Week 7

Tēnā koutou katoa

I hope you are all well and enjoying the wonderful days that Autumn has been sharing with us. Over the Kings Birthday weekend I was able to get out hiking with my whānau. The weather was cool but it was great to get outside in our beautiful part of the world.

Our new School Library is now running at full steam within school and we are looking to expand its reach. A huge thank you to the staff here for all of the work they have put in to make this space operational. Students are able to issue books, visit with their classroom and the space is open during breaks in the school day. We have a range of activities and clubs operating which are proving to be quite a hit. We have our Kura Ahurea programme working from the space two days a week and our next step is to look at further opportunities for our tamariki.

The first programme we would like to launch is our Whānau Reading Programme. This programme has been a huge hit for our kura in the past and delivers huge benefits for our tamariki. We are seeking a small group of volunteers to read alongside some of our learners either on Wednesday or Thursday from 9am - 10:30am. This is an extremely rewarding role and we would love your help. All that is required is your time and smile as you read along with one student at a time. It is a wonderful way to grow a love for books/reading and to develop a few new connections within the school. If you think that you may be able to assist with this please contact Darian at darian.schulz@maungaraki.school.nz.

This week our teaching staff settled their negotiations with the Ministry of Education. We would like to thank you for your support during these negotiations and the disruptions that they caused to our school. Your support during this process has been greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I would like to take some time to acknowledge the Support Staff at Maungaraki School. Our Support Staff are an incredible asset to our school and community. The Support Staff here work in a range of ways to help the school run smoothly. The range of roles they carry out is amazing and the quality of the work they do is unparalleled. On any given day they hold crucial roles in the care and education of our students. Often these roles are unseen, however, they are always necessary.

The way in which they care for our learners is incredible. This group of people are gifted, kind, thoughtful and always have the best interests of children at heart. I have seen countless times when these wonderful people have supported students to feel safe and comfortable as they take risks with their learning. They educate, fix bumps, help guide, encourage, set goals, motivate and engage our children. Our support staff are experts in the classroom. They work seamlessly across our classrooms running a wide array of programmes to support learning. They help students one to one, help within groups and support teachers. We simply could not educate our students without them.

Our support staff help our school environment to be engaging and safe. They can be found mending things, gardening, cooking and communicating with families. They keep our school organised and running smoothly. Without this special group of people, Maungaraki School could not be the place it is.

A huge thank you to each and every one of them for the work they do.

Have a super weekend
nō rēira, kia kaha ra!

Shane Robinson