November 2021

Kia ora koutou e te Maungaraki whānau,

Term four has begun with a flurry of activity. There have been many colourful characters heading over to the local church for dress rehearsals and filming of the school production. The children have been greatly enjoying the production process and are looking forward to sharing the final version with their families later in the term. This production has been a huge undertaking by the staff and students, with the added complication of Covid restrictions changing the parameters from a live production, to a filmed and edited movie not done before at school. Everyone should be very proud of this big achievement. We can’t wait for the screening.

The year fives and sixes enjoyed a very successful camp to El Rancho in week three. The weather was fortunately, better than forecast, enabling the children to participate in a wide range of activities. These included horse riding, go-carting, rock climbing, orienteering, kayaking, swimming, soft archery and an amazing waterslide. Well done to all the children on representing our school so well.

As you will be aware, the Government has made laws and regulations around the vaccination of all people who come onto school grounds while children may be present. By 15 November all such people need to have had at least one covid vaccination. And by 1 January 2022, all these people need to be double vaccinated. We are fortunate that our school is unlikely to run into any issues around these mandates. All staff meet the vaccination requirements, and the school is working through a register for other volunteers who are in direct contact with students, such as sport coaches.

The two building projects are progressing well with tenders are due next week. Once the tenders are in we will have more of an idea of when building will start, but are hopeful it will be over the summer break. The heat pumps are all installed and functioning well, meaning all classrooms in the school now have good heating and air-conditioning. The flying fox will be installed on the lower field over the summer break. We are due to begin the planning stage of the carpark and entranceway soon.

Shane talked us through some strategic aim initiatives proposed for next year. These include:

Literacy development

We have been awarded a Ministry funded professional development grant for 2022 in literacy. This includes 150 hours of experts working alongside our staff to upskill them in literacy and help refine our literacy programmes throughout the school.

Coaching

Teacher coaching has become an important part of the school and is having a positive impact on teaching practice. Target students are selected from school achievement goals, and form part of the coaching goals and reflections. We have several coaches, which is helpful because expertise is developed by a number of people. The group is able to work together to problem solve, develop and plan, and also share workloads. The effectiveness, progress, and learnings from the coaching is shared within teams and whole staff sessions twice a term.

Waihanga – Creativity Centre

The school is developing a more robust and integrated Creativity Centre – Waihanga. This centre will provide our older students with the opportunity to use tools and skills when they need them, rather than waiting for the technology visit at Hutt Intermediate once a term. We will still attend Technology at Hutt Intermediate, this development is aimed at adding to our build and play are as we continue to develop our STEM curriculum here at Maungaraki School. Students will be able to visit throughout the week, creating more fluid links to inquiry learning and classroom programmes across Fern and Koru.

Gifted and Talented

We are keen to extend and maximise the potential of all the children in the school, whatever their ability. Staff are making sure those children that can be extended are reaching their full potential. Students will be identified and their learning adapted to meet their needs.

Sustainability

The school wants to develop learners who are informed decision makers, and connected to the land and the environment. Ultimately the school aims to prepare our children for a lifetime of sustainable living, through its teaching, culture, and day-to-day practices. We are providing opportunities for students to practice sustainability through a variety of ways, including the Enviro Club, a community garden and Te Manawa Challenges.

Policy

Each meeting we discuss a couple of our Board policies to make sure they remain up to date and relevant. We discussed some updates to the Stand-downs, Suspensions and Exclusions Policy, and the Appointment of Staff Policy. All policies are available for viewing on the school website.

Noho ora mai,

Julie, Shane, Megan, Paul, Lizzie, Chris, Kaylee and Wayne
Maungaraki Board of Trustees