikaka.
James Griggs
Principal

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Roll of Honour

Shay Flapper
Mac Langford
Benji Mones-Cazon
Janae Tily
Siena Wayne
Jessica Youngman

1st Merit

Baylea Black
Alanah Flintoft
Lilly Frame
Bella Godfrey-Grant
Emily Greenwood
Zara Hamilton
Esme Hewitt
Biddie Johnson
Bonnie MacDonald
Becky Minson
Bob Morgan
Lillie Schuurman
Irish Supan
Shyan Tewao

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Dates for Your diary

September
21st Year 1-3 Cricket Lessons
22nd - 23rd Young Writers school visit
 27th - 1st Year 10-13 Exams
October
 1st End of Term 3
 10th - 16th Year 12 Geography South Island Trip
 18th Start of Term 4             

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AMURI B team lost in the final18-22 against Cashmere High School on Wednesday. The girls played well and can be proud of themselves.

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Room 3 are excited to be back at school!

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Māori Language Week

This week is Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and our teachers and students have been using Te Reo in their classes more than usual.

Each home room teacher was provided with an activity book to photocopy for students with activities such as crosswords, word searches and colouring in sheets with kupu to be used at school, at home and in the garden.

The Te Kooti children have been enjoying working through the activity books as well as listening to songs, stories and counting. They have been learning action words used by animals such as fly (rere), swim (kaukau) and dig (kari).

Te Koa students have been learning new karakia, new kupu, new games and participating in some online quizzes. Students have been going home and teaching their parents new words they have been learning.

SIM have been working through the activity books mentioned above.

Year 9 Maths students are solving geometry problems that lead to answers about Māori legends.

Year 10 Maths students are solving financial literacy problems that lead to answers about Māori legends.

Zandri taught primary teachers how to change settings on their cellphones to add Māori words by default to help them learn the language.

Kylee taught primary teachers how to order McDonald’s (Makitānara) in te reo māori. I wonder if any of them will be trying this out at the weekend. In case you happen to be in Christchurch here are some kupu that might come in handy...

Hamapākā – Hamburger Maramara Rīwai – Fries Ahikirīmi – Sundae Waireka Rēmana – Sprite Tī – Tea Wai āporo – Apple Juice

If you would like a copy of the Māori language activity booklet mentioned above or more information about Māori language week, please get in touch with me. Kia Kaha te reo Māori!

Ngā mihi,Denise Johnsondenisej@amuri.school.nz
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Congratulations to Grace Moriarty who has been selected in the Canterbury Women's U19 rugby team. We look forward to hearing how you get on. A wonderful achievement!

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In response to: Lockdown Creative Writing

- by Zara HamiltonEmilia was sitting peacefully on the log outside her cabin, waiting for Lily, her best friend, when she heard a high-pitched scream. Emilia froze. She'd recognize that scream anywhere. It was Lily's. Emilia stood up, scared of what Lily had gotten into. Emilia walked slowly towards where she'd heard the scream, to see Lily lying face down, smothered in blood, mud, and tears. Emilia went to lift up Lily, when Lily said "Don't turn around." So of course Emilia turned around to see a shaggy, dark green, bloody teethed monster. Emilia screamed, as the monster said "You will pay..." Emilia stuttered "What did we do?" the monster answered with a grunt of "you have tried to save my hostage; and for that I ask a favour of you. I need you to go down to the lake and get my treasure, at the bottom of the lake, by the end of the week." Emilia responded with a stutter, and said "but, its 9pm on a Sunday night. How on earth am I supposed to get a treasure, at the bottom of the lake by Midnight tonight, when it becomes the end of the week, that’s only 3 hours! Please sir, don’t make me do this. What do I get out of this?” the monster smiled creepily and said “I’ll give you back your friend.” Emilia looked from the bloody, muddy, wet, cold Lily who was about to burst into tears, to the shaggy, green monster and said “Alright, I’ll do it. So long as you free Lily as soon as I get the treasure.” The monster nodded and said “GO GET MY TREASURE” Emilia nodded and went back to the cabin hyperventilating, and went to get her wetsuit and extra-long snorkel. She dived into the water and got nipped by a piranha. So, swimming as fast as she possibly could she dived down, down, down into the bottom of the lake, and voila! She found the treasure and handed it over to the monster, untied Lily, and asked “what’s in there?” and the monster opened it and the girls saw… false teeth!

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