A FLOURISHING SCHOOL

It’s lovely to see MNS growing and flourishing. On the whole, our children are thriving and really engaged with learning and the TIKA values are being used on a daily basis. The Pohutukawa team are preparing for their Wearable Arts Exhibition and Debs Ferrier-Kerr and I have begun talks about the Grandparents Concerts to be held in the second half of next term. We will let you know as soon as we have a date. I love our staff team and am in awe of their commitment to children, to the smooth running of the school, and the focus they place on honing their practice.

HOW LUCKY ARE WE: WELCOME TO NEW STAFF

We extend a warm welcome to Alice Ingram who will be opening our New Entrant (Year 0) class in two weeks. Alice is an experienced teacher and is a local too. Alice will share this class with Christine Jones. Christine is a highly valued member of our staff and has taught at the New Entrant Level for a number of years. We also welcome Shanali de Rose who is here to support our Teacher Aide team. At a time when schools find it difficult to get teachers we feel incredibly lucky.

AWESOME DRIVEWAY GARDENS

Speaking of a flourishing school, the driveway gardens have now been planted with each child planting a plant. There are 400 plants in total! Plants do cost a lot and we would love it if you could donate $20 (or more) towards our gardens. You can make a donation on Kindo.

AN ASSURANCE TO PARENTS

A flourishing school also has challenging times. On Wednesday we asked teachers to lock their doors for approximately 10 minutes due to having some unpredictable behaviour from a student ; this behaviour could have been harmful to property so we took a precautionary approach.

We manage these situations with as much warmth and empathy as possible whilst also being strong in these circumstances. We are acutely aware of the wellbeing of all our tamariki. We communicate as a whole staff in examining and evaluating these incidents so that we remain pro-active. Teachers and I talk through any incidences of this nature with the children to ensure all our children feel totally secure at school. Your children have been absolutely amazing during these talks. They’ve shown understanding, kindness and empathy, and shared their knowledge that all of us are different and respond in different ways. It's not lost on me that there’s some great parenting going on at home. We are ever thankful for that.

OUT OF ZONE APPLICATIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2023

Enrolment at Miramar North School is governed by an Enrolment Scheme, details of which are available at the school office or on our website www.mns.school.nz.

Ballot applications are now open for children turning five before the 15th December 2023. These must be received by 12pm on Friday 11th August 2023 and can be emailed to our Office Manager: reception@mns.school.nz or handed in at the school office.

If the number of out-of-zone applications exceeds the number of places available, students will be selected by a ballot. If a ballot is required, it will be held after 12pm on Friday 11th August.

Parents will be informed of the outcome within five days of the ballot being held.

Actual number of vacancies will be determined at the time of the ballot.

Please refer to our school’s website for www.mns.school.nz to download the appropriate out of zone pre enrolment ballot application.

STOPPING THE SPREAD OF WINTER ILLNESS

Te Whatu Ora | Health New Zealand has provided information to help prevent the spread of illnesses within our communities.

To protect staff and students | ākonga in your care from the spread of respiratory infections this winter, it is important that you follow the guidance on infection prevention measures and that you support your staff and the people who enter your facilities to do the same.

Infection prevention measures can be found at this link:

Infection prevention and control guidance for education sector managers [PDF, 165 KB]